# Soo I moved to Birmingham, Alabama to work at KnownHost! :)



## ChrisM (Nov 7, 2015)

So.. Long story short I moved to Birmingham, Alabama from my house Eastlake, Michigan nearly 2 months ago now. You might wonder why, like omg why would you move away from the lovely state of Michigan with all their cold weather and snow./s @KnownHost-Jonathan offered a position at KnownHost to me several times and I suddenly I decided.. Sure why not?


Before I moved down here I looked at several places. Then I found an apartment complex that was new construction and still being built for the most part was alot nicer then any of the others I looked at soo why not I signed a lease and moved right in. 


Some pics: 











On the drive down here there was nothing but construction, construction and more construction.. 


812 miles later and some posing at the Welcome to Alabama sign I arrived at my new apartment. 





First thing I think of when I hear Alabama is when Top Gear drove though Alabama


https://youtu.be/pKcJ-0bAHB4


But its actually not that bad people are nice except for the drivers they well suck... 


Everything is coke apparently and everyone hates this sign:





This sign is outside of our old office which we recently moved out of:











Don't have really any pics of the new office @ 1625 Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard South, Birmingham, AL.. Not sure if I am allowed to take them. 


As for Birmingham there is really..nothing interesting to do there..at all...no joke..the closest casino is like an hour + away. 


But there is a Giant statue called the Vulcan near our new office which I visited for the first time finally after driving by it a couple dozen times which is pretty neat. 











Tried to get a decent pic of the skyline from above but it was quite foggy. 





Got a nice on on the drive back though:





If you have 20 minutes of your life to spare I have a couple videos of driving to and from work:


https://youtu.be/WCD1rNKem1U & https://youtu.be/nMlPvZxQPTA


...


In conclusion Birmingham it self is not bad its a decent place to live if as long as you don't chose a spot in the ghetto to settle down in. Birmingham just not entertaining in anyway.. I herd there is a pretty large night life and live music downtown, just haven't had a chance to check it out yet so that might be a thing. 


The work at KnownHost has been great though, I love my co-workers, I love the work. I also love the customers. @KnownHost-Jonathan is an awesome boss and I can't believe I get paid what I do for what I love to do. 


*shhh I think I we are still hiring: http://careers.knownhost.com/


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## Jonathan (Nov 7, 2015)

We're glad to have ya in the KH family


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## drmike (Nov 8, 2015)

Birmingham sadly comes up bad side on a lot of stats.  Crime, poverty, related.  Old town, lots of history.  Probably decent music you should seek out   Looks like growing food scene too (from one of your lunches).


Photos I see and your tale though, looks a lot better than expected. Definitely better winters there 


How is the cost of living?  Or is the low cost of living negated by living in new apartment assuming far outside the city proper?


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## Licensecart (Nov 8, 2015)

Nice mate but lol I'll skip going on holiday to Alabama lol if they did that to Top Gear in a garage because of three cars, I will pass haha.


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## HalfEatenPie (Nov 8, 2015)

Sounds like you're really enjoying it out there Chris!  Glad to see you're loving it!


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## HBAndrei (Nov 8, 2015)

The place looks awesome, and KH is surely a great place to work at.


Good luck with the job


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## MannDude (Nov 8, 2015)

Glad you're enjoying it man! KH sounds awesome to work for!


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## Hxxx (Nov 8, 2015)

Congratulations Sir. Such privilege of working in KH. Thanks for sharing.


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## Jonathan (Nov 8, 2015)

drmike said:


> Birmingham sadly comes up bad side on a lot of stats.  Crime, poverty, related.  Old town, lots of history.  Probably decent music you should seek out   Looks like growing food scene too (from one of your lunches).
> 
> 
> Photos I see and your tale though, looks a lot better than expected. Definitely better winters there
> ...





That's because in those stats, "Birmingham" includes far more than Birmingham proper.  It includes some nasty suburbs/ghettos that you simply never go, never have a reason to go to, and they skew the stats bad.  Areas like Ensley, Gate City, etc. really shouldn't be counted in these stats but they're considered part of Birmingham statistically.


The things Bham really has going for it - history, live music, craft beer, food.  It's not an Atlanta or New York when it comes to things to do, but it's not that bad either.


Cost of living is one of the lowest in the country - though tons of expensive condos and apartments keep going up.  The suburbs are in fine shape.  Very few of our employees live in down town actually, most commute in from a suburb - myself included.


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## ChrisM (Nov 8, 2015)

drmike said:


> How is the cost of living?  Or is the low cost of living negated by living in new apartment assuming far outside the city proper?



Its not bad I live in Fultondale, AL about 10-15 minutes from the city depending on Traffic. The only thing so far that I have found cheaper then Michigan is Fuel. Here its like a $1.80ish/Gallon and up where I was living in Michigan its about $3.20/Gallon for Fuel. The rent here isn't bad either, I am paying a bit more since this is a new development but everything included is new and top of the line so its worth it. 


I looked on Trip Advisor for some things to do and decided to checkout Barber Motor sports museum. I took some good pics of some cool cars and bikes below and it was pretty neat.


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## HostHoney (Nov 9, 2015)

Alabama is a nice place Jonathan is correct for the most part the crime and such in the city itelf is not bad but when you include the suburbs and ghetto areas the crime rate goes up. But isn't that true for most cities?


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## Hxxx (Nov 9, 2015)

Yeah, well there are always areas where one shouldn't go. This applies to every state and country as well.


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## drmike (Nov 9, 2015)

Hxxx said:


> Yeah, well there are always areas where one shouldn't go. This applies to every state and country as well.



That's why I wrote cities off


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## QuadraNet_Adam (Nov 13, 2015)

Congratulations @KnownHost-ChrisM!


Best of luck with the new chapter in your life


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## ChrisM (Nov 14, 2015)

As per a recommendation from @KnownHost-Jonathan I decided to checkout the Southern Museum Of Flight today.


I like planes and flying but I think I like the Barber Motorsports museum better.


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## tonyg (Nov 15, 2015)

Good to see another aviation and car buff!


Take a trip to Huntsville, specifically the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and marvel at a real Saturn V rocket and an SR71 Blackbird.


Seeing those two monsters was an incredible experience for me.


Huntsville was where the US government took Wernher Von Braun and other German rocket scientists after WWII for rocket research and development.


A lot of history there.


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## ChrisM (Nov 16, 2015)

tonyg said:


> Good to see another aviation and car buff!
> 
> 
> Take a trip to Huntsville, specifically the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and marvel at a real Saturn V rocket and an SR71 Blackbird.
> ...



Nice! Yeah  I will have to check that out. 


There is also one at the Alabama welcome center which is pretty neat.


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## Sonwebhost (Nov 16, 2015)

Glad your working keep it up.


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## Nick_A (Nov 17, 2015)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Everything is coke apparently



lol yes. Including Sprite, Root Beer, Fanta, Pepsi, etc. All "Coke" down here.


Welcome to the South.


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## Geek (Nov 17, 2015)

HostHoney said:


> but when you include the suburbs and ghetto areas...



This reminded me of My Cousin Vinny.  It was set in one of those slow-moving suburbs out there... I think the fictional location was "Beechum County" and was actually filmed in Georgia but... still fun to watch.


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## Licensecart (Nov 17, 2015)

KnownHost-Jonathan said:


> That's because in those stats, "Birmingham" includes far more than Birmingham proper.  It includes some nasty suburbs/ghettos that you simply never go, never have a reason to go to, and they skew the stats bad.  Areas like Ensley, Gate City, etc. really shouldn't be counted in these stats but they're considered part of Birmingham statistically.



Sounds like some brits came to the USA called it Birmingham and carried the bad reputation we have over there, but we have stricter laws here than in the US, all Birmingham in the UK was crime and gangs.


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## ChrisM (Nov 18, 2015)

tonyg said:


> Take a trip to Huntsville, specifically the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and marvel at a real Saturn V rocket and an SR71 Blackbird.



That is next on my to-do list! 


Will probably go there either this Saturday or Sunday.


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## tonyg (Nov 18, 2015)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> That is next on my to-do list!
> 
> 
> Will probably go there either this Saturday or Sunday.



That is awesome, I haven't been there in about 8-9 years.


The last time I went, they had the Saturn V rocket standing up and you could see it from about a 1/4 mile out on the highway...an incredible sight!


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## Jonathan (Nov 18, 2015)

Licensecart said:


> Sounds like some brits came to the USA called it Birmingham and carried the bad reputation we have over there, but we have stricter laws here than in the US, all Birmingham in the UK was crime and gangs.



Birmingham, AL is definitely nothing like that.


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## Licensecart (Nov 19, 2015)

KnownHost-Jonathan said:


> Birmingham, AL is definitely nothing like that.



Ah you said some area's was "some nasty suburbs/ghettos that you simply never go"


http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-street-gangs-plan-crime-8318025


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangs_in_the_United_Kingdom#Birmingham


But you can travel around Birmingham city without any issues but there's local bits where there are gang turfs.


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## Jonathan (Nov 19, 2015)

Licensecart said:


> Ah you said some area's was "some nasty suburbs/ghettos that you simply never go"
> 
> 
> http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-street-gangs-plan-crime-8318025
> ...



We don't have "gang turf", just hood rats in some areas.  Gangs aren't really a thing around here at least not in the sense that you think of when you hear about gangs in Chicago or NYC.


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## Eric1212 (Nov 21, 2015)

More pics of the cat please.  


Congrats on the job! KH looks awesome!


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## ChrisM (Dec 1, 2015)

Eric1212 said:


> More pics of the cat please.
> 
> 
> Congrats on the job! KH looks awesome!



Thanks! Yes it is awesome! I enjoy every minute of my job. ;P


As you requested!  Here are some random cat pictures! 





Also I noticed that the Regions Center building downtown was all lit up a few days ago on my way back from work and I had to pay it a visit.


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## Hassan (Dec 2, 2015)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Its not bad I live in Fultondale, AL about 10-15 minutes from the city depending on Traffic. The only thing so far that I have found cheaper then Michigan is Fuel. Here its like a $1.80ish/Gallon and up where I was living in Michigan its about $3.20/Gallon for Fuel. The rent here isn't bad either, I am paying a bit more since this is a new development but everything included is new and top of the line so its worth it.
> 
> 
> I looked on Trip Advisor for some things to do and decided to checkout Barber Motor sports museum. I took some good pics of some cool cars and bikes below and it was pretty neat.





Gas prices down to $1.65 here in Michigan now! 


Awesome to see that this worked out for you, hope everything is going well!


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## River (Dec 2, 2015)

Hassan said:


> Gas prices down to $1.65 here in Michigan now!
> 
> 
> Awesome to see that this worked out for you, hope everything is going well!





It's around $2.20 in NH.


Congratulations! It's always nice to see people enjoying themselves; but don't get too quick complaining about nothing to do, you haven't been to New Hampshire


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## ChrisM (Dec 2, 2015)

Hassan said:


> Gas prices down to $1.65 here in Michigan now!
> 
> 
> Awesome to see that this worked out for you, hope everything is going well!



Thanks! 


Yeah i've herd it has gone down in price. Its now cheaper in Michigan then it is here from some of the pics I've seen on Facebook. Which is surprising seeing that Michigan was like nearly $2/gallon more then it was here when I first came here. 



River said:


> Congratulations! It's always nice to see people enjoying themselves; but don't get too quick complaining about nothing to do, you haven't been to New Hampshire



Thanks!


I never ever hear anything about NH so I am going to have to agree with you on this.


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## risharde (Dec 2, 2015)

Wow, nice apartment, what's the rental cost for a place like that??


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## ChrisM (Dec 3, 2015)

risharde said:


> Wow, nice apartment, what's the rental cost for a place like that??



Thanks! I pay $790/month


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## Nerdie (Dec 4, 2015)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Thanks! I pay $790/month



Good price for the area!


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## Jonathan (Dec 4, 2015)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Thanks! I pay $790/month



Wow I didn't realize you were paying that much.  Don't you have a 2BR though that's pretty large?


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## ChrisM (Dec 4, 2015)

KnownHost-Jonathan said:


> Wow I didn't realize you were paying that much.  Don't you have a 2BR though that's pretty large?



Its only a 1BR but its brand new construction and around 900 sq ft was only completed for ~ a month before I moved in.


It has about every amenity you can think of, all brand new top of the line appliances, washer/dryer hookups, multiple walk in closets, external storage also cable is included with a DVR and HBO along with water/sewage and they pay 50% of my internet and power.


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## QuadraNet.Dustin (Dec 8, 2015)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Thanks! I pay $790/month



Wow that's cheap!


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## ChrisM (Dec 10, 2015)

QuadraNet.Dustin said:


> Wow that's cheap!



Yes it is a good price for what I have. The rent in Birmingham Alabama is differently lower then other cities such as NYC or LA.


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## QuadraNet.Dustin (Dec 10, 2015)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Yes it is a good price for what I have. The rent in Birmingham Alabama is differently lower then other cities such as NYC or LA.



LA renting for example in DTLA you're looking at 2k+ for a studio


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## ChrisM (Dec 13, 2015)

QuadraNet.Dustin said:


> LA renting for example in DTLA you're looking at 2k+ for a studio



Damn thats crazy.. But I suppose the demand is there so like anything its going to be priced to coincide with demand.


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## ChrisM (Jan 13, 2016)

Snapped a cool pic of the Birmingham Skyline with the Sun Set in the background last night.


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## drmike (Jan 13, 2016)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Snapped a cool pic of the Birmingham Skyline with the Sun Set in the background last night.





Keep the photos coming 


Still enjoying yourself in Birmingham?  Enjoying the reduction of winter?


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## ChrisM (Jan 30, 2016)

drmike said:


> Still enjoying yourself in Birmingham?  Enjoying the reduction of winter?



It was close to 70 outside today has been in the 40's and raining most of the month.


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## ChrisM (Jan 30, 2016)

Officially moved into my office in the KnownHost Dungeon Friday.


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## Nick (Jan 30, 2016)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Officially moved into my office in the KnownHost Dungeon Friday.



They can't trust Chris around other people so he got his own office.


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## Hxxx (Jan 30, 2016)

KnownHost-ChrisM said:


> Officially moved into my office in the KnownHost Dungeon Friday.



Perfect perfect. See you through the helpdesk system  , if you are doing support. Are you?


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## ChrisM (Jan 30, 2016)

Hxxx said:


> Perfect perfect. See you through the helpdesk system  , if you are doing support. Are you?



I am doing both Billing/Sales and support.


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## ChrisM (Apr 8, 2016)

Officially switched my Drivers license and license plate to Alabama today.


My soon to be custom plate.


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## ChrisM (Aug 20, 2016)

Finally added some artwork to my KH-Office


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## HalfEatenPie (Aug 21, 2016)

Nice.  Good piece.  So love living in Birmingham then?


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## ChrisM (Aug 22, 2016)

HalfEatenPie said:


> Nice.  Good piece.  So love living in Birmingham then?



Eh its so and so.. Still would rather have snow then this extremely ridiculous heat.


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