Tuscaloosa, AL

[Flute4U]

Hi Captain Crunch!  I actually got my undergrad at UA and may be returning for my PhD.  You'll love it, it's a great school!  I would definitely say Tuscaloosa has a small town vibe.  But, the nice thing is you are close to many larger cities for weekend trips (Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, Chattanooga, Memphis, Florida panhandle, the coast). 

 

As far as things to do in Ttown, there's not much unfortunately.  There is the Drag with all the undergrad frequented bars.  There are some nicer places in downtown Ttown that the grad students frequent too.  And, it seems like there is a bit of a revitalization project going on, which is good.  When I was down there in February there were a whole bunch of new places that were pretty nice (at least the ones I went to).  There is also Midtown Village which has some decent shopping and some really great restaurants (Kobe is to die for).  There are two state parks pretty close with trails, canoeing, horseback riding etc.  Tannehill is about 30 minutes away between Ttown and B'ham and Oak Mountain is about an hour away in Birmingham.  And, of course, there is football, which you will have to learn to love if you are at UA!

 

As far as housing, I wouldn't worry too much about living close to campus.  The closer you get, the older and more expensive things get.  Northport and Cottondale are great areas.  There are also a bunch of new developments going in (there was a tornado that went through a few years ago that leveled a large part of the main road into Tuscaloosa).  Look for new developments along McFarland Blvd.  Hope that helps!

Edited March 12, 2013 by Flute4U

[Captain Crunch]

Yes it does! Thanks for the info and your response

[misslaurenalyse]

Hey la912 I'm a Speechie too and considering UA for grad school starting this Fall. Thanks for the info on Tuscaloosa; I'm from Texas, so it's a bit difficult to get a feel for the town from over 600 miles away!

[ace3]

Would anyone like to update the information regarding housing on this topic for me? I may be moving to Tuscaloosa in the fall and from online searches, I'm gathering that the majority of the apartments in Tuscaloosa aren't worth living in (roach problems, noise, bad management, or safety issues). Could anyone give me a list of apartments they've heard good things about?

[verycunning]

Wanted to add on to ace3's post - any other information about the area? There's been some useful comments about housing, but I'd love to hear whatever info people have. I'm particularly interested in Jewish and LGBT life/resources.

[firewitch]

A bit late, but I presume new readers will find this useful:

 

I am happy with my landlord, a small company called Capstone Property Management (Dempsey Real Estate). You probably have to dig a little to find what they are offering - I got mine word of mouth.

 

From looking around town over 2 years, I can say that the houses and apartments run by Delview look the worst. Sealy is a big corporate apartment management firm - they have strict rules and relatively high rates, but seem to operate nice properties.

 

I moved here from Austin, so I'm a bit disappointed in the night life. That said, there are plenty of places where non-cis patrons can feel comfortable. The Alcove, Egan's, and Mellow Mushroom are three places where my gay/bi friends gather, and there is one gay bar, Icon, that actually has a drag show on Saturday nights, followed by a dance party.

 

The campus has an active Allies program, and has been installing non-gendered bathrooms as they remodel buildings and build new ones. Hope that helps

 

Side note for those considering the University of Alabama and the city of Tuscaloosa:

 

Neighborhoods:

There are 9 recognized neighborhoods. If you want to get by without a car and walk everywhere, your best chances are to get a job on/near University Boulevard. The shops next to the University are commonly referred to "the strip" and it has a grocery store, restaurants, pizzerias, a hair salon and pubs. Unfortunately, these apartments tend to be smaller but you can often get a good price if you have a roommate.

Southeast Tuscaloosa is where the Arboretum is. Many runners and dog owners frequent here.

North of the River are a few apartments and golf clubs. Nothing here that I really could recommend that another neighborhood couldn't offer. Costs are higher and traffic can be bad due to it being mostly families.

There are a lot of things going on in the Forest Lake neighborhood. It's about 2-3 miles to campus. It's walkable but a bike would be recommended.

East Central & University is where most of the undergrads live. Graduates tend to live in or around Forest Lake or in or around Northport. Northport is smaller but has a small town charm in its downtown district.

Realtors:
H.A. Edwards (http://www.haedwards.com/)
Sealy (http://www.sealyrealty.com/)
Duckworth Morris (http://duckworth.com/)

Other than that: Yes, football season is really crazy but it could be a really good time to get groceries if you don't care for Football. Roll tide.

 

[schuaust]

I'd love to hear more about Tuscaloosa. I've switched my Tinder over and that has honestly been a great source of information...but...do any graduate students have recommendations on places to live? Currently considering Bent Tree and the French Quarter Apartments. Would like to be within walking distance, but I'm curious about public transit options from Northport. 

[wildviolet]

Updates please! Thinking of applying to UA for a faculty position. Please comment on quality of life, living costs, things to do, whatever else is distinctive about living in Tuscaloosa. I've rarely been in the South (despite being a fan of Southern accents and Gone with the Wind)!

[wildviolet]

I've read elsewhere that Tuscaloosa is close enough to other cities like Birmingham, or even Atlanta, to make living there somewhat tolerable (from a cultural standpoint).

What can you say about the university itself, including student population?

[Lesleo]

On 1/18/2010 at 5:01 PM, PhilosophReese said:

Where should I live? I'd prefer to be able to walk/ride a bike to class if that is possible. I am not very familiar with the area and could use an inside track.... Thanks.

 

-Reese

Did my undergrad at UA. If you can live somewhere off the strip in the Reed Street area or in the shadow of the stadium (there are some super cheap options and some nicer places for rent so there's a variety) that's a great locale - walk to campus and all that the strip has to offer. Don't bother with anything on McFarland cause I'm telling you you're not making that trek. Point-O-View on Jack Warner is where I lived and you can easily bike to campus, but walking may take a sec. Although you can walk to the bus stop at Campus Way so no problem there. And of course Campus Way, which you get what you pay for it's not so bad and it's easily a bike ride to campus, parking, and the buses. 

Edited February 6, 2017 by Lesleo

[yahm]

I'm considering moving to Tuscaloosa for my MA so this thread is way helpful! Has anyone been accepted to a program? Would love to connect with people who are considering moving here for Fall 2017. 

[Scarlet A+]

On 2/23/2017 at 1:18 PM, yahm said:

I'm considering moving to Tuscaloosa for my MA so this thread is way helpful! Has anyone been accepted to a program? Would love to connect with people who are considering moving here for Fall 2017. 

I am considering it pretty heavily! I'm actually visiting the campus this weekend. I'm hoping to pick the brains of the current students about housing, and tips for finding a place to live from another state. Have you visited yet? 

[yahm]

On 3/23/2017 at 9:33 AM, Scarlet A+ said:

I am considering it pretty heavily! I'm actually visiting the campus this weekend. I'm hoping to pick the brains of the current students about housing, and tips for finding a place to live from another state. Have you visited yet? 

I accepted their offer last week, so I'm definitely going. I can't really afford to visit before the year starts though. I live in Los Angeles so moving is going to be a big expense as it is. I was going to arrive at the beginning of August (cross-country road trip? you bet!) and make appointments ahead of time to check out houses to rent. I figure it will probably take a few days to find a place. I just know from experience to never, ever sign a rental agreement until you've visited the house/apartment, no matter how desperate you are. 

Will you keep me posted on what you thought about campus? And where are you heading from? 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

I received a verbal offer on the 14th, with the formal offer to follow on Monday, April 17, and will likely be attending UA in the fall for my Ph.D. When I read through this thread, it seemed to match a lot of what I picked up just by browsing apartments on the Net. Scarlet and Yahm - have you located a place yet? Lesleo where are you attending? I applied to some of the same schools you did and did an exchange at UMass Amherst for a year as an undergrad. I liked it there. I am waitlisted at UTK and LSU.

[Scarlet A+]

My girlfriend and I are definitely going in the Fall (MA in English Lit), and we are looking for a house now. The good news is, it seems to be a really inexpensive place to live, although I might be biased, only having lived in expensive places (FL and NY). 

Any info that y'all get and pass along about houses/realtors/neighborhoods would be greatly appreciated! 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

1 hour ago, Scarlet A+ said:

My girlfriend and I are definitely going in the Fall (MA in English Lit), and we are looking for a house now. The good news is, it seems to be a really inexpensive place to live, although I might be biased, only having lived in expensive places (FL and NY). 

Any info that y'all get and pass along about houses/realtors/neighborhoods would be greatly appreciated! 

I'm sure I will see you there, as I will be an entering PhD student. The house I leased is on 13th St, near 16th Ave (about 10 blocks from the stadium).  I found it through the list-serv for the English Dept. I posted that I was looking and a graduating MFA student contacted me, as well as sending my info along to his landlord. So I have a nice house in the historic district close to the school, which means I no longer have those 45 minute drives to campus.

[cowgirlsdontcry]

On 7/28/2016 at 12:40 PM, wildviolet said:

I've read elsewhere that Tuscaloosa is close enough to other cities like Birmingham, or even Atlanta, to make living there somewhat tolerable (from a cultural standpoint).

It's not that far from the ultimate party town of NOLA, an easy drive for a great weekend.

[Peg]

Considering grad school options between U Alabama Tuscaloosa and U Wisconsin Madison. Would really appreciate insight from those familiar with either or both, especially regarding racism and quality of life issues.

[schuaust]

On 2/25/2018 at 9:06 AM, Peg said:

Considering grad school options between U Alabama Tuscaloosa and U Wisconsin Madison. Would really appreciate insight from those familiar with either or both, especially regarding racism and quality of life issues.

For living options, Palisades is probably the best place in the city. Reasonable rent (especially with roommates) and it's clean. I can't wait for my time to be over here.

[Mandalorian]

I'm a U of A alum, so I know the area pretty well. Tuscaloosa has really changed a lot since the tornado in 2011 and even a considerable amount in the last 2-3 years. It's still very much a college town, and an SEC town. As far as housing goes, the closer you get to campus, quality goes down and price goes up. The area near the stadium is mostly populated with undergrads, most of whom live with roommates in that area. If you are eligible for faculty parking, it makes a lot of sense to live a little further away.

Tuscaloosa's downtown has made significant improvements in recent years and has some very nice housing. Otherwise, many faculty live across the river in the suburb of Northport. It's a bit more tranquil and an easy commute. On that note, I would highly recommend against anything near Skyland blvd. The commute is slow and the area is unsafe.

As for activities, it really depends what you're into. Tuscaloosa is horrible outside until October. Birmingham is 50 miles away and usually has a lot going on.