Birmingham vs. Huntsville (Hoover, Madison, Homewood: violent crime, neighborhoods, contractors)

[jdawson1237]

I've never been to Greenville but all I hear about it is awesome. Even my Bham friends say they would choose it over Bham because of its character and fun things to do while also being somewhat cleaner than Bham. I think I'll post a poll on city v city. Bham has more people so I would expect more homers to vote to skew the data but we'll see.

[BamaDave]

I think it really depends on your lifestyle. If I wanted to live a suburban lifestyle and rarely do city stuff, I might choose Huntsville. The mountains are a little higher, and the river is beautiful. It's closer to the bigger mountains and very close to Nashville. If I was moving to Alabama from outside the Southeast, then I would consider Huntsville as well, since it has a more diverse population of people from all over. Birmingham is very Southern for the most part.

If I wanted more of the city experience, then I would choose Birmingham. The downtown area continues to improve, and there are plenty of great restaurants. And the outdoor scenery and opportunities are great as well.

[MadisonMike]

I lived in Birmingham for 20 years, graduated from Homewood. Both my parents graduated from Hoover (Berry). I know the area well. Moved to Huntsville over a decade ago; cannot believe how much it has grown...but the same goes for Birmingham whenever I return. Having said that, my honest opinion is Huntsville...but please remember I lived in the burbs of Bham, not City of Bham.


For the amount of house I can get up here for the money, no snarling traffic (anywhere) like 280, and great access to hospitals/schools, the value can't be beat. My four different parts of town have all felt safe, and I am not house poor. My school system (Madison City) is very comparable to Homewood and Mountain Brook (See Niche rankings), and my <$300K house would have cost me WELL over half a million in both Homewood and Mountain Brook.


Having said that, Birmingham has better attractions. Light years ahead of Huntsville as far as a downtown scene - but having kids, I could care less about craft beer bars and trendy cafes. Huntsville/Madison will catch up soon.

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by MadisonMike

For the amount of house I can get up here for the money, no snarling traffic (anywhere) like 280, and great access to hospitals/schools, the value can't be beat. My four different parts of town have all felt safe, and I am not house poor. My school system (Madison City) is very comparable to Homewood and Mountain Brook (See Niche rankings), and my <$300K house would have cost me WELL over half a million in both Homewood and Mountain Brook.

I'd say Madison is better compared to Hoover (or maybe Vestavia Hills). Homewood and especially Mountain Brook are pretty unique entities, the likes of which are hard to find around the state. Both are older, inner ring suburbs and feel like it. Prices are definitely going to be higher in these types of cities, especially as they are fairly landlocked.

Madison is a pretty far-flung, newer suburb much like Hoover. Both are by far the second-largest cities in their metro areas and both can keep expanding. I imagine living in Madison "feels" a lot more similar to living in Hoover as well.

[MadisonMike]

Yes, City of Madison best compares to Hoover IMO - just on a smaller scale. Even Vestavia is a little comparable, given Liberty Park.

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

I'd say Madison is better compared to Hoover (or maybe Vestavia Hills). Homewood and especially Mountain Brook are pretty unique entities, the likes of which are hard to find around the state. Both are older, inner ring suburbs and feel like it. Prices are definitely going to be higher in these types of cities, especially as they are fairly landlocked.

Madison is a pretty far-flung, newer suburb much like Hoover. Both are by far the second-largest cities in their metro areas and both can keep expanding. I imagine living in Madison "feels" a lot more similar to living in Hoover as well.

[steveklein]

Funny how the presence of NASA makes a place feel less southern when I believe NASA's 3 biggest employment centers are in Florida, Texas, and Alabama.

[PortCity]

Originally Posted by steveklein

Funny how the presence of NASA makes a place feel less southern when I believe NASA's 3 biggest employment centers are in Florida, Texas, and Alabama.

Right.

[Shakeesha]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Overall, Huntsville has a higher proportion of highly educated engineers and B'ham a larger arts community. Huntsville has a lot more flat land and less air pollution. B'ham has some great views.

??

[harry chickpea]

Shakeesha, Huntsville is largely Tennessee River valley, with a few intrusions, like Monte Sano and Green Mountain. Birmingham is the tail of the Appalachians without any major river that has worked over eons to level things. As you drive in from Nashville, note the serious cuts that had to be made to bring in the interstate as you stare Red Mountain in the face. In the Huntsville area, 565 and Memorial are basically flat, requiring fill to have the crossovers.

[CP79]

I grew up and spent 30+ years in Huntsville, and have been in Birmingham for a year now.

Birmingham is (obviously) bigger and FEELS way bigger...not to put Huntsville down....the main difference is Birmingham is bigger, with all the trappings that come along with that...more people, more (way more) traffic, more restaurants, more stuff to do, just more of everything