For people who recently came to Birmingham (Hoover, Homewood: fit in, transplants)

[fishmonger]

for the first time, what has been your impression? Just cureus. Curious. Cures. Curreeyus.

[clarekoz]

We're due to arrive in Birmingham the end of this coming week. So, I will let you know once I get there and get a first impression!

[Socal2Bham]

My first impression: pleasantly surprised

For me, having never been the the South before, I was quite surprised. I didn't know what to expect really but I did expect to see more native Southerners. I was suprised at how many transplants there are in Birmingham. I was surprised at how many cool little places there are to eat and drink. Some of my favorites are the Garage, Blue Monkey, Surin, Sol y Luna, Rojo, etc.

I didn't expect to see neighborhoods like Southside, Forest Park & Crestwood.
I didn't expect for there to be such a varied selection of food. While there are greasy spoon joints a plenty, there are are also places like the ones I mentioned above. You can get just about any kind of food here, not just grits n' chitlins.

I attribute my positive impressions of the area to the fact that I didn't just move here 'cold'. I knew someone here who has lived here for 20 years and knows the area well and knew all the right spots to take me. Someone who also had an established network of friends that I happened to fit in very well with.

If I had not had this advantage I'm not sure my first impression would have been the same. I may not have ever known about the neat places to go or things to see.
If I had landed smack dab in a more rual area outside of Birmingham I'm sure my impression would have been different.

A good friend of mine moved to Birmingham many years ago (before I knew her) due to a transfer with Kraft and she hated it. She came to visit me last year and we took her all around town. She never knew of all the places we took her and said she was seeing Birmingham in a whole new light. She said she might not have disliked it so much if she had known then what she knows now.

[AQUEMINI331]

Originally Posted by Socal2Bham

My first impression: pleasantly surprised

For me, having never been the the South before, I was quite surprised. I didn't know what to expect really but I did expect to see more native Southerners. I was suprised at how many transplants there are in Birmingham. I was surprised at how many cool little places there are to eat and drink. Some of my favorites are the Garage, Blue Monkey, Surin, Sol y Luna, Rojo, etc.

I didn't expect to see neighborhoods like Southside, Forest Park & Crestwood.
I didn't expect for there to be such a varied selection of food. While there are greasy spoon joints a plenty, there are are also places like the ones I mentioned above. You can get just about any kind of food here, not just grits n' chitlins.

I attribute my positive impressions of the area to the fact that I didn't just move here 'cold'. I knew someone here who has lived here for 20 years and knows the area well and knew all the right spots to take me. Someone who also had an established network of friends that I happened to fit in very well with.

If I had not had this advantage I'm not sure my first impression would have been the same. I may not have ever known about the neat places to go or things to see.
If I had landed smack dab in a more rual area outside of Birmingham I'm sure my impression would have been different.

A good friend of mine moved to Birmingham many years ago (before I knew her) due to a transfer with Kraft and she hated it. She came to visit me last year and we took her all around town. She never knew of all the places we took her and said she was seeing Birmingham in a whole new light. She said she might not have disliked it so much if she had known then what she knows now.

That's good to hear.

[thebigr]

Was there 2 weeks ago and it seemed like a nice city to me. I live in Sout Florida and people are not so friendly here. Plus I was driving through during rush hour on 280 and it was very civilized. South Florida is dangerous driving 24/7. Plan on making many visits to Birmingham once we move to North Alabama.

[mp33]

I've been here going on 2 months (from California). The following lists might sound corny or simple-minded or whatever (and I'm in Trussville, so my observations might be JUST ME) -- Nevertheless, my knee-jerk thoughts, nothing fancy or political or statistical-filled...

What I love:
-- We're in half country/half city, a little bit of both "styles" going on over here with that quick 20 minute drive into downtown B'ham
-- All the hills covered with lots of trees ... a great variety of trees ... with a creek or pond here and there
-- Fried okra
-- Pretty country lanes
-- Botanical gardens
-- Homewood Village (coffee, bakeries, etc...)
-- The cobblestoned little streets near downtown (what are the street names?)
-- My back porch
-- The area is more boutique-y than I thought (not that I shop that way ... but adds to the charm)
-- Enjoyed hearing that my neighbor asked Keanu Reeves for a cigarette in a downtown restaurant last Thursday night (celebrity sightings don't make my world turn 'round, just thought it a cool story to hear all the way over in Alabama)
-- People are not AS image focused compared to where I'm from (but STILL just a tad)
-- The anticipation of fall
-- All the medical smarty-pant activity that makes B'ham so popular (very on-the-cutting-edge-of-medicine-and-health-ish)
-- Fox News 6 Weatherman, Mickey
-- Everyone has a dog
-- People like me (I think) and I like them -- meeting lots of sweet people ... I say all this because I was warned that I'd be an outcast because I wasn't born and raised in the south

What I don't like:
-- Sweet tea
-- No frozen yogurt stores ANYWHERE
-- Can't just "run to the market" ... takes 5 minutes just to get out of my subdivision
-- No sidewalks
-- Churches are so Bible-belty and membership-focused (not all, though)
-- No non-crispy-cream donut shops nearby
-- Too many people ONLY from the south (at least where I'm at)
-- Alabama-only football that I just can't seem to get into
-- No entertainment or main places "to go"
-- Could not find corn tortillas or green enchilada sauce ... and not energized or talented enough to make my own
-- Taking the bus route into account, my kids are at school way too long and their school is WAY too big (17 first grade teachers alone? Yikes!)
-- No run-of-the-mill healthy and/or fresh-tasting fast food chains (El Pollo Loco, Baja Fresh, Daphne's, In-n-Out, La Salsa??? Anywhere? That Mo's place is no good)
-- Fitness isn't "in" enough around here

So there you have it -- things are getting better, though ... it's just a simple matter of loving where I came from and all the people I left ... but having to relocate for my husband's job. I know God is up to something!

[Keeper]

I don't know if you have checked out Publix for your tortillas and green enchilada sauce but if they don't have it they will order it for you. I can't find dried chorizo anywhere here for the cuban food I make but they told me they would order if for me.
As far as the classroom size all I can say is be glad you didn't end up in FL where the class sizes are hugh, some have as many as 30 kids in a class, most have at least 25.
All in all it seems you are doing OK even though I am sure it was a culture shock in many ways.
I move to a small town from Tampa, FL and while I do miss certain things about Tampa I do love it up here.

[harry chickpea]

"What I don't like:
-- Sweet tea

Anyplace that has sweet tea also has unsweet tea. Sometimes they'll give you half one and half the other if you don't like it as sweet.

-- No frozen yogurt stores ANYWHERE

Odd. I can think of a few that used to be in the Hoover area, and were very popular. You missed out on one on Highland Avenue by 20 years (Strawberry Fields) that was fantastic, with frozen yogurt and stuff like spinach, cheese, and bacon sandwiches.

-- Can't just "run to the market" ... takes 5 minutes just to get out of my subdivision

Yeah, that is the problem with clustered housing like that. OTOH, you don't have the traffic and noise you would have otherwise.

-- No sidewalks

In the subdivision, I guess? B'ham has sidewalks.

-- Churches are so Bible-belty and membership-focused (not all, though)

Yeah, they serve a dual purpose of being very insular and supportive social circles. Try Unity or Unitarian.

-- No non-crispy-cream donut shops nearby

Ahem, Krispy Kreme.

-- Too many people ONLY from the south (at least where I'm at)

Hmmm. OK.

-- Alabama-only football that I just can't seem to get into

Watch the fans, not the game.

-- No entertainment or main places "to go"

Birmingham has a symphony. Get season tickets. Atlanta is only a couple hours away.

-- Could not find corn tortillas or green enchilada sauce ... and not energized or talented enough to make my own

I'll second the Publix nomination, and suggest that there are some hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants that are so authentic that you'd better speak spanish when you order.

-- Taking the bus route into account, my kids are at school way too long and their school is WAY too big (17 first grade teachers alone? Yikes!)

That is a whole subject by itself.

-- No run-of-the-mill healthy and/or fresh-tasting fast food chains (El Pollo Loco, Baja Fresh, Daphne's, In-n-Out, La Salsa??? Anywhere? That Mo's place is no good)

Keep looking. You can do a decent job by being picky at Ryan's.

-- Fitness isn't "in" enough around here

Lifestyle choice.

[Socal2Bham]

Originally Posted by mp33

What I don't like:
-- Sweet tea
-- No frozen yogurt stores ANYWHERE
-- Can't just "run to the market" ... takes 5 minutes just to get out of my subdivision
-- No sidewalks
-- Churches are so Bible-belty and membership-focused (not all, though)
-- No non-crispy-cream donut shops nearby
-- Too many people ONLY from the south (at least where I'm at)
-- Alabama-only football that I just can't seem to get into
-- No entertainment or main places "to go"
-- Could not find corn tortillas or green enchilada sauce ... and not energized or talented enough to make my own
-- Taking the bus route into account, my kids are at school way too long and their school is WAY too big (17 first grade teachers alone? Yikes!)
-- No run-of-the-mill healthy and/or fresh-tasting fast food chains (El Pollo Loco, Baja Fresh, Daphne's, In-n-Out, La Salsa??? Anywhere? That Mo's place is no good)
-- Fitness isn't "in" enough around here

Sweet tea – LOL, I was not used to this either, I learned quickly enough that I have to specify NON-sweet tea when ordering ice tea around here but now I have sort of gotten used to it and ask for half and half so it is just a little sweet but not that sickly-stick-a-fork-straight-up-in-it-sweet-tea.
Subdivision – that’s your problem right there.
Donuts – I know! I have not seen any donut shops either. I had never had crispy cream before until I moved here. I’m not a big donut eater so it hasn’t been a big deal, just strange that there are no other donut shops but there are bakery places like Edgars Bakery or V-Richards.
Green enchilada sauce – I just made some enchiladas the other day. I get the El Paso (in a yellow can) sauce and they make the red and the green. They have it at the Piggly Wiggly (I still giggle when I think of as store called “Piggly Wiggly” or “the Pig” as some call it).
17 first graders?! I thought you were from CA? That is a small class! My Mom is a teacher for the LA Unified school district. She has 35 kids.
Ditto on the lack of Baja Fresh. There doesn’t seem to be much choice in the “casual dining” area. There is only fast food (mcdonalds, burger king, chic-fil-A etc.) and then all the other chain stuff like Ruby Tuesday, Chili’s and other meh places. They need a Fresh Choice or Soup Plantation here!
The fitness thing is probably lacking in the Trussville area. Statistically, Birmingham is home to one of the largest number of runners. People running ALL OVER the place in the downtown areas.

Originally Posted by Keeper

I can't find dried chorizo anywhere here

I love Chorizo, I like the fresh chorizo for breakfast burritos but have yet to find the stuff I’m used to getting in socal. I did get some chorizo sausages at target and just squished it out of the casing to make what I wanted, not the same but close.

Now if Birmingham would just get a Trader Joes and a Nordstrom I would be a happy camper.

[Socal2Bham]

Dang, HC slipped in there while I was posting!