Alabaster Area? Thompson Schools? (Birmingham, Hoover: house, landscaping, movie theaters)

[Mindy1979]

Hi! We are relocating from Georgia to Alabama and still haven't settled on a area to really hunt for a house. We have 7 kids so the schools are VERY VERY important to us in this decision making process. I have heard mixed reviews about the Thompson schools in Shelby County. Thanks so much for your help!!! We are looking to live in Shelby County so any insight on ANY of the schools there would be VERY helpful!!

[bamagirl924]

I have a good friend whose daughter just started teaching at Thompson Middle School and bought a home in Alabaster. I'll try to get you some "insider" tips. I do know that it's a beautiful area, but I have heard some things about gangs in Alabaster being a problem. Sorry, but if I had 7 children, that would be a real concern for me. Can anyone refute what I've heard?

[bus0107]

I got a friend that is in six grade her name jordan willams my family been alabama adventure we been to six plags we been to orange beach in the summer springbreak we like been every where we she got sisters name jenna jaila she lived with wild flower road first darked red house me and her family in city she used been in 5 grade last year me and been every where in city !

[Threestep]

This came up at the Shelby County Master Gardeners recently - a Thompson bus driver initiated and pulled through a fund raiser for a handicapped playground at the school. She was looking for volunteers to plant the donated landscaping around it.

Classmates has a number of former students listed. You may want to use this as one of your research routes.

[mrchance33]

Hello, i'm currently a high school senior at Thompson High School and I would love to answer any question you might have about Alabaster. I've also lived in Alabaster since I was born.

1. Thompson has no gang problems beside the few kids that try and act as though their some tough "gangsters". You can always identify these kids as they always have red bandanas hang out of their pocket.

2. Alabaster is rapidly growing as in the last two years we've built two strip malls and a movie theater.

3.If your kids are into athletics, Veteran's park is relatively new park that is absouletly beutiful that contains a skate board park, huge walking track, soccer fields, pavilions, play ground, and a nice little tribut to our armed forces.

Also if your into baseball as much as my family you can pay for your kids to get lessons from current and former pro baseball players at Bases loaded. (Bases Loaded Training Facility)

4.Schools are the same as any suburb school as far as I know and unlike Oak mountain which is known as "Crack Mountain" the worst thing that has happened at Thompson was a string of suicides a few years ago that seemed to happen one after another.
(Thompson High School - 100 Warrior Drive Alabaster, AL 35007_)

[hlsess]

if you do choose Alabaster and work in B'ham the traffic can be bad both ways during rush hour-

[RebelPhotog]

I don't recommend Thompson. Gangs have been a problem and lots of people don't like the mayor. Shelby County High in Columbiana is a good school and Columbiana is a GREAT place to raise a family. Everyone says it's like Mayberry. The elementary school is good too, but Columbiana Middle has some work to do. Good luck!

[sto1986]

I have lived in the Shelby County all of my life, and personally went to Pelham High School. Which I think is a good school as far as education goes, but I didn't really enjoy going there and neither did my sister or many of my friends. I mean I did well on my college entrance tests and got accepted into colleges with scholarships. While Shelby County does have good schools like Pelham and Thompson. I think you should also look into schools like Vestavia, Mountain Brook, Homewood, and maybe even Hoover. Being in college I know people that went to all of these schools and I even know a few people who have taught at these schools.

Mountain Brook is the richer side of Birmingham and the school system was once ranked in the top ten or twenty of schools in the nation. It has ample resources.

Homewood is close to Birmingham but still has a good school system, at least as good as Pelham or Thompson and is less expensive than Mountain Brook and the town/city part is a little bit nicer than strip malls because it has locally owned shops.

Hoover is a good school with lots of resources but is huge, like 3000 students and there are a lot of community-style neighbors that have been built in the last few years.

I know some of my professors send their kids to Vestavia and some of the people that I know that have gone there are well-mannered, happy, and articulate individuals.

If you insist on living in Shelby County, I'd say look into the Helena area. It's a nice small town voted in the top 100 places to live in America. It is still the same middle and high school as Pelham. Helena is close to Hoover, Pelham, and Alabaster.

I really wouldn't worry about being close to a certain shopping center. If you live in Shelby or Jefferson County in any of these cities these things are 10 to 15 minutes away, because there is shopping and movie theaters in Hoover, Alabaster, Inverness and many other places around Birmingham.

I hope this is helpful.

[mrchance33]

Originally Posted by RebelPhotog

I don't recommend Thompson. Gangs have been a problem and lots of people don't like the mayor. Shelby County High in Columbiana is a good school and Columbiana is a GREAT place to raise a family. Everyone says it's like Mayberry. The elementary school is good too, but Columbiana Middle has some work to do. Good luck!

Thompson has never had gang problems, and I've never heard of anyone hating the mayor. I'm not sure if you just live in Columbiana and want to hype it up or just ill informed.

[MrAlabaster]

Originally Posted by mrchance33

Thompson has never had gang problems, and I've never heard of anyone hating the mayor. I'm not sure if you just live in Columbiana and want to hype it up or just ill informed.

News flash...TONS of people hate the mayor
I think he is an arrogant, ignorant moron...and I don't think that is just my isolated opinion, it seems to be pretty widespread
Unfortunately, less than around 10% of registered voters showed up at the polls in August 2008, or he almost certainly would have been removed