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I am a beginner with snakes and am looking for a good starter snake. I want one that will grow to about 4-5 ft. in length. I originally planned on getting a ball python but i have heard they can have some mood swings and can get frustrating. The ball isnt out of the question but I have concerns now. I have also looked at a corn snake but I would like something a little wider like the ball. Any suggestions?

Wide girthed beginner snakes, 4-5 ft. Tricky one...
Well, I've never really heard of Ball Pythons being moody. Those I've encountered have been very meek and mild. Slow moving with cute faces... Don't move much, but what the heck. The only catch which could drive a beginner nuts, is they can occasionally be very picky feeders and/or fast for months at a time. Wild caught bps are far more likely to have feeding issues than captive bred ones. If you go with a well started captive bred one willingly eating f/t food, you'd probably be okay.
And that's the only wide girthed beginner snake 4-5 feet that I can think of.

The only other wide girthed snakes good for starting are far smaller, the western hognose 2-3 ft(which is very cute, docile, but as a warning carries very mild rear fanged venom, and you'll have to be sure the individual eats unscented f/t mice) and the Kenyan Sand boa which is thick bodied but gets to only around 2 ft.
Then there's Florida Kings which are thick bodied but get over 5 ft (I think) pine and bull snakes which have more heft than a corn snake but also may (depending on the species) grow to over 5 ft. You can check their respective forums for details..

Of the snakes that fall into your length range (approximately) if not your width range, are the corn snake (of course) the California King snake (even skinnier) and spotted and childrens pythons (which I'm frankly only guessing on, don't know much about them)

All things considered, a very well started ball python recieved from a reputable breeder may be your best bet.
Good luck.
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0.2 chickens (Falcon & Condor)
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave, Lucy & Amy)
0.1 Halflinger horse (Crissy)
0.0 Arizona Mountain Kingsnake (coming soon)
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

Thanks a lot for the info....I have just heard from a few people that ball pythons tend to get a little ornery when shedding, but that's not a big problem. Anyways I love the looks of them and I will probably go with that. Thanks again.

You're welcome. Actually all snakes get pretty irrtable when shedding. Maybe there's a few exceptions, but I don't know of any.
Glad you found your species.
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0.2 chickens (Falcon & Condor)
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave, Lucy & Amy)
0.1 Halflinger horse (Crissy)
0.0 Arizona Mountain Kingsnake (coming soon)
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

I think steering away from a Ball Python as your first snake is a good idea. I apparently am one of the few people who don't think they make good starter snakes, and I have had a few BPs (WC and CB) over the years.

The problem with BPs isn't their attitude but rather their difficulty of care. They are not as forgiving of the bumps in the "learning to care for snakes" process as other species. And they can also be somewhat tricky feeders now and them.

The other problem is that it can be hard to find truly captive bred and born BPs. There are a lot of "captive hatched" BPs on the market for $39.99 or less that are really captive hatched in Africa on snake farms, bagged up by the hundreds and shipped around the world. These little "cheap" babies generally don't fare well. The only BPs that fare well are the ones that are captive bred and born here in the US and those still suffer from being rather fastidious and occasionally difficult feeders.

You are much better of with a kingsnake or ratsnake. If you want a heavier bodied snake, you might look at a Rosyboa. Any of these would be easy to keep, hardy and forgiving of your learning curve.
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Chris Harrison

I agree with Chris. Sadly, it seems lots of dealers are calling captive hatched or farmed ball pythons captive bred. They're better than a wild caught snake, but not by too much. Rosy boas would be good for you. Also, Florida Kings are fairly easy and forgiving, but do get bigger than say a cornsnake or a California King.

Look into honduran milksnakes. Females grow to be around 4-5 feet while males grow more than 5 feet. They are awesome, colorful, and easy to take care of. I breed them myself and I truly enjoy them.
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RAY