Just found out Birminghmam will be our new home soon, terrified... Help! (Birmingham: transplants, apartments)

[lnssweat]

Hello all, really excited to find this forum. I just found out that my fiance and I and our 5 year old son will be moving to Birmingham in several weeks. He just excepted an irresistable position at his corporate office in Birmingham, AL. We are from Pennsylvania. We are also a biracial family. We would like to live in a suburb or more rural area outside of Birmingham. My son may be starting kindergarten this year, unless we cannot find a suitable school, in which case we would homeschool. Any information on Birmingham in general, especially nice areas to live around Birmingham, schools (maybe private or parrochial) contemporary Christian worship services/churches, what a 3 bedroom house may cost to rent there, etc. would be soooo appreciated. I've heard raving reviews about Birmingham and after the initial shock of having to move so far from home so fast wore off, I am getting excited to know Birmingham. Thank you all so very much!
blessings,
L.S.

[Threestep]

Rest assured - you will love it.
Why should you not find a suitable school? Just counting the next five or six houses in our street - single mother with a charming biracial daughter 8, biracial couple with kids 8/10, Japanese with kids 11/17, Greek with kids 7/10. Greystone Elementary offers great programs and dedicated staff.
Where will your husband work? Just an approximate location as commute should be a factor in your house and school search. What budget are you working with?
You will find Birmingham to be a very open city for those who come with an open mind. It is not all grits and greens:>) Art, cuisine, shopping - it is all here. Zoo, gardens, kids activities - it is all here.

[Rudbeckia]

Birmingham is a great city, and far ahead of many areas in the south in terms of accepting a bi-racial marriage, so that won't be a problem. There are many great schools in Birmingham, it will just depend on how close you want to live to where your husband works. I lived in Cahaba Heights for 5 years (zoned vestavia schools which are really good) and I loved it and it is convenient to downtown and out 280. Good Luck.

[Back Again]

Being a NYer myself (I also lived in King of Prussia, PA) I can say, you will like it here, this is NOT that Birmingham of the 60s that everyone thinks it is.

[pmb0417]

If you want to know how the schools in the areas are check out www.greatschools.net and and Rankings of Public Schools

If you want to stay away from 24/7 traffic, do not live along 280. It has some great restuarants and stores (Penzy's for one) but there is a lot of traffic no matter what time of the day or week.

there are a lot of nice areas.

One thing I will tell you, is Halloween you/your family, might enjoy going to Tannie Hill State Park. If you want to camp there during October, you actually have to pay/stay all month. That way they know who is handing out candy. They do a trick or treat night. My son has gone the last 3 years and loves it. You really need to get there by around noon to get a parking spot in the park. During the day (that day) they have pony rides, those jumpers that are so popular with kids.

If I can be of more help let me know

pmb0417@bham.rr.com

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by lnssweat

Hello all, really excited to find this forum. I just found out that my fiance and I and our 5 year old son will be moving to Birmingham in several weeks. He just excepted an irresistable position at his corporate office in Birmingham, AL. We are from Pennsylvania. We are also a biracial family. We would like to live in a suburb or more rural area outside of Birmingham. My son may be starting kindergarten this year, unless we cannot find a suitable school, in which case we would homeschool. Any information on Birmingham in general, especially nice areas to live around Birmingham, schools (maybe private or parrochial) contemporary Christian worship services/churches, what a 3 bedroom house may cost to rent there, etc. would be soooo appreciated. I've heard raving reviews about Birmingham and after the initial shock of having to move so far from home so fast wore off, I am getting excited to know Birmingham. Thank you all so very much!
blessings,
L.S.

Welcome...I think you will like it here very much.

The good news is that you will find a wide selection of good public schools for your child. You can take that tuition money and put it into a home.

Give us more to work with so we can point you in the right direction(s).

Where is hubby's office located?
What is your housing budget?

[bhjohnson]

Birmingham has a wide array of housing choices. If you are looking for a suburban area with a quick commute to downtown, I think Homewood is a good option. Homewood has great public schools, plus housing that ranges anywhere from small rental apartments to modest to large single family homes. Hoover also has good public schools.

If schools are your top concern, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills are, without a doubt, the best in the state. However, these are two suburbs that a bi-racial family should probably avoid, especially Mountain Brook.

If you want good private schools, John Carroll High School, Indian Springs School, and the Altamont School are great schools, although some of them are quite expensive.

Trussville, another suburb, is further away than the others that I mentioned, to the northeast of B'ham. Trussville can truly be considered suburbia. (Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, I consider to be only semi-suburban, because of their close proximity to the city of Birmingham and distinctly urban features.

Trussville used to be an isolted, remote suburb, but now it is a major center of commerce in Jefferson County. The Pinnacle, a large shopping center which opened in October 2006, has been rivaling other major shopping centers such as The Summit and The Galleria. The town of Trussville is now overrun with so much money, which they are putting towards all types of things, especially their schools, which became their own system in 2005 after separating from Jefferson County. However, Trussville is extremely white (96% in fact) so I cannot say how it would be for a bi-racial family there.

But I think if you are looking for good schools in a good neighborhood, Homewood or Hoover are the best options in Jefferson County.

[emmaw]

We're moving from PA, too-Pittsburgh. We're also a bi-racial family. caucasian-asian. We're moving to Hoover. We found that our future Elementary school has a pretty high asian population. I know our neighborhood- Ross Bridge has a lot of transplants and seems to have some diversity. There are 3 families from PA on our street!

[Crestwood Top]

Unfortunately, there are some areas in town (like those mentioned above) where a bi-racial family wouldn't be greeted warmly. Depending on job locations & school needs, North or South Crestwood (5-10 minutes from downtown) might be OK. It's a liberal & mixed area, very live-&-let live. If you don't mind them, your neighbors won't mind you. Homewood & the Southside/Highland Avenue area are also good bets. I'd avoid Vestavia, the lilly-white golf resort areas, & some of Mt. Brook. Generally, it's a fine city. Plenty of churches!

[cartag]

Originally Posted by Crestwood Top

Unfortunately, there are some areas in town (like those mentioned above) where a bi-racial family wouldn't be greeted warmly. Depending on job locations & school needs, North or South Crestwood (5-10 minutes from downtown) might be OK. It's a liberal & mixed area, very live-&-let live. If you don't mind them, your neighbors won't mind you. Homewood & the Southside/Highland Avenue area are also good bets. I'd avoid Vestavia, the lilly-white golf resort areas, & some of Mt. Brook. Generally, it's a fine city. Plenty of churches!

Crestwood, Southside and Highland Avenue are great areas, especially for young people. But maybe not the best choices for this family. They have a little boy who needs good schools.
I would think Mountain Brook and Vestavia would be more accepting of bi-racial families than some of the less affluent neighborhoods not "over the mountain". At any rate, for more affordable homes try Edgewood/Homewood and the "original" parts of Hoover (Bluff Park, Green Valley/Guin, Shades Mountain, Rocky Ridge). They have great schools with diverse demographics.