Ivan Gillis

Active Retirement Communities

State:     Alabama

City:       Muscle Shoals

Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.

At its peak, the building of Wilson Dam employed more than 18,000 workers, including some from what is now Muscle Shoals. The construction site consisted of 1,700 temporary buildings, 236 permanent buildings, 185 residential units, and 685 miles of electrical cable. There were also 23 mess halls, a school for 850 students, an 85-bed hospital, and 3 barber shops

In the early 1960s, Rick Hall brought FAME Recording Studios to Muscle Shoals. Famous bands and singers, including Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Osmonds, Mac Davis, and Duane Allman came to Muscle Shoals to record hit songs at FAME. In 1998, it was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

The city is one of four municipalities known as the Quad Cities, the others being Florence, Sheffield and Tuscumbia, all of them in Alabama. Muscle Shoals is known for recording many hit songs from the 1960s through today at FAME Studios, where Aretha Franklin recorded many of her signature works, and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio which developed work for Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and countless others. While the music from the area is often referred to as the "Muscle Shoals Sound," all four of the Quad Cities have significantly contributed to the area's impressive musical history. Without question, Muscle Shoals is among the world's most unassuming "music capitals" in that it remains unspoiled by the music industry. It can be said that the same attraction that artists such as Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and The Rolling Stones felt to the area remains intact today. The famed southern hospitality is still present and, at first glance, one might assume that everyone in residence is a part-time songwriter or musician. The community's contribution to American popular music during the 1960s, '70s and '80s is staggering, and the tradition continues to the present day.

Additionally, fans of Muscle Shoals music frequently make trips to the area to visit local landmarks. While most of the city's esteemed recording studios are still active, the majority will allow tours with an appointment. Further, a number of rock, R&B and country music celebrities have homes in the serene, mountainous rural area surrounding Muscle Shoals (Tuscumbia), or riverside estates along the Tennessee River, and often perform in area nightclubs, typically rehearsing new material to an audience of unjaded locals. Among the musical celebrities with homes in the area are George Strait, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Former home of George Jones whose #1 song "He Stopped Loving Her Today" was voted #1 sad song for the last Century!

The music written and recorded in Muscle Shoals is typically regarded as unique because of the frequent combination of soul/gospel, country and rock influences. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, the area was a hotbed of creative talent as both white and black artists worked side by side. While this desegregation of artists is usually praised for its innovation, it was nothing new for most artists in North Alabama. In fact, the common practice of white and black musicians working together in Muscle Shoals can be traced as far back as the 1930s, regardless of racial tensions elsewhere in the American South.

Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, lived in the area and stated in his autobiography that Muscle Shoals (primarily radio station WLAY (AM), which had both "white" and "black" music on its playlist) influenced his merging of these sounds at Sun Records with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.

Income & Housing Costs Numbers:

Estimated median household income in 2008: $48,706 (it was $40,216 in 2000)

Muscle Shoals:	$48,706
Alabama:	$42,666

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $135,581 (it was $86,800 in 2000)

Muscle Shoals:	$135,581
Alabama:	$121,500

Mean prices in 2008: All housing units: $166,642; Detached houses: $170,375; Townhouses or other attached units: $134,005; In 2-unit structures: $146,339; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $176,276; Mobile homes: $15,541

Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Muscle Shoals: 82.0 (low, U.S. average is 100)

In-Depth Facts and Figures as listed below, plus other information:

·        Climate Charts

1.      Average Temperature

2.      Precipitation (Rain)

3.      Humidity

4.      Wind Speed (MPH)

5.      Snowfall

6.      Sunshine

7.      Cloudy Days

·        Tornado Activity History

·        Hospitals & Medical

·        Airports

·        Colleges/Universities

·        High Schools

·        Locations of Interest

·        Shopping Centers

·        Churches

·        Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Creeks/Parks

·        Tourist Attractions

·        Banks

·        Housing Costs Information

·        Crime Statistics

·        Radio Stations AM/FM

·        TV Broadcast Stations

·        Discussion Forums

For the above information and photos, click this link:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Muscle-Shoals-Alabama.html#ixzz0pMwMLG3s

Total Tax Burden--Data for Calculation

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate1.html#ALABAMA

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http://www.retirenet.com/location/communities/7-alabama/1-active-lifestyles?city=35661-muscle-shoals

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