Reviews & Comments
Fort Wayne, IN
18 years and glad to be gone! -
9/1/2007I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana for 18 years. Life is not exciting and it is not terribly boring. Fort Wayne is very under-developed! For the amount of intelligence, amount of people, and big city options (broadway shows, musicians, grand art, many colleges, huge library, great healthcare, etc.) we have nothing to show for it. We have nothing downtown to show for at all. No shopping centers around that area. We have so much development on the outside of that area, it's no wonder that it hasn't been abandoned. The city is trying to catch up, but so far, anyone who is single and between the ages of 16-35, you're going to be bored after one week. Especially in the fall and winter. Outside of a going to high school games, the two malls, plenty of bars/pubs and restuarants, oh, and a church on every corner, you'll finish touring the whole area in one full week or less. Indianapolis, though people will always argue, is much more ahead of the game!
Birmingham, AL
Education -
9/1/2007If you plan on moving to Birmingham, AL with children or to have children then you should plan ahead to living in an area where they'll get an quality education from elementary to high school. So far, I've been here 2 years, and I have NEVER heard of schools being closed down, with children still attending. Literally, kids being moved from another elementary school in the middle or toward the end (can't remember month) of their term. It's not impossible or unbelievable, but there are so many empty school around Jefferson County it is sad! People have to literally move out from the downtown area of Birmingham AL or areas very close by, in order to put their child in school or a decent school. It is not the family's fault 98% of the time that they live in that undeveloped area, but the city is not focused on that problem. They cannot get teachers to stay put, and who can blame them. They have to survive also on what little they receive, regardless of how big their heart is for children. If you are lucky or blessed with finances (not saying you have to be rich), move out to the outskirts ex. Highland, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Hoover, or go to a private school. Forgive me for not adding support to the inner-city schools, but it is not their fault that the city is not supporting them. Many people are helping children thrive in those inner-city schools, but who's to say how long they will be able to stay open!
Birmingham, AL
Coming from someone who just moved here.... -
5/27/2006I currently attend school here in downtown Birmingham. If you plan on moving to Birmingham, having your own transportation is a must! Everything is located on the fully developed outskirts of this city when it comes to retail, shopping centers, grocery stores, majority of housing, and etc. Mind you, the outskirts range from 10mins away to 30 mins away from the downtown area. It is also normal to hear of people travelling 40 mins plus everyday just to get here from Tuscaloosa or Gadsden. There are many GREAT places to eat, tour, and find entertainment (clubs and pubs mainly) downtown. Majority of healthcare is also downtown.
Traffic is crazy...let me repeat...CRAZY. Everyone is trying to either get into the downtown area or out. It is normal for 5 to 15 mins trips to take 15 mins to an hour long, that is completely normal. In fact, everyone drives anticipating that long of a wait. WHY? WEll everyone is trying to go to the same area, with only one way to get there. No matter what shortcuts you take, you end up on the same piece of highway, spending the same amount of time on the road. 459 doesn't even circle the downtown area, it actually is half a circle. With everyone going or coming left on I-20 to Tuscaloosa and surrounding towns, right toward I-59 Gadsden, Center Point, and Trussville or I-20 toward Pell City and Atlanta, north 65 toward Huntsville and surrounding cities, and finally, south 65 toward Hoover, all from the downtown area at 7am, noon, 3pm, and 5pm you'd wonder how people make it to destinations at all. Mind you, if you're without a vehicle, you'll struggle even more.
People here are actually halfway decent. Half of them naturally have that Southern Hospitality while the other half is not worried about anyone but their own. I see that as quite normal.
The weather is very sunny with a high of 80 and humidity at 80%! That is for a good 3 months tops. Otherwise, it's fairly warm considering I'm from Indiana. When it rains, it pours. When it storms, it storms (potential tornadoes esp. in the spring). It is sunny a lot, but don't let the beautiful sun fool you! Always have an umbrella handy, it may rain in the evening, even at 30% chance. If it's not rain, then it's the humidity that grabs you in the doorway.
In the end, I'd give Birmingham (downtown) a 7. Living in the outskirts that are 10 to 20 mins away would be the best living, in my opinion.