The Vibe: Welcome To The South.
Alabama is just about as Southern as it gets, sandwiched between Georgia and Mississippi in the Southeastern United States. Known as the Heart of Dixie, its home to several big cities like Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile, as well as countless rural towns scattered across the countryside, complete with the cultures you’d probably expect to find in both.
The rural areas of Alabama live life at a slower pace, often focusing on agriculture as a keystone to their economy, while the larger cities are much more diversified, full of residents from all walks of life, including plenty of transplants from around the country that now call Alabama home thanks to growing job markets in industries newer to the area like aerospace, education, health care, banking, and mineral extraction.
One state that’s definitely full of Southern charm, Alabama is one of the most unique states in America.
Local Flavor: There’s Always A Party To Be Had Here
With rich community traditions like seafood boils and parties dating back to the original Mardi Gras celebrations (they were in Mobile, not New Orleans, despite what you’ve heard), Alabama is one of the most social states around.
Plenty of warm weather and sunshine, things tend to keep going on throughout the entire year, with a couple of the most popular annual events being the BayFest Music Festival in Mobile, attracting over 200,000 people in search of tunes, as well as the National Shrimp Festival in the Gulf Shores, capable of drawing in more than 250,000 hungry visitors to festivities that include an art show, a sand sculpture competition, and of course, plenty of shrimp.
Cuisine: Family Recipes Galore!
If there was a menu meant to capture everything awesome about dining in this state, it would feature a mix of home-style dishes like fried chicken, biscuits, and green beans, along with plenty of fresh seafood, often with flavors similar to what you’d find in New Orleans.
A few of the most popular dishes here including shrimp and cheesy grits and barbecued meats like pork and chicken, as well as desserts like peach cobbler, pecan pie, and banana pudding. You really can’t go wrong when it comes to dining in the Yellowhammer State.
Nightlife: Big Cities Scenes And Tiny Towns
Nightlife in Alabama varies greatly depending on where you’re at, though don’t expect to find any huge clubs comparable to what you’d find in some of the country’s larger cities, here it’s all about the dive bars.
Rural areas don’t have much of a scene, typically with one or two watering holes in the town that locals will go to when they get off work.
However, bigger cities like Birmingham and Mobile are a bit of a different story, as Birmingham has several areas where the party goes on into the wee hours of the night, including the Lakeview District and Five Points South, while Mobile is home to the very popular Dauphin Street, the scene of several festivals and bar crawls throughout the year.
It’s also impossible to talk about the nightlife in Alabama without mentioning Tuscaloosa. Home to the University of Alabama, this city has one of the coolest college scenes in the country, especially on game days. Roll Tide!
Weather: The Heat Is On
Known for having hot, humid summers and more mild winters, residents of Alabama get plenty of sun. Average temperatures in the state’s largest city of Birmingham tend to hang around a warm 80 degrees during the summer and a significantly cooler 50 degrees during the winter months, though cities further south often stay much warmer. I
Alabama gets a ton of precipitation throughout the year, though very rarely in the form of snow. Most of it comes during the stormy season, during which tropical storms have a tendency to batter the Gulf of Mexico.
Safety & Crime: It Depends On The City
Alabama’s crime rates vary greatly depending on where you’re at in the state, while the statewide average hangs around 3,800 criminal acts per 100,000 residents, roughly 20 percent than the rest of America. This number is likely inflated due to the higher rates of crime found in larger cities like Birmingham and Montgomery, 8,000 and 6,000 reported crimes per 100,000 residents, respectively.
However, it’s also important to note that in recent years, crime has been dropping in these larger urban areas on an annual basis, making Alabama safer by the year.
Commute: Getting Around Alabama Is Stress-free
You’ll probably want a car in Alabama, but know that you won’t dread driving on these roads. With a very efficient interstate system, getting to and from the larger cities is a breeze, while driving in the more rural areas means very little traffic to deal with. Average commute times in cities like Birmingham and Montgomery tends to hang around 20 minutes a trip, much lower than many larger cities around the country that experience average commute times closer to a half hour.
Public transportation isn’t really much of an option in most areas, but places like Birmingham do offer a service called the BJCTA, which features both bus and trolley systems that make getting around downtown a little easier.
Cost Of Living: You’ll Get A Great Bang For Your Buck Here
When it comes to cost of living in Alabama, it’s super affordable. The state scores an 89 on a cost of living scale that puts average America at an even 100, with many of the rural areas around the state even more affordable. This is largely due to the housing market, with the average home value in Alabama sitting at $122,000, much lower than the national average of $181,000.
Even the big cities here are affordable, as Birmingham scores an even lower 85 on the aforementioned cost of living scale, while places like Montgomery and Mobile both score in the low 90s.
Sports: College Football Like You’ve Never Seen It Before
In Alabama, it’s all about college football. There’s a huge in-state rivalry brewing between the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn University Tigers and it’s been going on since 1893.
The two teams meet up annually on the gridiron at the Iron Bowl, with the Crimson Tide currently leading the series 43-35-1. This game is one of the wildest sports atmospheres in the entire world, as fans have been known to move wedding dates, name children, and get in all out brawls for the sake of showing their team support.
Aside from college sports, locals in Alabama tend to cheer for the professional teams in nearby states like Louisiana and Georgia or one of several local minor league teams in the area.
Nature: It’s Easy To Get Outside In Alabama
Home to the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches in the South, Dismals Canyon full of waterfalls, natural bridges and glowing insect larvae, as well as eerily elegant swamps like those found in Perry County, there’s plenty of natural diversity in this state perfect for outdoor recreation.
The Heart of Dixie even has its own mountain and it’s great for hiking, home to Cheaha Mountain stretching to a height of 2,413 feet above sea level.
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