LEE COUNTY
County Offices
215 South 9th Street
Opelika 334-745-9767
www.leeco.us
Chamber of Commerce
601 Avenue A
Opelika 334-745-4861
www.opelikachamber.com
Services
In spite of the appealing simplicity of life in Lee County, residents enjoy access to state-of-the-art healthcare facilities and services just around the corner from home. One of the finest medical centers in the Southeast is located in the county seat of Opelika. The 314-bed East Alabama Medical Center offers a comprehensive range of advanced medical and surgical services and specialties from cancer care to a skilled nursing facility. The medical center also provides a wide selection of life enrichment opportunities that includes the new HealthPlus Fitness Center. This technologically advanced center relies on computerized training that gives staff members instantaneous feedback for improved techniques. Memberships include two free sessions with a fitness specialist for a fast start to achieving personal goals. The center also provides a personalized entertainment system for a complete choice of audio and video diversions during exercise. Residents of Lee County also have the advantage of community education and screening programs that take a proactive approach to health and wellness.
The commitment to lifelong learning in quality educational facilities is evident throughout Lee County. The Lee County School System combines the advantages of a rural community where students receive a high level of personalized attention with contemporary, well-equipped classrooms and dedicated instructors. More than 2,400 computers underline a commitment to technology, while the emphasis on the arts includes six weeks of violin instruction for every third grader. Students of all ages can take advantage of the wealth of higher education programs at Southern Union State Community College in Opelika and Auburn University in Auburn. One of the largest universities in the South, the university name changed from Alabama Polytechnic Institute to Auburn University in the 1960s to reflect the extensive curriculum and scope of academic programs. Today, the university offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in 13 schools and colleges.
Lifestyle
Lee County offers a lifestyle reminiscent of early America, where a neighbor might bring over freshly baked cookies or leave a gift of fresh garden vegetables on the doorstep. Even strangers tended to greet each other with a warm hello. While those days may seem lost forever in today’s urban bustle, they remain very much alive in Lee County. The area’s mild climate attracts many retirees, although families and young professionals are quick to appreciate the slower pace, historic charm, and country pleasures of this beautiful area. Recreational opportunities are abundant in developed facilities and natural environments, from golfing on fairways designed by famous golf-course architects like Robert Trent Jones and popular country clubs to the spectacular recreational lakes of Harding and Martin. Throughout the county, historic charm blends with contemporary development.
Nestled between two major cities—Montgomery, Alabama, and Columbus, Georgia—residents have quick and easy access to wonderful performance venues, museums and galleries, expanded shopping, and fine dining. Birmingham is approximately 110 miles from home, and the vacation resort destination of the Gulf Shores is about 260 miles away. In addition to regional destinations and attractions like Callaway Gardens and Pine Mountain in Georgia or the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, residents enjoy colorful special events and seasonal activities at home. Opelika offers a 1,200-seat performing arts center that features national headliners, while the Summer Swing concert series entertains at the municipal park. Opelika is also famous for its Christmas festivities, including a Christmas Parade, the Living Christmas Tree, and a Luminaries Tour. The ultimate holiday extravaganzas are the Victorian Front Porch Christmas Tour and Christmas in Railroad Town. Auburn University in Auburn enriches the entire region culturally and intellectually, while the newly incorporated Smiths Station excels in vibrant new construction for a suburban appeal with a country flavor. With its exceptional quality of life, low cost of living, and beautiful but affordable homes and properties, Lee County will be attracting new residents for decades to come.
Auburn, Loachapoka
Auburn Offices
334-501-7260
www.auburnalabama.org
Loachapoka Offices
334-821-1921
Chamber of Commerce
334-887-7011
www.auburnchamber.com
The natural and architectural beauty of the Auburn University campus serves as an ideal complement to the historic charm of Auburn, a city that describes itself as “The Loveliest Village on the Plains.” The university plays a central role in community life and has emerged as one of the top institutions of higher education in Alabama. Newcomers will find a pleasing blend of beautiful older homes graced by mature greenery and highly manicured landscaping as well as new construction in a wide variety of architectural styles and settings. Golfers enjoy the challenge of premier golf courses, while shoppers can look forward to a medley of downtown shops or major retailers at the Colonial Mall. Fine restaurants, convenient services, a wonderful library, lush parks and a community swimming pool, an industrial and technology park, cultural events in nearby Opelika, and the close proximity of a major medical center are a few of the highlights that provide an outstanding quality of life. Loachapoka offers the intimacy of a small-town setting for approximately 500 residents at the edge of Auburn.
Opelika
Municipal Offices
334-705-5150
www.opelika-al.gov
Chamber of Commerce
334-745-4861
www.opelikachamber.com
The seat of Lee County government also serves as the area’s leading center of culture, recreation, healthcare, and education. Brimming over with historic charm, Opelika proudly proclaims itself as a city “Rich in Heritage with a Vision for the Future.” Enjoying the highest elevation between Atlanta and New Orleans, the city features quaint Railroad Avenue and a collection of exquisitely restored historic homes as reminders of a rich and colorful past. For one week each December, the entire city is transformed into a Currier and Ives wonderland of holiday images—drawing thousands of visitors to twinkling lights, costumed characters, singers, actors, and musicians. Historic treasures include the downtown district, charming homes, the newly restored Depot, and the historic Pepperell Mill Village. The 1,200-seat performing arts center, one of the nation’s top ten public golf courses, great parks and extensive supervised programs, and lakefront recreation only scratch the surface of reasons why residents of Opelika would not consider any other home.
Phenix City
Municipal Offices
334-298-3639
https://phenixcityal.us
Chamber of Commerce
334-448-2701
http://pcrcchamber.com
Although the lion’s share of Phenix City is located in adjacent Russell County, part of the community stretches into Lee County as well. The city grew up along the west bank of the Chattahoochee River, which forms the boundary between the states of Alabama and Georgia. Known as the “Gateway to East Alabama,” the city is ideally located across the river from the expansive urban amenities in Columbus, Georgia. Phenix City community offers a welcome retreat from urban bustle while it provides well-developed commercial conveniences and recreational opportunities. Lush parks are filled with unique features like fishing areas, a jogging track, a nature trail, outdoor volleyball courts, tennis courts, sports fields, a public swimming pool, and picnic facilities with grills. Recently renovated, the John LaFoy-designed 18-hole golf course includes a clubhouse and a practice facility with target greens. The homes in this area range from charming historic properties in the heart of the city to affordable new construction or country manors on spacious lots.
Smiths Station
Municipal Offices
334-297-8771
https://smithsstational.gov
Chamber of Commerce
334-448-2701
http://pcrcchamber.com
Smiths Station has grown beyond its status as an unincorporated community to emerge as one of Alabama’s new municipalities in 2001. The move to incorporate will give residents and civic planners greater autonomy in attracting and controlling quality development. This former railroad town has emerged as a welcoming and attractive residential community just seven miles outside of Phenix City, providing easy access to urban amenities and lake or riverfront water-sport recreation. Newcomers will find an abundance of housing options, from well-kept older homes to an outstanding selection of new construction at affordable prices. Good schools, expanding commercial and service conveniences, close proximity to amenities across the Georgia border in Columbus, and a progressive new government are some of the highlights that attract families and retirees to Smiths Station. To keep pace with the influx of new residents, the city has expanded its recreational facilities to include a new senior center and a new park and sports complex complete with amphitheater and walking trails.
