Any thoughts on moving from California to Alabama (Birmingham, Huntsville: property taxes, military)

[Threestep]

And what does all this have to do with AL?

[Keeper]

Please get back to the original topic or the thread will be closed

[VMH2507]

Thank You!!!!:d

[Socal2Bham]

Originally Posted by mp33

Hmmm...everything else is just not me YET. I'm having a bad case of well-that's-not-how-we-did-that-in-Callifornia.

LOL mp33, you are sooooo me about 6 years ago. When I moved away from CA to St. Louis, MO you might as well have just dropped me on Mars!! I did not adjust well and I think my confusion over all the things that were "not like in CA" only alienated me from the midwesterners more. I went back home as soon as I could. Thankfully I really love Birmingham so I have not had that problem since moving here.

Originally Posted by mp33

I also lost count over how many people here in Alabama wonder why-on-earth did I move away from California anyway -- come on, show some pride in your beautiful surroundings!

I get this a lot as well. People look at me and either say "you're not from around here are you?" or give me the strangest look when they ask me where I'm from and I say Santa Barbara. They always respond with "any you moved HERE why?!
Another weird thing since moving here. EVERY SINGLE DAY I get "you look just like Sandra Bullock" everywhere I go. I have lived nearly my whole life in southern CA and not ONE person has ever said that to me. I move to Birmingham and get it at least once a day if not more. Strange. Apparently people in the south have never seen Sandra Bullock

Originally Posted by mp33

Yeah, what's with the whole college thing anyway?

Well, while I do think the locals take the college football thing to new levels I can't say it is exclusive to the south. Ever hear of the UCLA/USC rivalry? My Mom is INSANE when it comes to UCLA college football. I won't even go to games with her anymore. She would fit in well in the South.

Originally Posted by mp33

I do have a few ignorant and kinda-sorta opinions regarding the churches, prejudices, etc...good and bad thoughts...but no need to talk about something I haven't been around long enough to give a

I won't assume what those opinions are regarding churches but I will share my own. What is up with all the HUGE MEGA CHURCHES?! I have never seen such a thing in all my life. They aren't kidding when they call this the bible belt. I mean they even have police direct traffic so all the masses can cram into these places. Very strange to me.
That was on of my biggest reservations about moving here. How would an atheist/agnostic (depending on my mood) like me be received. I've had no problems whatsoever thankfully but I think I was just really lucky to fall in with a great group of friends.

I do hope you will eventually feel more at home here and if you ever need another transplant to talk to you can talk to me anytime.

[VMH2507]

I never quite understood what people were so concerned about moving to the bible belt. It's not like they were going to hog-tie you and take you off to church. You might get invited but just smile politely and thank them. They are just being friendly. I personally don't attend church because of an issue I have with the denomination I grew up in, but I've never received any flack from my friends about it.

[krjmagnolia3]

I to am from Calif also, orange co to be exact. I moved here to bama 19 years ago and I am now leaving for Minnesota. think long and hard before you make the move!!! Jobs are hard to come by here unless you want to work for peanuts!! it's not as mellow as it seems Lot's of drama, the people are quite judge mental here and very picky about outsiders but, you have a good thing on your side you have family here as did I. The church goers are very picky people here I to am a church person but, it is the good ol boy system so beware! There are alot of backwoods redneck stab you in the back people here and when they get caught they just act like they don't have a clue? they use that hillbilly dear in the headlight act!!! and blame everything on your not being from these parts and you just don't understand their country ways! Yeah Right! But for the most part depending on where you live it can be ok Gadsden is a ok place! I have friends there hope you enjoy the heat because the summers are as close to hell as you can get!!!!! the humidity is unreal!!! but the spring and fall are breathtaking!!!! Karen Just outside of B-ham but Minnesota Bound!!

[Keeper]

I have to agree with KRJM about the pay especially in small towns but housing is much cheaper in most cases than in the larger cities in AL.
I haven't really encountered any problems in the small town I live in but I moved here from FL and was just glad to get away from the crime and traffic there. A little disclaimer here.. I was born in AL but haven't lived in AL since 1969..
Since you have family in Gadsden hopefully it will make your transistion easier
It has been hot here especially Aug was brutual but in all fairness the temps broke 50 to 100 year records. Thank goodness Fall is just around the corner.
Karen, I hope you like your home.. let us know how it goes. Good Luck

[zenjenn]

I'm curious, Karen, if you disliked where you lived so much in Alabama, why did you live there for 19 years? That is a long time indeed to live someplace you hate.

[HSVmom]

Hi, Zenjenn. I can't answer for Karen, but I've also lived for years in a place I strongly disliked. In the early years of my marriage, I asked dh to move away from the city where we'd landed our first jobs. The crime rate there was soaring and police corruption was rampant. Dh hated job interviews, to the point of getting ill beforehand, and so he agreed to move only if a position was open at his employer's office in a particular city. I had to choose between a city where I felt very unsafe and a city that I'd been very happy to leave to start college. We moved with the understanding that it was not permanent. Dh later promised that we'd definitely, positively, without a doubt move before our first born began school. That didn't happen. We ended up living there 15 yrs. before he accepted a job transfer after his then-employer was bought out. After enduring a crummy corporate rental while our new home was built, I got to enjoy a very brief stay in the new city before he accepted another transfer.

As you might imagine, leaving a home I'd planned, designed and decorated in order to move to AL did not thrill me. When dh accepted the job in AL, he said that the company was rumored to be in merger talks and we'd likely be moving again with 2 yrs. That was over a decade ago. Sometimes you just have to go/stay where the job is and make the best of the situation.

My perception of AL was based on some negative memories of living in another part of the state as a small child. Fortunately, things have changed a lot since then, and mostly for the better. We've had some negative experiences, but they've been few and might have just as likely happened elsewhere.

For several years, I've thought that we'd retire in Madison Co., but now am less certain. After this brutally hot summer and extreme drought, I am open to considering places a few hours north of here. However, the cost of living in AL is hard to beat, and we may end up building our retirement home in N. AL and then renting vacation homes for 6 - 8 wks. each year to escape the worst of the heat.

[zenjenn]

Still, 10 years later, from this and all your other posts it doesn't sound like you're living someplace you hate. I am always interested in the stories of people who hate where they live for decades. There's always another job if you look - not that it's easy to start over, but you can do it if you are really that unhappy where you are. And it didn't sound like Karen had a fabulous or well-paying job from the reasons she gave. I'm glad to hear she's finally making a move she wants.