Lookout MountainAL
A town of 1,120. Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Is Lookout Mountain a good place to live?
The best of Lookout Mountain’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for walkability. On walkability, just 2 of Alabama’s 308 towns do worse. Residents are less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 5 of the 188 Alabama towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Lookout Mountain. On the outdoors, just 2 of Alabama’s 308 towns do worse. Lookout Mountain has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lookout Mountain stand out
Where Lookout Mountain beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,120 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Lookout Mountain grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Lookout Mountain is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Lookout Mountain: who provides what
Lookout Mountain is unincorporated, so Etowah County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Lookout Mountain.
A larger share of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Lookout Mountain than in most of Alabama or the rest of the country
27% of Lookout Mountain adults have been diagnosed with depression, where Alabama’s towns sit at 24% and U.S. towns at 23%. 46% of Lookout Mountain adults have high blood pressure. Lookout Mountain beats the Alabama average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11.
| Lookout Mountain | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Lookout Mountain | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.4% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.5% | 8% |
| More smokers | 21.3% | 15.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On state tests, Lookout Mountain’s schools beat 74% of Alabama districts
Its public schools are run by the Etowah County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 216 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Lookout Mountain has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Lookout Mountain for work: only 1% work in town. 13% of Lookout Mountain residents live below the poverty line, below the Alabama town median (16%) but above the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The top destinations are Gadsden (32%), Attalla (4%) and Rainbow City (4%).
| Lookout Mountain | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lookout Mountain faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lookout Mountain has mild winters and hot summers
Lookout Mountain has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Lookout Mountain’s July high is 89°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes in Lookout Mountain sell for about $190K
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Noccalula Falls Park and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lookout Mountain. Close and well known come first.
6 mi WaterfallNoccalula Falls Park
19 mi National PreserveLittle River Canyon National Preserve782K visitors a year
38 mi MuseumInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame
33 mi National MonumentFreedom Riders National Monument
22 mi GardenJanney Furnace Park
8 mi TheatreMort Glosser AmphitheaterPhoto credits
Noccalula Falls Park: Thejammer (talk), Public domain · Little River Canyon National Preserve: Richard A. Weaver, CC BY-SA 4.0 · International Motorsports Hall of Fame: BWard 1997, CC BY 4.0 · Freedom Riders National Monument: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Janney Furnace Park: dofftoubab, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mort Glosser Amphitheater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
Everything we know about Lookout Mountain
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lookout Mountain
About 1 of every 100 Lookout Mountain residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
99% of working residents leave Lookout Mountain for work
Where Lookout Mountain’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Lookout Mountain
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lookout Mountain, AL a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Alabama.
Is Lookout Mountain, AL expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $158,000, 34% below the Alabama typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.