My sister discovered this colorful community 063 miles from Birmingham and wants to live there in a big turquoise house.

Demographics

Southside is located in Etowah County, in the Gadsden metro area. The community straddles Etowah and Calhoun counties and was named for its location on the south side of the Coosa River. It shares a high school with neighboring Rainbow City.

Location

County: Etowah

Area of State: Northeast

Latitude: 33.95°N

Longitude: 86.04°W

Highway Miles From

Atlanta: 129

Memphis: 304

Nashville: 210

Birmingham: 063

Mobile: 315

Montgomery: 149

Huntsville: 077

Albertville: 23.1

estimated population 8,118

"Southside has pretty architecture, good atmosphere, and is easily one of the most tolerant places in Alabama. Crime is merely so-so, but I lived there for several years without being threatened in person or property. The school systems suck throughout, except for high-competition magnet schools, but that shouldn’t matter if you’re retiring there. There are three parks in the Highland area: Gay, Dog Walking, and Regular." [source: http://www.city-data.com/forum/alabama/275205-southside-gadsden-area.html#ixzz0atGSWYVJ]

Crime in Rainbow City (2007):

0 murders

0 rapes

5 robberies
21 assaults
73 burglaries
330 larceny counts
4 auto thefts [and I have my eye on the red Thunderbird]

What Allee has to say about this:
Kudos for beyond excellent documentation! This place looks crazy but happy and bright and knocks Alabama one notch up on my list of places I need to visit. Needless to say, I love the colorful houses. Love the red car with a fuchsia one especially. Is the entire community filled with these color-gone-mad houses or is it just Buck’s Island Road, which I’m presuming is a street? Either way, it’s a cetifiKitsch deserving community!