Article about Bessemer, Al.

[Historic Bessemer]

mmmmmmmmm, Stadium Grill is alive and kickin. Alot of the old downtown buildings are being re - done. Alot of the historic homes are being re-done also. Do you remember Reds barber shop? It's in my family!

[Criss1956]

I remember Red's Stop and Go on Eastern Valley Rd. I forget which Barber shop I went to.
I wish I had the recipe for the hamburger sauce that stadium grill uses.
The old man was wanting to sell the Stadium Grill back in about 1986 and offered it for $10K. I kinda wish I would have bought it but I can't see myself ever living in Alabama again. Actually, we are wanting to move to North GA.
This FL heat and humidity is getting to be too much. Besides, when you live on the beach, about all there is to do is go to the beach - although PCB is really growing.

[Historic Bessemer]

The stop and go is no more.............they are building a Target and a massive shopping center on the Mcadory exit................

[urbups]

Originally Posted by daki

What a coincidence! I was looking at another house very close to that one (on 5th terrace) and I got the same "ify" feeling about the area, even though I felt the house was fine. I thought maybe I was being too picky/critical

This is a great exchange. I live in historic Norwood in Birmingham, but have a particular love for the historic neighborhoods throughout the city such as downtown Bessemer, College Hills-Smithfield, downtown Fairfield, central park in Ensley as well as neighborhoods that have gone yuppie already such as Crestwood and downtown Homewood.

Here's something that people must understand and be willing to take advantage of: a neighborhood "feeling" or "looking" "iffy" is an investment opportunity that can potentially mean living cheap now and then benefiting from the neighborhood upgrades later. If you're genuinely interested in living in a certain area and it looks iffy or in transition then that's the beginning point to start research about what actual crime stats and what neighbor experiences are like. Once it's obvious that that turn has been made in a neighborhood then you're going to pay a premium for it AND still not be totally safe anyway. Recently I've been hearing about more incidents of people's homes getting broken into coming from Homewood, Bluff Park and the Southside than I do in my supposedly "bad" neighborhood.

[Historic Bessemer]

Originally Posted by urbups

Recently I've been hearing about more incidents of people's homes getting broken into coming from Homewood, Bluff Park and the Southside than I do in my supposedly "bad" neighborhood.

I moved from an apartment in Homewood and my apt. was broken into twice in a year.....likewise, a co-worker moved to the same complex and her car has been broken into twice............since living in Bessemer...............no burgleries and no vehicle theft or vandalism. It's all about who your neighbors are!

[Monyua]

Good Morning. I just wanted to comment to your statements about the Bessemer area. Yes, its really sad that Bessemer is known for the crime. I don't fault the city, I blame the leaders who ruin the city, In which includes Mayor on down to the council man/ council women. These are the people that we place in office and when they are in office they forget the real purpose as to why they were running for the position and elected. I couldn't agree with you more on the Bessemer School system"it Awful". I have children that are in the Bessemer City School system and I'm disgusted by the way it look and the education that is provided for our children. If we were to compare the Bessemer City School to other school like Hoover, Homewood, Mt Brook and others that are in what they call the High class, we would be able to tell or figure out that it a problem. I have a question for the Mayor, Are not our children of worth? Why can't we have clean bathroom, groomed lawns, computers for each students and so on and so forth. I think that our Mayor and City personell needs to step up their game and provide for our children and not their pockets. I love the City of Bessemer but there is alot of improvement that needs and has to be done.