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This thread is written to all of you who are looking into Birmingham. It's a great city. We love it here. While it is certainly neither Atlanta nor San Francisco nor New York nor Boston in terms of amenities, it has a great deal going for it.
However when people come here for advice on their move, we get the same questions over and over again. Yet we need a lot of crucial answers to give you the help you need. After all, Birmingham is less one large metropolis of 1,200,000 people and more a bunch of small communities, each with its unique character and assets. So here's what we'd love to know about you in order to give you the right answers.
1) In what area of town will you be working? Really important stuff, that. And what kind of commute time are you wanting?
2) Do you have a price range for your house or apartment?
3) Do you have children? Do they have unique educational needs?
4) What do you enjoy the most during your free time? The arts? Fine dining? Sports? Hiking? Or just getting away from it all?
5) Do you have special medical needs?
6) Do you want to be in a neighborhood where everyone knows one another or do you simply don't care?
And the list goes on and on. Now, let me tackle some other frequently asked questions.
Contrary to what's you remember from 40-year-old newscasts, Birmingham is not populated by a bunch of mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging bigots. If you're African-American, Latino, Asian, Gay, or Unitarian, people really will respond to you as an individual, not as part of an identity group. While every town has its share of jerks, it's more important here to have the right social skills than the right genetic heritage.
Birmingham is a community where religious faith runs strong. But that doesn't mean that we're a bunch of zealots who will leave tracts in your mailbox or condemn you to hell for watching MSNBC. The most you can expect is someone inviting you to attend their church or some preacher offering thanks to God at the ribbon cutting for a Burger King. If you are uninterested in spiritual matters, just turn them down politely and say you already have a religious choice and they'll not bother you again about it. Of course, if you sacrifice a goat on your front lawn while holding a burning coal in your hand as you recite the Lord's Prayer backwards, then people are going to talk. Just sayin'.
If you are coming from outside the South, remember this: While we have the Gap and Best Buy and Old Navy and Saks and a host of other things that make us look like any other mid-sized American city, we do have a culture that's different than Cleveland or San Diego or Hartford. You wouldn't move to the Philippines or Germany or Kenya and expect people to behave just like home, would you? Then why expect it out of us? So immerse yourself in a different way of living. For example, small courtesies matter here. It will be shocking to you the first time a total stranger strikes up a conversation in the grocery store checkout line. Kids will often address you as either Ma'am or Sir. It is impolite for them to do otherwise. Please don't correct them by saying nonsense such as, "Don't call me Ma'am, for that makes me feel old." You will be undoing some parent's years of hard work. Just observe the culture. And for God's sake, don't start complaining about the place 15 minutes after the moving van is unpacked. We like it here. And while we might politely nod and even agree while you tick off how badly you hate the heat, the bugs, the lack of a Nordstroms, and a thousand other little petty things, we are really dying for you to shut the hell up, because this is a town we love.
There. Hope that helps. Because we have to answer the same cotton-picking questions over and over again, and we really think that most of them could be answered quickly if you supply enough information the first time. Thanks!
Looks like we may be moving to birmingham soon. My husband and I are coming down next week for his job interview to go underground as a foreman in the coal mines. We currently live in West Virginia, (If you've ever seen The wild and wonderful whites of wv, we live about 2 miles from them.) However we're not all like that! LOL My husband is 28 and I am 27. We've been married for 10 years, since I was 17. We have 3 children ages 1, 9 and 10, So we will want to be in an area with good schools. My youngest has a cleft palate that we will need to find a new doctor for. Is there any advice on what area's would be a good place to rent a home, Just some general information on Birmingham and what to expect. We're pretty, I guess the term would be redneck!
Okay. Excellent. Glad to help. Take a look at the questions we've posed above and let us know. As far as the cleft palate issue is concerned, Birmingham is a primo healthcare community, one of the nation's finest. I'm certain there are specialists here for that.
I know absolutely nothing about the area, Other than we go through Dothan on our way to panama city beach! lol
1) I think he will be working in alabaster. The company he will be working for said the mine is about 20 minutes south of birmingham. Commute time, probably no more than 20 minutes. He drove 70 miles one way for his last job, so he needs a break from a long commute.
2)Price Range. We will be wanting to rent. We own our home here and are going to hang onto it for a little while. Preferrably we want to rent a house, but I don't know what is a reasonable rate to pay per month, So if I'm totally off on my number feel free to correct me. But we're figuring around 1000/per month. We don't want to be in the middle of a city. Where we live now we have to drive 20 minutes to the nearest krogers. and 1hr to the closest wal-mart. So we like being out of the middle of a city.
3)We have 3 children, 1,9,10. One girl and 2 boys so definitely need 3 bedrooms, we only have two now and it's a nightmare.
4)During our free time we like to take off and go four wheeling. Or to an amusement park, that is a recent thing we discovered we liked to do.
5)Our youngest with the cleft palate.
6)We'd prefer a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone. We've spent our 10 year marriage living beside my mother in law and my husbands grandmother, So we're pretty use to everyone in the community knowing everyone. The elementary school my kids have attended is pretty small. In fact until last year my son was the only boy in his class...
We don't go to church on a regular basis, though were raised going to every revival around, and know we should. Our children have been taught to say "ma'am" and "sir" And our son has been taught to open doors and things like that that are completely dead in wv. I will miss the winter snow, but not my water lines freezing. And we don't need a nordstrums, just a wal-mart!
I know absolutely nothing about the area, Other than we go through Dothan on our way to panama city beach! lol
1) I think he will be working in alabaster. The company he will be working for said the mine is about 20 minutes south of birmingham. Commute time, probably no more than 20 minutes. He drove 70 miles one way for his last job, so he needs a break from a long commute.
2)Price Range. We will be wanting to rent. We own our home here and are going to hang onto it for a little while. Preferrably we want to rent a house, but I don't know what is a reasonable rate to pay per month, So if I'm totally off on my number feel free to correct me. But we're figuring around 1000/per month. We don't want to be in the middle of a city. Where we live now we have to drive 20 minutes to the nearest krogers. and 1hr to the closest wal-mart. So we like being out of the middle of a city.
3)We have 3 children, 1,9,10. One girl and 2 boys so definitely need 3 bedrooms, we only have two now and it's a nightmare.
4)During our free time we like to take off and go four wheeling. Or to an amusement park, that is a recent thing we discovered we liked to do.
5)Our youngest with the cleft palate.
6)We'd prefer a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone. We've spent our 10 year marriage living beside my mother in law and my husbands grandmother, So we're pretty use to everyone in the community knowing everyone. The elementary school my kids have attended is pretty small. In fact until last year my son was the only boy in his class...
We don't go to church on a regular basis, though were raised going to every revival around, and know we should. Our children have been taught to say "ma'am" and "sir" And our son has been taught to open doors and things like that that are completely dead in wv. I will miss the winter snow, but not my water lines freezing. And we don't need a nordstrums, just a wal-mart!
Hah. Good answers. Clear and to the point. I would suggest Pelham/Helena and perhaps even Alabaster. I think that Pelham has really good schools and your husband won't have a slog to his job. It's a pretty easy drive. Beyond that, I'm not sure which neighborhoods of Pelham are best. Not my area of town.
Looks like we may be moving to birmingham soon. My husband and I are coming down next week for his job interview to go underground as a foreman in the coal mines. We currently live in West Virginia, (If you've ever seen The wild and wonderful whites of wv, we live about 2 miles from them.) However we're not all like that! LOL My husband is 28 and I am 27. We've been married for 10 years, since I was 17. We have 3 children ages 1, 9 and 10, So we will want to be in an area with good schools. My youngest has a cleft palate that we will need to find a new doctor for. Is there any advice on what area's would be a good place to rent a home, Just some general information on Birmingham and what to expect. We're pretty, I guess the term would be redneck!
Leonard and Sarah,
If you like the Alabaster/Helena area, let us know. I know of a few homes that are for rent around my neighborhood. Homes around here are about 1800 sq ft, plus a ton of private pools. Large subdivisions, and yes everyone knows everyone. Really nice area. Big plus about living in Alabaster is that the school systems have just started their own system, or in the process of it. They are seperate from Shelby County. This will greatly improve the schools in Alabaster, and many families are moving here just for that.
HI,
I will be moving from Miami to Birmingham the second week of August for grad school at UAB. I don't know much about Birmingham or it's neighborhoods, so finding a place to live has been very difficult. I don't what areas are safe. I will be working in Homewood, so I am trying to find a place between Homewood and Birmingham. I found several places but Mountain Woods apartments on Beacon Parkway East is my number one choice as of now. Do you know anything about this complex or the area? Is it safe for a young female by herself? Thanks in advance for your help...
HI,
I will be moving from Miami to Birmingham the second week of August for grad school at UAB. I don't know much about Birmingham or it's neighborhoods, so finding a place to live has been very difficult. I don't what areas are safe. I will be working in Homewood, so I am trying to find a place between Homewood and Birmingham. I found several places but Mountain Woods apartments on Beacon Parkway East is my number one choice as of now. Do you know anything about this complex or the area? Is it safe for a young female by herself? Thanks in advance for your help...
You know, it's not unsafe, but I don't think you'd enjoy living there. It's a huge rabbit warren over there, while there are some other nearby places that offer a much better quality of life. Southside, particularly along Highland Avenue is a good place to live, particularly for someone in grad school who might appreciate a cultural and intellectual life. It's convenient to UAB and it's convenient to Homewood. What's more, it's close to a lot of restaurants, parks, and other amenities. Meanwhile Mountain Woods sits up on a hillside and is a drive to get to anything fun and desirable.
We actually loved the alabaster area once we drove out past the shopping centers. Looked somewhat similar to home. My husband got the job, but he's suppose to get a call tomorrow to know how they're handling our relocation. We dunno if we'll be in a hotel until we find a place, or if the company is renting a place. I should know more tomorrow. He still has to come back down to take his physical and drug test for the company, but no worries there. But from what my husband told me the president of the company told him to be ready to come back when he calls, so hopefully we find out tomorrow exactly how the move's going to go
We actually loved the alabaster area once we drove out past the shopping centers. Looked somewhat similar to home. My husband got the job, but he's suppose to get a call tomorrow to know how they're handling our relocation. We dunno if we'll be in a hotel until we find a place, or if the company is renting a place. I should know more tomorrow. He still has to come back down to take his physical and drug test for the company, but no worries there. But from what my husband told me the president of the company told him to be ready to come back when he calls, so hopefully we find out tomorrow exactly how the move's going to go
Hey, great news. Welcome to Birmingham!
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Probably moving soon
