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.
Is Southside a good place for seniors to live? I know there are a number of HUD-subsidized senior apartment buildings in the area but I don't know what they are like to live in, or what the neighborhoods are like for older residents.
Is Southside a good place for seniors to live? I know there are a number of HUD-subsidized senior apartment buildings in the area but I don't know what they are like to live in, or what the neighborhoods are like for older residents.
Depends on the neighborhood. I can say that there are lots of areas on Southside that are very walkable and provide access to amenities. As far as the HUD-subsidized buildings, I couldn't tell.
Is Southside a good place for seniors to live? I know there are a number of HUD-subsidized senior apartment buildings in the area but I don't know what they are like to live in, or what the neighborhoods are like for older residents.
There really aren't that many seniors in Southside, though I imagine those who are there enjoy it there. It just depends what you are looking for in your golden years. Clearly Southside is a good place to be if you want to be very close to a lot of doctors and hospitals which is probably nice for seniors.
This is just anecdotal, but I think there are a lot of seniors / empty nesters that are starting to retire to the downtown area. I have spoken with a few real estate agents who mention their main client base is people looking to retire to downtown to have less of a house burden. That is one of the big demand pieces for all of the lofts / condos popping up. I think it can be a great place for them to live. Not only are condos / apartments less of a time sink, they would also be a short distance from the medical facilities and also walking distance to restaurants / grocery stores.
This is just anecdotal, but I think there are a lot of seniors / empty nesters that are starting to retire to the downtown area. I have spoken with a few real estate agents who mention their main client base is people looking to retire to downtown to have less of a house burden. That is one of the big demand pieces for all of the lofts / condos popping up. I think it can be a great place for them to live. Not only are condos / apartments less of a time sink, they would also be a short distance from the medical facilities and also walking distance to restaurants / grocery stores.
I'm all about the city life, but can't for the life of me think of anyone in the empty-nester generation who would put an emphasis on being able to "walk to the grocery store".
If we were to take the Birmingham metro area, and survey how people usually get to the grocery store, I am guessing more than 99% use a car or public transportation (the vast majority being a car).
Even if you were to narrow that down to downtown/southside and the neighborhing/partially gentrified neighborhoods, it is probably well over 90% car.
But I am sure someone who touts the rebirth of downtown Birmingham will tell us all they dozens of senior citizens who make and enjoy multiple walking trips to the Piggly Wiggly on Clairmont or the Publix on 20th St weekly
I'm all about the city life, but can't for the life of me think of anyone in the empty-nester generation who would put an emphasis on being able to "walk to the grocery store".
If we were to take the Birmingham metro area, and survey how people usually get to the grocery store, I am guessing more than 99% use a car or public transportation (the vast majority being a car).
Even if you were to narrow that down to downtown/southside and the neighborhing/partially gentrified neighborhoods, it is probably well over 90% car.
But I am sure someone who touts the rebirth of downtown Birmingham will tell us all they dozens of senior citizens who make and enjoy multiple walking trips to the Piggly Wiggly on Clairmont or the Publix on 20th St weekly
I'm not saying they put an emphasis on it, I'm just saying this is what I have seen. It very well still may be 90% car, but I have seen a lot more people (yes even the empty-nest generation) than you're giving credit for walking from Publix to John Hand, Pizitz, City Federal, or wherever else.
I'm not saying they put an emphasis on it, I'm just saying this is what I have seen. It very well still may be 90% car, but I have seen a lot more people (yes even the empty-nest generation) than you're giving credit for walking from Publix to John Hand, Pizitz, City Federal, or wherever else.
I guess I'm just not seeing the same foot traffic as you are.
I'm all about the city life, but can't for the life of me think of anyone in the empty-nester generation who would put an emphasis on being able to "walk to the grocery store".
If we were to take the Birmingham metro area, and survey how people usually get to the grocery store, I am guessing more than 99% use a car or public transportation (the vast majority being a car).
Even if you were to narrow that down to downtown/southside and the neighborhing/partially gentrified neighborhoods, it is probably well over 90% car.
But I am sure someone who touts the rebirth of downtown Birmingham will tell us all they dozens of senior citizens who make and enjoy multiple walking trips to the Piggly Wiggly on Clairmont or the Publix on 20th St weekly
Well, I'm one of them. I, so to speak, walk the walk. And your post is all kinds of ridiculous.
First off, there is an enormous gulf between 'empty nester' and 'senior citizen.' We are empty nesters, but certainly not senior citizens. I'm not complaining about my sciatica, my social security check, or how woefully easy this up-and-coming generation has it.
An empty nester is someone without children living at home. My wife and I are empty nesters and we moved to Southside as fast as we could. As a result, my wife can now get to her downtown office in about five minutes versus twenty minutes. We can walk to restaurants, our church, and a great deal more. The ballfield, concerts, and a good deal more are a quick car ride or Uber away. As a result, our life is a helluva lot more fun than when we lived in Mountain Brook, that's for sure, when getting to anything was a 20-minute slog.
We know several couples in our circle of acquaintances who have also made the move or will soon make the move from Mountain Brook, Greystone and other parts of town. Too early to measure statistically, but it's considerable. In our own condominium, we've met an even dozen couples who are recent empty nesters. Just in the past month on my nightly walks on Highland Avenue, I've encountered another half-dozen or so people I went to high school or college with who made similar moves.
Here's the thing. The exurbs are great for raising children. They kind of suck if you want to have any life beyond the 45-minute commute or the home-church-shopping center circuit. If I thought the rest of my life was going to be spent on the golf course, watching ESPN, or cultivating my yard to its lush potential, I'd just buy a gun and shoot myself to avoid a few decades of tedium. Meanwhile, if you like good restaurants, want to experience a cultural life beyond watching TV, or any other cultural amenities, then Southside/Downtown are just better places to live by a wide margin.
In short, I think you need to get out more. Now excuse me while I tell some young whippersnapper to turn down his stereo.
Last edited by MinivanDriver; 05-06-2019 at 02:07 PM..
First off, there is an enormous gulf between 'empty nester' and 'senior citizen.' We are empty nesters, but certainly not senior citizens. I'm not complaining about my sciatica, my social security check, or how woefully easy this up-and-coming generation has it.
Fair enough. I was just lumping in seniors with "older people who are moving downtown once they no longer need good public schools". Maybe not entirely fair, but let's not act like they aren't often the same.
Quote:
We know several couples in our circle of acquaintances who have also made the move or will soon make the move from Mountain Brook, Greystone and other parts of town. Too early to measure statistically, but it's considerable. In our own condominium, we've met an even dozen couples who are recent empty nesters. Just in the past month on my nightly walks on Highland Avenue, I've encountered another half-dozen or so people I went to high school or college with who made similar moves.
Here's the thing. The exurbs are great for raising children. They kind of suck if you want to have any life beyond the 45-minute commute or the home-church-shopping center circuit. If I thought the rest of my life was going to be spent on the golf course, watching ESPN, or cultivating my yard to its lush potential, I'd just buy a gun and shoot myself to avoid a few decades of tedium. Meanwhile, if you like good restaurants, want to experience a cultural life beyond watching TV, or any other cultural amenities, then Southside/Downtown are just better places to live by a wide margin.
Here's the thing. The city is great for drinking craft beer and dancing at a nightclub until 4am. They kind of suck if you want to get away from binge drinking 20 somethings. If I thought the rest of my life was going to be spent telling my upstairs neighbor to stop practicing their tap dancing, or not having a garage to fiddle with my car, I'd just buy a gun and shoot myself to avoid a few decades of tedium.
Meanwhile, if you like good parks or value privacy, the suburbs are just better places than Southside to live by a wide margin.
See what I did there?
Also, just as an aside about restaurants:
Sure, Highlands, Hot & Hot, among many others are very well known and respected, but can we please stop acting like if you live in Vestavia the only place you can eat at is Applebee's or Mcdonald's unless you drive downtown?
I can get great Chicago deep dish pizza at Tortuga's (Hoover), delicious fresh fish and seafood at Chuck's Fish (Greystone), or a damn good steak at Perry's (459/280). My favorite Americanized Chinese places? Red Pearl (Homewood) or Mr Chen's (Hoover). If I'm feeling like a gyro or some other type of Mediterranean food, Purple Onion and Costa's (both in Hoover) have me covered. I really like both Bayleaf (Greystone) and Silver Coin (Hoover) for Indian food. Jake's (Hoover) is my favorite place for soul food, and I love Fried Green Tomatoes (Hoover), Pelham Diner (Pelham) and Niki's West (Finley Blvd) for meat-and-three options. Gianmarco's (Homewood) is imo, the best Italian restaurant in the metro today, and there are a multitude of excellent BBQ options in the 'burbs. My favorite Mexican places that I've tried are Sol Azteca (Vestavia) and Don Pepe (280/Greystone), though I do also like Little Donkey (Homewood, Greystone) and Taco Mama (several suburban locations). There are various casualish dining places like Front Porch (Ross Bridge) or The Boot (Hoover) or Cajun Steamer (Hoover, Trussville) that routinely give me a great meal and get me out the door for under 20 dollars. I can get a delicious brunch at Another Broken Egg (Mountain Brook) or Big Bad Breakfast (Greystone). I'm not a fan of First Watch (Vestavia, Hoover) but plenty of people are. And of course most all of the upscalish chains that exist in the metro area will be found in places like The Summit, Brookwood, or the Galleria Perimeter. My favorite butcher shop (and place to get sandwiches probably) is Mr. P's (Bluff Park). Tip Top Grill (also Bluff Park) is also a nice spot to sit and have a hot dog or hamburger with a view. And yes, there are good fine dining options like Satterfield's (Cahaba Heights) and Daniel George (Mountain Brook) in the burbs too. Most of these places reached by car from a random house in the middle of Hoover in about the same time (or faster) than you can walk from Regions Park to Southside.
The reality is that the *VAST* majority of seniors (which is who the OP asked about, for what it is worth) aren't going to be eating at places like Highlands or Hot and Hot (or Satterfield's/Daniel George/Perry's/Gianmarcos/etc etc) more than a few times a year. And not many care about living close to the downtown office towers because so many are retired.
So back to the OP: You may like living downtown as a senior. Now here's a fact: The median age in the Southside zip code is about 10 years younger than the state average so clearly the neighborhood skews young. That doesn't mean you won't enjoy it, but don't allow posters convince you that downtown Birmingham looks the The Villages, Florida, or that it will anytime soon. Because the reality is that most seniors are choosing not to live in Southside or similar neighborhoods and their reasons for doing so are just as valid as Minivan's for choosing to live there. A lot of seniors probably care more about being close to a well-regarded senior center where they can interact with their peers and participate in activities geared towards an older crowd like at the Hoover or Homewood Senior Centers moreso than they care about being walking distance to these great cultural landmarks of Birmingham (the civil rights district? craft breweries? minor league baseball?) I'm still not exactly sure where all this culture in Birmingham is that is absent from the suburbs that most seniors would give a rip about.
From my experience, most seniors would put a great emphasis on being close to their children (or, more importantly, their grandchildren). I can't think of any that care about their proximity to the cultural centers (Boutwell, Alys Stephens Center, Museum of Art...?) because they don't care to visit them more than once or twice a year, if that.
Last edited by steveklein; 05-06-2019 at 03:53 PM..
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.
