| Weather | | How much crime? | | What are the neighborhoods like? | | What are the people like? |
| The winters are relatively mild. There are some days in which the temperature dips to around freezing, but that is very unusual. There can be one or two days when it snows, but that it also a very unusual occurrence. The summers can be hot and very humid. At the heart of the summer, the temperature can get close to 100 and the relative closeness of the Gulf of Mexico can bring a great deal of humidity. The area is also prone to tornadoes, with several hitting somewhere in the area each summer. | | Some areas of Birmingham are very prone to street crime and drug-related violence. The general crime rate is much higher than in some of the surrounding suburbs, which increases the flight away from Birmingham and into the nearby communities. Crime rates have also been impacted by the massive city budget cuts, which have impacted the number of police that are deployed on the streets each day. | | The West End has a bad reputation, primarily due to a large housing project that seems to be the site of a lot of black-on-black crime. North Birmingham between the downtown area and Fairfield is also pretty tough, with block after block of boarded up or rundown small houses. Generally the best parts of town tend to be located on the city's south side, between the downtown area and Hoover. Many of the houses are newer McMansions or large original Victorians that have renovated and upgraded. | | Birmingham is really a tale of two cities. The north and west areas of town are nearly 100 percent black and have lost a great deal of population in recent years as the crime problem has continued to escalate. I'm not sure that anyone wants to live in those areas if they have a choice. But the southern part of town is a different story. More upscale, the population is multi-racial and much hipper. That area would be a good fit for young professionals or middle-income young families as well as more established businesspeople. |
| Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Schools | | Single life |
| The downtown area has a modest number of shopping options. There are some trendy stores and upscale businesses. But the downtown mostly shuts down at night, with the potential shoppers heading over the hill to Hoover. | | John's City Diner is an upscale American cuisine restaurant that has received a number of awards. The Trattoria Centrale is a well-known family-style Italian restaurant that is one of the city landmarks. | | The Birmingham school systems are generally below-par, with shrinking budgets and more students at risk each year. | | The downtown area does provide a number of options for singles, with a number of hip bars, clubs and watering holes. |
| town comparison vs. | | General comments | | | | |
| Nearby Hoover is nearly the exact opposite of Birmingham. It has great schools, a rising tax base and the residents feel optimistic about their future. The town is increasingly becoming more multi-racial, with an influx of Hispanic families. But it still retains the feel of an upscale suburb. Mountain View is a richer version of Hoover, with a large number of very wealthy families and a feel that can often be described as "high society." Hoover and Mountain View are the places where families want to move when they can get out of Birmingham. | | Birmingham is a town in trouble. It has suffered through a string of financial problems, from a bankrupt utility board to a revenue stream that is shrinking rapidly. Much of the town seems tired and almost desperate as people try and figure out how to turn the town's fortunes around. People in the surrounding areas often work in Birmingham. But they quickly leave town as soon as the work day is over and that hasn't helped the feel of the town. | | | | |
