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“Can all the Hoover apartments be flattened and turned into nature preserves or something? Odd how they didn’t mention any details about the shooter. Well, I guess that tells you everything to know about what they look like.”
This greeted me when I opened the Facebook app on my phone one morning. If you follow Hoover news (like the apartment shooting the comment above references), local Facebook pages or the 2025 election, you’ve heard a drumbeat of anti-apartment comments.
Sadly, these discussions don’t just live on social media. I’ve heard other parents of school-aged children talk about “apartment kids” as though they themselves decided to move to an apartment, rather than being a child of the circumstances in which they were born and raised.
“Apartment kids” are referred to as outsiders, other, less than. Yes, they may be more transitory, but that could also be a positive. New students from other places bring new cultures into your schools. They are new friends, new teammates, and they demonstrate resilience and grit in the face of change and challenge.
Apartments are just buildings that provide housing. Inside those buildings are families, individuals, elderly people, young people. When people whine and moan about getting rid of apartments, are they actually talking about getting rid of people who live there?
I’ve lived in a couple of different apartments. They are small spaces with lots of people living in close proximity. You likely hear your neighbors above you and next to you. They are tight-knit communities with food truck visits, dog parks, pools and multiple generations or portions of families in the same complex.
Apartments offer two advantages for their residents; they don’t require long-term planning or leases, and you don’t have to take out a loan to live there. Apartments are necessary for lower- to middle-income families and individuals.
The folks who decry apartment buildings (and thus, humans who live in apartments) do not want a Hoover that includes families and individuals who can’t afford or logistically function within the confines of purchasing a home. That reminds me of Mountain Brook — elite, expensive and out of reach for many families. Their community is packed full of houses and stores with very little mobility or flexibility for housing, and no room for new housing.
But all the people I talk to in Hoover moved to Hoover because we aren’t elite, we have a place for everyone, and everyone is welcome. Also, just imagine what property taxes are like in Mountain Brook. And no buses for schools! No, thank you.
When I think of ensuring my neighbors who live in apartments feel welcomed and supported in Hoover, I think about all of us who are raising families here in Hoover. Most families I know plan to stay in Hoover kindergarten through 12th grade. During these 13 years, all families go through changes and challenges. Parents are often establishing their careers; some are also taking care of their parents. Families experience tragedy and challenge; we know one family whose house was struck by lightning – twice.
Families go through divorce and can no longer afford two houses. Other families need a place to stay while they build a home or decide where they want to settle in Hoover after a move from another city or state.
Apartments allow families and individuals to enter the Hoover community on terms that work for them. For some, this allows them to move toward home ownership. For others, they provide a safety net during change or flexibility for families shifting from living in a home to living in an apartment complex.
I know there are other reasons people in Hoover don’t want apartments/people who live in apartments. Let’s look at the second half of the social media response in the opening of this opinion piece. The writer brings up what the shooter looked like.
I would challenge the comment’s writer and anyone reading to give serious consideration to exactly what those words meant. Were they insinuating something about the shooter’s race? Their age? Their socioeconomic status?
Hoover is a diverse city, and we are better for that. In trying to get rid of apartments, Hoover citizens are also trying to get rid of people of lower socioeconomic status, and in all reality, likely families and students of color. And if that’s the motivation, the statements are not just elitist and classist; they are also racist.
If you want to live in a community that only has houses, students and neighbors of your own socioeconomic status, it may be time for you to find another city. Hoover is beautiful, strong and continually improving precisely because of families and individuals who live in apartments. Hoover should be a city where everyone can find their place, no matter their current income or life circumstance.
Sara McDaniel
Hoover
