Moving to Birmingham, AL

[IndyBoxer]

Pete, Pam and I are seriously considering moving to Alabama to escape the rediculous property taxes in Westfield, Indiana. We hate to leave Indiana, but it seems we have no choice.

Anyone familiar with the communities there? Recommend any?

Are they dog friendly? We need to carefully select our next home and Pete plays a huge part in the equation.

 

[C-Sally]

I'm not sure about Birmingham, but I live in North Alabama and the cost of living is really low - Florence is a college town without the college town prices! There seem to be a lot of other owners on from Bama, so maybe they can help with your questions.

One good thing.....it's much warmer here!

 

[IndyBoxer]

Trussville

Thanks for the advice.

We have already looked on the net and have found some nice, reasonably priced homes in Trussville as well as other areas.

I assume the areas you are living are dog (and more importantly - Boxer) friendly?

 

[Gus's Teah]

Birmingham

I live in Birmingham and have for all of my life; pretty much the entire Birmingham area is semi-pet friendly... there are lots of restaurants that have pet-friendly patios and the weather is pretty mild so you can sit outside most of the year. My husband and I are really into backpacking and hiking as well and there are a ton of great trails that are pet friendly around - the Talladega National Forrest is about one hour east and is our favorite!

As to places to live, that really depends on what you're looking for, Birmingham is a really sprawling city with a different "feel" to different areas. For example, north of Birmingham in Gardendale has a really small town feel and it's convenient to downtown Birmingham (about 15 minutes down the Interstate) but it's a little older of a community. Trussville also has that small town feel with easy access to the rest of Birmingham, but it's going through a lot of developent right now. I would stay away from anything in the Inverness area, the main access road, Highway 280, is a traffic nightmare. Homewood is nice and super convenient, housing is a little more expensive ($250,000+ houses) but it's a great community that is very dog-friendly. There are a couple of really good doggie daycares in this area. Anyways, the list goes on and on, so you can PM me if you want more info, I'd be happy to help!

Maybe our fur babies can get together when you get settled in here

 

[dentonpyro]

Alabama the Beautiful

I lived in Birmingham (the ham) for 4 years and I loved it. There was always something to do and they have the big paws in the park event every year on the south side. I am currently living in Muscle Shoals and it is great here. Everybody loves dogs and I always see people walking them. The city has built sidewalks everywhere and it has been a great help for walking my boxers. I have yet to run in to anyone that did not like my boxers, so I would have to say this is the most boxer friendly area I have ever lived in. There are a couple of boxers that live here, the best park in the area is definantly in Florence (Diebert Park). It is very dog friendly with rest areas, small trash bags and trash bins provided. Alabama is a Boxer friendly state. I hope it all works out well for you.

 

[abcdefamily]

What? you don't like Westfield? LOL
Our first apartment was in Westfield on North Union... it was cheap then but I know that with the expansion of Carmel and the amount of building going on there that it is getting more and more outrageous! My folks still live in Carmel near the flowing well on 116th, and they often talk about selling and moving but they don't know where they want to go yet. Property taxes are much lower in Arcadia and Atlanta, although still in Hamilton County...

We haven't ever lived in AL, but we have travelled through there often and as far as rest areas, etc go they seem to be dog-friendly. I know the cost of living there is low (very low, compared to Westfield) and everyone I've ever met from there was very nice. I used to have a client who was on the north side of Birmingham and I spent a LOT of time down there a few years ago.

Good luck with your decision!!

 

[mara806]

Good choice on location! I would certainly reccoment Trussville; the area is small compared to Birmingham itself, but it is growing so there is plenty to do. I live here myself and I have a boxer as well. There are walking trails and creeks around the area; perfect for walking the dogs!

 

[IndyBoxer]

Another reason to move to Alabama

It is snowing in Central Indiana - AGAIN!!

Check out my gallery to see Pete as he rounds the tree after - well, you know.