Avoid the Tuscaloosa Trap - 3/2/2022

This is the deal with Tuscaloosa. If you have strong family support that will keep you on track, you may be okay. Alabama has too many broken, uneducated, poor families. A lot of these people live in small towns; towns that don't have jobs. A lot of these people have the intention to come here to attain a higher education, and work while doing so. But a simple economics class would show the situation becomes an employers' market. Housing is already affected by an influx of UA students. So many workers, wages are too low for the expense of living and going to college. Only when you move away from here and observe other places and states do you realize how bad the situation is. Other states do a better job of having jobs in small towns. Other cities encourage people to become educated. Other places are aware that people may come from less than idea situations. The UA isn't the best place for students to go if you need to work a job. And the one community college in town sets a high hurdle. You realize this when you leave and see other community colleges that you are able to attain a couple of subjects for less than $600. Tuscaloosa still works on the good old boy system. Alabama claims to be a big Republican state; up by the bootstraps and work-hard ethic. But they take money/jobs/benefits from large corporations and the federal government at the higher levels, then piece it out to the lower levels, family and friend first. Most of what you will get is because you know someone, black or white. And people down here think this is okay and normal. All of this becomes a recycle of the same problem: Single parents, divorces, low wage workers, violence. In the last five years, I have known three young men to get shot, one died. If you are white or isolate yourself to just the University, none of this will probably affect you. If you are an outsider and come here before you secure a job, being white probably will not save you. It's not that other places do not suffer the same social problems; it's that Tuscaloosa only cares about having a lot of workers to sustain low wages. It's how the chosen are given funds for their business and cruise through life while paying their workers a wage they can not live on.

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Tuscaloosa: A very pleasant place to live and work - 1/14/2022

We've lived in Tuscaloosa for several years now. It's a diverse, friendly college town -- home of the University of Alabama and it's lovely campus -- that is relatively progressive for the South and for the state. The natural scenery is beautiful, and there are plentiful hiking and biking trails, river walk, and lakes for outdoor recreational activities, with very pleasant weather most of the year except the hottest months (July/August). While it varies, some of the public schools are quite good, and it's a very nice place for professionals and families to live and work. It's big enough to offer variety yet small enough to still feel cozy and connected. Crimson Tide football is wildly popular and fun, but certainly not the only focus or passion of the people of Tuscaloosa. Commute time is very reasonable, and there is a variety of restaurants and arts and cultural events (e.g., art galleries, the famous Kentuck Art Festival) in or near town. Larger cities like Birmingham, Chattanooga, New Orleans, and Atlanta are within easy reach, as are the beautiful white-sand Gulf Coast beaches. There are some parts of town with struggling neighborhoods and racial and socioeconomic disparities that remain to be addressed. But there are also many well-educated, dedicated community leaders and residents committed to making Tuscaloosa a welcoming, vibrant place for all, and the city has generally been growing in a positive direction with a bright future ahead.

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The Most Generic City in America - 9/17/2021

Tuscaloosa used to have some character. We had a decent live music scene, an up and coming artist community, affordable housing, and there were even several places for LGBT people. Now, it's just football and giant generic overpriced condos. ALL of the cool music venues are gone. Not that it matters, since the local musicians can no longer afford to live anywhere near them. There's only one gay bar left. It doesn't open until around 10pm. If you enjoy art, original music, diversity and most anything else except football, don't come here. Oh, and if you do like football you better have a substantial income. Those tickets are not cheap. If however, you are one of those generic rich people with no personality who enjoys living in giant cubes and who wants to be surrounded by other equally uninteresting people, this is your town.

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tuscaloosa - 8/26/2010

Time to move on

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good place to live - 11/20/2008

university of Alabama home town .It have greet football team

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Public Transportaion is Poor - 9/27/2008

Very mininal public transportation system

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A wonderful home for families - 6/15/2008

Tuscaloosa is a beautiful, quiet city and is absolutely ideal for families looking for outdoor activities and educational opportunities. Our family moved here with the military and are very sad to have to leave. The climate is hot and humid in the Summer, but Fall, Winter and Spring are all very comfortable! Much of the town is centered around the University of Alabama (especially the football team!) and having the college students gives a nice variety of people from different areas across the country. Because of the high humidity, the landscape is breathtakingly lush and colorful. We have loved living in Tuscaloosa!

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disadvantage of living here - 6/7/2007

Extremely humid, unpleasant in winter; practicaly unbearable in summer.

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Beautiful place but.... - 5/23/2007

Like many cities in Alabama, Tuscaloosa has that small hometown feel to it. Southern Hospitality is evident anywhere you go. Education-wise there is the University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State. I have lived in larger cities and compared to that, there is very little crime and it isn't too expensive to live here. Having said that, there are few jobs here unless you want to work for UA, a service job or in a factory. This is your typical college town and many of the places for rent here are geared toward college students and not families. You can buy a relatively inexpesnive house here, but this town is centered so much on the University, it may not be a place to stay long-term. If you want diversity, you can forget getting it here. Although there is a growing Hispanic populaton, race is a major issue here, especially between white and black. At times, Tuscaloosa seems like it's stuck in the Civil Rights era. Honestly, if you are non-white but educated, that means very little here. In a nutshell, come to Tuscaloosa, catch a Crimson Tide football game if you wish, and then head up out of town to a place with more opportunities.

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