Moving Here? Need Advice? Help Us Help You. (Birmingham, Hoover: zoning, shopping centers)

[Jack Apple]

Oldie here, thinking about moving to Birmingham, looking online at apartments on Southside and in Vestavia/Hoover area.
I used to know Hoover but that was nearly 10 years ago. Is it still safe?

I have never really known Southside. Is it safe? Peaceful? Quiet? Or loud bars and parties?

Would you recommend the Hwy 31 corridor near 459/Lorna Road to your grandparent?
What about Southside? Near Forest Park and UAB?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by Jack Apple

Oldie here, thinking about moving to Birmingham, looking online at apartments on Southside and in Vestavia/Hoover area.
I used to know Hoover but that was nearly 10 years ago. Is it still safe?

I have never really known Southside. Is it safe? Peaceful? Quiet? Or loud bars and parties?

Would you recommend the Hwy 31 corridor near 459/Lorna Road to your grandparent?
What about Southside? Near Forest Park and UAB?

Thanks for any suggestions.

A lot depends on what you enjoy the most. With the exception of a couple of apartment complexes in Hoover near the Galleria, it's pretty safe. But if you like restaurants and nightlife, Hoover means you'll be out in the boonies.



Southside from 20th Street eastward is especially enjoyable and safe. Westward from there is safe, the apartments aren't nearly as good.



Truthfully, safety is a neighborhood thing. There are plenty of places in downtown Birmingham and Southside where I feel perfectly safe walking around at night. I've lived a cumulative 25 years on Southside and Avondale, and never have had a problem.



Also, Homewood outside of Valley Avenue and even Mountain Brook has some great rental areas.



Probably the best thing to do is drive around and see what passes the sniff test.

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by Jack Apple

I have never really known Southside. Is it safe? Peaceful? Quiet? Or loud bars and parties?

Would you recommend the Hwy 31 corridor near 459/Lorna Road to your grandparent?
What about Southside? Near Forest Park and UAB?

Southside is a VERY broad area. You sort of narrowed it down to Forest Park and UAB (which I don't consider to be near each other), but even within those areas your experience can vary widely. Do you have any specific buildings / streets you're looking at moving to?

[Jack Apple]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

Southside is a VERY broad area. You sort of narrowed it down to Forest Park and UAB (which I don't consider to be near each other), but even within those areas your experience can vary widely. Do you have any specific buildings / streets you're looking at moving to?

Thank you for your reply. I'm looking at a couple of apartment buildings between Forest Park and UAB, so that's why I named both areas. Both buildings are near Highland.
I don't do nightlife much at all, eating out, etc. -- too broke! I'd just like to feel relatively safe walking to stores, restaurants, church, etc., during the day, and hopefully not get caught in the crossfire of a gun battle in the grocery store. I know there's a Pig on Clairmont and a new Publix on 20th S, both great stores IME.

It's either B'ham or VH/Hoover, or back to Atlanta, and given my experience living in all three places I think I prefer the ones in AL.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by Jack Apple

Thank you for your reply. I'm looking at a couple of apartment buildings between Forest Park and UAB, so that's why I named both areas. Both buildings are near Highland.
I don't do nightlife much at all, eating out, etc. -- too broke! I'd just like to feel relatively safe walking to stores, restaurants, church, etc., during the day, and hopefully not get caught in the crossfire of a gun battle in the grocery store. I know there's a Pig on Clairmont and a new Publix on 20th S, both great stores IME.

It's either B'ham or VH/Hoover, or back to Atlanta, and given my experience living in all three places I think I prefer the ones in AL.

If you don't eat out or care much about the nightlife (and "broke"), I wouldn't pay Southside prices. I'd opt to just embrace car culture and live in a relatively inexpensive suburb (it doesn't have to be Vestavia Hills; Trussville, Pelham, Gardendale, and many others are safe and a lot cheaper)

[AnnSmithJones]

Hello all -

My husband and I are 62 (him) and 54 (me) and planning a move from the Indiana/Ohio area to Birmingham.

He is in the final stages of taking a job near the BMH airport so he'd prefer not to have a super long commute, no more than 20 minutes each way. I'll be searching for a job when we get there so I'll adjust that to wherever we end up.

It's just the two of us (kids are grown) and we'd like to live in a quiet area with a lot of space between the homes. We don't want to be on top of each other, older well maintained homes are fine.

We're not looking for a huge house or one that requires a lot of upkeep, no McMansion neighborhoods or ostentatious wealth. Just a simple, preferably one story home, well maintained, mature trees & landscaping, 3 BR, 2 BA with some outdoor space for our dogs and to do some gardening. we're very interested in the type of gardening that attracts butterflies, honey bees and keeps the natural eco system balanced with room for a very small pond for our goldfish. We originally wanted to live on 5 acres in a single story home but I doubt that's something we'll find in a safe area within 20 minutes of the airport

[TimCity2000]

Not sure what your budget is, but Trussville or Irondale might fit your needs.

There are also some great neighborhoods in the city limits that are a short drive to the BHM Airport (Crestwood and Roebuck Springs come to mind), but houses in these neighborhoods will definitely be closer together so maybe not what you're looking for.

[AnnSmithJones]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

Not sure what your budget is, but Trussville or Irondale might fit your needs.

There are also some great neighborhoods in the city limits that are a short drive to the BHM Airport (Crestwood and Roebuck Springs come to mind), but houses in these neighborhoods will definitely be closer together so maybe not what you're looking for.

Thank you so much for your response, you gave me some good places to start. Our budget is probably $500K, but we'd like to stay below that since my husband is getting closer to retirement & we'd like have low expenses when that happens to allow us to travel & do things we enjoy.

Should I have posted my questions in a different area or worded it differently? I think you may have been the only one to respond, though it looks like an active thread with lots of responses on others questions. Thanks again!

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by AnnSmithJones

Thank you so much for your response, you gave me some good places to start. Our budget is probably $500K, but we'd like to stay below that since my husband is getting closer to retirement & we'd like have low expenses when that happens to allow us to travel & do things we enjoy.

Should I have posted my questions in a different area or worded it differently? I think you may have been the only one to respond, though it looks like an active thread with lots of responses on others questions. Thanks again!

If your budget is $500K, I think the Forest Park section of Birmingham would be great. It's centrally located, near restaurants and parks, and an easy get to reach the airport. It would be an almost effortless location.

[FaiziAhmi]

We actually loved the alabaster area once we drove out past the shopping centers. Looked somewhat similar to home. My husband got the job, but he's supposed to get a call tomorrow to know how they're handling our relocation. We dunno if we'll be in a hotel until we find a place, or if the company is renting a place. I should know more tomorrow. He still has to come back down to take his physical and drug test for the company, but no worries there. But from what my husband told me the president of the company told him to be ready to come back when he calls, so hopefully we find out tomorrow exactly how the move's going to go.