East Tuscaloosa: Cherokee Hills to Bowers Park, homes and schools

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. Sources: the City of Tuscaloosa’s District 6 specific plan (April 2009) and parks layer; Tuscaloosa City Schools’ 2026-27 school zone map; the Alabama State Department of Education’s state report card; Zillow Research; PARA’s Bowers Park page; the Tuscaloosa Transit Authority’s route pages; and OpenStreetMap.

East Tuscaloosa here means the established subdivisions east of McFarland Boulevard, from Veterans Memorial Parkway south to Skyland Boulevard East, around University Mall and Bowers Park. The city’s plan names Cherokee Hills, Beech Hills, Woodland Hills and Coventry among them. The plan describes the area as many well established subdivisions.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Paul W. Bryant High School (2025 state report card: 74, a C).
• Home value: $248,612 in ZIP 35405 and $183,700 in ZIP 35404 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest interstate exit: I-20/59 Exit 73 (U.S. 82, McFarland Boulevard), about 3 miles by road, or Exit 76 (U.S. 11), about 3.7 miles.
• Who to call: City of Tuscaloosa Planning, 205-248-5100; Tuscaloosa City Schools, 205-759-3700; Bowers Park, 205-562-3200.

Part of our Tuscaloosa neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The city’s District 6 specific plan lists Woodland Hills, Cherokee Hills, Beech Hills and Coventry north of I-59 and south of Veterans Memorial Parkway, and Parkside and Broadview between I-59 and Skyland Boulevard. It marks the McFarland Boulevard and I-59 interchange as a gateway to the city. (Council district lines have been redrawn since the 2009 plan.)

For this guide we drew the area from Veterans Memorial Parkway on the north to Skyland Boulevard East and I-20/59 on the south, between McFarland Boulevard on the west and the U.S. 11 interchange on the east: about 4.6 square miles, all inside city limits, so the city provides police, fire and trash service. It splits between ZIP codes 35404 and 35405, whose lines wind through it: 35404 covers more of the north and 35405 nearly all of the south.

Schools

Tuscaloosa City Schools’ boundaries follow city limits. On its 2026-27 zone map, the points we checked, spaced about 500 feet apart, split this way:

Scores are 2025 overall scores, 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). More in our schools guide.

Home values

The typical home value in ZIP 35405 was $248,612 in September 2026, up 1.2% from $245,721 a year earlier, and in ZIP 35404 it was $183,700, down 0.6% from $184,779, 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 both ZIP codes stretch well beyond this area. The citywide figure was $243,681, up 0.8%. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

• Bowers Park, 1600 James I. Harrison Jr. Parkway East, run by PARA: a trail, disc golf, lighted ball fields, tennis courts, a playground, shelters, a pool and the Belk Activity Center. Call 205-562-3200.
• Snow Hinton Park, on the west edge near McFarland Boulevard, with a walking trail, playground and pavilions.
• Veterans Memorial Park, 1701 McFarland Blvd. East, in front of University Mall.
• McAbee Activity Center, with the Dockery indoor therapeutic and fitness pool, just north of the area on the city’s parks layer.

More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• Interstate: I-20/59 Exit 73 (U.S. 82, McFarland Boulevard), about 3 miles by road; Exit 76 (U.S. 11, East Tuscaloosa and Cottondale), about 3.7 miles.
• Downtown: about 5.6 miles by road to City Hall, 2201 University Blvd.
• Airports: Tuscaloosa National Airport about 11.5 miles, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International about 59 miles. Distances are on the OpenStreetMap road network, measured with the OSRM routing engine, not drive times.
• Buses: TTA’s V.A. route, which TTA names for Hargrove Road and University Mall, stops at University Mall and Snow Hinton Park on the west edge, weekdays 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. We found no TTA stops farther east inside the area.

More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap:

• University Mall, 1701 McFarland Blvd. East.
• Walmart Neighborhood Market, 4201 Hargrove Road East, at the southeast edge.
• Tuscaloosa Drug Co., on Veterans Memorial Parkway.
• Piggly Wiggly, Fresh Value, Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy, around University Boulevard East just north of Veterans Memorial Parkway.

How we drew this area

The neighborhoods come from the District 6 plan; the outline is ours, drawn on OpenStreetMap road lines. School shares come from points spaced about 500 feet apart, checked against the district’s 2026-27 zone layer on Oct. 17, 2026. Store and place locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

Where are Cherokee Hills and Beech Hills in Tuscaloosa?

Both are in east Tuscaloosa, east of McFarland Boulevard between Veterans Memorial Parkway and I-20/59, according to the city’s District 6 plan, which also lists Woodland Hills and Coventry there and Parkside and Broadview between I-20/59 and Skyland Boulevard.

What schools serve east Tuscaloosa?

Every point we checked is zoned for Eastwood Middle and Paul W. Bryant High on Tuscaloosa City Schools’ 2026-27 map. Most of the area is zoned for Arcadia Elementary, with Woodland Forrest Elementary in the southeast.

What is the typical home value in east Tuscaloosa?

The area splits between ZIP code 35405, where the Zillow Home Value Index was $248,612 in September 2026, and 35404, where it was $183,700.

Is east Tuscaloosa a good place to live?

Here are the facts. East Tuscaloosa is an area of established subdivisions covering about 4.6 square miles with Bowers Park and University Mall inside it, zoned for Paul W. Bryant High (74 on the 2025 state report card), about 3 miles by road from I-20/59 Exit 73.