Acreage working in Birmingham (Bessemer, Cullman: house, transfer, buying)

[OuttaFlorida2]

Merry Christmas all! My family and I are currently in Central Florida and we want out ASAP. There's a strong possibility I can transfer my job to Birmingham, would be in the South portion medical area.

I'll be arriving at work around 0645 so morning traffic should not be an issue. Could leave at 3, 5, or 7 in the afternoon depending on my shift. Our hope is to find 10-20 acres and I'll commute 45-50 minutes in. We're Christian so I don't believe we'll have trouble finding a church from what I understand. Also, from what we've seen in the area North, NE, NW seems more hilly and has more rivers and lakes which we really like.
Anyone have suggrations on areas to look? We would either wait for the right house or build after buying land. We'd like to stay under 500k.

Thank you very much for any input!

[steveklein]

Look within about a 10-15 mile range of Gardendale and you can find some reasonably cheap land.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Just out of curiosity, why are you leaving Central Florida? I had been considering moving there.

But as for working in Birmingham, I echo steveklein, the north area is better, if you want land. On the south side you'd have to be way out past Bessemer or down in Chelsea, which creates an unforgiving commute to downtown. If you don't mind commuting 45-50 minutes I'd suggest Blount County, more and more people are moving there every day, and you don't have to deal with Jefferson County crap. Very easy drive down a widened I-65 too. What I mean by crap is, if you are in Jefferson County, you are still sort of 'attached' to the goings on in Birmingham. If you get into the next County over, seems you escape a little of that. It's all about your preference, though.

[OuttaFlorida2]

Thanks for the response guys! As for why we want out of Central Florida- I'm a native Floridian, been in Central Florida my 34 years of life. It has changed so dramatically the last 10 years. We have 3.5 acres in very East Orlando(Brevard/Orange county line). The population has exploded and for what we value is changing. I want to take my kids in lakes and rivers to fish, ski, tube etc. You can't do that in Central Florida, you'll either get amoebas or one of the million alligators, there's so many alligators you hit them with boats in the St.Johns river. We always wanted 20+ acres of land and you're talking close to a million dollars to get that kind of property in Central Florida today. Feel free to PM me with any ?s about the area as I know it very well.

[BamaDave]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

If you don't mind commuting 45-50 minutes I'd suggest Blount County, more and more people are moving there every day, and you don't have to deal with Jefferson County crap. Very easy drive down a widened I-65 too. What I mean by crap is, if you are in Jefferson County, you are still sort of 'attached' to the goings on in Birmingham. If you get into the next County over, seems you escape a little of that. It's all about your preference, though.

I have lived in West Blount County for almost 24 years. I recommend scoping out the area carefully before buying here. Conveniences are lacking (although West Blount is better than it was just a few years ago). You have to drive to Gardendale or Cullman for any significant shopping, health care, or restaurant selections. The schools are decent through maybe middle school, but the high school is marginal in my opinion, especially if your kids are college bound. The only extracurriculars revolve around the football team. Both of my girls had some deficiencies that needed "catch up" once they started college (or before... I had my older daughter take Pre-Calculus over the summer at a community college to help raise her math skills and ACT score). The area is VERY conservative (Trump was sent by God-level conservative), Christian, and rednecky. If you don't mind these things, then it can be a very nice place to live. The surroundings are beautiful.