So you're considering relocating to Alabama, but you're not exactly sure you've completely mulled-over all the super-important details prior to getting to 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 crucial points for someone in your position to examine.
We don't blame you for wishing to transfer 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 Toolbox. 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 have to use, besides huge advances in the space program and extremely smart individuals? Plenty - from lovely landscapes that'll have you clicking your shutter so fast 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 relocation.
Job Market
According to U.S. Census information, about 4.875 million people currently live in the Cotton State. Get this - 55% of the individuals overall in the U.S. who moved in the year 2017 moved to Alabama, according to the 2017 National Movers Study.
Well, for beginners, the state has numerous fast-growing task fields, consisting of computer technology, physical therapy, nursing, occupational therapy, airplane assembly and EMT, to call a couple of, according to zippia.com. The highest-paid careers include pediatrician, nurse anesthetist, administrative law dental professional, judge and orthodontist, specifies bizjournals.com.
The present joblessness rate is simply 3.5%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, so odds are quite excellent for discovering work upon your relocation. This number has also been on a good, constant decrease considering that 2010, when it was a much-higher 11.9%. The federal base pay is the exact same as the nationwide average, nevertheless, at $7.25/ hour, mentions minimum-wage. org.
Don't forget that Alabama is home to NASA, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and the Marshall Area Flight Center. This could very well be the new home of your dreams if you've got a love for all-things aeronautical.
Housing
You're probably going to desire a location to live after you move (we're simply thinking), so what's the probability of discovering a brand-new location you'll love (and be able to manage) in the Yellowhammer State?
Well, zillow.com mentions that the typical worth of houses presently on the marketplace is $128,900, with a typical listing rate 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 fairly new, too - zillow.com shows that many houses currently available were built in the decade 2000-2010. So not only are odds helpful for you to discover a budget friendly location to live, but you'll also be taking a look at newish homes, too.
That being stated, there's not much in the method of new building popping up nowadays, according to zillow.com. A little is occurring in central Alabama, in and around Birmingham; a little in the southwest corner, near Mobile; and a tiny bit in the northern end of the state, around Huntsville.
If less expensive housing, especially around the state's hot-spots, interest 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 the individuals there. Will they become your friends, 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 combined bag. The consensus is that Alabamians love to chatter, are passive-aggressive, and may just fool you with their underhanded insults. The expression "bless your heart" is not indicated warmly, however rather sarcastically - and if you hear it, odds are excellent that when you've left, you'll be talked about.
Do not let that discourage you. Locals worry that the primary vibe 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 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 changing your vocabulary and pronunciations after a move to Alabama. Don't be the loser who sticks out like an aching thumb just due to the fact that you're partial to your consonants.
Yellowhammer State Trivia
Montgomery, Alabama was the where a well-known event happened on December 1, 1955 - the day when Rosa Parks fearlessly declined to quit 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 residents and tourists alike.
The individuals of the Cotton State are crazy about BARBEQUE - and we do suggest CRAZY. They'll combat to the death (maybe not literally) over which dining establishment or local 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 as much as 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 uncommon, apparently 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 everything in TABASCOĂ’ sauce.
It appears fitting, with a diet that abundant and heavy, that locals like to observe a slower speed 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 halfway out the door, travel luggage in hand, all set to make your relocate to the Heart of Dixie, however cool your jets for a minute. 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 piece de resistances.
Here just a few of the state's can't- miss out on activities and sights:
U.S. Space & Rocket Center: Found in Huntsville, this museum includes access to the historic Shuttle Park and Rocket Park and showcases special artifacts from the country's space exploration. It's considered to be the world's biggest area museum, and describes the history of the U.S. area program. It's likewise home to the annual, extremely anticipated Space Camp program including the Air travel 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 huge deal. His 100th birthday was a huge celebration that drew a crowd of more than 100,000 people.
Cathedral Caverns State Park: Found in Woodville, this park uses cave tours, camping sites, backpacking and hiking. It has the largest entryway of any business cavern in the world, and includes a sparkly Gemstone Mine with a gem mining experience available to all ages.
Talladega Superspeedway: AKA NASCAR's "most significant and baddest" track, it lies 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 greatest natural predators almost 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 thought it might be worth considering a short-and-sweet list of a couple of benefits and drawbacks of moving to Alabama.
Low cost of living: It's obvious that property in the Cotton State is quite inexpensive, and taxes are quite low. We believe that's just one of the big reasons that 55% of relocators nationwide in 2017 selected this as their new house.
Nature + all 4 seasons: The surface of Alabama is widely-varied, consisting of beaches, forests and mountains. Since of this, there are lots of activities for all different types of outdoorsy types. 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: Since of its place, the Yellowhammer State draws lots of big music acts each year. The Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores is the state's largest annual music event. Big names in all genres - ranging from jazz to rock 'n' roll to country - emerge here.
Food: As we've already mentioned, Alabamians are die-hard foodies. The town of Birmingham alone has a whopping 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 lends itself to many chances to see all type of celebrations, shows, museums, state parks, shopping attractions and more. Did you really believe you 'd be tired here?
While the humidity in the summertime is undeniably bad, it's the winter that separates die-hard Alabamians from wannabees - the additional wetness causes cold temperatures to feel absolutely freezing. Residents state that it's not uncommon for a 45-degree day on the thermometer to feel closer to 10 degrees.
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 drug use, and in Alabama's case, methamphetamine laboratories are a genuine struggle to crack down on (no pun planned).
Serious storms: While experiencing all four seasons can be argued as a good idea, it likewise implies that there's opportunity for all sort of rainy weather - and this state sees some of the most extreme. For starters, it's one of the most active twister states. The spring and fall seasons bring heavy thunderstorms, and mid-year brings typhoons. At any time of year, residents undergo durations of relatively random downpours, that can stop as quickly as they begin. Locals joke, "If you don't like the weather condition here, wait five minutes."
Weird Laws
We 'd be doing you a significant disservice if we left without offering you a list of a few of the strangest, lamest and downright dumbest laws still out there in the state you're thinking about making your next homeland. We've assembled 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 wish to keep their railways devoid of cattle, and they're actually major about it.
It's illegal to impersonate a priest. Genuine. Stop practicing your impression in the mirror, and put your comical efforts towards new product - you'll thank us later.
It's illegal to use a fake moustache in church because it might cause laughter. (See? We informed you they were super-serious about their church.) Religious beliefs is no laughing matter to Alabamians.
It's unlawful to wear a mask in public. Guy, so what are we supposed to do on Halloween?
It's unlawful to play dominoes on Sunday. It disturbs the day off. Duh. You know how heated those dominoes matches can get!
Prepared for Landing in the Heart of Dixie
Well friends, there you have it - a carefully designed guide to some of the primary consideration points for irreversible relocation. Naturally, we can't lie and say that we're able to provide you absolutely all the essential information that could affect 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 choose (after potentially doing some additional more info research study) if you can visualize yourself in the Yellowhammer State, amongst the outstanding and not-at-all intimidating rocket researchers, the speedy racecar chauffeurs, the soul-filled foodies, and the always-hungry alligators. It's been a genuine pleasure assembling this guide for you, and we hope you have actually had your fill of Alabama goodies.
All the best - and do not forget to memorize "Sweet House Alabama."