Good neighboorhood near Whole Foods & Summit? (Birmingham, Mountain Brook: HOA, mover)

[Richard McCarthy]

I'm looking at a couple of houses just off Hwy 280, sort of between the Summit ("outdoor" mall) and the Whole Foods market. It's an older neighborhood, but can anyone comment on how safe the area is?

[cpg35223]

Safe as the womb. Seriously. Almost zero crime takes place in that area. What little there is almost all petty theft. If it's Mountain Brook, the crime statistics are incredibly low. If it's Vestavia, it's almost non-existent, too. Do you know which municipality your choices are in? Also, do you have kids, etc?

I live very close to where you're looking off Overton Road near the Mountain Brook fire station. It's a very convenient neighborhood and great for families. Good luck, and feel free to ask me anything you want to know.

[Threestep]

Nothing personal - I do not understand the constant posts about safety. You can be at the wrong place at the wrong time anywhere and anytime.

What do you consider safe? Side walks, leash laws, trimmed bushes, kids home at 22:00? There is open and what is a lot worse in my eyes domestic violence all over the US. Birmingham is no exception. Mountain Brook not either contrary to public believe:>)

Yes, there are some neighborhoods which have an unproportionally high crime rate. Mountain Brook is financially not feasible for most of the inhabitants of those areas nor do the residents interact much.

I am hard on keys so I do not lock the door:>) Have not since we moved to town.

@@@CPG
The Vestavia HOAs do not allow crime. It is against the covenants. For non-residents - this is a baaad joke:>) It is a pretty clean, a bit pricey, keep up with the neighbors area.

OK Keeper - bad hairday.

[Richard McCarthy]

CPG, thanks for your comments. I don't recall the municipality in which the houses are located, but I can go back and check. We don't have kids and are not concerned with school districts, etc.

[Threestep]

Please consider your daily commute. It can be daunting. What are your needs, what are your wishes, where does your budget stand, most of all buy or rent?

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Threestep

Nothing personal - I do not understand the constant posts about safety. You can be at the wrong place at the wrong time anywhere and anytime.

What do you consider safe? Side walks, leash laws, trimmed bushes, kids home at 22:00? There is open and what is a lot worse in my eyes domestic violence all over the US. Birmingham is no exception. Mountain Brook not either contrary to public believe:>)

Yes, there are some neighborhoods which have an unproportionally high crime rate. Mountain Brook is financially not feasible for most of the inhabitants of those areas nor do the residents interact much.

I am hard on keys so I do not lock the door:>) Have not since we moved to town.

@@@CPG
The Vestavia HOAs do not allow crime. It is against the covenants. For non-residents - this is a baaad joke:>) It is a pretty clean, a bit pricey, keep up with the neighbors area.

OK Keeper - bad hairday.

True. And the OP, if he chooses to live in that part of town, should make sure that he has a car in reasonably good condition, or have rakes and shovels sticking out of the trunk. The police in this area patrol rather aggressively.

[Threestep]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

True. And the OP, if he chooses to live in that part of town, should make sure that he has a car in reasonably good condition, or have rakes and shovels sticking out of the trunk. The police in this area patrol rather aggressively.

I leave the lawnmover on the truck. Drives HOA MAfia crazy.
Let's behave. I do apologize - bad hair day in my life in AL. Maybe we will get something to really work with. At least keep him out of Jefferson County.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Threestep

I leave the lawnmover on the truck. Drives HOA MAfia crazy.
Let's behave. I do apologize - bad hair day in my life in AL. Maybe we will get something to really work with. At least keep him out of Jefferson County.

Oh, stuff. Nothing wrong with Jefferson County--outside of our dysfunctional county commission. Some of us just don't like living umpteen miles out, practically on the border of Cambodia and Laos.

[Threestep]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

Oh, stuff. Nothing wrong with Jefferson County--outside of our dysfunctional county commission. Some of us just don't like living umpteen miles out, practically on the border of Cambodia and Laos.

Rephrase please - Little Tokyo is more like it:>)

[tgcali]

I'm dyin' over here. You guys are too funny. May I ask what constitutes 'umpteen miles out'?

I still am looking to move from San Diego to Birmingham, I've had to postpone due to the job market/economy so I don't know when, but I was curious what the locals consider a long distance/time for a commute.

Where I am I live on a Boulevard that has just as much traffic as I see on 280 when I visit but that's just a street and not a big deal in terms of traffic. The Interstate 5/805 merge (translation - something like 12 lanes of gridlock) is TRAFFIC.

Not to say that the 280 traffic or the commutes aren't bad, just that those of us with experience in large cities/heavy traffic will view it differently. So I was just curious about what the locals consider a bad commute in terms of distance/time?