So you're thinking about moving to Alabama, however you're uncertain you've completely mulled-over all the super-important details prior to getting to your decision. Well, potentially southern-bound friend, you've pertained to the right location - we've put together a handy, delicious guide that will outline a few of the most crucial points for someone in your position to examine.
We don't blame you for wishing to relocate to the Heart of Dixie (as it's called) considering that the state is home to rocket researchers - Huntsville homes 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 provide, besides substantial advances in the space program and extremely smart individuals? Plenty - from lovely landscapes that'll have you clicking your shutter so quick your electronic camera starts steaming, to tasty soul food, to seriously action-packed sporting occasions. Read on to discover why you might simply make Alabama your next move.
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 task fields, consisting of computer science, physical therapy, nursing, occupational therapy, aircraft assembly and EMT, to call a couple of, according to zippia.com. The highest-paid careers include pediatrician, nurse anesthetist, administrative law orthodontist, dentist and judge, specifies bizjournals.com.
The existing joblessness rate is simply 3.5%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Data, so odds are pretty 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.
Don't forget that Alabama is home to NASA, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and the Marshall Space Flight. If you've got a love for all-things aeronautical, this might extremely well be the brand-new house of your dreams.
Housing
You're probably going to desire a place to live after you move (we're just guessing), so what's the probability of discovering a brand-new location you'll like (and have the ability to pay for) in the Yellowhammer State?
Well, zillow.com mentions that the average worth of houses presently on the marketplace is $128,900, with a typical listing cost of $190,000. The mean house lease is $995/month, with one-bedroom apartment or condos balancing $824/month in Birmingham.
Houses in Alabama are mainly relatively new, too - zillow.com shows that many houses currently offered were integrated in the decade 2000-2010. Not only are odds good for you to discover a cost effective place to live, but you'll likewise be looking at newish residential or commercial properties, too.
That being stated, there's very little in the method of brand-new building popping up these days, according to zillow.com. A little is taking place in main Alabama, around Birmingham; a little in the southwest corner, near Mobile; and a little bit in the northern end of the state, in and around Huntsville.
If cheaper real estate, particularly around the state's hot-spots, attract you, you may just wish to set your sights on the Heart of Dixie.
Culture and Locals
When transferring to a new place, you may be curious about individuals there. Will they become your buddies, or will they be the type to make you chain your doors and stare out of a slit in your blinds in overall fear?
According to residents, locals can be a real variety. The consensus is that Alabamians love to chatter, are passive-aggressive, and may just deceive you with their questionable insults. The expression "bless your heart" is not implied warmly, but rather sarcastically - and if you hear it, chances are great that when you've left, you'll be spoken about.
Do not let that discourage you. Locals stress that the primary ambiance of their state is one of real southern hospitality - they utilize "sir" and "ma'am" out of regard, and will provide you a warm welcome and lots of food. They might describe you as a Yankee if you're from the North, but this they in fact do out of (buffooning) love.
You'll find yourself adjusting your vocabulary and pronunciations after a relocation to Alabama. The town of Burmingham, to Alabamians, has a quiet 'g', and is pronounced "Burmin'- ham". Because you're partial to your consonants, do not be the loser who sticks out like a sore thumb just. In addition, Alabamians have their own catch-phrase when they're all set to take action: "Fixin' to."
Yellowhammer State Trivia
Montgomery, Alabama was the where a famous occasion took place on December 1, 1955 - the day when Rosa Parks fearlessly refused to offer up her seat on the bus to a white guy. Today, to honor this local lady's act of bravery, the Rosa Parks Library and Museum stands in the town of Montgomery, attracting great deals of tourists and locals alike.
The individuals of the Cotton State are crazy about BBQ - and we do indicate CRAZY. They'll battle to the death (perhaps not actually) over which restaurant or regional cookout serves up the finest.
Locals will CONSTANTLY rock out to "Sweet House Alabama" if it comes on the radio, and they'll crank it approximately 11. When they hear that popular opening riff, even Alabamians who covertly dislike the tune will start to boogie. The tune has made such an impression on the culture that it's even printed on license plates.
Alabamians pride themselves on their abundant food and cultural pride. They have uncommon, 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 extra napkins.
Must-See Alabama Fun + Activities
We understand you're already midway out the door, travel luggage in hand, ready to make your relocate to the Heart of Dixie, however cool your jets for a moment. Prior to you go racing off like you're a driver at Talladega Superspeedway, inspect out this list we have actually put together of a few of the state's piece de resistances.
Here simply a few of the state's can't- miss activities and sights:
U.S. Area & Rocket Center: Located in Huntsville, this museum consists of access to the historic Shuttle Park and Rocket Park and showcases distinct artifacts from the nation's area exploration. It's thought about to be the world's biggest space museum, and details the history of the U.S. space program. It's also house to the annual, highly prepared for Space Camp program featuring the Air travel Challenge, in which students go through training in flight simulators.
Vulcan statue: In Birmingham, the world's highest cast iron statue stands an outstanding 56 feet high. Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and create, represents the state's roots in the iron and steel industry - and he's kind of a huge offer. His 100th birthday was a huge celebration that drew a crowd of more than 100,000 individuals.
Cathedral Caverns State Park: Located in Woodville, this park provides cavern trips, campsites, backpacking and hiking. It has the best entryway of any commercial cave in the world, and includes a sparkly Gems Mine with a gem mining experience readily available to all ages.
Talladega Superspeedway: AKA NASCAR's "biggest and baddest" track, it's situated in Lincoln and includes an extremely prepared for 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 Street: Located in Summerdale, this swamp sanctuary has an elevated 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 looking one of humanity's greatest natural predators almost right in the face.
Pros and Cons 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 thought it might be worth taking into consideration a short-and-sweet list of a couple of benefits and drawbacks of relocating to Alabama.
Low cost of living: It's obvious that realty in the Cotton State is quite low-cost, and taxes are quite low. We believe that's simply one of the big reasons that 55% of relocators nationwide in 2017 selected this as their brand-new house.
Nature + all 4 seasons: The surface of Alabama is widely-varied, consisting of mountains, beaches and forests. Since of this, there are lots of activities for all various types of outdoorsy types. Residents likewise like to mention that they experience all 4 seasons and see weather condition from all over the spectrum - from snow and ice storms to hot, damp summer seasons and spring torrential rainstorms.
Music: Because of its location, the Yellowhammer State draws great deals 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 - make appearances here.
Food: As we've already mentioned, Alabamians are die-hard foodies. The town of Birmingham alone has a whopping 28 different food festivals every year.
Distance to significant cities: Nashville, Atlanta, New Orleans and Memphis are simply day-trips away from the Heart of Dixie. This prime place lends itself to countless opportunities to see all kinds of celebrations, shows, museums, state parks, going shopping tourist attractions and more. Did you truly 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 uncommon for a 45-degree day on the thermometer to feel closer to 10 degrees. It might not be long prior to you're unpleasant here if you're not into feeling the extremes in every season.
Substance abuse: The read more more rural locations of the state have genuine problems with poverty, homelessness and block after block of deserted homes. With this naturally comes troublesome drug use, and in Alabama's case, methamphetamine labs are a genuine battle to break down on (no pun intended).
Extreme storms: While experiencing all 4 seasons can be argued as a good thing, it also suggests that there's chance for all kinds of rainy weather condition - and this state sees some of the most severe. For beginners, it is among the most active tornado states. The spring and fall seasons bring heavy thunderstorms, and mid-year brings hurricanes. At any time of year, homeowners go through periods of seemingly random rainstorms, that can stop as quickly as they start. Residents joke, "If you don't like the weather here, wait 5 minutes."
Unusual Laws
We 'd be doing you a significant disservice if we left without offering you a list of some of the strangest, lamest and downright dumbest laws still around in the state you're thinking about making your next homeland. We've compiled a couple of that'll have you raising an eyebrow in no time.
Here are just a couple of from onlyinyourstate.com:
Putting salt onto a railroad track is punishable by death. They want to keep their railways without livestock, and they're truly serious about it.
It's prohibited to impersonate a priest. For real. So stop practicing your impression in the mirror, and put your comedic efforts towards brand-new material - you'll thank us later on.
Because it might cause laughter, it's prohibited to wear a fake moustache in church. (See? We informed you they were super-serious about their church.) Religion is no laughing matter to Alabamians.
It's illegal to use a mask in public. Guy, so what are we expected to do on Halloween?
It's unlawful to play dominoes on Sunday. It interrupts the day of rest.
Prepared for Landing in the Heart of Dixie
Well good friends, there you have it - a carefully created guide to website some of the primary consideration points for irreversible relocation. Naturally, we can't state and lie that we're able to offer you absolutely all the crucial details that might influence your choice (we 'd be here for days), but it's our hope that we've offered you a good introducing pad to fire up your decision rocket from.
Now it depends on you to decide (after potentially doing some more research) if you can picture yourself in the Yellowhammer State, among the excellent and not-at-all challenging rocket researchers, the fast racecar motorists, the soul-filled foodies, and the always-hungry alligators. It's been a real enjoyment assembling this guide for you, and we hope you've had your fill of Alabama goodies.
Best of luck - and do not forget to memorize "Sweet House Alabama."