Move to Auburn and you’ll quickly discover that Auburn, Alabama, can look very different on an ordinary Tuesday than it does on an Auburn football Saturday.
If you’re considering moving to Auburn, I absolutely think you should experience the excitement of a football weekend.
Come for Homecoming.
See Jordan-Hare Stadium filled with Auburn fans.
Walk around campus.
Experience the tailgating.
Visit Toomer’s Corner.
But then come back.
Come back on an ordinary weekday when there isn’t a football game, Homecoming parade or major Auburn University event.
Drive through neighborhoods.
Go to the grocery store.
Travel the roads you might use for work.
See what Downtown Auburn feels like.
Pay attention to traffic during normal commuting hours.
Because a football weekend shows you Auburn’s traditions and energy.
An ordinary weekday shows you something equally important:
What living here may actually feel like.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Why Visit Auburn More Than Once?
• Move to Auburn: Experience a Normal Weekday
• Drive the Neighborhoods
• Test Your Potential Commute
• Visit the Grocery Stores and Shopping Areas
• Spend Time Around Downtown Auburn
• Look Beyond Distance on a Map
• Compare Auburn on a Weekday With Game Day
• Auburn Homecoming Weekend
• Jordan-Hare Stadium and Tailgating
• Thach and Haley Center Concourses
• Homecoming Floats and Alumni
• Toomer’s Corner After the Win
• Buying a Home in Auburn
• Selling a Home in Auburn
• Quick Q&A
• Auburn Real Estate Resources
• Work With Laura Sellers
MOVE TO AUBURN: EXPERIENCE A NORMAL WEEKDAY
If you’re serious about a move to Auburn, try to experience the city under ordinary conditions.
A relocation trip does not have to be complicated.
You’re simply paying attention to the things that could affect your everyday routine.
What does traffic feel like around the time you would normally leave for work?
How long does it actually take to get from a neighborhood you’re considering to your workplace?
Where would you buy groceries?
How convenient are the places you expect to visit regularly?
What does the area surrounding a house feel like when thousands of football visitors are not in town?
My Move to Auburn guide is a good starting point if you’re beginning your Auburn relocation research.
DRIVE THROUGH AUBURN NEIGHBORHOODS
A house is more than bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage.
Location affects everyday life.
If you have identified several areas that interest you, drive through them at different times.
See how the streets connect.
Notice the types of homes.
Look at the surrounding roads.
Consider the distance to places important to you.
Auburn has established neighborhoods, newer subdivisions, condominiums, townhomes and homes at varying distances from Auburn University.
You can start comparing communities through my Auburn subdivisions guide.
You can also read my Auburn and Opelika neighborhood questions and answers when you’re beginning to narrow your search.
TEST THE COMMUTE YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY MAKE
A map can tell you how many miles separate two places.
It cannot completely show you what your daily routine will feel like.
If you are moving to Auburn for a position with Auburn University, consider driving from potential neighborhoods toward campus around the time you would normally commute.
If your job is elsewhere in Auburn or Opelika, do the same thing.
Try the route.
See the intersections.
Pay attention to normal weekday traffic.
Someone relocating for an Auburn University position can also start with my Relocate to Auburn guide.
GO TO THE GROCERY STORE
Yes, really.
If you want to know what living somewhere feels like, do some ordinary things.
Go to the grocery store.
Stop for coffee.
Drive to the pharmacy.
Get gas.
Have lunch.
Run a few errands.
Those ordinary trips can tell you something that a carefully planned weekend visit may not.
You aren’t going to spend every day at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
You are going to need groceries.
CHECK OUT EVERYDAY SHOPPING
Where you choose to live can affect how convenient your regular errands feel.
Depending on the part of Auburn you’re considering, you may also want to drive toward Opelika and see the shopping and dining options around Tiger Town.
Do not simply ask, “Is shopping nearby?”
Ask yourself whether the location works for the places you personally expect to use.
SPEND TIME IN DOWNTOWN AUBURN
Downtown Auburn on an ordinary weekday gives you another perspective.
Walk around.
Have lunch.
See what the streets feel like without a major football crowd.
Look at the relationship between downtown and the Auburn University campus.
If being close to downtown is important to you, experience it when you would realistically use it.
DON’T JUST LOOK AT MILES
Two Auburn homes can appear relatively close together on a map and still offer different daily routines.
That is why buyers should think about more than distance.
Consider:
• Your workplace
• Auburn University access
• Normal traffic patterns
• Grocery shopping
• Restaurants and shopping
• Property type
• Parking
• Yard and maintenance preferences
• Neighborhood or HOA restrictions
• Your preferred amount of activity around you
If schools are part of your decision, use official information from Auburn City Schools and verify the information that matters to your household.
AUBURN ON A WEEKDAY VS. AUBURN ON GAME DAY
Both experiences tell you something useful.
| Auburn on an Ordinary Weekday | Auburn on a Football Weekend |
|---|---|
| Normal commuting patterns | Game-day traffic |
| Everyday errands | Tailgating |
| Regular neighborhood activity | Thousands of visitors |
| Typical grocery trips | Busy restaurants and stores |
| Normal campus routine | Jordan-Hare Stadium crowds |
| Daily Auburn life | Auburn traditions and football energy |
One is not the “real” Auburn and the other fake.
They are both Auburn.
That is exactly why I recommend seeing both.
THEN THERE IS AUBURN HOMECOMING
Homecoming is almost the opposite of an ordinary Auburn weekday.
And that is part of what makes it special.
Alumni come back.
Parents and visitors arrive.
Students participate in traditions.
Campus fills with activity.
Orange and blue are everywhere.
Auburn football becomes the centerpiece of Saturday.
It is one of those weekends when you can understand why people remain connected to Auburn long after graduation.
JORDAN-HARE STADIUM ON HOMECOMING WEEKEND
Jordan-Hare Stadium on a Homecoming Saturday is certainly not ordinary Auburn.
That’s the point.
Auburn football brings tens of thousands of people together in the middle of town.
Tailgating begins hours before kickoff.
Families and friends gather.
Alumni return.
The band, shakers, Aubie and familiar Auburn traditions are everywhere.
You can learn more about the stadium through Jordan-Hare Stadium on Auburn Athletics.
TAILGATING ACROSS AUBURN’S CAMPUS
Homecoming weekend brought plenty of tailgating around Auburn University.
Tents covered areas around campus.
There was food, football, music and people spending the day together.
If football is one of the reasons you love Auburn, experiencing a Saturday like that matters.
If you are considering living close to campus, seeing that level of activity matters too.
THE HALEY CENTER CONCOURSE
The Haley Center area is another place where you can see the contrast.
Homecoming brings alumni, visitors and football-weekend activity.
A regular weekday brings students moving through their normal schedules.
If you are relocating because of Auburn University, seeing campus under both conditions can be worthwhile.
HOMECOMING FLOATS AND AUBURN TRADITIONS
Homecoming floats add something different to the weekend.
They are part of a celebration designed around Auburn people coming home.
Current students participate in traditions that alumni remember from their own Auburn years.
For someone new to Auburn, Homecoming provides an introduction to the relationship between the university, alumni and community.
THE ALUMNI COME BACK
The alumni tent tells another part of the Homecoming story.
People may graduate and move hundreds of miles away.
Years later, many still return to Auburn.
They walk familiar parts of campus.
Meet old friends.
Bring their families.
Attend the football game.
And make another set of Auburn memories.
LIVE MUSIC NEAR PLAINSMAN PARK
There was also live music around the Plainsman Park area during Homecoming weekend.
That is another example of how much can be happening around Auburn during a major university weekend.
The football game may be the centerpiece, but activity spreads across campus and into downtown.
THEN AUBURN WON
A Homecoming win gives Auburn another reason to celebrate.
And after the game, the celebration moved downtown.
TOOMER’S CORNER AFTER THE WIN
Toomer’s Corner was rolled.
Students, alumni, families and fans gathered downtown.
Toilet paper filled the trees.
People took pictures and celebrated another Auburn Homecoming victory.
It is one of those unmistakably Auburn scenes.
AND THERE WAS AUBIE
Aubie dancing around a rolled Toomer’s Corner after a Homecoming victory is about as far from an ordinary weekday as Auburn gets.
And that is exactly why seeing both sides of the city is worthwhile.
Experience the celebration.
Then come back when Auburn is simply going about its day.
CHOOSING AN AUBURN HOME FOR YOUR REAL LIFE
Suppose a buyer visits Auburn for a football weekend and falls in love with the energy around campus.
They immediately assume they want a house as close to Auburn University as possible.
Before buying, they return on a weekday.
They drive from several neighborhoods to work.
They visit the grocery stores they would use.
They look at homes with different lot sizes and property types.
They experience ordinary traffic.
After doing that, they may still decide that being close to campus is their top priority.
Or they may discover another Auburn neighborhood works better.
Either way, they are making the decision with more information.
BUYING A HOME IN AUBURN
Once you have spent some time here, we can make the home search more specific.
What is your budget?
What type of property do you want?
How many bedrooms?
Do you need a home office?
How much yard?
How much maintenance?
How important is proximity to Auburn University?
What commute works for you?
Do you prefer newer construction or an established neighborhood?
What are your parking needs?
Those answers help turn “I want to move to Auburn” into an actual home search.
You can browse additional Auburn real estate information at AuburnOpelikaALRealEstate.com.
ALREADY OWN A HOME IN AUBURN?
Maybe you’re on the other side of the transaction.
You already live here and are considering selling.
I help Auburn and Opelika homeowners with that side of real estate too.
Selling involves decisions about preparation, pricing, presentation, showing activity, offers, negotiations and closing.
You can start with my Auburn home selling information or read what I tell first-time Auburn sellers.
QUICK Q&A FOR PEOPLE PLANNING TO MOVE TO AUBURN
Should I visit Auburn before buying?
If possible, yes. Spending time in Auburn can help you understand locations, travel patterns and everyday conveniences before choosing a property.
Is a football weekend a good time to visit?
It can be a great way to experience Auburn traditions and game-day activity. If you are considering moving here, try to visit under ordinary weekday conditions too.
What should I do on a weekday visit?
Drive through potential neighborhoods, test your likely commute, visit grocery stores and shopping areas, spend time downtown and experience the places you expect to use regularly.
Should I buy as close to Auburn University as possible?
That depends on your priorities. Some buyers value proximity to campus while others prioritize space, property type, commute, parking or a different location.
Can you help me relocate to Auburn from another state?
Yes. I work with people relocating to the Auburn–Opelika area, including Auburn University faculty and staff relocation.
Do you also help homeowners sell?
Yes. I work with both buyers and sellers throughout Auburn and Opelika.
RELATED AUBURN REAL ESTATE RESOURCES
If you’re preparing to move to Auburn, start with my Move to Auburn guide.
For relocation information, visit Relocate to Auburn.
To compare communities, explore my Auburn subdivisions.
For more neighborhood information, read my Auburn and Opelika neighborhood Q&A.
Homeowners considering selling can start with my Auburn home selling resources.
READY TO MOVE TO AUBURN?
Come experience Auburn when it is exciting.
Come for football.
Come for Homecoming.
See Jordan-Hare Stadium.
See Toomer’s Corner.
Walk through campus.
Enjoy the traditions.
Then, if you are seriously considering moving here, come back on an ordinary weekday.
Drive the neighborhoods.
Test your commute.
Buy some groceries.
Have lunch downtown.
See what Auburn feels like when it is simply Auburn.
Because choosing a home becomes easier when you understand both the big Auburn moments and the everyday routines.
Laura Sellers is an Auburn University alumna who has lived in the Auburn–Opelika area since 1988 and has been a REALTOR® for over 20 years. She is an Associate Broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Preferred Real Estate — the Official Real Estate Partner of the Auburn Tigers.
If you are planning to move to Auburn, relocating for Auburn University, buying a home in Auburn or Opelika, or preparing to sell a property you already own, I would be happy to help.
Call or text Laura Sellers at 334-332-7263.
Homes, y’all!
