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My husband is in the USAF and we might moving to Birmingham. I went on line and looked at the website for the city...it looks like it is really nice. I do however have a few questions...
1- How are the schools, we have a daughter in kindergarten. What are the best school systems in that area?
2- Is the cost of living good?
3- We would also be renting instead of buying a house right away, any suggestions on where to look?
4- We are an inter racial couple, with 2 children. I have lived in the south before and never have had a problem with racism, yes I have got looks but I could care less about that..that is to be expected no matter where we may live. My mother just moved to Florence AL, we visited her and had no issues. I have honestly heard 'mixed reviews' about living there and would like some input.
Unless you would consider private school, you should not live in Birmingham proper since you have a child. With that said, cost of living is low relative to other parts of the country, but the good schools are in more upscale areas. Homewood would be a good first choice as well as Hoover. Both have good schools and plenty of rental properties. If you can afford it and want to go upscale, then Vestavia and Mt. Brook would be good. However, Mt. Brook does not have a lot in terms of rentals.
Go read the thread titled "Japan to Birmingham". I posted a very long post discussing various areas around Bham.
I will address #4 and the rest kind of falls in line. We moved to Birmingham as a bi racial, northern, Catholic, liberal family, who happened to suppport the current President during the last election. Our life was VERY difficult. On the surface everyone is kind and sweet, "bless her heart , and isn that nice," but Birmingham is an EXTREMELY conservative town. I did find that the people who were the most forward thinking tended to send their children to private schools. You will find the most diversity there as well. Look at Advent Day for example.
Redmont and Forest Park are areas that are more diverse with more folks from other parts of the country. Don't get me wrong, I know many, many people will disagree with me and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but this is mine. Also, there are many good things to be had in Birmingham, great weather, good hospitals, great restaurants and nice museums. If you look for the upside, you will find it. If you look for the downside, you will find it too. But, living location and schooling will make all the difference and I strongly suggest a Forest Park/Advent type situation for the best outcome for your family.
I will address #4 and the rest kind of falls in line. We moved to Birmingham as a bi racial, northern, Catholic, liberal family, who happened to suppport the current President during the last election. Our life was VERY difficult. On the surface everyone is kind and sweet, "bless her heart , and isn that nice," but Birmingham is an EXTREMELY conservative town. I did find that the people who were the most forward thinking tended to send their children to private schools. You will find the most diversity there as well. Look at Advent Day for example.
You know, being from Chicago, I feel a need to react to this. We have lived in Birmingham for 16 years and have felt embraced. We have an amazing number of friends. That being said, people who move here from other parts of the country CAN have a difficult time adjusting (Most do just fine). However, as an observer, I've found that most adjustment problems stem not from the bigotry of Birminghamsters (Who overall, based on experience, have proven to be a surprisingly accepting lot), but from the fact that some newcomers don't really ever get that there are broad cultural differences. However, let's go down that checklist of problems you have named:
"Northern" -- Lots of Northerners here who do fine. The problem typically lies with Northerners who start complaining about the way Southerners do things fifteen minutes after the moving van is unpacked. I've found myself wincing a time or two when someone fresh from Connecticut or Ohio almost immediately starts whining about something. Yeah, I know it's part of the culture up north, but it's not part of the culture down here. What's more, a newcomer complaining about life down here is interpreted as complaining about everything.
Which leads to my next point. You wouldn't move to Japan or France and ignore those subtle differences of how people interact, would you? Yet, I have encountered quite a few northerners who move here and expect everybody to behave just the way their neighbors did back in Cleveland. For example, in the South people place a lot of emphasis on good manners, which probably is why you mentioned that infamous phrase, "Bless Your Heart." That's a phrase tossed out by people who have been rubbed the wrong way, but doing their damnedest to be nice anyway.
"Catholic" -- You know, there are tons of Catholics in Birmingham. Heck, EWTN is here. My wife is Catholic. She's never encountered a situation where anybody here gave a rip about that.
"Liberal" -- Yeah, Birmingham is pretty conservative, far more so than I am. But most people in Birmingham tend to leave political differences at "Let's just agree to disagree" and leave it that. I've had any number of nice, polite disagreements with people on the subject of everything from the Iraq War to Prayer in School, and somehow never managed to be penalized for it socially, even when I had an Obama sticker on my car. I guess the difference is to not turn it into a blood sport when you discuss it at a dinner party. Or condescend, either. After all, when you toss about terms such as "Forward thinking" into your political discussions, the obverse opinion would be "Knuckle-dragging retrograde." Funny how people might take offense to that.
"Bi Racial" -- Not many bi-racial couples, I will admit. But we know more than a couple, one of whom lived down the street from us, and they seem to not have much difficulty, and their kids don't seem to have problems either--even though we're in the lily white Mountain Brook school district.
In short, having moved here from the North, and having a large number of friends from the North who have moved here and would never dream of moving away, I cannot imagine how you would have problems here when they did not.
I am glad the OP is able to get a variety of opinions which will help her make choices. Please keep in mind I was not trying to sell a set sort of ideals or mindsets, just share mine and my personal experiences as that is what the OP asked for and I do have more in common with her (race and gender) than you might.
You too are making assumptions and those are that I/we did not try to fit in. As a corporate family we have lived ALL over the U.S. and there are diffierent cultures in every city and state, and as a 'guest' you must enjoy the differences and appreciate new experiences. You made an excellent point. Moving to Birmingham vs moving to other parts of the country is MUCH MORE like moving to other countries than simply a move to another states, and that is the point I was making. To undersell the differences between Chicago and say, Kansas, Baltimore, New Jersey, and Texas, and Chicago and Birmingham is to simply not be honest. If you can truly tell the poster that this move will be a breeze for she and her family then the male point of view is greatly variant to the female one.
In addition, please keep in mind that there are children involved here whose self esteem will be formed as they grow. It is VERY important to any parent to provide the most nurturing environment possible and thus my suggestions about Forest Park and Private School vs places where you might know 'one' similar family. That statement alone speaks volumes.
For the record Jefferson County was the only majority white county in Alabama carried by Obama in the 2008 election. Blacks, liberals key to Obama win in Jefferson County - al.com I live in Glen Iris area of southside and it is very diverse. There may not be many bi-racial couples in Mt. Brook but I assure you that there are plenty over here. I can think of five or six couples on my street within a couple of blocks, there could be more. This area is composed mainly of old turn of the century (20th century) homes that have been renovated, apartments and condos. There are a couple of neighborhoods in the Greensprings Ave. area that are ranch style brick homes built in the 50's-70's. In addition to black and white there are also many hispanics, asians and people from all over the world. There are also many gay couples. I know of two Catholic churches in the neighborhood and only one Baptist. If you don't mind the older style homes you may be very comfortable in this neighborhood.
I will address #4 and the rest kind of falls in line. We moved to Birmingham as a bi racial, northern, Catholic, liberal family, who happened to suppport the current President during the last election. Our life was VERY difficult. On the surface everyone is kind and sweet, "bless her heart , and isn that nice," but Birmingham is an EXTREMELY conservative town. I did find that the people who were the most forward thinking tended to send their children to private schools. You will find the most diversity there as well. Look at Advent Day for example.
Redmont and Forest Park are areas that are more diverse with more folks from other parts of the country. Don't get me wrong, I know many, many people will disagree with me and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but this is mine. Also, there are many good things to be had in Birmingham, great weather, good hospitals, great restaurants and nice museums. If you look for the upside, you will find it. If you look for the downside, you will find it too. But, living location and schooling will make all the difference and I strongly suggest a Forest Park/Advent type situation for the best outcome for your family.
I actually think your reply was quite fair and balanced, and I'm a Republican
What Bluedevilmom says is a pretty good view on things. I do feel compelled to say, however, that her experience isn't typical of the experiences that I have heard of. Of course, there are always going to be situations where you might experience what Bluedevilmom has, that is unavoidable.
As conservative as the ENTIRE Birmingham Metro area is, there are places that are very liberal, very moderate (if there is such a thing), and very conservative. If you do your research, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a place where you can fit in.
The Metro Area of Birmingham consists of 7 counties. Jefferson, Shelby, Walker, St. Clair, Bibb, Chilton, and Blount. Jefferson is a very evenly mixed county. I know people will argue with me on that, but realize, I'm 75% finished with a bachelors degree in Geography, and the voting records tell me I'm correct. Jefferson has very liberal areas and very conservative areas. USUALLY, the wealthy communities are going to be the more conservative areas, and the poorer parts of town are going to be the more liberal parts of town. The City of Birmingham has both of these. It can have the poorest of the poor, and the richest of the rich.
People bash the public schools in the city of Birmingham, but that is mainly because the overwhelming number of poorly performing schools tends to outweigh the well performing schools. THERE ARE good public schools in the city of Birmingham, again, you just have to do research to figure out where those are. And most of that info is easily accessible.
IMO, being an inter racial couple, you shouldn't have a problem living even in the conservative parts of the area. But, like every other large city in the country, there's always a chance that you're going to meet a few people that aren't going to agree with your "lifestyle choice," as they call it. I mean, if I had it my way, no one would care who is in a relationship with who, but I'm not everyone.
As Bluedevilmom said, weather is pretty good, the quality of the hospitals rivals those of Chicago New York and Houston, food is always good, and the museums are great places to take in the culture.
Coming here with an open mind and a willingness to understand will definitely be a good idea. Life can be different down here. Cost of living is very low (one of the top 5 cheapest in the top 50 metros in the US, and recreational opportunities ARE unmatched for a city this size.
It's a region of over 1.1 Million and has all the amenities of a large city, and all the comforts of a small town.
I agree very much with what Bluedevilmom said the first time, and what she answered back the second time. I will write to you privately with my comments, but absolutely agree with Bluedevilmom.
I agree very much with what Bluedevilmom said the first time, and what she answered back the second time. I will write to you privately with my comments, but absolutely agree with Bluedevilmom.
Aren't you the person who claims she's lived here eight years and never made a single friend? How on earth is that possible?
As a gay male, I would only live on the southside of Birmingham, from the neighborhoods of Glen Iris to the West to Crestwood in the East. If you do not want to send your kids to a private school you should try to rent in Homewood. It's just over Red Mountain from downtown and is probablly more mixed politically than the other suburbs farther south.
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