Downtown Tuscaloosa, between the river, Queen City Avenue, 15th Street and MLK Boulevard, is in ZIP 35401 and zoned for Northridge High School.

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the City of Tuscaloosa’s Greater Downtown Plan (July 2010), its historic districts map and parks layer; Tuscaloosa City Schools’ 2026-27 school zone map; the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card; Zillow Research; the Tuscaloosa Transit Authority’s route pages; and OpenStreetMap.

Downtown is the grid of blocks between the Black Warrior River and 15th Street, with City Hall, the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse, the main library and the riverfront. Homes here are a mix of apartments and lofts above and beside offices and stores, older houses in the city’s historic districts and newer townhomes near the river.

What this means for you

  • Zoned high school: Northridge High School (2025 state report card: 84, a B), with Central High listed as a second choice on the district’s zone map.
  • Home value: $192,117 in ZIP 35401 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
  • Nearest interstate exit: I-359 Exit 1 (35th Street), about 2.6 miles by road.
  • Who to call: City of Tuscaloosa Planning, 205-248-5100; Tuscaloosa City Schools, 205-759-3700.

Part of our Tuscaloosa neighborhoods guide. For restaurants, events and parking, see our downtown Tuscaloosa guide.

Where it is

The city’s Greater Downtown Plan draws the study area as the land between the Black Warrior River on the north, Queen City Avenue on the east, 15th Street on the south and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the west. The plan puts it at 650 acres, or 370 acres without the streets, in 87 city blocks. University Boulevard and Greensboro Avenue are the main streets through it, and Jack Warner Parkway runs along the river.

All of downtown is inside city limits and in ZIP code 35401, so the city provides police, fire and trash service. The city’s historic districts map shows several locally designated districts inside or touching downtown, including Capitol Park, Jemison, Battle Friedman and the Alston Building, with the Druid City district straddling Queen City Avenue. Exterior changes in a district go to the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.

Schools

Since a local amendment in November 2024, Tuscaloosa City Schools’ boundaries follow city limits, the district’s 2026-27 zone map says. Every point we checked inside downtown falls in one zone:

Level Zoned school 2025 score Second choice on the map
Elementary Verner Elementary, 2701 Northridge Road 97 (A) Central Elementary, 86 (B)
Middle Northridge Middle, 3811 Northridge Road 87 (B) Westlawn Middle, 74 (C)
High Northridge High, 2901 Northridge Road 84 (B) Central High, 69 (D)

Scores are each school’s 2025 overall score, for the 2024-25 school year, on the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card (choose 2024-2025, Tuscaloosa City and the school). The zoned schools are north of the river, so check the address in the zone map and ask the district at 205-759-3700 how the second choice works. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The typical home value in ZIP 35401 was $192,117 in September 2026, down 1.1% from $194,266 in September 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price, and 35401 covers much more than downtown, including West Tuscaloosa and most of the university area. The citywide figure was $243,681, up 0.8%. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

  • The Riverwalk runs along the Black Warrior River on downtown’s north edge, open 6 a.m. to an hour after sunset, with the Tuscaloosa River Market at its heart.
  • Capitol Park, 2800 Sixth St., the ruins of the former state capitol.
  • Government Plaza and Parker-Haun Park, the downtown green and the river overlook.
  • Queen City Park, on the river at the area’s northeast corner, on the city’s parks layer.

More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

  • Interstate: I-359 Exit 1 (35th Street), about 2.6 miles by road; I-20/59 Exit 71A (Alabama 69 South), about 3.3 miles; and Exit 73 (U.S. 82, McFarland Boulevard), about 4.2 miles, using ALDOT’s exit names.
  • City Hall: 2201 University Blvd., inside the area.
  • Airports: Tuscaloosa National Airport is about 4.8 miles by road, and Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport about 63 miles. These are distances on the OpenStreetMap road network, measured with the OSRM routing engine, not drive times.
  • Buses: every Tuscaloosa Transit Authority route starts and ends at the Intermodal Facility Terminal, 601 23rd Ave., weekdays 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to TTA’s route pages.
  • Parking: the free city deck at 2230 Seventh St.

More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap: Piggly Wiggly, 1721 Greensboro Ave., at the 15th Street edge, and the Tuscaloosa Public Library, 1801 Jack Warner Parkway, inside the area. The Publix at 1190 University Blvd. is a few blocks east, in the university area.

How we drew this area

The boundary is the Greater Downtown Plan’s study area. School zones come from points spaced about 500 feet apart across it, checked against the district’s 2026-27 zone layer on Oct. 17, 2026. Store and place locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

What are the boundaries of downtown Tuscaloosa?

The city’s Greater Downtown Plan draws downtown as the area between the Black Warrior River on the north, Queen City Avenue on the east, 15th Street on the south and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the west: about 650 acres and 87 city blocks.

What schools are downtown Tuscaloosa homes zoned for?

Tuscaloosa City Schools’ 2026-27 zone map assigns downtown to Verner Elementary, Northridge Middle and Northridge High, with Central Elementary, Westlawn Middle and Central High listed as a second choice. Northridge High scored 84 (B) on the 2025 state report card.

What is the typical home value in downtown Tuscaloosa?

Downtown is in ZIP code 35401, where the Zillow Home Value Index was $192,117 in September 2026, down 1.1% from a year earlier. The citywide figure was $243,681.

Is downtown Tuscaloosa a good place to live?

Here are the facts. Downtown holds City Hall, the county courthouse, the main public library, Capitol Park and the Riverwalk, every Tuscaloosa Transit Authority route starts at the terminal at 601 23rd Ave., and homes are zoned for Northridge High, which scored 84 on the 2025 state report card.