Testimonials

"I pinch myself daily to remind myself this is a real place and not some fantasy...  Decatur-Morgan County is a community of character, values, a place where family matters,  people care, and it is willing to invest in those things that bring true value to the community like education, healthcare and quality of life."
-  Col. Mike McKean, retired to Danville in Morgan County, Alabama

"My wife and I are British and have lived overseas for a number of years. When we heard BP was posting us to Alabama, there was more than a little apprehension, especially for my wife who had never been to the USA before. However, after only three days of living in Decatur, my wife had decided it was a good place for us to retire to! Decatur, Alabama, is one of those lovely places where few people want to go, but when they get there they never want to leave."
-  Dave Harness, Plant Manager of BP, Moved to Morgan County from Great Britain

"My husband and I were part of the DOD BRAC advance party. We viewed a video tape of the presentation given by Decatur-Morgan County while we were in DC and decided to move to Decatur - even though we had friends encouraging us to move to Huntsville. For us, the deciding factors in choosing Decatur included the quality of life and most importantly, the IB program offered in the schools."
-  Tia Martin and her husband moved to Morgan County in 2006 from northern Virginia.

"After spending a weekend in Decatur, touring the area, visiting the schools and just getting a feel for the community, there was no doubt that Decatur was the choice for us. We actually looked at other surrounding communities first, but none of them caught our eye like Decatur did. And what really sealed the deal for us was finding a place of worship. While we were in Decatur, we attended a Sunday service and a newcomers gathering that made us feel like we were already part of the community."       
-  Lt. Col. Fontanez and his family relocated to Morgan County, AL, from DC in 2006.

"We originally researched Decatur from a business perspective. Now that we are here and have settled into the community, we are extremely happy. The people of Decatur are so friendly and have welcomed us as transplants with arms wide open. Everyone goes out of their way to be helpful. Many people living here are transplants themselves. We feel this is one of the reasons that Decatur has such a diverse and accepting culture."
-  Tom and Amanda Bender, Bender's Gym

"I moved to Morgan County in 1994 after growing up in Connecticut and briefly living in Pennsylvania and Virginia. When I moved to Hartselle with my family, a neighbor brought over a homemade pecan pie to welcome us to the neighborhood. I was surprised such hospitality still existed! This year in our Decatur neighborhood where we currently live, our doorbell rang in mid-October. We answered the door to find nobody there, just a pumpkin filled with candy and a "boo sign" sitting on the step. The sign instructed us to copy the "boo" twice, hang the original on our door, and then go "boo" two more neighbors with goodies. Just a week later, my children and I counted over 12 boos hanging on front doors along the short drive to school. I would never have thought that experiences like these could happen more than once in a lifetime. And yet, experiences like these are what many people who have come from other places have been delightfully surprised to find commonly occur when they move to Morgan County. Morgan County is a place where neighbors still take the time to say hello, where friendliness is in the air, and where you feel like you belong after just a very short amount of time."
- Ellen Didier, Relocated to Morgan County from Connecticut and Virginia

"When we moved to Decatur (the 9th place we have lived) as part of BRAC in 1997, we compared other city locations and their pluses and minuses to Decatur and chose Decatur. This city and its surrounding areas offer much variety to choose from, such as city living, suburban, or country and still is in close proximity to all services and businesses. Although a small city, Decatur has all the variety of groceries, car dealers, doctors, veterinarians, schools, etc. without the congestion. It is not necessary to travel to other cities to find what you want. The school system is very competitive with any school system around the country and prepared our daughter very well for entering college. Every year we have lived here, Decatur has improved because of the foresight of the city's leaders and community involvement. Where else can you find numerous recreational opportunities, excellent schools, healthcare choices and the small town atmosphere within a 30 minute drive to work?."
- John and Jan Jensen, Relocated to Morgan County with the 1997 BRAC