Why do people put down Birmingham, AL? (Bessemer, Prattville: metro, areas)

[RunDMC]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

If one travels through town without seeing what the city is about then I would assume that their goal was simply to pass through. I did this recently on my way to the Carolinas and I would point out that there is nothing on the length of I-20 in Atlanta that would make me think it has nice suburbs on the north side, or even that I would want to get off of the freeway. One's perception is dependent on educating one's self on the places through which they travel.
The interstate system is a very poor way to see America's cities. I usually like to get some feel of where I am along the way of a road trip. I make a point of looking over a map. (if one looks at a map of Birmingham, just briefly, they would find the majority of the urbanized area is south of Red Mountain. So, it is up to individuals to determine what they know of a place and if they don't make that small effort it seems ludicrous to go to the effort of critiquing the city that they have not even bothered to check on a map.


To close my view on the above comments; I would say that many people have skewed concepts of what makes a prosperous and appealing city in which to live. Many seem to need sixty story bldgs., or twenty Targets instead of just ten, or forty Home Depots instead of fifteen. Four different pro sports teams.
I would say if one passes through a city and makes no effort to find out what is there then you just have no true interest, so why comment. If one does decide to find out what a place is about then they will get off the freeways and find the local 'haunts'. Great restaurants , unique shops, some of the most gorgeous scenery from areas like Bluff Park and Oak Mountain, (on high) to the lower areas of the beautiful creek beds of Mountain Brook.




PS to the person who thinks that people here hate the Downtown area; you have exposed a great lack of knowledge about the city. 2013 will be remembered as the year that plans turned to reality. The community has never been more united behind our love of the historic character of our CBD and its evolution as a place to live and work and come together as neighbors.

I personall had a positive reactoin to B'ham via the interstate coming from Atlanta on I-20 and then 459.

I know people who used to live in B'ham who said the downtown wasn't that great. I visited UAB about 11 years ago and I thought the Five Points area (i think this is the name of it) was pretty nice.

[NorthDeKalb]

Originally Posted by RunDMC

I personall had a positive reactoin to B'ham via the interstate coming from Atlanta on I-20 and then 459.

That's why.

[RunDMC]

Originally Posted by Aficionado

That's why.

well I eventually rode down the other interstates, nothing stood out to me, it wasn't any worse than along I-26 as you enter Charleston SC. Every city has some rough areas.

[NorthDeKalb]

Originally Posted by RunDMC

well I eventually rode down the other interstates, nothing stood out to me, it wasn't any worse than along I-26 as you enter Charleston SC. Every city has some rough areas.

Well if you approached Birmingham via 20 westbound then merged onto 459, the only thing you initially saw was Leeds Moody, which is nice, updated suburban McMansionish housing. A far cry from Norwood, Druid Hills, Fountain Heights etc. that you would've encountered had you kept straight.

I just passed through Birmingham FRIDAY, and I can tell you first hand (particularly now while the trees are mostly leafless) that the neighborhoods along 20/59 from Bessemer, all the way to around Oporto Madrid need some serious gentrification. Unless things have changed in the last two days, one can safely conclude that it still needs work, or at least hide it!

For those who may question my sincerity, they've planted some new, very small pines on the left just past downtown. That's a nice start BTW.

[RunDMC]

Originally Posted by Aficionado

Well if you approached Birmingham via 20 westbound then merged onto 459, the only thing you initially saw was Leeds Moody, which is nice, updated suburban McMansionish housing. A far cry from Norwood, Druid Hills, Fountain Heights etc. that you would've encountered had you kept straight.

I just passed through Birmingham FRIDAY, and I can tell you first hand (particularly now while the trees are mostly leafless) that the neighborhoods along 20/59 from Bessemer, all the way to around Oporto Madrid need some serious gentrification. Unless things have changed in the last two days, one can safely conclude that it still needs work, or at least hide it!

For those who may question my sincerity, they've planted some new, very small pines on the left just past downtown. That's a nice start BTW.

Well those walls along the interstate in Atlanta don't make it more appealing to me. lol

I always found Birmingham kind of confusing b/c you hvae all these interstates intersecting each other.

[NorthDeKalb]

Originally Posted by RunDMC

Well those walls along the interstate in Atlanta don't make it more appealing to me. lol

I personally think they provide a cleaner look. The ones around Nashville are much nicer than the ones here, but aside from curb appeal, 20-59 needs them to conceal ghettos more than anything else.

Even Baton Rouge, LA has them, but Birmingham really needs them. Forestry, sound barriers, whatever the case may be, but 20/59 needs something in place until they get that stretch together.

I always found Birmingham kind of confusing b/c you hvae all these interstates intersecting each other.

Maybe to someone who isn't thoroughly familiar, but I lived in the Birmingham area for about 14 years, so I know it backwards and forward.

[NorthDeKalb]

Originally Posted by RunDMC

Well those walls along the interstate in Atlanta don't make it more appealing to me. lol

I personally think they provide a cleaner look. The ones around Nashville are much nicer than the ones here, but aside from curb appeal, 20-59 needs them to conceal ghettos more than anything else.

Even Baton Rouge, LA has them, but Birmingham really needs them. Forestry, sound barriers, whatever the case may be, but 20/59 needs something in place until they get that stretch together.

I always found Birmingham kind of confusing b/c you hvae all these interstates intersecting each other.

Maybe to someone who isn't thoroughly familiar, but I lived in the Birmingham area for about 14 years, so I know it backwards and forward.

[RunDMC]

Originally Posted by Aficionado

I personally think they provide a cleaner look. The ones around Nashville are much nicer than the ones here, but aside from curb appeal, 20-59 needs them to conceal ghettos more than anything else.

Even Baton Rouge, LA has them, but Birmingham really needs them. Forestry, sound barriers, whatever the case may be, but 20/59 needs something in place until they get that stretch together.



Maybe to someone who isn't thoroughly familiar, but I lived in the Birmingham area for about 14 years, so I know it backwards and forward.

Well I think they have some of those walls along the interstate in virginia near the exit for Virginia Tech so it is odd they wouldn't have them in more urban areas like B'ham.

I've been to B'ham at least 6 times but I always get turned around there for some reason.

[RunDMC]

Originally Posted by marywinston

Birmingham goes well beyond just "rough areas". Me ? born native - VH ! generations okay ? my opinion based on knowledge and experience is the following : if you truly believe that Birmingham Alabama has truly turned any corner of significance you are crazier than hell. It's Birmingham ! for those who have been around for more than 10 years, we know. Some people want to make it something it's not, and that's fine because it probably suits your purposes of why you still live in Birmingham or why you intentionally moved to Birmingham in the first place. Let people believe what they wish, perhaps some good can come from it. I for one, can not be fooled

I would say Birmingham surburbs are nicer than most other cities I been too.

You ever seen the bad areas of Charleston? Doesn't get more ghetto.

[Tourian]

I cant really give much credence to some one who bases their judgment of a city.by what they saw driving through on the interstate. But I might need to hear from some people who had connecting flights and never got off the plane to be sure.

the city is on a positive track and people from the area have a reason to be proud of it and talk postively about it to others when out and about. And thats all that matters.

Trolls gonna troll.