Bham folks, your thoughts about Pelham? (Hoover, Homewood: neighborhood, best school, living)

[Southlander]

Son and daughter-in-law bought their first house in Pelham a couple of years ago. Nice little neighborhood...well, not really little. But it's a good spot for starting out.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Southlander

Son and daughter-in-law bought their first house in Pelham a couple of years ago. Nice little neighborhood...well, not really little. But it's a good spot for starting out.

Indeed. But not where I'd want to commute from.

[Tourian]

When I think of living in Alabaster or Helena, all I can think about is getting caught behind one of those trains. I'm sure it isn't as bad as I think it is, but the couple of times I've had to wait for one when driving in those areas was enough. I think they were working on some sort of scheduling to make sure it didn't bother the morning and evening commute, but I don't know.

I think after the housing fall out and the sudden move to revitalize the city's core, all tree of those you mentioned have reached their peak with Pelham being the nicest of the three. But unless I was getting some sort of killer deal on a place I loved,I just wouldn't consider it.

[rawrockills]

I grew up in Pelham. Not a bad place to live. But I think there are other areas I would recommend first. However, I would venture to say it's the nicest when compared to Helena and Alabaster. Helena is basically surrounded by railroads and it can get frustrating. There also isn't as much room for expansion in Helena. Alabaster is...well it's Alabaster. Doesn't have the best reputation for several reasons.

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

Indeed. But not where I'd want to commute from.

Son and DIL both work downtown. But I think it was a matter of what they could afford.

[ShipOfFools42]

The problem with Pelham is I-65, plain and simple. It's a regular occurrence for there to be accidents around Alton Rd and Green Springs coming out of downtown, and you either have to go that way or down 280, neither of which are ideal. I don't know what your budget is, but I would agree that you should try to be inside 459 if you can. Hard to say if it's doable without knowing your price limit, though.

I think more and more people are living in Chelsea these days if they want a place where they can spread out a bit, but then you have the 280 problem again. Depending on money and all that, my ideal choice these days would be Vestavia Hills, but it can be pricey. There are a couple of non-over-the-mountain areas that are up and coming, such as Avondale and Forest Park, but I'm not sure if those would be all that great with a family.

Sorry of this isn't very helpful. Finding a place in Birmingham can be tough, but it's worth your time to put in the effort and make sure you pick the right place.

[Trail_Runner]

Thanks Ship, that was extremely helpful along with the other posts as well. When it boils down to it, price is a huge factor and it's tough to break into those mountain brook, vestavia neighborhoods without shelling out 300k+. At the moment we're just not there.

Again thanks to all for being so helpful.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools42

The problem with Pelham is I-65, plain and simple. It's a regular occurrence for there to be accidents around Alton Rd and Green Springs coming out of downtown, and you either have to go that way or down 280, neither of which are ideal. I don't know what your budget is, but I would agree that you should try to be inside 459 if you can. Hard to say if it's doable without knowing your price limit, though.

I think more and more people are living in Chelsea these days if they want a place where they can spread out a bit, but then you have the 280 problem again. Depending on money and all that, my ideal choice these days would be Vestavia Hills, but it can be pricey. There are a couple of non-over-the-mountain areas that are up and coming, such as Avondale and Forest Park, but I'm not sure if those would be all that great with a family.

Sorry of this isn't very helpful. Finding a place in Birmingham can be tough, but it's worth your time to put in the effort and make sure you pick the right place.

What I'd add to that is that the daily slog up 280 is misery. It makes 65 look like a cakewalk. I'd really go online and do some major bargain hunting to see what you can find inside the 459 corridor. Your sanity will thank you later.

[newbamadoc]

You can get into Vestavia for 250K, but it will either need a little work or you will be sacrificing square footage. Again, I work in Pelham and live in Vestavia. The people from both areas are great, and I do feel Pelham has some potential to even get better when the economy comes around. Good luck.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by newbamadoc

You can get into Vestavia for 250K, but it will either need a little work or you will be sacrificing square footage. Again, I work in Pelham and live in Vestavia. The people from both areas are great, and I do feel Pelham has some potential to even get better when the economy comes around. Good luck.

You can get in almost all areas in Bham for under 300K. It doesn't even have to be a place that needs a lot of work. It just depends what your expectations for a home are, and whether not having the commute is worth breaking some of those.