See how Bham Now readers are finding love in The Magic City
Reading time: 3 minutes
Ever been curious what dating in Birmingham, Alabama is like for Bham Now readers? I was too, so we polled our newsletter and Instagram audiences. Keep reading for stories of how Bham Now readers are meeting their partners, plus find out the most popular ways people are meeting significant others in Birmingham.
We asked, you answered—here’s how Bham Now readers met their significant others in Birmingham
On the bus
Local Birminghamian James Clark met his partner at an unlikely spot—the bus! While living on Highland Avenue and working downtown, he took the bus to his office. Meanwhile, his future husband—who is legally blind—chose mass transit. After they met on their morning and afternoon commutes, they started to go on dates. After a year together, they moved in together and bought a home in Norwood.
“So, you could say love and riding the bus helped build our home.”
James Clark
In class
One of my favorite responses was, unsurprisingly, my own mom. She and my dad met while pursuing their MBAs at Samford University.
“Your dad and I met in an MBA class at Samford University in the early 90s. No “meet-cute”. No set-up. No cell phones. No internet.
Just Bham Magic I guess!”
Laurie Wood
On dating apps
Whether you go for Hinge, Bumble, Tinder or even a locally-founded dating app like Set Me Up, it’s clear that meeting online is a popular choice. According to Sensor Tower, active users of Tinder, Hinge and Bumble collectively grew 17% in January 2022 when compared to January 2019.
Bham Now reader Natalie Bennie even met her now fiancée on Hinge after moving to Birmingham in 2020!
“My first day on Hinge, I met a girl named Kayce. I remember seeing her profile and drafting about a dozen messages to her before I worked up the courage to say anything. After a few days of talking, we had our first date in very Birmingham fashion—drinking TrimTab beer and spending time in Rushton Park before going to Rojo. Two weeks ago, Kayce proposed in the same spot we had our first date, and we are so excited to be planning a Birmingham wedding!”
Natalie Bennie
A few other top contenders: chance meetings at the Magic City Classic and workplace romances.
Most of our audience are meeting their partners on dating apps or at school or work
Of course, we wanted to get the scoop on how our Instagram followers are meeting their significant others. We received 126 answers on our Instagram poll (not including the 95 people who answered because they were curious). To be honest, I was expecting dating apps to take the lead, but—to my surprise—our results were tied between people meeting online/on dating apps and at school and work.
PS: Need help finding ideal spots for dating in Birmingham, Alabama? We’ve got ya covered.
- Hit up one of Birmingham’s fantastic breweries.
- Don’t want to break the bank? Try one of these local spots with cheap eats.
- Enjoy a drink with a view on one of Birmingham’s rooftop bars.
We want to know your stories of dating in Birmingham, Alabama. Tag @BhamNow on social!
