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Alabama›Elmore County

Emerald MountainAL

A town of 3,535.

Is Emerald Mountain a good place to live?

Emerald Mountain gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $321K for a typical one, or 5 years of the Montgomery metro’s $64K median household income. It grades A overall, 14th among Alabama's 187 graded towns. On the plus side, the median household earns $123K. On walkability, just 24 of Alabama’s 308 towns do better.

A growing town

Emerald Mountain has grown 29% from 2010 to 2020

2,561 counted in 2010 and 3,310 in 2020.

2,5612010
3,3102020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

How Emerald Mountain grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Emerald Mountain is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site and 18 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Emerald Mountain. Close and well known come first.

All 26 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site: 2C2K Photography, CC BY 2.0 · Jordan–Hare Stadium: AuburnPilot, Public domain · Lake Martin: Rebecca Hagen, Public domain · The National Memorial to Peace and Justice: Soniakapadia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Civil Rights Memorial: Colin Mutchler from Brooklyn, United States, CC BY 2.0 · The Legacy Museum: Soniakapadia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting set up

Moving to Emerald Mountain: who provides what

Emerald Mountain is unincorporated, so Elmore County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerCentral Alabama Electric Coop17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCentral Elmore Water & Sewer AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesElmore CountyElmore County provides services here
SchoolsElmore County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Alabama you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereElmore County Circuit ClerkElmore County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP codes36093, 3607836093 99% · 36078 1%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Emerald Mountain.

Emerald Mountain has less tooth loss than most of Alabama, sends most of its workers to Montgomery and beyond and has household incomes well above the Alabama norm.

OutdoorsD

1.6% of Emerald Mountain is conserved land

5.0 miles of trail. Emerald Mountain’s trail network density is 0.3 miles per square mile, where Alabama’s towns sit at 0.1 and U.S. towns at 0.4.

#46for trails in AL
Emerald MountainAlabama townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.3 miles per square mile0.10.4
Conserved land1.6%1.2%4.3%
1.6%
conserved · 175 of 10,679 acres
5.0 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HealthA−

On CDC estimates, Emerald Mountain is healthier than three in four U.S. towns

Its widest gap with Alabama is tooth loss: 6.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.4% statewide. Against the 5,255 U.S. towns with household incomes like Emerald Mountain’s, it is less healthy than 58%: its national edge comes with its incomes.

40% of Emerald Mountain adults have high blood pressure. Of 32 CDC measures, Emerald Mountain beats the Alabama average on 16 and trails it on 1. Among adults here, 21% get no exercise outside work, against 30% in Alabama’s towns and 25% across U.S. towns. In Emerald Mountain, just over one in ten adults report frequent physical distress, and 15% report frequent mental distress.

76%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
Emerald MountainAlabama townsU.S. towns
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)21%30%25%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)12%15%14%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)15%18%17%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)17%24%19%
32 measures vs. Alabama
16 better15 too close to call1 worse
What stands outEmerald MountainAL
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth6.4%15.4%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity10.9%19.2%
More adults who have had cancer9.2%8.2%
Baptist Medical Center East
6.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
88th
percentile among AL towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A

Emerald Mountain stands out in Alabama and nationally: a smaller share of its residents live below the poverty line

Emerald Mountain has 93 jobs for its 1,342 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.

Only 5 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Emerald Mountain. This Alabama town had 93 jobs in 2023, up 27 from 2013. Among 186 Alabama towns, just 8 have a higher middle household income than Emerald Mountain. The top destinations are Montgomery (55%), Wetumpka (7%) and Prattville (3%).

1%work in town
Emerald MountainAlabama townsU.S. towns
Median household income$123,000$62,000$80,000
Below the poverty line2.2%16%9.6%
Working residents who work in town0.5%10%8%

Where working residents work

In Emerald Mountain1%
Montgomery55%
Wetumpka7%
Prattville3%
Birmingham2%
13 mi
median commute distance
93
jobs based in Emerald Mountain
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Compared with most of Alabama and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Emerald Mountain is hotter

Emerald Mountain brings mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.

92°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter37–60°
Spring52–77°
Summer70–91°
Fall54–78°
Nov 8
typical first frost
Mar 25
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+

Top of a moderate hazard risk in Emerald Mountain: inland flooding

FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Emerald Mountain than in 59% of U.S. communities.

59risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
59Moderate riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

HousingCost of living grade B

The median home in Emerald Mountain sells for about $300K

96% of households are owner-occupiers in Emerald Mountain.

$300Kmedian sale price
3
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Emerald Mountain

16pages on Emerald Mountain
After high school

Colleges nearby

5 within 15 miles of the center of Emerald Mountain

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Emerald Mountain for work

Where Emerald Mountain’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

55% → Montgomery Montgomery 55% 7% → Wetumpka Wetumpka 7% 3% → Prattville Prattville 3% 2% → Birmingham Birmingham 2% 2% → Tallassee Tallassee 2% 2% → Millbrook Millbrook 2% Emerald Mountain · 1% stay
93jobs based in Emerald Mountain
1%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Emerald Mountain

Census-designated place in Alabama, United States

Emerald Mountain is a census-designated place in Elmore County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, Emerald Mountain had a population of 3,310. It is a planned community with an Architectural Review Board and a Homeowners Association of which membership is mandatory. Community facilities include a tennis center, equestrian center and golf club.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
17 sq mi
Elevation
325 ft
Area code
334

Emerald Mountain’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Emerald Mountain.

Explore the map →
RedlandRedlandEmerald Mountain
How the neighbors grade
TownAL rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Emerald Mountain#14AB—B−A−
Redland#17A−A−—B−A−

Emerald Mountain and Redland report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Emerald Mountain with a neighbor →

Questions about Emerald Mountain

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Emerald Mountain, AL a good place to live?

By most measures, yes. Emerald Mountain grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #14 of 187 in Alabama. It grades A− for health and B− for schools.

Is Emerald Mountain, AL expensive?

The typical home is worth about $321,000, 35% above the Alabama typical home.