Birmingham Residents

just "Hoover" wouldn't be a good answer, because there are so many different parts of Hoover it seems. People in my family really like the Bluff Park area. Bang for your buck is going to happen in the Pelham or Alabaster areas (if we are talking south of town), or Chelsea/Calera if you really want to get way out. Your commute will be a little tougher if you head south. There is something for everyone in most places of Birmingham. I don't think you can really avoid traffic altogether.
Whatever you do, don't take advice from anyone who calls places like Alabaster/Pelham/Hoover a "shithole". I'll never understand what makes people say that. All these towns have great options, and you can get good price variance by taking in to account all parts of town to get what you are looking for. I know a lot of people even recommend parts of downtown nowadays. You're going to love Birmingham.

Haha as a single guy, I am pretty sure you can live exactly anywhere you want if that is your true budget. For traveling to Vance, you could try McCalla.. But that gets you pretty far away from the city. I would suggest the Riverchase portion of Hoover (hwy 150 & hwy 31). However, with wanting to be closer to the airport, downtown could be what you are looking for... I have no advice to offer about downtown, I know very little. Mountain Brook and Homewood aren't very far from the airport.

Also Highland Park and Forest Park.

I love Homewood. Honestly all of the outskirts of Birmingham are great. Inverness on 280 is great. Homewood and Mt Brook are expensive

Man if you are single ,rent a loft in the downtown loft district . If I was still single I would be there . Can get to everything easy. But I am not single and live in Helena with all the grown ups.

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Man if you are single ,rent a loft in the downtown loft district . If I was still single I would be there .

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Yeah, no question about it. Downtown is the place to be right now.

After that, Homewood, Crestline, Cahaba Heights, Bluff Park. Everywhere else after that is kind of the same.

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You DO NOT want to live in North B'ham. Trust me.

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As someone who lives north of Morris Avenue I can say don't trust this post. I'm 23, graduated from UA in fall of 2014. I have absolutely loved everything about living here. There is actually nowhere downtown on the "south side" I'd rather live than where I live on the north side.

ETA: Also, everyone talking about downtown was talking about the loft district which is entirely north of Morris Avenue.

I have a buddy who lives in Carriage Court (think that's the name) and he loves it. Great spot downtown- not far from Regions field and not far from some bars. I live in Crestline Gardens and I love it. About 5-10 minutes from downtown and Avondale. A lot of younger people starting to move in to the neighborhood as the older families move out.

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If you want to live near zero crime, rich white republicans, and pretty much every shop imaginable right at your fingertips, live in Vestavia Hills.

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Yeah, it's all about gettin your shop on!

FAIL

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From my research and understanding so far is to look for places like hoover, mountain brook, etc..

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Your research needs refining. Don't focus at all on the city unless you're bringing a family with you. For a young single guy, focus only on the neighborhood.

Decide on what matters to you most. None of the places you're looking are that close to Mercedes. Some are close to the airport. If you only work in Hoover one day a week, the office should be the last place you try to center on. Hoover is a big city. There's not a true urban center, but there are subdivisions in every income range, and all kinds of apartments. You've got everything from the barrio to McMansionville.

Only focus on a specific neighborhood. Do you want something like the loft area with a bit of an industrial feel? Do you want a renovated older apartment or house in a gentrified area with a specific neighborhood feel? Do you want a traditional newer apartment along a corridor with lots of shopping and entertainment? Do you want a neighborhood with a lot of trust fund kids, but nicer more high end bars and restaurants? Do you want to rent a home where you can walk to multiple college age bars?

When you figure out the neighborhood you want, the problem solves itself.

Maybe you should get an extended stay apartment for a month (there's one on the Mercedes side of town) and force yourself to visit multiple neighborhoods and sample the entertainment areas for four full weekends.