Where to live in B'ham area? (Birmingham, Hoover: apartment complexes, rent, houses)

[adv13809]

Recent and sudden job transfer from Memphis to Birmingham (I-65 & Lakeshore area). Looking forward to the move but I don't know the B'ham area at all. Married to an elementary school teacher and have children entering 11th grade and 4th grade so schools are very important. We currently have a 3000 sq/ft home in a middle-to-upper middle class bedroom community 20 miles east of Memphis. We'll be looking for a 3-4 bdrm home in the $300-350k range. Don't know yet whether this will be a long-term move or just a couple of years but would still like to buy rather than rent so stability in home/land values is a big deal also (as much as it can be these days).
Any suggestions for neighborhoods to look at from those that have lived here a while and can help predict better stability of certain areas over others?
Thanks for any advice you can offer!

[Back Again]

Here are some good school links

ALSDE - Education Directory/Reports
SchoolMatters - Home
GreatSchools.net

Mountain Brook , Hoover, Vestavia and Oak Mountain all have some pretty good schools.

[jakabedy]

The most likely good fits for you are Homewood, Mtn. Brook, Vestavia and Hoover. Each has its own school system and is well-respected. See Back Again's links for details on the schools. Mtn. Brook is the priciest (think Germantown) and I'm not sure you can get a house there of the size you need for less than $400K. Homewood is actually pricier per square foot that Mtn. Brook, but it is just so doggone convenient. You can find something there. Vestavia will also work for you -- a lot of it was built in the '50s-'70s and there a lot of larger ranch homes there. Hoover is much larger (school enrollment is huge -- if your 11th grader is used to small classes, this may not be the place) with a lot more diversity of income, background, race, etc. in the schools but you can definitely find something in your price range there. Hoover spreads over a lot of area -- some way down Highway 280 -- so keep the commute in mind.

Homewood: 35209
Vestavia: 35216, 35243
Mtn. Brook: 35213, 35223
Hoover: 35242, 35244, 35226

But keep in mind that there will be areas in those zip codes that are unincorporated county, or maybe even city of Birmingham. So be very careful.

[kingchef]

Originally Posted by jakabedy

The most likely good fits for you are Homewood, Mtn. Brook, Vestavia and Hoover. Each has its own school system and is well-respected. See Back Again's links for details on the schools. Mtn. Brook is the priciest (think Germantown) and I'm not sure you can get a house there of the size you need for less than $400K. Homewood is actually pricier per square foot that Mtn. Brook, but it is just so doggone convenient. You can find something there. Vestavia will also work for you -- a lot of it was built in the '50s-'70s and there a lot of larger ranch homes there. Hoover is much larger (school enrollment is huge -- if your 11th grader is used to small classes, this may not be the place) with a lot more diversity of income, background, race, etc. in the schools but you can definitely find something in your price range there. Hoover spreads over a lot of area -- some way down Highway 280 -- so keep the commute in mind.

Homewood: 35209
Vestavia: 35216, 35243
Mtn. Brook: 35213, 35223
Hoover: 35242, 35244, 35226

But keep in mind that there will be areas in those zip codes that are unincorporated county, or maybe even city of Birmingham. So be very careful.

i agree w/ this poster. the bad things about the "ham" and surroundings has to be its terrible traffic. i have lived in several areas in the metro, among them hoover, homewood, birmingham, and vestevia hills. hoover consistenly has terrible traffic problems. still, i love the area.

[kingchef]

Originally Posted by adv13809

Recent and sudden job transfer from Memphis to Birmingham (I-65 & Lakeshore area). Looking forward to the move but I don't know the B'ham area at all. Married to an elementary school teacher and have children entering 11th grade and 4th grade so schools are very important. We currently have a 3000 sq/ft home in a middle-to-upper middle class bedroom community 20 miles east of Memphis. We'll be looking for a 3-4 bdrm home in the $300-350k range. Don't know yet whether this will be a long-term move or just a couple of years but would still like to buy rather than rent so stability in home/land values is a big deal also (as much as it can be these days).
Any suggestions for neighborhoods to look at from those that have lived here a while and can help predict better stability of certain areas over others?
Thanks for any advice you can offer!

it might be pushing it, however, i would certainly seek housing right off lakeshore, near lst baptist, samford, and brookwood. that area is b'ham, brookwood, and homewood all converging. alford avenue, on the mountain, is a nice area---i used to live there. try the shades park and shades bluff area---right above alford. shades mountain will have some medium-sized older homes somewhere in your stated price range. as a present memphian, i would think mtn brk would be acceptable to you. homewood high has always had a good name, and it is located near the areas in homewood that i listed above. i bellieve the oak sch section is relatively new and upper income. as for stability, check the demographics and you will see that these areas have remained relatively stable since the late 70's. the apartment complexes sitting below shades mountain began about the late 70's forward. in addition, single dwelling housing was infilled, also. when lakeshore was extended at greensprings and lakeshore, all of the leftside commercial development began. that, by and large, has remained confined to that business corridor---pharmacy, gas station, all the way down to wal-mart, sam's, and that entire lakeshore village development. good luck to you, and i hope you will love b'ham---she, like memphis metro, is a real sweet lady. one final point, if germantown is your thing, try mtnbrk. imo, the lay of the land is the seller; however, the deal breaker might be the price point for housing w/ your sq ft requirements. you might try b'ham proper---the area between mtnbrk and red mountain expressway. there is a beautiful area of spanish-mexican '20's houses right in that area; however, most are probably about 3 bdrms, and i remember looking at a small house---about 1300 sq ft, about 4 or 5 years ago, that was priced in the upper 260's. the area is close to lakeshore. inverness, although not going to meet the distance requirement, is in shelby county, ala---next to the summit retail development---and it is very similar to germantown, tn. warning!!! traffic is terrible most of the time. travel times and distances should be carefully computed. best wishes.