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Old 05-22-2012, 12:01 PM
 
15 posts, read 23,736 times
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Hi all, first post after having been a "lurker" for many months!

My wife and I are planning our move to Birmingham. I will be joining UAB to work in the Children's hospital there, located on 6th avenue south. We need some help looking for a nice neighbourhood to live in and hope someone here can help!!

We are looking for an apartment (1 or 2 bedroom, rents under 650$) in a quiet and safe area that is within walking distance of my workplace, preferably a 10 minute walk. I have been looking at apartments and placing them on Google maps, but not sure if the results are accurate. This is our most important requirement. As of now we don't own a car and it will be quite a while before we will be able to get one.

I could bike to work, but then I am not sure whether the immediate area around Southside and UAB is bike-friendly. If it is, are there any areas in that neighbourhood that are more "bike-friendly" than others?

How about public transport? It seems like its not huge, but is there any at all that I could depend on to commute between work and home reliably everyday?

Went through most posts in the forums and got most of my other questions answered, so hope someone can help with this too

Thanks.
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Old 05-22-2012, 12:11 PM
 
24,030 posts, read 10,375,503 times
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I hate to be the one to tell you - there is not much of public transportation and what little there is is expensive.
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Old 05-22-2012, 12:19 PM
 
28,896 posts, read 53,979,333 times
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Southside/Forest Park is actually a pretty easy bike ride. I did it all the time during my single days. But you still need a car. I would look in the area along Highland Avenue for your best options for quiet. However, Five Points South would be really more convenient as well, but might be a little more noisy. In short, plan on a trade-off.

There are also some new apartments along 20th Street named CityVille that might work for you. CiTYViLLE Block 121

Also, if you live close to Five Points, the Dart System might actually work for you. It runs up and down 20th street, putting you within three blocks of Childrens. Birmingham - Jefferson County Transit Authority: Schedules & Maps » Dart System Map

In any event, you'll need to make getting a car your first priority.
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Old 05-23-2012, 02:24 PM
 
178 posts, read 332,388 times
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$650 in walking distance might be a little tough. With a car the Highland Park neighborhood or Crowne on 10th in the Glen Iris area is perfect for you, but a 10-min walk means you'll be looking at $750 and up for a one bedroom I think.
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Old 05-25-2012, 10:40 AM
 
7 posts, read 10,944 times
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yes, around 5 points might work, but probably not at that price methinks

biking from anywhere around there or up around Highland/20th, you might be taking your life in your hands - buy a car, and of course a gun
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Old 05-25-2012, 11:30 AM
 
28,896 posts, read 53,979,333 times
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Actually, I loved this building in Five Points.

Kahn Properties, Inc. - Retail Space, Apartments, Home Sales in Birmingham
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Old 05-26-2012, 05:43 PM
 
178 posts, read 332,388 times
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Biking is relatively easy on the Southside/5 pts or in Highland Park (more bike lanes than pretty much anywhere else in the area) and forget the gun you won't need it it's quite safe.

I run through five points on my morning jog pretty frequently and cpg35223 is right that probably your best bet for within walking distance, very nice area.
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Old 05-27-2012, 07:21 PM
 
15 posts, read 23,736 times
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Thanks for the helpful replies, everyone.

I am still looking in the five points/Southside area. Did realize I would have to make some trade-offs given our limitations..! Will certainly keep these forums updated on what we come up from our house-hunting..!
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Old 07-25-2013, 01:26 PM
 
15 posts, read 23,736 times
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Its been a year and more since I visited these forums for advice. Since then we have moved twice, coming to B'ham in July 2012. I still don't drive, and don't own a car yet (though that is likely to change, as I say in another thread). Both me and my wife have felt, seen or heard nothing here that is out of the ordinary in any big city! We have walked around at all times (even at midnight when i had to go home after work from UAB to near Dreamland BBQ where we lived). We have walked all around the Southside area too. These area is really safe AFAIK, and though walking there at midnight is certainly not a good thing, I have done it, and never felt unsafe.

We have now moved to a bigger apartment just blocks from where we work now, and in short love it here in B'ham. Just wanted to update this, so anyone that reads this thread and has similar questions can get some idea of what it really is like here.
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Old 07-25-2013, 03:50 PM
 
28,896 posts, read 53,979,333 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydoc View Post
Its been a year and more since I visited these forums for advice. Since then we have moved twice, coming to B'ham in July 2012. I still don't drive, and don't own a car yet (though that is likely to change, as I say in another thread). Both me and my wife have felt, seen or heard nothing here that is out of the ordinary in any big city! We have walked around at all times (even at midnight when i had to go home after work from UAB to near Dreamland BBQ where we lived). We have walked all around the Southside area too. These area is really safe AFAIK, and though walking there at midnight is certainly not a good thing, I have done it, and never felt unsafe.

We have now moved to a bigger apartment just blocks from where we work now, and in short love it here in B'ham. Just wanted to update this, so anyone that reads this thread and has similar questions can get some idea of what it really is like here.
Hey, glad to hear you're enjoying it here! Thanks for the update. Lots of times we answer questions and never hear from folks again.
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