Are you moving to Birmingham, Alabama and wondering what to expect? There’s a lot to know about the Birmingham metro area! In this post, we’ll cover 10 things you need to know about relocating to Birmingham Alabama.
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Birmingham is located in Central Alabama. The Birmingham metropolitan area is a lot bigger than most people think, it has a population over 1.1 million! Birmingham is also known as the Magic City due to it’s huge increase in population after the iron industry began in the city.
To learn more about the counties in Birmingham, Alabama, check out this post.
The Birmingham area has a lot to offer its residents. In the next section we will talk about our top favorite things about living in Birmingham, Alabama!
Our 10 Favorite Things About Living in Birmingham:
As a Birmingham resident, here are the top 10 things you should know about moving to Birmingham:
1. Location and Weather
It’s very easy to get to other large cities and popular destinations from Birmingham. You aren’t far away from the mountains, the beach, or major cities like Nashville, Atlanta, and Huntsville!
Birmingham also has its own airport, so you can travel very easily into and out of the city.
Our weather has an average high of 91 degrees in July and an average low of 33 degrees in January. We only average one inch of snow a year! The average rainfall in Birmingham is 56 inches, but on average the area has 213 sunny days, which is higher than the United States average of 205 sunny days (source).
One thing you will need to be prepared for in Alabama is tornadoes. So when looking for homes, ones with storm shelters are a bonus! We also have a high pollen season in the spring.
2. Recreation
Outdoors: We love our hiking here in the Birmingham area and we’ve got some GREAT views! There are many different parks you can go to, but our top picks are:
Oak Mountain State Park – for camping. Check out this beloved park in the Birmingham area ⛰??♀️: Oak Mountain State Park
Red Mountain – for zip lining
Cahaba River – for tubing
Ruffner Mountain – has dog friendly trails (we are big dog people here in Birmingham!)
Other local spots are the Birmingham zoo, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (which has free admission year round), and there are plenty of local parks and dog parks no matter which area you choose to live in.
3. Sports
You’re in luck if you’re a sports fan! The Birmingham area has a lot of different games you can attend. If you’re a hockey fan you can see our local team, The Birmingham Bulls play at their rink in Pelham.
We also have a baseball team, the Barons. They play downtown at Regions Field. You can visit Barber Motorsports Park and Museum for racing!
Talladega isn’t far away, so if you’re a NASCAR fan you won’t have too far to travel!
And of course, we are huge SEC fans here in the South. You can travel to The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa or Auburn University in Auburn for a game.
4. Food
The Birmingham area is becoming known for its culinary center. We have an award winning chef, Frank Stitts, who opened his own restaurant downtown called Highlands Bar and Grill.
We also have servers cities that are big foodie areas, one of the most popular is Homewood. The South is also known for its barbecue, and famous bbq white sauce.
Here is an article with a list of the best restaurants in the Birmingham area: https://diannahowellrealtor.com/lifestyle/best-places-to-eat-in-birmingham-al/
Birmingham has local breweries, Good People Brewing and Avondale Brewing Company, which are both located downtown. Good People Brewing also has its own place in the Birmingham airport! Speaking of downtown, it’s the next topic we’re going to cover.
5. Downtown
Downtown Birmingham has plenty of entertainment to offer. Here are just a few of the many things you can do in downtown Birmingham!
Alabama Theatre
BJCC (Birmingham – Jefferson Convention Complex) – can go to for shows and performances
Sloss Furnace – Attend events (they throw a huge Halloween event), concerts, and plays
Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
Birmingham Museum of Art
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Vulcan Park and Museum
McWane Center
Five Points – this homes our food area! This is also where Frank Stitt’s Highlands Bar and Grill is like we mentioned before.
Be sure to plan your trip downtown so you see everything you want. Be careful not to wander off too far from your planned locations, as just with every big city there are some areas you will want to avoid.
6. Health and Wellness
Birmingham is also known for our healthcare. We have great hospitals with lots of specialists and a lot of premier sports athletes come here for surgery and rehab. There are too many to name, so here are a few you can find in the Birmingham area:
UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
The eye foundation
Veterans hospital
St. Vincents
Brookwood
Grandview
Andrew’s Clinic – lots of specialists
Children’s hospital
7. Colleges
Another great thing about the Birmingham area is it offers a lot of college choices! So if you have kids, they can stay in state, and close to home! If your children want a little bit of space, there are plenty of other colleges in Alabama that they can attend and still not be too far from home. Here are just some of the colleges in the local Birmingham metropolitan area:
UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham)
Birmingham Southern College
Samford
Jefferson State Community College
Birmingham School of Law
Cumberland Law School
Faulkner University
8. Shopping
The Birmingham area offers a lot of shopping choices! We have three main large shopping areas, The Summit, The Riverchase Galleria, and The Outlet Shops of Grand River in Leeds!
However, we also have a lot of local ‘mom and pop’ shops where you can find some real southern treasures!
9. Average Age, Cost of Living, and Home Prices
The Birmingham metropolitan area is pretty big! Let’s cover some quick facts:
The median age is 35.7 (source)
The average cost of living in Birmingham, AL compared to the rest of the US is cheaper, according to a poll from Sperling’s Best Places (source).
If you head over to AL.com you’ll see there are 500 job positions available in Birmingham: https://jobs.al.com/jobs/jobs-in-birmingham-al
The Birmingham area has a diverse culture and since we’re in the South we’re pretty friendly! Most people know their neighbors here.
There are plenty of places to live outside the city if you’re not a downtown person! There are lots of suburbs that are still within a 20 – 30 minute drive of downtown.
According to Realtor.com, there are a total of 105 neighborhoods in Birmingham! See these other facts from the site as well (source).
The median listing price was $235,000
The median sold price was $224,500
Median Listing Home price/sq foot: $128
We love that the Birmingham area is so diverse and has affordable living. We also love living in the South, and how friendly the culture is here.
10. Golf!
The Birmingham metro area is also home to many award winning golf courses! You can find lists of golf courses to choose from in Birmingham, but our favorites are these three courses:
Ballantrae: Learn more about this award winning golf course and neighborhood here: Ballantrae
Robert Trent Jones
Highland Park Golf Course
What Do You Think About Birmingham?
So there you have it, a quick summary of what you need to know about moving to Birmingham, Alabama. We hope you learned a lot! Let us know what you think in the comments below. If you know anyone moving to Birmingham, be sure to share this article with them.
If you want more information about the Birmingham area, please contact Dianna Howell with The Howell Group at 205-568-5435 or email her at: dianna.howell@kw.com
To search for houses in the Birmingham, Alabama area, please see our website at: www.thehowellgroupofalabama.com
