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I recently got accepted to Samford's school of pharmacy (Fall 2008 entering class). I am married with 3 kids (2 are elementary school-aged children, 1 is 2 years away from preschool). My wife will have her RN license by May so she is going to support us if we can get her license transferred from Kentucky to Alabama. I come from a rural town in southeastern Kentucky of about 13,000 people so I am used to small city life. I want to try to keep that "hometown" comfort feeling because my children are used to family being around. I am currently looking at Trussville because it seems to be about the right size and the commute to the outskirts of Birmingham (Samford is on Lakeshore Drive) doesn't appear to be too bad plus my wife can find a great job around Birmingham as a RN (I hear there are plenty of hospitals, etc for nurses). Obviously for now I am looking for a place I can rent for the next 3 years as I probably will not put down roots in Alabama (unless the wife falls in love with the area).
Here are my concerns:
1. Small town life (Does Trussville meet this? My research says yes so far)
2. I need at least a 3 BR apt or house to rent that is less than 800/month
3. Safest, cleanest neighborhood possible
4. Schools? Where are the best schools? I read that Trussville is decent
5. Babysitting: I am leaving my support system for my kids, are there churches that do daycare that I can trust??
6. How long will the commute really be just to Samford university? (google says 27 miles, down I-459, then onto to 280, these would be traffic jammed areas no doubt--especially 280. I have a friend already there so she gave me a tour once and i experienced "rush hour" at 3 or 4 pm in the day! Yikes!)
7. Churches in the Trussville area??
I know my family will fit in with the southern folks in Alabama, that is not a concern for me. I know/understand/respect southern folks because I am one. To those Californians who are posting here, don't worry, I will be friendly to you folks too!!!
If I missed anything, I will post again. Any help is much appreciated and God richly bless you for your efforts!
Congrats on getting into pharmacy school! That's my goal in the not too distant future. Trussville is a good community with sort of a small town feel with plenty of churches and nice people. The fastest way from Trussville to Samford University is to take interstate 59 down to 65 or interstate 59 to hwy 31, I work off of lakeshore parkway and live near Trussville and my commute is about 35-45 minutes and I usually don't travel during rush hour, so if you have to go to class or your wife has to go to work during rush hour, add 5-15 minutes to that time. You might want to check out al.com's real estate section, just go to the rent section of it and click central alabama, and look at the communities you're interested in. You might want to look into Gardendale and Fultondale, which are both smaller communities that are less than 15 miles north of town up interstate 65. I don't know about the schools in gardendale and fultondale, the schools in Trussville which are in the Jefferson County system are good. One thing about Trussville though is that it is growing at a very rapid rate, in fact some are calling Hwy 11 in Trussville the new Hwy 280. You might want to check out Homewood, which is actually the community that Samford is in and has sort of a small town feel(not as much as Trussville) the school is good, but you would be hard-pressed to find a 3-bedroom house or apartment to rent for under $800. There are parts of Homewood that are very close to the southside of birmingham where the prices are lower. You probably want to avoid anywhere in the city limits of Birmingham because the schools aren't as good as the ones in Jefferson or Shelby County. Here are a few more areas to consider: Irondale(which is less than 15 miles from samford, has the small town feel, I don't know much about the schools, but you should find a reasonably-priced place); Leeds(down 459 to I-20 from samford about 20 miles, should have the small town feel, relatively safe should be able to find housing in your price range, i think the school is ok, but don't quote me on that); Pelham(about 16 miles south of samford down interstate 65, it is growing, so I don't know how much of the small town feel is left, I hear traffic can be bad around there sometimes, it is in Shelby County and I think the schoool there is pretty good, you should be able to find a place there in your range).
Congrats on getting into pharmacy school! That's my goal in the not too distant future. Trussville is a good community with sort of a small town feel with plenty of churches and nice people. The fastest way from Trussville to Samford University is to take interstate 59 down to 65 or interstate 59 to hwy 31, I work off of lakeshore parkway and live near Trussville and my commute is about 35-45 minutes and I usually don't travel during rush hour, so if you have to go to class or your wife has to go to work during rush hour, add 5-15 minutes to that time. You might want to check out al.com's real estate section, just go to the rent section of it and click central alabama, and look at the communities you're interested in. You might want to look into Gardendale and Fultondale, which are both smaller communities that are less than 15 miles north of town up interstate 65. I don't know about the schools in gardendale and fultondale, the schools in Trussville which are in the Jefferson County system are good. One thing about Trussville though is that it is growing at a very rapid rate, in fact some are calling Hwy 11 in Trussville the new Hwy 280. You might want to check out Homewood, which is actually the community that Samford is in and has sort of a small town feel(not as much as Trussville) the school is good, but you would be hard-pressed to find a 3-bedroom house or apartment to rent for under $800. There are parts of Homewood that are very close to the southside of birmingham where the prices are lower. You probably want to avoid anywhere in the city limits of Birmingham because the schools aren't as good as the ones in Jefferson or Shelby County. Here are a few more areas to consider: Irondale(which is less than 15 miles from samford, has the small town feel, I don't know much about the schools, but you should find a reasonably-priced place); Leeds(down 459 to I-20 from samford about 20 miles, should have the small town feel, relatively safe should be able to find housing in your price range, i think the school is ok, but don't quote me on that); Pelham(about 16 miles south of samford down interstate 65, it is growing, so I don't know how much of the small town feel is left, I hear traffic can be bad around there sometimes, it is in Shelby County and I think the schoool there is pretty good, you should be able to find a place there in your range).
Some good info, and that helps me quite a bit! I appreciate it and best of luck to you on getting into pharmacy school. This about the 5th or 6th person I know (including myself) that Samford has accepted from this part of Kentucky in the past 5 or 6 years. Just don't give up, you will get there!
HI There!
I live in Roebuck Springs, which neighbors Trussville, and I think you will love it! My husband is from Northern KY (and misses Skyline Chilli!) and loves living here ... although his hometown is not rural by any means. I have lived in and around Birmingham all my life and attended Samford University so I can answer some of your questions:
1. Small town life (Does Trussville meet this? My research says yes so far)
Yes, yes, yes! Trussville is a pretty little town and I think you will be very pleased. There are nice homes, schools and people and lots of recreation/shopping opportunities. The Trussville area has a nice series of new-ish parks, LOTS of outdoor space, and a new community pool - it was just redone in the last year or two. Another thing I really like is that they have a nice public library adjacent to schools and parks. It is very home-y feeling, if you know what I mean
2. I need at least a 3 BR apt or house to rent that is less than 800/month
I'm not sure about rent out there ... I would think this would be easily possible, but my husband and I bought our home in Roebuck Springs about five years ago and have not rented anywhere in the Bham area for at least ten years. There are many homes for rent, as well as newer apartments and condos in and around Trussville.
3. Safest, cleanest neighborhood possible
See #1 - I am a real fan of Trussville. If we didn't love our existing neighborhood and neighbors, we would definitely be looking at Trussville!
4. Schools? Where are the best schools? I read that Trussville is decent
Trussville schools have been booming! They are definitely growing and have a solid reputation. We are Catholic and send our children to Catholics schools, so I'm sorry to say I cannot be more specific.
5. Babysitting: I am leaving my support system for my kids, are there churches that do daycare that I can trust??
Yes! There are MANY churches in the Trussville area as well as heading in to town, so even if your children did not stay in a Trussville church, there are nice churches with daycares in Homewood (where Samford is located). Samford also has a nice daycare center, although it is expensive and I believe there is a wait list ... of course you could be bumped up the chain if you work or attend Samford I believe.
6. How long will the commute really be just to Samford university? (google says 27 miles, down I-459, then onto to 280, these would be traffic jammed areas no doubt--especially 280. I have a friend already there so she gave me a tour once and i experienced "rush hour" at 3 or 4 pm in the day! Yikes!)
Ummmm ... this is where I have to admit I have to deliver the not so good news. Depending on the time of day you are leaving, you are looking at a rather long-ish commute. My husband and I are about four-six miles closer to Samford from where you are talking about living. There are about three Trussville exits that I can think of, so it really depends on how far out of town you go. If I were to leave for work (and I work about five miles from Samford U) at 7:30, I get to my daughter's Catholic school (which is about a mile from Samford) in 30 minutes. So, it's a pretty good commute, especially if you have to add time to drop off kids at school. Of course, you get a good amount of house/apartment for your money and you get a more rural experience in Trussville! I really love where I live and would not move closer necessarily. I just pop in a book on CD and relax!
7. Churches in the Trussville area??
There are MANY MANY MANY friendly churches in the Trussville area. A lot of Protestant denomination churches and a couple of Catholic churches that I can think of off the top of my head. Some are new-ish and others are very well established.
Good luck on your move, I think you will really like it here!
Best
K
I think you have been given some good advice here so far...the only thing I would say is that you are going to need to be prepared to deal with city traffic...its unavoidable.
Trussville is a very nice area and I have recommended it to many people seeking to relocate to Birmingham. I think you will like it. You will be attending a well respected school of pharmacy on a very nice campus.
Be patient and get ready to spend some time in the car both ways. This is not a small town and Birmingham has sprawled quite a bit over the years...
Welcome the B'ham! I just moved from Trussville to San Antonio, and I really miss Alabama. Trussville is really a beautiful town. I had 3 children in the public schools there--wonderful schools with lots of support and involvement from parents and the community in general, consistently good test scores, etc. One poster above stated that the schools are in Jefferson County??? That is incorrect. Trussville formed it's own school system a few years ago. You can do a search on Trussville City Schools for more info. The faculty and staff at the primary school came to feel like family to me and my children. The one thing you might not like at first--the primary/intermediate campus seems HUGE! It is a growing area with lots of young families, so the elem school is a larger campus than I would prefer. The administration does a wonderful job managing everything, but it did take some getting used to.
I'm afraid you are going to have a really difficult time finding a house or apartment to rent for under $800. You may have to up that by several hundred dollars to find anything decent.
Trussville is a great place. That being said, it will be a long slog for you if you're driving into Samford everyday, especially if your wife has to work and you have three small children. That's a lot of miles to the day care or elementary school or wherever.
That being said, I might recommend the Bluff Park area of Birmingham. Or even down around the Hoover Met. Lots of apartments in those areas, with good schools, and probably a few houses to rent. Plus it's a quick commute to Samford.
There are lots of churches and that area, and you'll quickly develop a support relationships, just as you would with Trussville. That being said, it will not provide you with the same small town feel.
My instincts tell me that there isn't an ideal situation for you. Having the small town feel and all the other amenities and a short commmute is a combination that may not work. That being said, I would think that convenience to school/work and proximity to your children would probably be the key factors.
All that being said, Trussville is a great place. You'd be happy there.
Hi, I live in Trussville and am from Southern Ohio, and a Morehead State grad. I have family in Louisa, Prestonsburg, and Paintsville. I think you would like Trussville, it will be the most like what you are accustomed to with out a long drive. (Springville would be the best choice except forthe drive) I drive to UAB every day and its not bad. If your wife wants some help with jobs email me at alfan92@gmail.com. UAB Hospital is the place to work and I can help.
Thanks for all the help, everyone. I think I will try to buy after renting for about the first 6 months, so any suggestions about homes? I notice there are a LOT of OLD homes built in the 50's, 60's, and 70's outside the b'ham area in places like pelham, and helena. How rough is the commute from those areas? I am also now considering the Hoover area as well!
-Alfan92: check your email for one titled "Trussville"
Thanks!
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hope this helps
