Living in Foley, AL

Baldwin County

Foley is genuinely Baldwin County's working commercial and retail hub -- a real, distinct identity from the beachfront resort towns (Gulf Shores, Orange Beach) and older coastal towns (Fairhope, Daphne) already documented elsewhere in this project's Alabama coverage. Tanger Outlets Foley, at nearly 600,000 square feet with more than 100 stores, is described directly by its own operator as "the number one retail attraction visited along the Alabama coast each year," and Foley's own yearly retail sales average is cited at nearly $600 million -- a genuinely large, real commercial economy for a city of this size. Foley's population growth is real and striking: from 20,975 at the 2020 Census to a 2026 projection of 32,147, a 53.26% five-year increase, an annual growth rate of 5.91%. This growth skews genuinely older than many fast-growing markets: Foley's median age is 52.7, and 32.3% of residents are 65 or older -- both real, strong, well-supported figures behind this record's retiring-topic decision. Housing runs meaningfully more affordable than the immediate beachfront: a $328,000 median sale price as of January 2026 (Redfin, +2.1% YoY), well below Gulf Shores' $452K-$458K figures documented elsewhere in this project, though homes are taking longer to sell (95 days on market, up from 64 the prior year). Healthcare access is a genuine local strength: South Baldwin Regional Medical Center, physically located in Foley, is a 112-bed facility undergoing a $200 million expansion to 142 beds, named to Newsweek's 2024 top-10 Alabama hospitals list. Foley's hurricane risk is real but genuinely less direct than the immediate coast's: sitting roughly 8 miles inland, Foley experienced real wind and rain impact from both Hurricane Ivan (2004) and Hurricane Sally (2020) -- Sally's unusually slow forward speed (under 5 mph at landfall) produced 15-30 inches of rainfall across Baldwin County and extensive, real, disclosed damage in Foley itself (downed trees, downed power lines, business damage) driven by wind and rain rather than direct storm-surge inundation, a real and meaningful distinction from Gulf Shores' own direct-landfall exposure. Crime data carries a real, disclosed tension: NeighborhoodScout describes Foley's overall rate as considerably higher than the national average, with violent crime specifically running higher than most communities of all sizes, even as a separate framing describes Foley's combined odds as closer to average against similarly-sized communities.

Explore Foley in depth

• Moving to Foley: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Foley
• Housing in Foley
• Taxes & Insurance in Foley
• Climate in Foley
• Schools & Families in Foley
• Healthcare & Safety in Foley
• Pros and Cons of Living in Foley
• Retiring in Foley

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Retirees drawn to a genuinely well-supported, name-specific retirement demographic (32.3% of residents 65+) combined with meaningfully more affordable housing than the immediate Gulf Coast and a substantial in-city hospital; shoppers, retail workers, and buyers drawn to Foley's real, large-scale commercial/retail economy anchored by Tanger Outlets; budget-conscious buyers who want practical proximity to the Gulf Coast beaches without paying beachfront prices.

Maybe not for you if: Buyers seeking zero hurricane exposure should note Foley's real, if less direct, wind/rain/flooding risk from the same storms that strike the immediate coast, as Hurricane Sally's 2020 rainfall and disclosed Foley damage demonstrated; buyers most sensitive to crime-rate statistics should weigh NeighborhoodScout's elevated overall and violent-crime framing honestly, even alongside the more moderate combined-odds comparison to similarly-sized communities; and families prioritizing strongly-proven school performance should note the real, disclosed gaps in Foley's available school-quality data beyond a general 'above average' characterization.