Hi Andy,
You are not the only one from Huntsville looking for a mattress it seems 
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/new-here-with-questions
A regional factory direct manufacturer that is very near you in Madison is
www.furniturerow.com/locations/locations...te.jsp?state=Alabama Madison and Chattanooga. They are a regional factory direct outlet and they carry two latex (or mostly latex) mattresses called the Aspen and the Snowmass (note: the Aspen and Snowmass have now been replaced with the iChoice mattress which has a latex and a memory foam option). They have some good quality/value mattresses if one of them is suitable for your needs and preferences. Denver mattress has many outlets across many states so the knowledge level of the staff may vary in different outlets. I would also ignore the brands they also carry which they don’t manufacture.
2 other local factory direct manufacturers who are within 120 miles are …
www.royalbeddinginc.com/ Local factory direct manufacturer in Pelham, AL. I know the owner Tom and have talked with him many times and think very highly of him and the mattresses he makes. He just came out with his first "all latex’ mattress which is 2 sided and has good value (he has since expanded his latex options since this was written). If the distance is not too great I would certainly call him and/or pay him a visit. There are some good quality and value options here and they are great to deal with.
Mattress Store Chattanooga TN | MurMaid Mattress Chattanooga and other stores in the area. Local factory direct manufacturer that makes a wide range of mattresses including latex, latex hybrids, gel foam, memory foam, and traditional innersprings. Like most local manufacturers, they tend to use higher quality materials in their mattresses and would likely have better value than the major brands but I would make sure that you can find out the specifics of the materials that are in any mattress you are considering here (see post #8 here).
There are also some regional manufacturers that make their mattresses in either Alabama or neighboring states that may be available through retail outlets close by. They will often supply information about the materials in their mattress on their website or with a call. These type of manufacturers may sometimes represent better value than most national brands.
Home page (Dealer locator on site)
http://www.sleepdutchcraft.com/ (Dealer locator on site)
http://www.posturecraft.net/DealerInformation/DealerLocator.aspx (Dealer locator on site … site is being updated)
http://medipedicbedding.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1 (Phone call will give you the local outlets)
http://www.southerlandsleep.com/ (Dealer locator on site)
http://www.southernnightsmattress.com/ (Call to find local dealers)
Some other regional or national brands that may represent better value and that have a manufacturing plant near you include …
http://www.latexbliss.com/ These are an all latex mattress that is among my favorite national brands and are “better than average” value and good for testing latex layering. They can also be useful as a guideline for a purchase with some of our online members at better value. Dealer locator on site.
http://www.restonicjc.com/ Restonic Licensee (Dealer locator on site)
http://www.advancedsleepconcepts.com/ Englander Licensee (Phone call will give you local outlets)
Besides some of these … a search of some local outlets who carry some alternative brands (included beside the link) that may offer better value than the major national brands (subject to the guidelines here) include …
http://universityfurnituregallery.com/ in Huntsville also carries a wide range of Jamison (over 20 models) on their floor including latex and their gel memory foam.
http://butlershomefurnishings.com/home/2219457 in Athens. I’ve talked with them and they carry a range of the Jamison latex on their floor. The person I talked to also was very informed about mattress construction and materials which I liked. They would be well worth a call and possibly a trip if you are close enough.
http://www.lilyflaggfurniture.com/ in Huntsville also carries Jamison (As well as Symbol both of which are made in the region) but they don’t have any on the floor. They also seemed to be quite knowledgeable and do provide a cutaway of the layering for them though and can order any of their mattresses.
Find a Bedzzz Express Mattress Store Near You Carries Southerland
www.mattressmaxsuperstore.com/ Carries Englander
www.mattressking.net/default.aspx Carries Englander
www.roomstogo.com/ Carries Therapedic but I would be very cautious here and make sure you can find out the information listed in this article about any mattress you are considering.
I would not likely even look at most of the other brands carried by most of the chain stores in the area.
No matter which mattress you are looking at … it’s important to make sure that you can find the foam densities if there is more than an inch of polyfoam in the mattress (the manufacturers supply spec sheets to retailers who can confirm this or if they won’t … the factories listed usually will). Some guidelines to help you avoid most of the pitfalls of mattress shopping are in the tutorial post (you can just click on the link in my signature).
In terms of an appropriate construction for your sleeping style and weight … a good place to start would be about 3" in a comfort layer and in your case with slightly heavier weights … a little on the firmer side of soft or a little on the thicker side than 3" may work well for you. With women who tend towards having more weight around the hips and are often more sensitive to pressure issues there … the thickness of the comfort layer (for pressure relief) and the firmness of the support layers underneath this are most important so that the hips don’t come to rest too low and put pressure on the small of the back or lumbar area. For many men who have wider broader shoulders … the thickness and the softness of the comfort layer is also important as the shoulders need to sink in enough to prevent pressure there and to make sure that the shoulders are “not too high” and out of alignment with the hips. Having said all this … all of this will depend on the specifics of the mattress and your own careful and objective testing is the most reliable way to know which mattress is the best match for you in terms of PPP (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
While it is always preferable to both test and purchase a mattress locally when possible (as that way you know exactly what you are purchasing) and your best quality and value will almost always be from a local or regional factory direct outlet, for those areas where there is not a local manufacturer or outlet who offers exactly what you want and need … then an online purchase can make real sense. What’s important here is to do some field testing first though to get a sense of which materials you prefer (such as memory foam or latex in the comfort layers) and the overall type of layering that works for you. This makes it easier to choose a mattress from an online source such as the ones you mentioned or from an independent manufacturer who specialize in online purchases of high quality and value mattresses such as the members of the site that are listed in post #21 here.
It’s worth repeating though that unless you are working with the absolute lowest budget and durability doesn’t matter … the only way to ensure that a mattress with polyfoam uses higher quality polyfoam that won’t break down very quickly would be by purchasing from a factory direct local outlet or a better sleep shop who will tell you exactly the type and quality of polyfoam in the mattress, how they make it, and the truth about how long you can reasonably expect it to last.
Hope this helps.
Phoenix