[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by Croye22

Taxes are lower, MUCH lower.

That depends on your income bracket, spending patterns, and residence.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by bluebeard

That depends on your income bracket, spending patterns, and residence.

Not really. I'll give you an instance.

I live in a 3,000 sf house in Mountain Brook, the city with the highest property taxes in the state. While I'm not in the part of the city where people light cigars with $100 bills, it is not exactly the slums either.

My property taxes last year? Somewhere around $3,300 (Not an exact number, because I don't have the statement in front of me). Now, to put things into perspective, my last house in California was $5,900 a year seventeen years ago. When we lived in Forest Park, our property taxes were $1,800 annually. It was so low it was almost embarrassing.

What's more, I get a heck of a lot more for my local taxes. I get city services that show up promptly and with no attitude. I get civil servants that return my telephone calls. My children go to schools far better than we could have hoped for in any of the states where we lived before, with better facilities. Now, I'm not under the illusion that Mountain Brook schools would top the very best public school in either California, Illinois, Ohio, or Maryland (Our former states of residence), but they would come darned close. And I get this while paying roughly 1/2 to 1/3 what friends of ours are paying for similar-sized homes in similar neighborhoods in other states.

Now, I'm under no illusion that things are perfect here. But many friends of mine in California are searching for the exits because they are paying sky-high taxes for overvalued properties and getting really crappy services in return in an economy that's on the verge of a total meltdown. In fact, a neighbor of mine moved here from Glendale a couple of years back. He sold his house, took the accumulated equity from his house there, and bought his house outright down the street. So he now tells his friends his total bill is $4,000 a year in property taxes, and he lives in a bigger house to boot with a shorter commute to a job that's reasonably competitive. The only thing he complains about now are food costs, which are indeed a little higher.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

Not really.

I own no property, so that doesn't matter for me. And renter's rights suck here. California income taxes are much more progressive, so those who make less money (currently me) pay more. The sales taxes are all 9-10% around here. I also have to pay sales tax on groceries. California has none. Alcohol taxes seem slightly more expensive as well. I pay both a county and city occupational tax.
If I were an upper-income, property-owning, smoker then I'd be saving a bundle on state and local taxes. I realize that my situation is in the minority in the forum, and your assumption that the OP would save on taxes is likely correct. But a person's tax burden difference definitely depends on his spending and income patterns and where in the state he lives. Someone working at a gas station and renting his home for his family would be financially better off in many other "high tax" states, if it weren't for the cheaper rents here (which I fully admit is a HUUUUGE deal).

And services? I know you aren't saying that everywhere in B'ham and Jefferson county services are good. I guess it depends where you're coming from. But if I look at the dollars I pay versus the services I received, where I lives in California was far better.
Of course, its currently dysfunctional state government is changing that. Alabama isn't the only state that needs a new or reformed constitution. State initiatives and propositions, 2/3 majority budget rules, state bureaucratic offices for every little thing in the world, prison unions, and such reasons are making sure of that. Alabama's government looks like a shining star of competence in comparison to that right now. but then California's always been boom and bust. but I digress...

When they talk about the cost of living being lower it pretty much boils down to one thing: the price of renting or buying housing. Of course that's very cheap here, making all those other tax and regulation differences pale in comparison to the overall cost of living, even for someone in my current position.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by xxs78

For living( family,weather,friendly place) and for working ?
What can you tell about Alabama life ?

Back to the original anyway, I'd say it's extremely family-friendly, for the most part. And if you are a your money will overall go a pretty good way here, provided you find a job (which likely isn't any harder and quite possibly easier here than other places right now, depending on your job).
I find the summers to be rather long, hot, and sticky for my taste, but the winters are pretty short and mild. I'd probably prefer the weather here compared to many places in the Northeast, and especially in much of the Midwest. People are always hard to generalize, so I'll just say that I find I have to move somewhere before you find if you really click with people anywhere.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

The thing about Alabama is that it really has a little of everything, from mountains (Okay, very large hills)...

An irrelevant story:
When I first moved here people were always refering to this "Red Mountain". I kept think "maybe I'll go visit this mountain sometime". Where is it? Then I realized you could supposedly see it from Birmingham. So I asked "So where is Red Mountain?" The answer was, "south that way, you can see it right there". I said "where? on the other side of that hill there?" the answer was "the one with Vulcan on top".
"Ohhhhhhh, you mean the hill..."

But anyway, the beaches are really nice I must say. Gulf shores and the panhandle can be beautiful.

[Okiefrombama]

I love living in Alabama, but when I'm paying those taxes on groceries at the Publix or Winn-Dixie.....I do think about how much it would cost to someone in poverty.

Pros: Low Property Taxes
Friendliness of the People
Roads in Good Condition
Living Near the Beach and Traveling to the Mountains (to spend with
family in the same state)

Cons: Certain Sales Taxes
Crime in Inner Cities (I believe condition of inner city schools goes
hand-in-hand with this.)

Overall, Alabama is a very good place to live. Might not be able to say that about each community, though. I wish the town where I was raised would stop becoming a slum.

[Reactionary]

bluebeard - I think Bham has higher taxes than the rest of the State. For example, HSV has 8% sales tax (lower in the County) and no City or County occupational tax. IMO removing the grocery tax would be great, but I don't support raising other taxes for a net tax increase.

[The_Rambler]

Sales tax is 10% in Oxford where I live (Central East AL). And yeah, sales tax on groceries is kind of a bummer.

[Katsmeeyow]

Reasons to live in Alabama

Um.......'cause I live here??? LOLOLOL

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

bluebeard - I think Bham has higher taxes than the rest of the State. For example, HSV has 8% sales tax (lower in the County) and no City or County occupational tax. IMO removing the grocery tax would be great, but I don't support raising other taxes for a net tax increase.

That was part of my point. It depends where you live.
Either way, even if I lived somewhere else without a occupational tax or sales taxes quite so high, I still would be paying more taxes than in some other states.