Alabama

Best affordable suburb: Alabaster
Nearest major city: Birmingham
Population: 28,576
Median household income: $69,443
Median home price: $154,950
Unemployment rate: 2.3%
Violent crime index: 17

This growing suburb, 17 miles south of downtown Birmingham, is home to Shelby County's only hospital, the Shelby Baptist Medical Center, which employs 830 people. The city has shops, restaurants, and a movie theater. About 43% of residents are married with children. The average commute is 30 minutes.

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