Where in B'ham...? (Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville: homes, neighborhoods, schools)

[Gohan1990]

I'm a Catholic of Sri Lankan descent who has lived in Britain his whole life and hates it! I'd like to live somewhere where the people are friendly, religious, moral and conservative. That's why I'm keen on Alabama. I've been told that there are many nice, safe suburbs in Birmingham like Trussville. Any opinions on that, and is there anywhere else I should look at? Thanks.

[MadHaus]

I'm a Catholic of Sri Lankan descent who has lived in Britain his whole life and hates it! I'd like to live somewhere where the people are friendly, religious, moral and conservative.

Gohan1990, while you could indeed be very happy in Birmingham, I hope you're aware that Catholics are a tiny minority in Alabama. While I haven't seen a census done in the past couple of years, the last one I saw indicated that Catholics make up only about 3% - 3.5% of the population of Alabama. My guess is that a disproportionate number live in the Mobile area, simply because of that area's history.

My experience in the B'ham area, as well as in Huntsville/Madison, has been mixed as far as religious acceptance. To be fair, most people don't make an issue of religion. They may ask if you've "found a church home" when they learn you're a newcomer, or invite you to their church, but will generally not press the point if you indicate you're already registered in a parish church. Unfortunately, there are others who can be downright obnoxious about making sure that you're "saved" according to their definition of the term. Even sadder, there are some who refuse to socialize with anyone who does not share their particular brand of faith. We lived in other parts of the south before moving to B'ham, and this was the first place that my children were blatantly shunned for being Catholic. There are also some small but vocal groups in AL that seem to exist mainly to attack the Catholic church. My former vehicle had a rosary bumper sticker and it was a magnet for Jack Chick tracts and other hateful pamphlets.

Having shared some of the negative, I want to state again that most folks don't act so ugly and I don't want to put you off B'ham. As for nice places to live, there are many but you need to share your price range in order for people to point you toward certain neighborhoods. Also, will you be working here or are you retired? If working, do you know where and how long of a commute you'd be willing to make? What else is important to you (schools, shopping, restaurants, hiking trails, lakes, etc.)?

[Gohan1990]

Well actualy I'm only 17 atm! I'd like to qualify as a dentist- is there high demand for them in AL? To be honest I don't know a lot about Catholicism anyway; my parents aren't religious and only recently have I begun to take faith more seriously. As I am not deeply rooted into Catholicism, I may convert if I'm introduced to a church by locals and decide it's for me. What are the main denominations in B'ham?

[Keeper]

Mobile is the home to the Catholic diocese. There are lots of catholic churches there.

In N. Al you will find Baptist, Methodist and other denominational churches.

[MadHaus]

Actually, the Diocese of Birmingham was founded in 1969. Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama - Welcome There are approximately 70 parishes within the B'ham diocese, which includes all of north AL.

[bham03]

I lived in Trussville once. I think it is one of the best kept secrets in Alabama. Well, it might not be a secret anymore. I do remember there was a rather large Catholic church on the edge of the city north on U.S. 11. Trussville is safe with great schools. The people are friendly and almost all of the homes are nice. It is one of those areas that continues to get generally better over time. People talk about the traffic, but it is far better than the south part of town.

[Scribbling]

Catholics may compose a tiny proportion of the Birmingham population, but the Church here is booming, population-wise, new churches are being built, parishes are full and very active.

[Pennsylvania]

How about the non denominational churches such as Calvary Fellowship churches?

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Pennsylvania

How about the non denominational churches such as Calvary Fellowship churches?

Oh, there are a bazillion of those here. We call them Stealth Baptists.

[Pennsylvania]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

Oh, there are a bazillion of those here. We call them Stealth Baptists.

Oh, funny, we call them Bible teaching churches. Glad there are alot of them there.