Relocation to Birmingham (Mobile, Homewood, Forestdale: apartments, travel, income)

[BHUD83]

Hi everyone I'm a 23 year old black male, recent college grad and I'm relocating to Birmingham for my job. I've only been to Alabama once (Mobile) and I don't know hardly anything about the area. And I'm looking to rent a house or townhouse, whatever with a 2 car garage around the area. I know of the high crime rankings of B'Ham and want to avoid living in those areas. I don't mind living in a wanna be "big city" small town and I don't have kids, so the bad education system isn't a problem. A 45 min. commute doesn't worry me b/c I'll be traveling alot anyway. I hear the "Southside" is a good area b/c of the clubs, bars and restaurants. But where in the Southside? I just need to know which areas should I take a good look at. Thank you.

[steveklein]

do you know where exactly you will be working at in birmingham?

if you are downtown, southside would be a great choice. it's only a 5-10 minute commute downtown at most. it is a very young area, has a relatively hip scene, and is pretty liberal for alabama (read: accepting of blacks, homosexuals, non-christians, and others that aren't white protestants).

i'm a 21 y/o graduating in a month and i'll be living about a mile from five points south (the heart of southside).


if a long commute really doesn't bother you, then you could live just about anywhere in the birmingham area, but to be frank... i think southside would be your best option, though i'm not sure how many places around there that rent have 2 car garages, though i'm sure there are some. crime is pretty low in southside and it's not too bad of a drive down highway 280 towards north shelby county or highway 31 towards hoover (under 20 minutes in non rush hour traffic in both cases) for all the shopping and "chain dining" that you could ever want. southside is more known for its upscale/niche restaurants and novelty shops rather than strip malls and chain restaurants. crime in southside is relatively low, though if you venture uptown a bit or to the west end of town, crime is very high.

[harry chickpea]

Southside - think 20th Street, 5 points south, residential on Arlington and Highland Avenues and areas to the west, until you reach I-65. Also consider Homewood, a little to the east. Most of Southside is apartments, Homewood has more houses, and you'll find it only a short drive or taxi ride to Southside (don't drive drunk in B'ham, the streets are too narrow).

[DaddyJ]

If you are interested in a nice house and lawn then Forestdale would be very affordable and very nice. Alot of fast food places but you'll have to drive the 15 minutes to town for significant entertainment. If you find a place a few blocks off of hiway 78 then you pretty much can live quitely and comfortably. Down the road is the Pratt City area which is pretty heavy with drugs & crime and some of the riff raff make it up to Forestdale to pull an occassional robbery in the businesses along the highway....bout the same as any other area in any city which is near low income housing. The neighborhood itself is very comfortable, largely black and very nice in some of the 20+ year old neighborhoods with beautiful houses of that era.

[BHUD83]

Thanks for the info everybody I found a nice apartment with everything I need. Its in the Homewood area. Off of Lakeshore Parkway.

[Figment 07]

Originally Posted by BHUD83

Thanks for the info everybody I found a nice apartment with everything I need. Its in the Homewood area. Off of Lakeshore Parkway.

Yay! Welcome to the south! (I really like Homewood.)

It's so good to hear feedback from the people who come to City-Data for advice. Stick around and update us from time to time with your impressions of your new location. As a newcomer to the Birmingham area, you could offer a valuable perspective to others who come here seeking advice as you did.

[DaddyJ]

As a "white guy" I think you'll find Birmingham and all of Alabama totally different than the general reputation the south has in other parts of the U.S. We're actually a pretty nice bunch of folks. As anywhere, getting to know people and overcoming the general suspicousness of strangers is always a challenge.

[harry chickpea]

"Thanks for the info everybody I found a nice apartment with everything I need. Its in the Homewood area. Off of Lakeshore Parkway."

Just so you don't get confused, the lake next to Lakeshore was filled in a long while back. Congrats on getting your place.

[Twostep]

Welcome to Birmingham! You will find that you made a good choice with your rental location.

[mrdude]

do you want to actually live IN birmingham, or in the surrounding area? you could live south of birmingham in places like hoover, inverness, homewood, or mountain brook. these are your nicer areas and there will be much more fun stuff for a young guy. north of birmingham, in places like fultondale, gardendale, moody, kmiberly, and warrior are gonna be much more family oriented places and are much more boring.