About Birmingham
In the Southern foothills of Appalachia, where waterfalls cascade down the mossy terraces of tree-lined peaks, lies a city with a deep history and a mountain of Southern charm — Birmingham, Alabama.
Just two hours from Atlanta and four and a half from the Gulf of Mexico, Birmingham is the largest city in the state and the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama’s most populous. Layers of iron, limestone and coal created a divine trifecta for industry in Birmingham, earning it the enchanting moniker, the Magic City. The railroad made it possible to move goods from this central Alabama outpost around the region and the nation. And the city has built on these early successes to create a diversified, modern economy, bolstered by institutions like the University of Alabama at Birmingham and UAB Medicine and corporate giants like Regions Financial and Blue Cross-Blue Shield.
Alabama’s gentle, mountainous terrain makes it one of the most gorgeous cities to live in, whether you’re an avid mountain biker, or just want to take in the sunrise from an airy perch. Even the city’s urban landscape has loads of appeal, with transformative additions like the City Walk BHAM.
However, the city has also been the site of some of the worst moments in the country’s history during the Civil Rights Movement and the industrial developments. Like many American cities, North and South, Birmingham’s reckoning with its past is ongoing, actively shaping its future.
And the future of this cosmopolitan city sure looks bright, whether you’re gazing down from the top of Red Mountain or sipping an old fashioned on the patio of Hot and Hot. Unemployment is low, housing is affordable, and the Magic City just keeps getting more beautiful by the day.
If you’re thinking of moving to Birmingham, learn about the ins and outs of this Southern city below in our moving guide, from the economy to cultural hotspots to the great outdoors.
Why Birmingham Will Be Your Next “Magic City”
Affordable Cost of Living
If you’re considering moving to the South, Birmingham is one of the most affordable places to live in the region. Compared to cities like Atlanta, New Orleans and Jacksonville, the cost of living in Birmingham is enticing.
The median gross rent is only $995/mo. and the median home value in Birmingham is just $123,000 — that’s less than half the value of homes in most big cities in the Southeast. So why is the home ownership rate 20 points below the national average? Incomes.
The median household income in Birmingham is only $42,464, compared to the national average of $75,149, $77,655 in Atlanta, $64,138 in Jacksonville, and $51,116 in New Orleans. That can make it hard to save up, even when real estate prices are far below average.
In addition to the lower cost of housing, other common household expenses like transportation, food, healthcare, personal insurance/pensions and miscellaneous goods & services are less expensive across the South, so Birmingham residents may be able to stretch those paychecks a little further than most.
Stable Economy
Birmingham’s industry base has diversified greatly since its early days, but trade, transportation and utilities still overwhelmingly dominate the region, supplying more than 115,000 jobs as of June 2024. Education and health services and professional and business services each employ more than 75,000 individuals, and leisure and hospitality, financial activities, and manufacturing employ between 41,000 and 54,000 a piece.
Most industries in Birmingham saw modest growth between June of 2023 and 2024; only mining & logging experienced noticeable losses and wild fluctuation over the past six months. These stable figures kept Birmingham’s unemployment rate enviably low, standing at just 2.7% in June of 2024.
The top employers in metro Birmingham include a wide range of corporate and non-profit entities, including Regions Financial, AT&T, Encompass Health, and auto giants like Honda Manufacturing of Alabama and Mercedes-Benz U.S International. Several companies even make their headquarters in the Magic City, including Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Alabama Power Company, BBVA Compass, Hibbett Sporting Goods and American Family Care.
The single biggest employer in the area is the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), which supplies roughly 23,000 jobs to the area. This well-regarded institution makes the U.S. News & World Report’s top 100 list of public schools in the country, and it also has one of the top 10 nursing programs in the nation. UAB Medicine is one of the country’s leading transplant centers, and it’s also known for specializations in neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and cancer care.
Vibrant Culture
For a city of less than 200,000, Birmingham has an impressive cultural scene that spans the arts, sports, historic sites and great places to eat. Let’s take a closer look at what gives the Magic City its allure.
Downtown Birmingham is the center of it all, where you’ll find museums, entertainment venues and incredible parks. One of the most visionary additions to Birmingham’s public life is the City Walk BHAM. This 10-block illuminated corridor beneath the whizzing interstate has been transformed with a pickleball court and playground, a roller rink and skate park, a dog park known as the Barkery and a Civil Rights Walk.
One thing that’s made the park so vital is that it connects disparate elements of Downtown, from the Alabama School of Fine Arts to the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Birmingham Children’s Theatre. The food trucks are an easy lure for passersby. Grab a s’mores waffle and a latte while your kids shred the ramps on Saturday morning or some birria tacos from Fat Charles BBQ on your way home from work.
The City Walk isn’t the only thing livening up downtown, either. The Rainbow LED Tunnel turns an ordinary, bleak urban space into something delightful that kids will beg to drive home through after a late-night game at Regions Field. Fans really turn out for Birmingham’s MiLB’s Barons games, even though 2024 hasn’t been a banner year for the Southern League North team so far.
Baseball fans will certainly want to pay a visit to the Negro Southern League Museum, which celebrates the 31-year history of the organization that gave us greats like Willie Mays and Satchel Paige. The museum is just a few blocks from the University of Alabama Birmingham campus.
Performing arts enthusiasts have several historic venues to enjoy downtown. The Alabama Theatre and the Lyric Theatre both have jaw-dropping interiors, the former originally built to showcase Paramount films and the latter designed for Vaudeville. The city’s theatre district also includes the Carver Center for the Performing Arts, but the Alabama Symphony Orchestra plays a few minutes away in Birmingham’s Centenary Square.
Birmingham’s historic industries are the focus of two interesting sites in the city. The Vulcan Park and Museum on Red Mountain pays tribute to the furnaces that forged the city’s history with Vulcan, the Norse fire god, who also happens to be world’s largest cast-iron statue. But it was Sloss Furnace’s incredible iron production that earned the city its “magic” moniker. A visit to this national historic landmark will introduce you to the science and art of this fiery manufacturing process that has yielded the city the finest in utilitarian and decorative metalworks.
But the cultural history of the city runs deeper than any iron lode, and the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument is the place to start exploring. Seven sites form this important monument, including the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park and the 16th Street Baptist Church. The Masonic Temple Building, where Black lawyers, doctors and the NAACP maintained professional offices, was central to the African American business community, and it also held a three-story collection of books in its Booker T. Washington Library, the only place Black residents of Birmingham were allowed to check out books at the time.
Dining Out
Birmingham has exceptional restaurants all over the city, from the French perfection of Chez Fonfon in Five Points South to the crispy bliss of Eugene’s Hot Chicken. And, whatever you do, do not pass up the saucy wonder of Saw’s BBQ, especially their pork n’ greens, which are served over cheese grits and topped with onion rings.
Pepper Place is Birmingham’s creative commercial hub. Named after the Dr. Pepper bottling plant that once occupied the area, this market district brings more than 100 local vendors to downtown Birmingham, from stands at the farmer’s market to standalone restaurants and provisioners. Get yourself a bag of boiled peanuts from one of the longest-standing shops in the city — the Alabama Peanut Company — or make a pit stop at the Churro Station — the first churreria in the state — to get your day off to a sweet start.
For a special treat, make a reservation at Hot and Hot Fish Club, one of the finest restaurants in the entire state. The Gulf oysters on the half shell are served with house-made oyster crackers, and the oven-roasted golden tile topped with a crawfish beurre blanc is the epitome of 21st-century Southern elegance.
Outdoor Adventures
Alabama’s mild weather and hilly terrain make it a beloved destination for hiking, mountain biking and all things outdoors. The state is blessed with several large natural lakes, and public parks are one of the best ways to get out and enjoy them.
Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama’s largest. Its nearly 12,000 acres feature the famous Peavine Falls, swimming lakes, a golf course, a BMX track and the Alabama Wildlife Center, where injured wild critters of all kinds find refuge. Mountain bikers have 30 miles of trails to ride here, from easy treks like the Lake Trail to the Red Trail, which the International Mountain Biking Association named to its list of EPIC rides.
Just nine miles south of the city, Red Mountain Park is a wonderful place for a quick day trip. Sixteen miles of hiking trails await, along with dog parks, a tree house and a sensory trail. On the northeast side of the city, Ruffner Mountain turned the tracts of land once mined for their iron ore, limestone and coal into a wilderness oasis. The Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve has a center for learning about the wonders of the region, and the mountain is a favorite among birders.
Talladega National Forest is one of four woodland areas of its kind in the state, but this one is only an hour outside city limits. The expansive terrain allows for plenty of solitude, but the beaches around the lakes do fill up on hot weekends. Kayaks, paddleboards and canoes are welcome almost everywhere, and swimming is permitted at Payne Lake and Coleman Lake. The Chinabee Silent Trail is one of the most popular hikes — despite also being one of the more difficult ones — because of the waterfalls and gorgeous botanicals you’ll see along the way.
Though Birmingham’s peaks may be nothing compared to the Rockies, rock climbers can still find stellar places to climb in the beautiful woodlands around BHAM. Moss Rock Preserve offers V1-V10-level bouldering, so newbies and seasoned climbers can both enjoy themselves. Horse Pens 40 (HP40) on Chandler Mountain is beloved for its sculpted sandstone outcroppings, and it’s a part of the annual Triple Crown Bouldering Series Competition. If you move to Birmingham, you just might be next year’s winner.
Get Ready to Relocate to Birmingham
When you’re ready to make the move to Birmingham, United Van Lines can help make your cross-country move seamless. As America’s #1 Mover®, we’ve helped millions of families move across the United States.
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