Jessica HassanMentone is worth getting to know beyond a waterfall stop. A library afternoon, a visit to the former Moon Lake School campus and a look at the town’s actual planning documents reveal different parts of living here. Start with the routine you would use, then keep a regional recreation trip separate from the practical questions about a home.
Map sources and notes
How can Moon Lake Library fit into an ordinary week?
The library’s own website lists 4607 AL Highway 117, Mentone, AL 35984, 256-634-2127, and opening hours Tuesday–Friday noon–4:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; Sunday and Monday are closed. That Saturday opening offers a different window from Town Hall’s weekday schedule.
The library links its online catalog and a password-reset tutorial for the catalog and Libby. Its Little Library Learners interest survey is explicitly a way to gauge families’ interests, not an obligation to join. Use the children’s program contact and event links for current activities rather than assuming a saved seasonal announcement is still upcoming. Card eligibility and borrowing limits should come from the library; the website’s program invitation does not settle them.
What is Moon Lake Campus now?
The town’s campus page explains that Moon Lake Elementary School closed in 2021 and the town acquired the property. It is now a mix of shops, galleries, offices, a restaurant and the Shigley Amphitheater, behind the library off Alabama 117. It is a community destination, not an operating elementary-school assignment for a nearby home.
Choose a particular shop, gallery or event before arriving; a campus listing does not mean every tenant keeps the library’s hours. The town page links the individual businesses and arts organizations so you can make that choice directly. A former classroom building and an active public library may be part of the same outing without being the same institution.
Which local outing is different from a waterfall visit?
| What you want to do | Useful starting point | Keep this distinction |
|---|---|---|
| A library visit or children’s activity | Moon Lake Library | Use library hours and the current program listing. |
| Art, a meal or a campus event | Moon Lake Campus | Choose the individual tenant or event; hours are not campus-wide. |
| A picnic with a broad view | Brow Park on the town’s Local Sites page | The town describes views toward Valley Head, Little Ridge and Sand Mountain. |
| A DeSoto Falls outing | The separate Falls viewpoint and trail guide | Choose the actual viewpoint and approach; this is not a town-park stroll. |
For a first area visit, pick one of those experiences rather than treating them as interchangeable attractions. The Falls guide already explains stairs, separate trails and parking decisions in depth; use that next when the waterfall is your purpose. This town guide keeps the focus on the civic and community routines around the home search.
Where can I find Mentone’s property-use rules?
Mentone’s Zoning and Planning page publishes a zoning map, ordinance documents, subdivision regulations and information about the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustment. That is a more useful starting point than applying the simplified Census boundary map on this page to a parcel: the two maps serve different purposes.
The posted 2023 zoning amendment specifically addresses residential floor-area provisions and recreational-vehicle residence and parking restrictions. A cabin, smaller house or RV plan therefore needs the relevant ordinance review, not an assumption based on the area’s vacation setting. The linked town zoning-map PDF shows district labels, but it is not a current parcel determination supplied by this guide.
Bring the actual parcel and proposed use to Town Hall so the responsible official can identify the current district, amendments and required review. The town’s office page lists Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., and 256-634-4444. The posted documents are useful evidence for preparing that conversation, not approval to build, rent or occupy a property in a particular way.
Connect the visit with the home you are considering
Try the library or campus during the hours you would normally visit, and choose a separate recreation outing if that matters to your household. Then compare those observations with the property’s actual planning questions. That keeps the appeal of Mentone’s setting alongside—not in place of—the details needed for a practical buying, selling or relocation decision.
What do the numbers say?
Population U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, vintage 2025; resident population as of July 1, 2025. ACS sampling margins of error do not apply. Median age U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimate. Published 90% margin of error: ±3.6 years. Households U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimate. Published 90% margin of error: ±59 housing units. Households correspond to occupied housing units. Housing units U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimate. Published 90% margin of error: ±75 housing units. Owner-occupied homes U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimate. Published 90% margin of error: ±58 housing units. Renter-occupied homes U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimate. Published 90% margin of error: ±12 housing units. Median household income U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimate. Published 90% margin of error: ±21152 USD/year. Income is in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars. Vacant housing units U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimate. Universe: Housing units. Unit: housing units. Vacant is a Census housing-status category, not a count of homes advertised for sale or rent. Published 90% margin of error: +/-58 housing units. Median owner-occupied home value U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimate. Universe: Owner-occupied housing units. Unit: USD. Survey-reported value of owner-occupied homes, not current listings, appraisals or sale prices. Published 90% margin of error: +/-45092 USD. Median gross rent U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimate. Universe: Renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent. Unit: USD/month. Gross rent includes contract rent and applicable tenant-paid utilities and fuels; not current advertised rents. Published margin is nonnumeric; raw code: -222222222. No numeric estimate is displayed; retained source codes or denominator prevent a valid value. Owner costs with mortgage U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimate. Universe: Owner-occupied housing units with a mortgage. Unit: USD/month. Median selected monthly owner costs include mortgage payments and applicable taxes, insurance, utilities, fuels and fees; not mortgage payment alone. Published 90% margin of error: +/-296 USD/month. Owner costs without mortgage U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimate. Universe: Owner-occupied housing units without a mortgage. Unit: USD/month. Median selected monthly owner costs include applicable taxes, insurance, utilities, fuels and fees. Published 90% margin of error: +/-133 USD/month. Renters spending 30%+ on housing U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimate. Universe: Cash-rent renter households with gross rent as a percentage of income computed. Unit: percent. Calculated share with gross rent at least 30% of household income. Excludes households whose percentage cannot be computed. Derived margin of error is unavailable; no unrelated margin is substituted. Formula: 100*(B25070_007E+B25070_008E+B25070_009E+B25070_010E)/(B25070_001E-B25070_011E). Numerator: 0; denominator: 6. Mean commute U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year Data Profile DP03_0025E. Mean one-way travel time to work, in minutes; workers age 16 and over who did not work from home. Retained accepted source run profile-31190; source SHA256 097b9dc1979c94ef809352561e32e389771b032607396d637bc4de7c701f8dea, line 348. This reuses accepted source evidence, not a new API fetch. Published 90% margin of error: +/-7 minutes. Survey travel time is not a current traffic estimate or a route to a named employer. Population and ACS measures may cover different periods; the source notes identify each one. Community averages do not describe an individual household or establish the condition or suitability of a particular property. Estimates and margins are retained without replacing missing or annotated values with zero.Mentone Facts
People
Homes
Housing costs
Calculated measures
Travel
Income
Sources & notes
Continue your area search
Explore homes in the Mentone area search. This map-based view is not an exact Census or service boundary, a complete inventory claim or confirmation of services. Compare the actual listing locations with the questions above.
Explore source-qualified locations within 20 miles of this locality reference point, including places across county lines. Red +: locality reference point. Bands: 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 straight-line miles, not travel times or boundaries. Pins show recorded or representative locations; check place pages for access details. 17 source-qualified records within 20 miles. No mapped records match these filters. Try a wider distance or another category.Explore nearby
Browse related locality records
These records share an existing locality tag. They are listed alphabetically, not ranked by distance or suitability.
Laurel Creek – Mentone – DeKalb
Lookout Highlands – Mentone – DeKalb
Want help connecting the details?
Tell me about your Mentone buying, selling or relocation plans. I can help organize the home search around the routines and property questions that matter to you, while the responsible offices and providers confirm the address-specific details.
Sources and review notes
Official resources reviewed October 30, 2026. Undated pages are treated as guidance checked on that date; hours, fees and operating arrangements can change. The 2024 Census map shows geographic context, not current parcel, school or utility boundaries.