Birmingham, Alabama. Opinions?

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by coastalnc

and we liked it very much. Just one question....when will they fix the roads??? Our vehicle was beat to death on 65, 280, Lakeshore, etc.... worst roads of any state I have ever visited.

Well, I-65 is being overhauled due to the interchange being built for the future I-22 to Memphis. As far as 280 is concerned, I'm not sure what you mean.

[MemphisMonkeyMane]

I see that Bham has not gotten over its inferiority complex....

Reminds me of Memphis a bit...lol

I still like parts of it, and we still own property off sr119 and Cr17
but it IS in SHELBY ! ha ! not "Birmingham" !

[Nemean]

I love Birmingham, though there are some things that irk me. First off, the city politics bug the hell out of me. Hopefully, things will change. Until then, I'll go on with my general avoid-as-much-government/paperwork-as-possible attitude. Secondly, the mass transportation is pathetic. I'd like to be able to go the art museum, the zoo, the botanical gardens, and maybe the Carver on a Saturday with only parking once (I really don't like driving in Mountain Brook; but I'd like to go to Savages more often).
I wonder how many people would love a rail instead of driving up and down 280 or 65 during rush hour. I'd love to able to drive as little as possible (I bought three tanks of gas this summer. I couldn't imagine doing that on a regular basis.).

On a side note, I think you've been a little hard on bluebeard. I know Birmingham has a lot to offer for its size. But it has neither publicity nor a good mass transportation system. A lot of the attractions are spread out across the city and suburbs. Likewise, the residents in general don't seem to focus on the entertainment venues as a reason for liking Birmingham. It comes across as a good place for families, full of bubble communities. Most people from outside Birmingham don't know much about it past the 60's. When my parents first came, they were surprised it wasn't flat. Outside of dedicated foodies, I doubt many know about Birmingham's food scene.

[JS20000]

Well if you read the post above, with numerous references to national publications rating Birmingham's bars and restaurants as among the best in the nation, you will see that it does have " a lot more to offer than just lush scenery and hilly terrain". It amazes me how people come on here and make statements while totally ignoring numerous articles (in these cases many from NYC) praising the fact that Birmingham has much to offer from a dining and entertainment standpoint....add to that a well respected Symphony and the largest municipally-owned art museum in the southeast. All of this with a much better climate, four genuine seasons with a beautiful Fall and Spring, and frankly the QUALITY of life is superior to Houston or Dallas.

There is a fellow who lives down the street from me. He grew up in the Dallas suburb of Richardson. Got married and had two children. Then found that he was going to have to put his children in private schools, or move to Highland Park, to get the kind of education and environment for his children that he wanted. He has family here and began to inquire about our suburban schools and pulled up stakes and made the move. Children are coming out of public school system and going to Duke.

I lived in San Antonio for three years and really enjoyed it...but there were two consistent things I took away from living there:

1) Quantity is a big measuring stick for Texans.
2) I was amazed at how often they had come to the conclusion that where they lived was superior while simultaneously, they had done very little traveling outside their area.

As to your assertion about crime in "Birmingham". You are right that within the city limits of Birmingham, crime is a problem. The thing you may not realize is that the Birmingham SMSA has a population of 1.1 million people, of which 240,000 live within the city limits of Birmingham- this means the classic 80/20 rule is applicable...80% of Birminghamians do not live in Birmingham...they live in a series of suburban communities with their own police, fire, government and schools....and many are superb....therefore when talking about "Birmingham" you must realize that the vast, vast majority of residents live in extremely safe neighborhoods, with excellent schools and government.

I know at least 10 couples I can name off hand, who have moved here to educate their children.

Atlanta is organized the same way - metro pop. of 4 million with 450,000 living "in Atlanta". The remainder in suburban communities with total control over zoning, police/fire etc. "Atlanta" has the same bad crime statistics, while simultaneously 80% of the metro population lives in very safe, secure neighborhoods.

You've asserted that I am a native Texan but I was born and raised in Birmingham (inner city Birmingham, in what used to be Metropolitan Gardens to be more exact-you can not get more "Birmingham" than that). The Birmingham that I interface with appears to be vastly different than the Birmingham you interface with, hence our points of view. Birmingham's "safe" areas out-balance its "unsafe" areas but these safe areas are not Birmingham proper so I made no mention of them. I am very aware of Birmingham's demographics and culture-just because I am somewhere else does not mean I am not current or unaware of things here.
I wanted to post a response here because practically most of the comments geared towards Texas were unapologetically negative and were done so simply in spite. Not every region is "all good" or "all evil"; what a person takes away from a particular place shapes their opinions and their opinions only. Quality of life has to be defined to have more meaning and I was probably remiss in delineating exactly what my "quality of life" entailed (my definition of "quality of life" can differ from yours, being the abstraction that it is), but IMO, Houston simply had more to offer for a single male in his 20's (I transferred to Houston from Huntsville involuntarily-I did not choose to move to Houston but I found that not all of it was so bad).
I can (and do) defend Alabama (and Birmingham) when I encounter individuals that have never been to the South and have their own pretensions about this region based on television shows (I am never taken to be from the South, which leads people to confide in me all sorts of ignorance).

If Birmingham is to be successful, it needs cooperation between the municipal leaders and a retooling of the PR machine to focus on the area's strengths and not its tragedies.

Outside of dedicated foodies, I doubt many know about Birmingham's food scene.

This elaborates what I am stating-my interests and hobbies/activites differ in this regard. I do not frequent eating establishments so I am not aware of this part of Birmingham (how many five star restaurants/chains are in Birmingham, by the way)? On another note, Texas has a very lively car culture but if you're not a gearhead you wouldn't have a clue.

[xxmagex]

One thing about Birmingham. My brother has lived down there since 1993 and I've visited often, The house he lives in not that much bigger than the first house I bought (mind you it is in a great neighborhood). I paid about 69K for that little house (about 1600 sq ft) while he has his house valued at over 200K for his house. I personally think house prices are inflated in B'ham (like everywhere).

That said, I think it's a great place and I would move there if a job I liked came my.

[Miv]

<-B'ham born & raised. I'm in Norwood.

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by xxmagex

One thing about Birmingham. My brother has lived down there since 1993 and I've visited often, The house he lives in not that much bigger than the first house I bought (mind you it is in a great neighborhood). I paid about 69K for that little house (about 1600 sq ft) while he has his house valued at over 200K for his house. I personally think house prices are inflated in B'ham (like everywhere).

That said, I think it's a great place and I would move there if a job I liked came my.

Is he in Mountain Brook, Vestavia or Homewood? HIGH prices there...lots of demand. In Mt. Brook, I know where people have bought 1,000-square-foot houses for megabucks, torn them down and built 8,000-square-foot houses.

[xxmagex]

Originally Posted by Southlander

Is he in Mountain Brook, Vestavia or Homewood? HIGH prices there...lots of demand. In Mt. Brook, I know where people have bought 1,000-square-foot houses for megabucks, torn them down and built 8,000-square-foot houses.

Homewood IIRC

Great neighborhood, it's just that I don't think the house is large enough to raise a large family. They really want to stay there, they talk about building on the lot. I just don't think there is that much room for expansion on the lot.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by xxmagex

Homewood IIRC

Great neighborhood, it's just that I don't think the house is large enough to raise a large family. They really want to stay there, they talk about building on the lot. I just don't think there is that much room for expansion on the lot.

Homewood, surprisingly enough, seems to have the highest cost per square foot in the area, particularly in the Hollywood and Edgewood areas. You really pay a premium for a great location and good schools.