Is your family member going to be working in Mobile? If so is it a 9-5 Monday thru Friday? If the answer is yes there's no way I'd live across the bay. Fighting the tunnel traffic every day and don't even dream of getting home within an hour on summer Fridays. In Mobile I'd say West Mobile. Lots of new neighborhoods for different income levels out there.

As far as schools go, private or public? Baldwin county public schools are better than Mobile public schools, but Mobile does have some damn fine private schools. Baker High School(public school) is most of West Mobile's area and it gives back what you put into it. My wife went there and then graduated in accounting with a 3.98 gpa. That said I've known some that never did anything with there lives that went there. If their kids are looking for a good education and to use sports to help pay for college send them to UMS or St. Pauls private schools.