Montgomery neighborhoods: where to live and what each area is like

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the City of Montgomery’s Neighborhood Services map layer, neighborhood directory, neighborhood plans and ZIP code layer, the Envision Montgomery 2040 comprehensive plan (PDF), the Montgomery Public Schools school zone search, the Alabama State Department of Education’s report card, the Zillow Home Value Index and OpenStreetMap.

Downtown and Montgomery’s oldest neighborhoods sit by the Alabama River, where I-85 begins at I-65, and the city grew outward from there. I-65 runs north and south along the west side of the center, toward Birmingham and Mobile; I-85 runs east past Capitol Heights, Cloverdale and the newer subdivisions toward Halcyon and EastChase. The city’s ZIP code map shows 16 ZIP code areas, from 36104 downtown to 36117 in the east.

Three things a newcomer should know:

• Neighborhoods have no legal boundaries. The city’s Neighborhood Services department maps 184 neighborhood associations, homeowners associations and watch groups, and its planning department lists 12 completed neighborhood plans, most for older neighborhoods. Those are the lines this guide uses.
• School zones do not follow neighborhood lines. Montgomery Public Schools draws its own attendance zones; in two of the 10 areas below, the line runs through the neighborhood. The Town of Pike Road, next door, has its own school system.
• ZIP codes are bigger than neighborhoods. The Zillow figures below are for a whole ZIP code, so three of the 10 areas share ZIP 36104.

What this means for you

• Look up your schools: the district’s school zone search, 334-223-6700.
• Find your neighborhood group: the city’s neighborhood directory, Neighborhood Services 334-625-3422.
• City services: call 311 at 334-625-4636.

The 10 areas at a glance

Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index for the area’s main ZIP code in September 2026, a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. The citywide figure was $149,943. High school grades are from the state’s 2024-25 report card.

Montgomery Public Schools as a whole earned a C (75). The district also runs magnet schools that take applications from across the city; see our schools guide.

The areas

Downtown

Court Square, Dexter Avenue, the Capitol and the riverfront, the area of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. The city’s 2040 plan notes a rising number of full-time downtown residents. Nine bus routes pass through. Read the Downtown guide.

Garden District

Older houses on both sides of South Perry Street, south of downtown. The 2040 plan names it, with Cloverdale, among “Montgomery’s oldest neighborhoods.” Zoned for Nixon Elementary, Bellingrath Middle and Carver High. Read the Garden District guide.

Old Cloverdale

An early streetcar suburb with a small shopping strip on Cloverdale Road, in ZIP 36106. Two city parks sit inside it. Read the Old Cloverdale guide.

Capitol Heights

A street grid east of downtown along Madison Avenue, with its own 2007 city neighborhood plan (1,300 parcels on 300 acres) and a city community center on Federal Drive. Read the Capitol Heights guide.

Centennial Hill

Between downtown and Alabama State University, “a half mile from City Hall,” says its 2008 city plan. Zoned for Highland Avenue Elementary. Read the Centennial Hill guide.

Chisholm

North Montgomery along Lower Wetumpka Road and East Vandiver Boulevard, with its own elementary school and community center, in ZIP 36110. Read the Chisholm guide.

Southlawn

Southwest Montgomery off Mobile Highway near I-65 Exit 167, closer to the airport than to City Hall. ZIP 36108 posted the largest one-year rise of the Montgomery ZIP codes on Zillow’s index, 8.1%. Read the Southlawn guide.

Washington Park

West Montgomery just off I-65 at Fairview Avenue, a few blocks from Carver High and the Bertha P. Williams library branch. Read the Washington Park guide.

Halcyon

East Montgomery between Taylor Road and EastChase, eight neighborhood and homeowners groups on the city’s map, in ZIP 36117, the highest-valued Montgomery ZIP code on Zillow’s index. The high school zone is split. Read the Halcyon guide.

Normandale

South-central Montgomery south of Cloverdale, near East South Boulevard, in ZIP 36111. Its elementary zone is split between Davis and Dannelly. Read the Normandale guide.

Comparing Montgomery with its neighbors

Taxes, schools, home values and commutes in Montgomery, Pike Road, Millbrook and Prattville are side by side in our Montgomery vs. Pike Road vs. Millbrook vs. Prattville guide. For the market as a whole, see our home prices guide; for taxes, our property taxes guide; and for the move itself, our moving guide.

How we built this

• Which areas: each of the 10 is a named area on the city’s Neighborhood Services map layer, and each is also named by the city’s neighborhood plans, the 2040 comprehensive plan or OpenStreetMap’s place names. We left out areas we could not place on a map with a source. The 10 are a selection from all parts of the city, not a ranking.
• Edges: each area’s edges are its association’s area on the city’s map; Halcyon combines eight Halcyon groups.
• ZIP codes: from the city’s ZIP code layer.
• Schools: 24 or 25 points inside each area, checked in the district’s zone search on Oct. 17, 2026, with grades from the state report card.
• Map data: stores, parks, interstate exits and bus routes are © OpenStreetMap contributors; distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine.

Frequently asked questions

What are the neighborhoods in Montgomery, Alabama?

The city’s Neighborhood Services map lists 184 neighborhood associations, homeowners associations and watch groups. This guide covers 10 of them: Downtown, the Garden District, Old Cloverdale, Capitol Heights, Centennial Hill, Chisholm, Southlawn, Washington Park, Halcyon and Normandale.

Which Montgomery ZIP code has the highest typical home value?

ZIP code 36117, in east Montgomery, at $254,780 in September 2026 on the Zillow Home Value Index. ZIP 36106, which includes Old Cloverdale, was next at $194,192. The citywide figure was $149,943.

Do Montgomery school zones follow neighborhood lines?

No. Montgomery Public Schools draws its own attendance zones, and in Halcyon and Normandale the line runs through the neighborhood. Check an exact address in the district’s school zone search.

What school district serves Montgomery?

Montgomery Public Schools, governed by the Montgomery County Board of Education, serves the city. The Town of Pike Road, next door, runs its own Pike Road City Schools.