Exhausting Weather
Climate control is essential in Birmingham. While winters are relatively mild, averaging about 54 degrees during the day and 34 during the night at the coldest time of year,
Summers are hot and humid. In fact, Birmingham is among the most humid cities in the U.S. That sort of weather isn’t just hard on people and their pets, but on our possessions, too. Over time, leaving your things in a facility without climate control is like keeping them in a steamy bathroom. Moisture in the air can cause serious damage to fabrics, books, musical instruments, and more.
If you’ll be loading and unloading your belongings during the hot, humid months, ask different facilities if they have measures to help customers deal with the weather, such as indoor loading areas.
Get The Best Security Possible
It’s a sad fact that the crime rate in Birmingham is much higher than elsewhere in the country. In fact, The National Crime Index rates cities from 1 to 100, with 1 being the least safe, and 100 the most.
Birmingham’s rank is an 1. To put it colloquially, crime in Birmingham is bad.
Naturally, then, you should look for facilities with top security. Our article on
storage security systems contains our recommendations for self-storage facility security and is a good guide to help you recognize great security when you see it.
Population Drop
While most areas continue to grow, their populations increasing year by year, Birmingham’s is dropping. In 1990 the main city’s population, not counting the greater metro area, was 265,000, and in 2013, it was 212,000. However, the greater Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan population has been growing. This could mean that self-storage prices will get lower as the core population continues to move away.
Major Events
Events like sports games or festivals affect traffic, which in turn can affect your drive to and from your self-storage unit. In Birmingham, these events include the
Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival and the
Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival, which both take place in late August, the
Sloss Fright Furnace haunted house around Halloween, and the
Moseley Folk Festival in September, to name just a few.
These events draw crowds of thousands. Be aware of where they take place and when they take place. They will likely cause an increase in traffic in the immediate area and along any path taken to get to the event in question. If you need to get to your self-storage, try to go when these events are not taking place.
