Cheap housing and short commutes to a buzzy little city. There are baseball games, breweries, art, old theaters, and a foodie scene worthy of national attention.

Birmingham is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, which lends itself to some pretty incredible scenery, and there’s lots of good, live music being played in the plentiful venues, juke joints, and festivals.

Local, county, and state governments are messy. While Birmingham is a liberal bastion and has reinvented itself after a painful and ugly past, politics and corruption can still be problematic, and transplants are not as common as in some other southern cities, so the welcome may not be quite as warm. But the summers certainly are hot and humid. If you get even just a little bit outside the city, life is going to slow to a Pabst-swilling crawl.




The Buzz

LookyLOO Review of Birmingham

B’ham is a city of distinctive neighborhoods—the bustling Southside with its towering buildings and the UAB campus; industrial downtown, now being renovated into lofts and cool restaurants; hipster-centric Avondale with its artisanal breweries and coffee shops all accessible by foot. 

With about a million people in the metro area and just over 200,000 in the city itself, Birmingham’s big enough to have an international airport, The Birmingham Museum of Art, and its own version of the High Line, [**Railroad Park**](https://railroadpark.org/), and a bustling food hall, [**The Pitzitz**](https://www.thepizitz.com/food-hall).  It’s small enough to be much more affordable than Atlanta or New Orleans. A five to fifteen-minute commute is about all you need to live, work, and play in Birmingham. 

Homewood is the best of liberal Birmingham but more expensive, and the housing market there is very competitive for renters and/or buyers. A similar vibe can be had in Crestwood, Forest Park, and/or parts of Avondale.

If you want to check out all the shenanigans locals get up to, here is the [**calendar of festivals and events**](https://www.birminghamal.org/festivals-and-events/).

We highly recommend visiting Birmingham and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our [partnership with Expedia](expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well.


Lifestyle

Birmingham threads a tight needle: It’s small, but diverse. Charming, but sophisticated. The city hasn’t grown so fast that there’s outward sprawl. Entrepreneurs and residents can still grab historic downtown factory space and other creative space affordably.

Threading The Needle

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**heythisispaul**
3y ago
🦉🦉🦉

my wife and I moved here from a large city from elsewhere in the country earlier this year. We're early 30's also non-religious, and don't have any children. Thought I'd share my experience (good, bad, and general) with moving here as it relates to some of what you've brought up and just living here in general:

It's by no means how it's portrayed in popular media, but it's definitely the most religious place I've lived. Everywhere else I've lived I just assumed that anyone I met that was my age was not religious, that strategy has failed me pretty consistently here. That being said, I'd say religious people in the millennial-and-younger age bracket are still the minority and we've met plenty of like-minded people as ourselves. I wouldn't say it's different enough from the rest of the country to be a major decision-making factor. Take this with a grain of salt, this is all anecdotal.

Despite AL's political position at large, Birmingham is pretty blue. Like most metropolitan areas in the country, you'll find a pretty diverse mixture of political beliefs but urban areas tend to trend more liberal and Birmingham is no different. You'll find this less true the further you go from the city.

Everything is closed on Sundays and Mondays? Pretty much other than breweries and all the normal national chains, it's difficult to find a fun place to go hang out on a Sunday or Monday.

The city is big enough so that you can find pretty much anything you're looking for here, but not so big that it feels incredibly spaced out and disparate.

Each day Birminghamsters and the roads they drive continue to impress me with how terrible they can be. This city by far has the worst drivers and roads I've ever experienced. I have primarily lived on the west-coast where roads and highways feel bigger and newer, so maybe I've just been spoiled.

The weather is pretty nice, you get all four seasons which can be a pro or a con depending on your perspective. Coming from the west, I was not prepared for how much it rains. I don't know why this isn't talked about more, but it rains a lot here. People complain about the heat but I don't think it's that bad, but I was not mentally or physically prepared to deal with so much rain.

For more reviews of what living in Birmingham is like from locals, check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/birmingham/reviews).





Reviews of Birmingham from Locals

**The Best Thing About Birmingham?** 

Cheap housing and short commutes to a buzzy little city. There are baseball games, breweries, art, old theaters and a foodie scene worthy of national attention. 

Birmingham is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, which lends itself to some pretty incredible scenery and there’s lots of good, live music being played in the plentiful venues, juke joints and festivals. 


**The Worst Thing About Birmingham?** 

Local, county and state government is a mess. While Birmingham is a liberal bastion and has reinvented itself after a painful and ugly past, politics and corruption can still be problematic and transplants are not as common as some other southern cities so the welcome may not be quite as warm. But the summers certainly are hot and humid. If you get even just a little bit outside the city, life is going to slow to a Pabst-swilling crawl.


**How You Living?** 

B’ham is a city of distinctive neighborhoods—the bustling Southside with its towering buildings and the UAB campus; industrial downtown, now being renovated into lofts and cool restaurants; hipster-centric Avondale with its artisanal breweries and coffee shops all accessible by foot. 

With about a million people in the metro area and just over 200,000 in the city itself, Birmingham’s big enough to have an international airport, The Birmingham Museum of art and its own version of the High Line (Railroad Park) and a bustling food hall (Pitzitz.)  It’s small enough to be much more affordable than Atlanta or New Orleans. A five to fifteen minute commute is about all you need to live, work and play in Birmingham. 

Homewood is the best of liberal Birmingham but more expensive and the housing market there is very competitive for renters and/or buyers. A similar vibe can be had in Crestwood, Forest Park and/or parts of Avondale.

The Atomic Lounge is James Beard noteworthy for its crafty/wacky cocktails, like the Sex Panther, an old-fashioned riff made with bourbon, rum and Cynar and garnished with a temporary panther tattoo, all while wearing one of the full-body animal costumes the bar keeps available upon request.


**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

Birmingham threads a tight needle: It’s small, but diverse. Charming, but sophisticated. The city hasn’t grown so fast that there’s outward sprawl. Entrepreneurs and residents can still grab historic downtown factory space and other creative space affordably.


Snuggled inside of the Jones Valley, Birmingham is its own urban oasis in northern Alabama. Although there are just over 200,000 people within the city limits, the greater Birmingham area is home to roughly a million total people living in a wide variety of neighborhoods and suburbs that stretch up into the mountains around Magic City. Birmingham is at the crossroads of a number of state and interstate highways that lead locals directly to cities like Nashville (north), Atlanta (east), Montgomery (south) and Chattanooga (northeast) in a straight shot.


The Area

Several colleges, such as the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Birmingham-Southern College call Magic City their home. The Southside is one of the best neighborhoods for college aged folks not only due to its proximity to UAB, but on account of its vibes as well. It’s both affordable while still being upscale and modern. A hot restaurant and bar scene also pervades throughout the neighborhood.  
- Southside 
- College Hills 
- Five Points South

College Students

Southside

Despite what others might say about the south, young professionals can find an urban environment to call home in the heart of Birmingham. Highland Park is a great place to start looking for young professionals. It’s close to downtown for those looking to work in the city, and its proximity to the Entertainment District, Five Points South, and UAB gives the location a leg up for those looking to be close to work and the social scene. The aforementioned Five Points South neighborhood itself is also a solid option for young professionals. The nightlife home of Birmingham, Five Points offers its residents the opportunity to be right in the heart of the action for a reasonable price.
- Highland Park
- Five Points South
- Lakeview


Young Professionals

Highland Park 

An aptly named neighborhood due to its proximity to the action, Central City is one of the best neighborhoods for those without kids, and likely offers the most urban feel in the Birmingham area. Replete with bars, restaurants, parks and coffee shops, there’s always something to do for those without kids. Renters and buyers alike will be happy to hear that prices are more palatable here then comparable downtown neighborhoods in similar cities.
- Five Points South
- Highland Park
- Fountain Heights


DINKs/SINKs

Five Points South

Despite being a southern metropolitan dominated by suburbia, Birmingham is known for being a relatively liberal and inclusive area. Homewood is likely the best of liberal Birmingham but more expensive while offering a dense suburban feel. More generally, Birmingham is home to one of the largest Pride celebrations in the south, Central Alabama Pride, and Birmingham’s local chapter of the national PFLAG organization is known for providing support, education, advocacy, networking opportunities, and resources to LGBTQ communities.
- Homewood
- Crestwood
- Central City


LGBTQ+

Homewood

The expansive suburbia around Birmingham is the knee-jerk for most families to move. Given the layout of the city, some of these suburbs are closer to downtown than other neighborhoods in the city itself. One suburb that is particularly popular is Mountain Brook. A ten minute drive from downtown Birmingham, Mountain Brook has a great school system and the lowest crime rates in the metropolitan area. It also has a pretty good variety of excellent restaurants and lots of shopping options. 
- Mountain Brook
- Vestavia Hills
- Homewood


Families

Mountain Brook

Birmingham

**kingpandabear1994**
8mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

I’ll put it like this: if it wasn’t for Birmingham I would have a lot more resentment towards Alabama as a whole. I love Birmingham, born and raised and proud to be from here, but man the shenanigans that go on in this state sometimes outweighs the love and appreciation I have for this city.

**ShiftX_--**
8mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

Same but it took me some time to get here. Born and raised here, but I moved to Decatur, GA for a few years then to FL. When I came home to visit I really appreciated where home sat. Birmingham has a beautiful skyline sitting in the valley, and enough going on that it is something to do if you want, but not pressure. There is diversity in the city but sometimes we kinda stay in our own communities.

**heythisispaul**
3y ago
🦉🦉🦉

my wife and I moved here from a large city from elsewhere in the country earlier this year. We're early 30's also non-religious, don't have any children. Thought I'd share my experience (good, bad, and general) with moving here as it relates to some of what you've brought up and just living here in general:

It's by no means how it's portrayed in popular media, but it's definitely the most religious place I've lived. Everywhere else I've lived I just assumed that anyone I met that was my age was not religious, that strategy has failed me pretty consistently here. That being said, I'd say religious people in the millennial-and-younger age bracket are still the minority and we've met plenty of like-minded people as ourselves. I wouldn't say it's different enough from the rest of the country to be a major decision-making factor. Take this with a grain of salt, this is all anecdotal.

Despite AL's political position at large, Birmingham is pretty blue. Like most metropolitan areas in the country, you'll find a pretty diverse mixture of political beliefs but urban areas tend to trend more liberal and Birmingham is no different. You'll find this less true the further you go from the city.

Everything is closed on Sundays and Mondays? Pretty much other than breweries and all the normal national chains, it's difficult to find a fun place to go hang out on a Sunday or Monday.

The city is big enough so that you can find pretty much anything you're looking for here, but not so big that it feels incredibly spaced out and disparate.

Each day Birminghamsters and the roads they drive continue to impress me with how terrible they can be. This city by far has the worst drivers and roads I've ever experienced. I have primarily lived on the west-coast where roads and highways feel bigger and newer, so maybe I've just been spoiled.

The weather is pretty nice, you get all four seasons which can be a pro or a con depending on your perspective. Coming from the west, I was not prepared for how much it rains. I don't know why this isn't talked about more, but it rains a lot here. People complain about the heat but I don't think it's that bad, but I was not mentally or physically prepared to deal with so much rain.

**BushLeagueQuant**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Pros - Cost of living is comically low, there is just enough variety downtown to not get bored, food and bar/brewery scene is decent, fairly short commute times, mild weather most of the year (if that is your thing), half a day drive from ATL, Nash, Chattanooga, and the beach.

Cons - Have to travel to ATL or Nashville for most major events (but this has gotten better in the past few years), smaller airport, IMO mild weather is a con (I want 4 seasons), and the roads are absolute shit.

Depending on your career Huntsville would probably be better for engineering etc with multiple government contract and aerospace companies. Birmingham would arguably be better for business or medical fields.

**WHY I LOVE BIRMINGHAM, AL - Raquel Lily Vlog #6**

A lot of people always ask me "Why Alabama???"

Then comes all the stereotypes, negative comments, and general misunderstanding about the place that I call home.  Well, for all you who are wondering what the deal is, here is a video on why I love my city.  

Birmingham, Alabama

Magic City

Looklyloo Score: 84