So you're thinking about relocating to Alabama, but you're not exactly sure you've completely mulled-over all the super-important details prior to reaching your decision. Well, potentially southern-bound good friend, you've pertained to the right place - we have actually assembled a handy, delicious guide that will outline some of the most important points for someone in your position to examine.
We don't blame you for desiring to relocate to the Heart of Dixie (as it's called) considering that the state is house to rocket researchers - Huntsville houses both the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and the Marshall Area Flight Center at the Redstone Arsenal. The U.S. Army's lead rocket engineer, Wernher von Braun, led NASA's rocketry program throughout the '60s.
What else does the Yellowhammer State need to use, besides huge advances in the area program and ridiculously wise individuals? Plenty - from beautiful landscapes that'll have you clicking your shutter so quick your camera begins steaming, to savory soul food, to seriously action-packed sporting events. Continue reading to find why you may just make Alabama your next relocation.
Task Market
According to U.S. Census data, about 4.875 million individuals presently reside in the Cotton State. Get this - 55% of the people in general in the U.S. who moved in the year 2017 moved to Alabama, according to the 2017 National Movers Study.
Well, for starters, the state has several fast-growing job fields, consisting of computer technology, physical treatment, nursing, occupational therapy, aircraft assembly and EMT, among others, according to zippia.com. The highest-paid careers include pediatrician, nurse anesthetist, administrative law dental expert, orthodontist and judge, states bizjournals.com.
The existing joblessness rate is simply 3.5%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Data, so chances are quite good for finding work upon your move. The federal minimum wage is the exact same as the nationwide average, nevertheless, at $7.25/ hour, mentions minimum-wage.
Do not forget that Alabama is house to NASA, the U.S. Area & Rocket Center and the Marshall Area Flight Center. If you've got a love for all-things aeronautical, this could effectively be the new home of your dreams.
Housing
You're probably going to want a place to live after you move (we're just guessing), so what's the likelihood of finding a new place you'll enjoy (and have the ability to manage) in the Yellowhammer State?
Well, zillow.com mentions that the mean worth of houses presently on the marketplace is $128,900, with a typical listing cost of $190,000. The typical house lease is $995/month, with one-bedroom homes balancing $824/month in Birmingham.
Residences in Alabama are primarily relatively brand-new, too - zillow.com reveals that the majority of homes presently readily available were constructed in the decade 2000-2010. Not only are odds excellent for you to find an inexpensive place to live, however you'll likewise be looking at newish residential or commercial properties, too.
That being said, there's not much in the method of brand-new building popping up these days, according to zillow.com. A little is happening in main Alabama, in and around Birmingham; a little in the southwest corner, near Mobile; and a little bit in the northern end of the state, around Huntsville.
If more affordable real estate, particularly around the state's hot-spots, attract you, you may just desire to set your sights on the Heart of Dixie.
Culture and Locals
When transferring to a new location, you might be curious about individuals there. Will they become your friends, or will they be the type to make you chain your doors and look out of a slit in your blinds in overall paranoia?
According to residents, citizens can be a real mixed bag. The agreement is that Alabamians like to gossip, are passive-aggressive, and might simply trick you with their underhanded insults. The expression "bless your heart" is not suggested warmly, however rather sarcastically - and if you hear it, odds are excellent that as soon as you've left, you'll be talked about.
Do not let that deter you. Locals stress that the primary ambiance of their state is one of real southern hospitality - they utilize "sir" and "ma'am" out of respect, and will offer you a warm welcome and great deals of food. They may describe you as a Yankee if you're from the North, but this they actually do out of (buffooning) love.
You'll find yourself changing your vocabulary and pronunciations after a transfer to Alabama. The town of Burmingham, to Alabamians, has a silent 'g', and is noticable "Burmin'- ham". Don't lose who stands out like a sore thumb just due to the fact that you like your consonants. In addition, Alabamians have their own catch-phrase when they're all set to act: "Fixin' to."
Yellowhammer State Trivia
Montgomery, Alabama was the where a famous occasion took place on December 1, 1955 - the day when Rosa Parks bravely refused to quit her seat on the bus to a white man. Today, to honor this regional woman's act of bravery, the Rosa Parks Library and Museum stands in the town of Montgomery, bring in great deals of locals and travelers alike.
The individuals of the Cotton State are crazy about BARBEQUE - and we do mean CRAZY. They'll battle to the death (maybe not actually) over which dining establishment or regional cookout serves up the best.
Residents will ALWAYS rock out to "Sugary Food Home Alabama" if it begins the radio, and they'll crank it up to 11. When they hear that well-known opening riff, even Alabamians who privately hate the tune will begin to boogie. The song has actually made such an impression on the culture that it's even printed on license plates.
Alabamians pride themselves on their rich food and cultural pride. They have unusual, supposedly lobster-tasting shrimp called "Royal Reds" from the Gulf of Mexico, fried green tomatoes, super-sweet tea (heavy on the sweet, light on the tea) and MoonPies - and they smother whatever in TABASCOĂ’ sauce.
It appears fitting, with a diet that abundant and heavy, that locals like to observe a slower rate of life. These self-proclaimed "salt of the earth" types will make you forget your health-enthusiast ways and have you grabbing seconds. Bring additional napkins.
Must-See Alabama Fun + Activities
We understand you're already midway out the door, travel luggage in read more hand, ready to make your relocate to the Heart of Dixie, however cool your jets for a moment. Before you go racing off like you're a chauffeur at Talladega Superspeedway, check out this list we've assembled of some of the state's primary attractions.
Here just a few of the state's can't- miss out on sights and activities:
U.S. Area & Rocket Center: Found in Huntsville, this museum consists of access to the historical Shuttle Park and Rocket Park and showcases special artifacts from the country's space expedition. It's thought about to be the world's largest space museum, and lays out the history of the U.S. area program. It's also house to the yearly, highly expected Area Camp program including the Aviation Difficulty, in which trainees go through training in flight simulators.
Vulcan statue: In Birmingham, the world's tallest cast iron statue stands an excellent 56 feet high. Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge, represents the state's roots in the iron and steel industry - and he's type of a big deal. His 100th birthday was a big event that drew a crowd of more than 100,000 people.
Cathedral Caverns State Park: Located in Woodville, this park uses cave tours, camping areas, hiking and backpacking. It has the widest entrance of any industrial collapse the world, and includes a sparkly Gems Mine with a gem mining experience available to any ages.
Talladega Superspeedway: AKA NASCAR's "most significant and baddest" track, it's situated in Lincoln and includes an extremely anticipated annual NASCAR race, the Alabama 500. The race opts for 188 laps, covering simply over 500 miles. Now that's a great deal of high-speed left turns.
Alligator Alley: Located in Summerdale, this overload sanctuary has a raised boardwalk including a too-close-for-comfort view of numerous alligators and various kinds of wildlife. This is the location for you if you're into gazing one of humanity's most significant natural predators virtually right in the face.
Benefits and drawbacks of Living in the Heart of Dixie
Before you ideal your BARBEQUE dish and run to see the alligators and the world's highest Vulcan, we believed it may be worth thinking about a short-and-sweet list of a few advantages and disadvantages of transferring to Alabama.
Low expense get more info of living: It's no trick that genuine estate in the Cotton State is pretty cheap, and taxes are pretty low. We think that's simply among the huge reasons 55% of relocators across the country in 2017 picked this as their new home.
Nature + all four seasons: The terrain of Alabama is widely-varied, including forests, beaches and mountains. There are plenty of activities for all various breeds of outdoorsy types because of this. Locals also like to point out that they experience all four seasons and see weather from all over the spectrum - from snow and ice storms to hot, humid summers and springtime torrential downpours.
Music: Because of its location, the Yellowhammer State draws lots of huge music acts each year. The Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores is the state's biggest yearly music occasion. Huge names in all categories - varying from jazz to rock 'n' roll to nation - emerge here.
Food: As we've already pointed out, Alabamians are die-hard foodies. The town of Birmingham alone has a tremendous 28 various food celebrations every year.
Distance to major cities: Nashville, Atlanta, New Orleans and Memphis are just day-trips away from the Heart of Dixie. This prime location provides itself to numerous opportunities to see all kinds of celebrations, performances, museums, state parks, going shopping tourist attractions and more. Did you really think you 'd be bored here?
Humidity: Make that winter humidity. While the humidity in the summer is undoubtedly bad, it's the winter season that separates die-hard Alabamians from wannabees - the additional wetness causes cold temperatures to feel absolutely frigid. Residents state that it's not unusual for a 45-degree day on the thermometer to feel closer to 10 degrees. If you're not into feeling the extremes in every season, it might not be long before you're miserable here.
Drug use: The more rural locations of the state have genuine problems with poverty, homelessness and block after block of deserted homes. With this naturally comes troublesome substance abuse, and in Alabama's case, methamphetamine labs are a genuine battle to punish (no pun intended).
Extreme storms: While experiencing all four seasons can be argued as a good idea, it likewise indicates that there's opportunity for all kinds of rainy weather condition - and this state sees some of the most severe. For beginners, it's one of the most active tornado states. The spring and fall seasons bring heavy thunderstorms, and mid-year brings cyclones. At any time of year, citizens are subject to periods of apparently random rainstorms, that can stop as quickly as they start. Residents joke, "If you don't like the weather here, wait 5 minutes."
Strange Laws
We 'd be doing you a major injustice if we left without providing you a list of some of the strangest, lamest and downright dumbest laws still out there in the state you're considering making your next homeland. We've assembled a few that'll have you raising an eyebrow in no time.
Here are simply a couple of from onlyinyourstate.com:
Putting salt onto a railroad track is punishable by death. They wish to keep their railways devoid of cattle, and they're truly serious about it.
It's prohibited to impersonate a priest. Genuine. Stop practicing your impression in the mirror, and put your comedic efforts towards new product - you'll thank us later.
Because it might cause laughter, it's prohibited to wear a phony moustache in church. (See? We told you they were super-serious about their church.) Faith is no laughing matter to Alabamians.
It's prohibited to wear a mask in public. Male, so what are we supposed to do on Halloween?
It's prohibited to play dominoes on Sunday. It disrupts the day off. Duh. You know how heated those dominoes matches can get!
Gotten ready for Landing in the Heart of Dixie
Well buddies, there you have it - a thoroughly developed guide to a few of the main reflection points for permanent moving. Of course, we can't say and lie that we have the ability to give you definitely all the important information that might influence your choice (we 'd be here for days), but it's our hope that we have actually given you an excellent launching pad to fire up your choice rocket from.
Now it's up to you to decide (after possibly doing some further research study) if you can envision yourself in the Yellowhammer State, among the not-at-all and outstanding challenging rocket scientists, the quick racecar drivers, the soul-filled foodies, and the always-hungry alligators. It's been a real satisfaction compiling this guide for you, and we hope you have actually had your fill of Alabama goodies.
All the best - and don't forget to remember "Sweet Home Alabama."