United States / Alabama / Birmingham-Hoover Metro Area / Jefferson County / Birmingham / Zip Codes

Review of Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham not the place
Star Rating - 1/3/2013
I have lived here for 12 years, and don't like it at all. My family and I live outside of Birmingham in a suburb. The suburbs are nice, quiet and the cost of living is low but there are few jobs there. Also right outside of the suburbs lurks HIGH CRIME Birmingham laced with murdering youth who kill for no reason. I am a Black female with a MBA and have to constantly fight to get hired for jobs that pay more than $50k per year. Thankfully a Fortune 500 company from a northern state has hired me to work from home in Alabama with a six figure income. Sad enough this could not happen locally, pretty sure due to racism. Outside of this I am terrified that my husband will be hurt or murdered by a senseless crime. committed by the youth from Birmingham. There is so much gun violence it is ridiculous and sad. We are seeking to move away but are still trying to decide where.... We have a 11 month old baby and this is no place to raise a family, or for minorities looking for fair pay and opportunities. Nor is this the pace anyone of any race who is trying to get away from random violence. Look up news on Birmingham Al I am sure you will find many articles on the violence etc. We can't wait to move!
Tera | Calera, AL
Reply to this Comment

6 Replies

I realize that this is an old post, but I thought I would give an update since people still read these posts when they're considering cities to move to... That having been said, I'm from Alabama and I lived in a suburb of Birmingham for nearly 10 years. Most of my experiences were pretty positive: nice coworkers, friendly store workers, and neighbors you felt like you could trust. But, if you knew anyone that lived in downtown, you heard many a story about robberies, murders, and rapes. City data crime index average is around 285, but Birmingham has consistently been given a crime index of 750 or higher going back as far as 2002. Believe it or not, Birmingham has a higher property crime rate and an only slightly lower violent crime rates than Detroit, Michigan. So, now people in Cleveland can say, "Well, at least we're not Birmingham." Would I ever move back to Birmingham? NO
Clint | Marina, CA | Report Abuse
Agree 21   Disagree 17
re: Birmingham not the place Ron, I don't think she was trying to paint white people as the murdering youth at all. I am a black female as well, and I would have said it exactly the way Tera did as to not point the finger at a single group.
Danicka | Reno, NV | Report Abuse
Agree 33   Disagree 37
I see the violence on The First 48. I live an hour from B'ham and I was looking to move there. However, after reading this post I'm looking at other areas. Any suggestions?
felisha | Prattville, AL | Report Abuse
Agree 26   Disagree 35
From what I'm reading, basically anywhere in the ignorant south is a bad move; some places worse than others. I hope you make it out. My wife and I are gainfully employed in South Carolina, but are dreaming of the day that we can see it in our rear-view mirror.
Brian | Columbia, SC | Report Abuse
Agree 13   Disagree 23
You mention racism and the murdering youth, which paints a picture obviously of white people being the murdering youth. However, any accurate check of crime stats reveal the murders in Birmingham are overwhelmingly not committed by whites. Birmingham has had an African American mayor, police chief, and majority African American city council for decades now. These leaders are working to address reality.
ron | Birmingham, AL | Report Abuse
Agree 50   Disagree 44
live in NYC but my BF is in the ARMY & will be stationed there in a few months so I WAS willing to give it a chance but don't know now...Thanks I will have to continue my investigation further but will keep you post in mind.
TeeTee | New York, NY | Report Abuse
Agree 46   Disagree 35
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