Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A company offered me a VP management position down in Birmingham. I currently live on the NYC suburbs and I commute 4 hours (round trip) a day to work. The company is offering me a salary 20% higher then mine here. We both (me and wife) work and she'll probably not find a job easily there, so, we would have to live with just one income for a period of time. I also have a daughter which is 2 years old.
A couple of questions:
- Want to know what areas I should stay away from when looking for a Real Estate?
- What would be the worse case scenario in terms of commuting to work (based upon the metro area), I would be working in downtown Birmingham.
- What type of attractions does the city offer?
- Which big companies have a presence there?
- Average temperature in the winter?
- Crime ?
- Schools ?
- Property taxes ? Here we pay (where we live) about $5k an year for a 2000 sq ft house which is worth 285k.
I may have other questions, so, would like to hear more specially from those who actually did this move.
A company offered me a VP management position down in Birmingham. I currently live on the NYC suburbs and I commute 4 hours (round trip) a day to work. The company is offering me a salary 20% higher then mine here. We both (me and wife) work and she'll probably not find a job easily there, so, we would have to live with just one income for a period of time. I also have a daughter which is 2 years old.
A couple of questions:
- Want to know what areas I should stay away from when looking for a Real Estate?
- What would be the worse case scenario in terms of commuting to work (based upon the metro area), I would be working in downtown Birmingham.
- What type of attractions does the city offer?
- Which big companies have a presence there?
- Average temperature in the winter?
- Crime ?
- Schools ?
- Property taxes ? Here we pay (where we live) about $5k an year for a 2000 sq ft house which is worth 285k.
I may have other questions, so, would like to hear more specially from those who actually did this move.
Thank you in advance !
Eduardo Ferrari
Here's my very quick response to your questions.
Attractions -- It's certainly not NYC, but there are any number of excellent restaurants and cultural amenities. It's not as if there are tumbleweeds blowing through the place. I suggest going to activeculture.info to learn more about what goes on.
Commute -- I can't imagine having a four-hour round trip commute. That would be the equivalent of driving to Atlanta and back. If you are working downtown, and pay roughly the same for your house, your commute would be less than 30 minutes on way. Perhaps less.
Big Companies -- Birmingham's major industries include banking, healthcare, publishing, manufacturing, and others. It really depends on what your interests are.
Crime -- Depends on where you live, just like any other city. However, the suburbs of Birmingham are pretty much crime free. In fact, most of Birmingham's neighborhoods are, too. The crime takes place in pretty defined areas where the gangs shoot each other up in turf wars.
Schools -- Over the mountain school systems such as Mountain Brook, Vestavia, and Homewood are superior. In fact, Mountain Brook's is one of the top twenty school systems in the country according to some recent survey (Don't ask me where it is. I just remember reading it).
Property Taxes -- We bought our house for $350,000 four years ago, and our property taxes are $3,300 a year. And that's in Mountain Brook, the municipality with the highest property taxes in the state.
A company offered me a VP management position down in Birmingham. I currently live on the NYC suburbs and I commute 4 hours (round trip) a day to work. The company is offering me a salary 20% higher then mine here. We both (me and wife) work and she'll probably not find a job easily there, so, we would have to live with just one income for a period of time. I also have a daughter which is 2 years old.
A couple of questions:
- Want to know what areas I should stay away from when looking for a Real Estate?
- What would be the worse case scenario in terms of commuting to work (based upon the metro area), I would be working in downtown Birmingham.
- What type of attractions does the city offer?
- Which big companies have a presence there?
- Average temperature in the winter?
- Crime ?
- Schools ?
- Property taxes ? Here we pay (where we live) about $5k an year for a 2000 sq ft house which is worth 285k.
I may have other questions, so, would like to hear more specially from those who actually did this move.
Thank you in advance !
Eduardo Ferrari
What town are you from in NY? I moved here from Long Island in 1994. Overall, it is a GREAT place to raise a family.
Attractions: this is where I have struggled over the years; definitely miss attending NY sporting events, and miss the big city. However, Atlanta is only 2 hours away and has plenty to do.
Temps: fairly mild compared to NY, but will have periods with temps in the 20's, but not long lasting (typically in 40's).
Crime: Parts of Birmingham are pretty rough, but if you live south of the city and work downtown, you won't have anything to worry about.
Schools: Mountain Brook is tops, but depending upon who you talk to, can be snobby, especially if you are not part of the "clique." In addition to Vestavia and Homewood, look into Hoover, Spain Park and Oak Mountain. Spain Park was named a national Blue Ribbon School very recently (my kids attend this district, and it is just as good, if not better, as the school district I attended on Long Island). You will be very happy with any of these choices.
Property taxes: our house is approx 3400 sf, all brick in a gated community with a lake and surrounded by woods, and we only pay $2700/year. Yeah, unbelievable, huh?!
FWIW -- you will find that you have much more time for family, as you will save at least 2 hours/day from your commute. Additionally, you will not be "working to live" as your expenses will be significantly lower (except sales taxes which are between 9-10%), and you will not be forced to live "paycheck to paycheck."
Be sure to post any other questions that we may be able to help you with!
We are in the process of making the move, a 1000 mile move. My husband has been waiting for us there until we sell our house. He is in remodeling and is meeting with a different family every day, and he says the people in the B'ham and surrounding areas are second to none in terms of just good, kind people. The cost of living is ridiculous. (Ridiculously low, that is, property taxes, gas, everything you purchase is bound to be less, apart from sales tax). You are going to have a better quality of life, less expenses, more time with family, AND better weather.
I moved here in 1995 from Los Angeles, i love it here, as a matter of fact, my parents came to visit, were talking smack for months, when i moved here... didnt understand... after a week, they declared they would look for a house.. recently retired here.
I worked as a medic, so i *KNOW* where the crime is...
Quote:
- Want to know what areas I should stay away from when looking for a Real Estate?
Stay south of the mountain, nothing in Birmingham, south side is ok, but you said schools too, so you want "over the mountain"
Quote:
- What would be the worse case scenario in terms of commuting to work (based upon the metro area), I would be working in downtown Birmingham.
1.5-2 hours from the end of hwy 280, chelsea, to downtown in the worst time, and maybe a wreck or two
[/quote]
Quote:
- What type of attractions does the city offer?
Depends what your into its more of a live life, enjoy nature kinda place, but there are other things.. dont expect lots of nightlife unless your in college
Quote:
- Which big companies have a presence there?
i think some answered this better, but lots of banking and medical, most people dont know, but there is a strong technology presence here and huntsville
Quote:
- Average temperature in the winter?
if it snows, it makes the news and all the blogs, people freak out and buy all the bread, most time its above 30' the summer though...whew, it will take 2 years to get used to that... think 100' + 100% humidity, you will run the air cond!
Quote:
- Crime ?
do not attempt to buy ANYTHING north of homewood, stay south, and the farther south to shelby the better.
as a rule, areas with high crime are NORTH of the "mountian" red mountian (homewood) and WEST of 65. Birmingham proper has a very high crime rate, but the burbs are fine.
Quote:
- Schools ?
Stay in over the mountian schools... Mountain brook, vestavia hills, etc..
Avoid.. birmingham city, jefferson county..
Quote:
- Property taxes ? Here we pay (where we live) about $5k an year for a 2000 sq ft house which is worth 285k.
What taxes? ;-) it will be like a bump... couple grand depending where you are..
The amount of money you are going to save on gas, insurance, wear and tear on your vehicle, property tax and overall cost of living, plus your raise is going to go a long way to make up for your wife not working - unless she had a six figure income. That and just less time in the car and more time at home with your family is priceless. I think you are going to love it here.
A company offered me a VP management position down in Birmingham. I currently live on the NYC suburbs and I commute 4 hours (round trip) a day to work. The company is offering me a salary 20% higher then mine here. We both (me and wife) work and she'll probably not find a job easily there, so, we would have to live with just one income for a period of time. I also have a daughter which is 2 years old.
A couple of questions:
- Want to know what areas I should stay away from when looking for a Real Estate?
- What would be the worse case scenario in terms of commuting to work (based upon the metro area), I would be working in downtown Birmingham.
- What type of attractions does the city offer?
- Which big companies have a presence there?
- Average temperature in the winter?
- Crime ?
- Schools ?
- Property taxes ? Here we pay (where we live) about $5k an year for a 2000 sq ft house which is worth 285k.
I may have other questions, so, would like to hear more specially from those who actually did this move.
Thank you in advance !
Eduardo Ferrari
The only real advantages for you move are going to be a much smaller commuter and a significantly lower cost of living. Remember the cost of living is usually directly related to the quality of living.
This area is not called the "Dirty South" for nothing. I currently live in Trussville which is a suburb north or Birmingham and I fly for a living so I get to see a lot of different areas. I have never and I mean never seen another metro area other than Detroit as dirty as Birmingham. There is trash, broken down cars, car parts, dead animals everywhere. People just don't care and it shows. Recycling is just not heard of down here.
As far as the crime goes, well the numbers speak for themselves. Birmingham near the top of most dangerous cities list While south of BHM used to be a nice area in the three years that I have lived here things have changed drastically. Hoover and other surrounding areas are being invaded by illegal aliens and crime IS RISING rapidly. Reported crime in last month http://spotcrime.com/al/birmingham
Government corruptions runs rampant and is just accepted as normal by most. Last year Birmingham's mayor was just sent to prison for 15 years. Counties are bankrupt and getting sued. The city doesn't have enough money to finish small road projects but yet everyone seems to want a new stadium and to pay even more money to attract a bigger bowl game. Was it just last year the county lost in court involving illegal taxation? Don't plan on getting your state tax refund back in a reasonable amount of time.
People down here will tell you that some schools down here are much better than the others and they are right, but that is not saying much. As a whole, Alabama has some of the worst school systems in the country. Most just fail to realize this because they have never been out of Alabama to have anything to compare them to. The numbers don't lie people. As long as the students can properly shout "Roll Tide" they have no problem graduating. Alabama graduation rates still among worst in US (http://www.wtvy.com/schools/headlines/42213272.html - broken link).
Property taxes are low but you get what you pay for. Definitely not any improvement projects being COMPLETED.
As far as attractions I don't know what you are interested in but BHM really doesn't have that much to offer. The night life is just ok. There are some nice state parks in the surrounding area but they too are getting very dirty with trash and litter.
I'm not trying to scare you away. I'm just giving you an opinion that is not sugar coated or spoken with true ignorance. The problem is most people in Alabama never leave Alabama to get a true perspective on how things really are. I have been to an area that is so proud of their ignorance and stupidity.
With all that being said I have met "some" really nice people down here and for the most part southern hospitality is just a myth.
The only real advantages for you move are going to be a much smaller commuter and a significantly lower cost of living. Remember the cost of living is usually directly related to the quality of living.
This area is not called the "Dirty South" for nothing. I currently live in Trussville which is a suburb north or Birmingham and I fly for a living so I get to see a lot of different areas. I have never and I mean never seen another metro area other than Detroit as dirty as Birmingham. There is trash, broken down cars, car parts, dead animals everywhere. People just don't care and it shows. Recycling is just not heard of down here.
Government corruptions runs rampant and is just accepted as normal by most. Last year Birmingham's mayor was just sent to prison for 15 years. Counties are bankrupt and getting sued. The city doesn't have enough money to finish small road projects but yet everyone seems to want a new stadium and to pay even more money to attract a bigger bowl game. Was it just last year the county lost in court involving illegal taxation? Don't plan on getting your state tax refund back in a reasonable amount of time.
People down here will tell you that some schools down here are much better than the others and they are right, but that is not saying much. As a whole, Alabama has some of the worst school systems in the country. Most just fail to realize this because they have never been out of Alabama to have anything to compare them to. The numbers don't lie people. As long as the students can properly shout "Roll Tide" they have no problem graduating. Alabama graduation rates still among worst in US (http://www.wtvy.com/schools/headlines/42213272.html - broken link).
Property taxes are low but you get what you pay for. Definitely not any improvement projects being COMPLETED.
As far as attractions I don't know what you are interested in but BHM really doesn't have that much to offer. The night life is just ok. There are some nice state parks in the surrounding area but they too are getting very dirty with trash and litter.
I'm not trying to scare you away. I'm just giving you an opinion that is not sugar coated or spoken with true ignorance. The problem is most people in Alabama never leave Alabama to get a true perspective on how things really are. I have been to an area that is so proud of their ignorance and stupidity.
With all that being said I have met "some" really nice people down here and for the most part southern hospitality is just a myth.
Well, since I have lived in a lot of places and continue to travel a great deal, I think a great deal of what you've written is either simply not true or a gross exaggeration. Seriously.
Government Corruption - Birmingham bankruptcy would be nation's biggest muni default (http://www.dealwatchblog.com/post/2008/08/Birmingham-bankruptcy-would-be-nations-biggest-muni-default.aspx - broken link)
Once again, not trying to bash Birmingham. I'm just stating the facts as they are. There are worse metro areas to live but but there are plenty of other good ones.
Come down here for a week or so and check it out for yourself.
Where are you traveling to? Mississippi is about the only state the consistently outscores AL in the categories listed above.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
