Moving from San Antonio (JBSA) to Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal

Heading from Joint Base San Antonio to Redstone Arsenal? This guide covers the drive, how the climate and costs compare, what changes when you go from Texas taxes to Alabama taxes, and the Alabama deadlines that start when you arrive.

Joint Base San Antonio includes JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Lackland and JBSA-Randolph.^[1] Distances and city data on this page use downtown San Antonio and the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area.

Quick facts: San Antonio, Texas vs. Huntsville

The drive: San Antonio, Texas to Huntsville

The fastest route we computed runs north on I-35 through Austin toward Dallas, then northeast on I-30 to Little Rock, east on I-40 to Memphis, and east on US-72 across north Mississippi into Alabama, finishing on I-565 into Huntsville.^[2] 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.^[6]

Most families will want to split the trip over two days, with an overnight stop somewhere along I-30 or around Little Rock. 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. San Antonio, Texas

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 2% higher in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro than in Huntsville (93.1 vs. 94.7). Housing costs ran about 21% higher in San Antonio, Texas (94.6 vs. 77.9).^[5] 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

Expect a cooler, wetter place. San Antonio's airport averages 69.6°F and 32.38 inches of precipitation a year; Huntsville's averages 62.9°F and 54.29 inches. Snowfall averages 0.2 inches in San Antonio and 2.4 inches in Huntsville (NOAA 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.^[3,4,7,8]

Taxes: Alabama vs. Texas

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, so a PCS to Alabama doesn't automatically change your tax home. Start with Military OneSource's tax resources or free MilTax help.^[15] 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.).^[16,17] Military members can set up household goods in DPS and build a checklist in Plan My Move.^[18,19]
2. Getting on post: DoD ID holders are enrolled automatically at their first gate scan, and family without DoD IDs register at the Visitor Control Center.^[20] 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. Within 30 days: new Alabama residents must get an Alabama driver's license within 30 days, and an out-of-state vehicle must be registered within 30 days of entering the state. Active-duty members may keep their home-state registration. Details are in our car registration and license guide.^[21,22,23]
6. 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).^[24,8]