Affordable Opelika Storage Units

Moving and storage go hand in hand. Whether traveling across town or the country, moving is an exciting and fresh start. While Storage Rentals of America is here to help you with all your storage needs, we also want to help you get familiar with the area. That's why we put together this resource guide for Opelika.

About Opelika, AL

Opelika is the county seat of Lee County and the main city in the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan area. The population is 30,995 (2020 Census). If you include all of the metro area, 150,933 people live there.

The area was first settled in 1832 and grew rapidly between 1870 and 1900 because of the Montgomery & West Point Railroad Company. The railroad hauled unprocessed cotton through the town. In the late 1800s, it was a wild place full of saloons that catered to the railroad workers. The railroad advised its train passengers to keep their heads down below the windows while the train passed through the town. This warning was so that they would avoid being hit by errant gunfire from drunk saloon patrons.

Until 2004, this city was best known for its textile mills. In 2005, a surge in commercial investments brought new industries to the town, such as a food processing plant, a water bottler, and an automotive parts distributor.

What to do in Opelika, AL

Opelika has these wonderful amenities and attractions:

• Feature: The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge is a wooden bridge found in a lovely city park. The park is beautiful in springtime when the flowers are in bloom.
• Museums: The Museum of East Alabama in Opelika highlights the local history and culture. The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts is on the Auburn University campus. It is the only accredited university art museum in the state.
• Destination: The Chewacla State Park is a few miles south of Auburn, just off Interstate 85. It has 696 acres of lush forest with hiking trails that pass by streams and waterfalls. The trails are suitable for hiking and mountain biking.

Working in Opelika, AL

The Opelika local economy depends on manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and education industries. The unemployment rate is 3.8%, which is lower than the statewide unemployment rate. The median household income is $51,074 per year, which is lower than the national average of $69,021. Opelika's predicted job growth rate for the next ten years is 37.8%, compared to the national average of 33.5%. The average time for a commute to work is 19 minutes.

The industries offering the most jobs are education (12.7%), healthcare (9.9%), hospitality services (6.4%), construction (5.0%), government (5.0%), plastics/rubber manufacturing (4.1%), and textile mills (4.1%).

Opelika, AL Neighborhoods

Opelika has many well-established neighborhoods for those looking to buy a home or rent a place.

Here are the desirable neighborhoods where people like to live.

• East Lake/Springwood: This neighborhood is established but not too old, with most of the houses built after 1970. The median real estate price is $385,774, which is more expensive than 59.1% of the neighborhoods in the state. Most homes are owner-occupied and medium-to-large size with three to five bedrooms.
• Indian Lakes: This nice neighborhood is north of the town. The median real estate price is $301,474. Most of the homes in this rural suburb are large, with three or more bedrooms. There are manufactured and mobile homes available to rent for around $1,446 per month.
• Northgate: This area is to the northwest of Opelika. Its main feature is the RTJ Grand National Golf Course on the shores of the beautiful lake in Lakewood. The median real estate price is $286,507. Rental homes are available for an average rent of $1,558 per month.
• Wyndham Gate/Hamilton Hills: This area is south of Opelika city center. The median real estate price is $255,693. Most of the homes are newer construction built after 2000. The average rent is a lower price when compared to the other neighborhoods, at $1,229 per month.

Opelika, AL School District

The public school district is Opelika City Schools. The school district spends around $11,340 annually per student. The student-to-teacher ratio is about 17 to one.

There are eight private schools in the Opelika area. The top three private schools in the area are Auburn Classical Academy (K to 7th), The Chanticleer Learning Center (6th to 12th), and Trinity Christian School (K to 12th).

There is the public four-year Auburn University near Opelika and five other colleges within a 50-mile radius.

Moving to Opelika, AL Resource Guide

Opelika’s municipal government consists of an elected Mayor and five elected members serving on the City Council. The City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Every four years, elections are held for all six offices.

Opelika’s Parks and Recreation Department maintains the city parks that offer miniature train rides, the recreational centers, the Opelika Pickleball Facility, and the Sportsplex. A new aquatics facility will be open in the summer of 2024.

There are many festive annual events to enjoy that are featured in The Park Bench Magazine, including the 4th of July celebration, Noon Tunes (live music in the park during October), Fright Night for Halloween, The Great Pumpkin Splash, Spring, Summer, and Fall Festivals, the Health & Resource Fair, and holiday festivities around Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Opelika, AL Housing

The median home price in Opelika is $331,100, which has been trending up by 10.7% year-over-year. It is a buyer’s market with more homes listed for sale than buyers who are interested, and the prices are predicted to stay about the same for the next few years.

The cost of living in Opelika is 4% higher than other cities in the state and 8% lower than the national average across the United States