What is the best gay city to live in Alabama?
Which city in Alabama is the top LGBTQ-friendliness while being the most affordable? Find out here on this episode. Then download your FREE Queer Money Kickstarter, a 9-step Guide to Kickstart Your Journey to Financial Independence.
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What’s the most affordable, LGBTQ+ friendly City in Alabama?
Today, we’re sharing the most affordable, LGBTQ+ friendly city in Alaska. What’s the runner-up for the most affordable, LGBTQ+ friendly city in Alabama? Tuscaloosa. Why? Tuscaloosa scored 52 on the Human Rights Campaigns Municipal Equality Index, the second highest in the state. The home values average $211,000 per property, in the middle for Alabama. Rent averages $1,477 a month for a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment, which is the second highest for the state. The cost of living is 88.6%, the third highest for the state. The average income is $62,000 yearly, the third highest, and the median income is $46,000 a year, the third highest in Alabama.
What’s the winner for the most affordable, LGBTQ+ friendly city in Alabama? It was a tie between Montgomery & Birmingham, but the winner should really be Birmingham. Why? Montgomery scored 40 on the HRC MEI, making it the third-highest in the state. The home values average $137,000 per property, the second lowest in the state. Rent averages $1,246 a month, the third lowest for the state. The cost of living is 79%, the lowest for Alaska. The average income is $54,000 annually, the third lowest for the state. The median income is $42,000 a year, the middle for Alabama.
Why do we feel Birmingham should be the true winner? Birmingham scored 100 on the HRC MEI, making it the highest and only city in the state to do so. The home values average $105,000 per property, the lowest in the state. Rent averages $1,244 a month, the second lowest for the state. The cost of living is 87%, which is in the middle for Alabama. The average income is $51,000 annually, the second lowest for the state. The median income is $40,000 yearly, the second lowest for Alabama.
Some good things about Birmingham, Alabama, are that it is known as “The Magic City” and “The Pittsburgh of the South” due to its steel and iron industries. Birmingham has elected several openly gay officials to public office. Per Gay Real Estate, the gayborhoods are Crestwood, East Lake, and Homewood. The SHOUT Film Festival has been a part of Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Festival since 2006. Central Alabama Pride has been hosting Alabama’s largest pride festival since 1980, which originally hosted 250 people. In 1982, the New South Softball League founded the Southern Shootout Tournament to create the best LGBT softball tournament in the South. It is now the longest consecutively running LGBT softball tournament in North America. The annual Arty Party presented by Birmingham AIDS Outreach w/proceeds going to the Birmingham AIDS Outreach, the Magic City Wellness Center, and the Magic City Acceptance Center. The hot bars to be are Al’s on 7th, and The Quest Club. For support, check out Magic City Wellness Center and PFLAG Birmingham. Birmingham is known for its BBQ – places to eat like Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q and Full Moon Bar-B-Que. Black/African Americans are 68.6% of the population.
Congratulations, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Birmingham!
If you’d like to see the results of all the cities in each state we’re analyzing, go to queermoneypodcast.com/cities, click the link in your podcast player if you’re listening or click here if you’re watching on YouTube.
If you’d like to see the results of all the cities in each state we’re analyzing, get the dynamic list of Affordable LGBTQ+ Friendly Cities in the U.S. here. or click the link in your podcast player for a growing analysis.
For the resources and to connect with our guests, get the show notes at: https://queermoneypodcast.com/subscribe.
Previous Bonus Podcast Episodes
- The Best Gay City to Live in Alaska
- The Best Gay City to Live in Arizona
- The Best City to Live in Arkansas
Click below to listen to this bonus episode.