The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (Birmingham, Mountain Brook: transplants, HOA fees)

[likestogarden]

Hi. I recently got a job in the Birmingham area. The job is in Shelby County close to where 280 and 119 intersect. I've got about two months to find housing. I would like to buy a house but I am concerned about my ability to make the best choice.

I'd like to be close to work. Is 280 truly a traffic nightmare? I'm coming from the Baltimore-Washington metro, surely it can't be that bad. I do not need a big house (two to three bedrooms would be fine). I do want a decent sized backyard because I enjoy gardening and have a dog. No condos. Which subdivisions are more friendly to transplants? Which subdivisions have lower cost HOA fees and less controlling HOAs?

Someone recommended Leeds to me but it seemed to me that Jefferson County is having a bit of financial trouble these days?

Which areas are good? Which areas are bad? Which areas are just plain ugly?

[ShipOfFools42]

Out by 280 and 119... no way on Earth would I live in Leeds and drive that far to work. Yes, it is true, Hwy 280 is a complete traffic nightmare, but it's mostly during the rush hours: from about 7:00 to 9:00 AM and from about 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Could be longer or shorter depending on the day. Your best bet if you're going to be working out there is to either get something off of 280, like back in Meadow Brook or Brook Highland. Those are subdivisions, but they are nice, and you would have your yard and all that. You don't want to drive out 280 on a Friday when it's nice out; half the Over the Mountain population will be headed to Lake Martin, and that can cause some traffic jams.

Thing is, "Shelby County near where 280 and 119 intersect" is kinda broad, so it's hard to give very specific advice. There are some nice neighborhoods back off of Valleydale, as far down as Indian Springs, and there are county roads that will shortcut you over to 119 so you can avoid 280 if possible. I personally do my very best to avoid 280, but there are a couple of restaurants I like out there, and a couple friends live out there, so I do it every once in awhile.

Coming from Baltimore/DC, the difference is that 280 is the ONLY road that goes to the places it goes to. There is no other way to get to Inverness from somewhere like Southside or Mountain Brook without taking 280. There are multiple places out 280 that are only reachable on that road, no way around it. I don't live in Birmingham anymore, obviously, but I grew up there, and I commuted about an hour round trip from Mountain Brook (near Cahaba Heights) to Jeff State for a year, and although it could be tiresome, I kind of got to where I enjoyed the routine. You know, drink my coffee, listen to some music, just cruise down to school. Sucks if you're late though, heh.

So, to make a short story short (I have a brevity problem), you should look at Meadow Brook and Brook Highland and possibly Greystone, as those are going to give you the best access to where you want to work. Also look and see if you can't find something off of Valleydale Road in the area around Jeff State all the way down to Indian Springs. You can branch out a bit too; there are a bunch of neighborhoods down there. You'd be hard-pressed to find a bad/dangerous area to live in out there off of 280, honestly.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by likestogarden

Hi. I recently got a job in the Birmingham area. The job is in Shelby County close to where 280 and 119 intersect. I've got about two months to find housing. I would like to buy a house but I am concerned about my ability to make the best choice.

I'd like to be close to work. Is 280 truly a traffic nightmare? I'm coming from the Baltimore-Washington metro, surely it can't be that bad. I do not need a big house (two to three bedrooms would be fine). I do want a decent sized backyard because I enjoy gardening and have a dog. No condos. Which subdivisions are more friendly to transplants? Which subdivisions have lower cost HOA fees and less controlling HOAs?

Someone recommended Leeds to me but it seemed to me that Jefferson County is having a bit of financial trouble these days?

Which areas are good? Which areas are bad? Which areas are just plain ugly?

I think just about anywhere in North Shelby will work for you. If you had to work in downtown Birmingham or even its suburbs immediately to the south, I'd wave you off. But since you're out there, there are any number of locations that will prove fine for you and your family.

[Tourian]

There's plenty of choices around there with greystone, highland lakes being the most expensive. To brook highlands and meadowbrook a step below and then eagle point, Inverness, Altadena woods etc etc

The point is if you live there and work there there's really no commute. Just one or two bottlenecks and you're there. It will be more of a novelty then a nuisance

[bigposse]

I have to disagree with ShipofFools....Leeds is approx 13 miles up 119 from 280. I used to live in Leeds and worked in the Brook Highland shopping center there at the 119/280 corner. It is one of the best drives in Birmingham, scenic, peaceful and only about 15 minutes long. Now living in Leeds may be another story for you, depending on where you want to live. It is by no means the nicest place in the B'ham metro area, but it is expanding and growing (along with its neighbor city, Moody) a lot since the outlet malls went up. And I hear they are putting up more neighborhoods out there to accommodate the growth. What ever floats your boat....