Edwardsville, AL

With around two hundred residents, Edwardsville is a tiny, peaceful community in eastern Alabama's Cleburne County. It actually started out as the original county seat in the late 1800s, bustling with local merchants, grist mills, and rail traffic. After the courthouse moved down the road to Heflin in 1906, the town settled into a quiet rural routine. Today, U.S. 78 runs right through town, making it easy to commute to neighboring job centers or run into Heflin for everyday essentials.

ATTRRivers Langley; SaveRivers / CC BY-SA 3.0

Families here send their kids to Cleburne County public schools in nearby communities, and most shopping, dining, and town services are just a short drive down the highway. The real draw to the area is the outdoors, as the town sits right along the edge of the Talladega National Forest. With scenic hiking trails, quiet backroads, and deep roots that include historic churches and traditional Sacred Harp singings, Edwardsville offers a relaxed countryside setting with mountain foothills right in your backyard.