Moving from Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel) to Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal

Finishing flight school or an assignment at Fort Rucker and heading to Redstone Arsenal? It's an in-state move of about 270 miles. This guide covers the drive, how prices and weather compare, why your state taxes don't change, and what to do when you get to Huntsville.

Naming note: on June 10, 2025, the Army announced that Fort Novosel would be renamed Fort Rucker, this time honoring Capt. Edward W. Rucker, a World War I aviator and Distinguished Service Cross recipient. The post's history page says the redesignation took effect in June 2025, so older orders and documents may still say Fort Novosel.^[1,2] Fort Rucker is home to the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.^[3] Distances and weather on this page use Enterprise, one of the cities next to the post. Enterprise and Ozark are micropolitan areas, so BEA doesn't publish price levels for them. We use the Dothan metro, which is part of the same Dothan-Enterprise-Ozark combined area, as the closest available comparison.^[4]

Quick facts: Enterprise, Ala. vs. Huntsville

The drive: Enterprise, Ala. to Huntsville

The fastest route we computed heads north from Enterprise on AL-167 and US-231 toward Montgomery, then takes I-65 north through Montgomery and Birmingham. Near Decatur it turns east on I-565 into Huntsville.^[5] Compare it with other routes in a live maps app for current traffic, construction and weather. If you're moving under orders, check what your travel entitlements cover before you plan stops.^[9]

At about 270 miles, most families can do it in one day. Montgomery and Birmingham are the natural places to stop for fuel and food. You can search hotels along your route on Expedia. For your first nights in North Alabama, compare Huntsville hotels on Hotels.com (affiliate link: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you; see our disclosure). Book refundable rooms if your pickup or delivery dates might still change.

Cost of living: Huntsville vs. Enterprise, Ala.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes Regional Price Parities (RPPs), which compare price levels across metro areas (U.S. average = 100). In 2024, overall prices were about 11% higher in Huntsville than in the Dothan, Ala. metro (93.1 vs. 83.8). Housing costs ran about 66% higher in Huntsville (77.9 vs. 46.9).^[8] RPPs are metro-wide averages and lag by about two years, so check current rents and listings for the neighborhoods you're considering.

Weather and climate

Huntsville is cooler and a little drier, and it gets some snow. NOAA's Enterprise station averages 66.5°F and 57.90 inches of precipitation a year, with a snowfall normal of 0.0 inches. Huntsville's airport averages 62.9°F, 54.29 inches and 2.4 inches of snow (1991-2020 normals). North Alabama also gets severe storms and tornadoes, so learn tornado safety and sign up for alerts from the National Weather Service Huntsville office.^[6,7,10,11]

Taxes: no state change

You're moving within Alabama, so your state income tax brackets, the 4.00% state sales tax and Alabama's exemption for military retirement pay all stay the same (how Alabama's exemption works).^{[12,13,14,15]} Local sales tax and property tax differ by city and county, so compare Huntsville and Madison property tax and the homestead exemption before you buy.

Active-duty members' state of legal residence, and military spouses' tax residency, follow federal rules such as the SCRA and the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act. Military OneSource's tax resources and free MilTax help can answer residency questions.^[16] This is general information, not tax advice.

When you get to Huntsville

1. Before you leave: contact the Redstone Army Community Service Relocation Readiness Program as soon as you have orders (3443 Aerobee Road; Mon 1–4 p.m., Tue–Fri 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m.).^[17,18] Military members can set up household goods in DPS and build a checklist in Plan My Move.^[19,20]
2. Getting on post: Military ID and CAC holders are enrolled automatically at their first gate scan, and family without military IDs or CACs register at the Visitor Control Center.^[21] Only Gate 9 is open 24/7; see Redstone Arsenal gate hours by gate.
3. Housing: choose your gate and building first, then compare neighborhoods near Redstone Arsenal, on-post housing and the waitlist, and how BAH works for Redstone.
4. Schools and child care: start with the school districts guide and Redstone child care.
5. Licenses and registration: the 30-day new-resident deadlines for an Alabama driver's license and vehicle registration are for people moving into Alabama, so they usually won't apply if you're already licensed and registered here. Just update your address. Active-duty members who kept a home-state registration can keep it. Details are in our car registration and license guide.^[22,23,24]
6. Moving labor: unloading a rental truck or portable container yourself? Local crews can load or unload by the hour; compare and book through HireAHelper (affiliate link: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you; see our disclosure).
7. Then: work through the first-90-days checklist and sign up for severe-weather alerts. NWS Huntsville says March through May is the busiest severe-weather season, with a second peak in November (Huntsville tornado guide).^[25,11]