Safe neighborhoods in Birmingham, AL? (Vanity)

Vanity ^ | Jun 4, 2007 | Wesley Windam-Price

[wesley_windam-price]

Hi there: there's a job prospect in Birmingham, Alabama. The job is supposed to be in downtown. I have never been in that part of the country before. Does one need to move far out into the suburb to be in a safe neighborhood? If so, what kind of commute am I talking about?

Also, the pay is 50-60k/a. Is that a good salary?

Thanks for any comments.

[donmeaker]

All neighborhoods are safe, if you have a CCP.

[LdSentinal]

Also, the pay is 50-60k/a. Is that a good salary?

Depends on what you were paid before. That's a decent salary to live on in Alabama.

[WVNan]

Depending on which direction you move out, you probably can find a decent neighborhood within 5 miles. There are some parts of the city (as in all cities) where you don’t want to go. The salary is not that bad for that state. The cost of living is fairly good. It would be even less expensive if you move further out into a small town within 20 miles. Pretty good interstate access around the city.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

B'ham has some bad areas -- why don't you go on the Alabama locale forum == I think there are some B'ham residents on there and they could answer your questions. There are some areas to avoid -- but I think you are talking about a bit of a drive.

Right off the bat I'd avoid the Bessemer and Huffman areas, parts of Shelby County are good.

[donmeaker]

Crime Type 2004
Total
Per 100,000 People
National per 100,000 People

Overall Birmingham Crime Index
22,372 Total
9537.4 Birminghan per 100K
4627.9 National per 100K

Birmingham Violent Crimes
3449
1470.3
554.4

Birmingham Murders
104
44.3
6.9

Birmingham Rapes
241
102.7
34.6

Birmingham Robberies
1429
609.2
195.4

Birmingham Aggravated Assaults
1675
714.1
340.1

You may have a 20 mile commute, on the outside.

I suggest Zillow.com for real estate prices.

[bamabound]

North is where the growth is heading. Shelby county is full and pain to get into B’ham. My wife drives from Alabaster and it takes an hour. Out 280 is worse. There are lots of small towns north of Trussville that you may look at. 50 to 60 k is what teachers make after about 10 years, so....

2,000 square ft homes, 15 to 20 years old go for 1/4 million in Hoover. The further out you go, the cheaper. Moved here in 77 from Delaware and LOVE it.

[rph]

Almost every area is safe with the exception of downtown. However, most people still work downtown, but live in the suburbs. The safest areas are mostly to the South. Try Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Trussville, Chelsea, Pelham, Helena. They are also listed in decending order according to cost of housing, Mountain Brook being the most. Our cost of living, and taxes are low for the state, although Jefferson County taxes are high (try shelby co for lower taxes). For your salary try Chelsea (30 minute drive) or Hoover. Most people love it here.

[Rodney King]

I don’t live there, but had a client there that I travelled to periodically. Birmingam is a a beuatiful place, and there are plent of safe places to live.

[JerseyHighlander]

I have no connection to AL, but have used this website when moving between cities:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/
It has a Alabama sub forum.

for house prices:
http://www.zillow.com
http://www.realestateabc.com
http://www.eppraisal.com/Index.aspx
http://houseamerica.com/

if you plan to rent before you buy:
http://www.hotpads.com (zoom out and use the heat index, and avg rent overlays, very useful)

[TatieBug]

I would give anything to be moving back to my home town, Birmingham. I lived South of the city, Mountain Brook, but any place South would be a wonderful place to live. Have friends everywhere there and they all still love their lifestyle and certainly the cost of living. Compared to CA, nothing is very far!

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

My brother bought a house 20 years ago or so in the Roebuck area. It was pretty safe back then. Now they hear gunshots at night and are planning to move. So that's another area to avoid. I've heard that the Trussville area is safer.

Ditto the comment about hwy 280 - traffic ...

[bamabound]

Springville is a nice quiet town and would be the place I might consider movin to. But it is starting to grow like Shelby county. There is also the road to Tuscaloosa, around Green Pond and Centerville (Bibb County and Tannehill). Kinda country/redneck but land is cheaper and the growth will be there soon. There is a great shooting range in Bibb County.
http://www.tannehillsportingclays.com/

[Ros42]

You could try asking around on these forums..

http://www.al.com/forums/

[OldPossum]

Pretty good interstate access around the city.

Actually there's good Interstate access right through the city. A couple major Interstates, if memory serves, go right through the downtown area connecting the traveler to Atlanta, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Gadsden.