What is Birmingham? (Jacksonville, Jackson, Brent: new construction, place to live, restaurant)

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by thegreat11

Couple years , I believe Birmingham will edge Nashville out especially with all these phenomenal developments around the city and metropolitan area.

Edge out Nashville? In what capacity?

You sound like someone who doesn't have a clue to what is going on in Nashville.

[stillinthesouth]

I visited Birmingham for the first time this Saturday. I liked what I saw. The Art Walk was taking place when I was in town, so I'm guessing there was more street activity than usual. People were clearly enjoying themselves on a beautiful (and hot) afternoon in late summer, and the restaurants and bars downtown were buzzing.

My impression is that Birmingham has very solid "bones." The large stock of historic buildings is impressive - I really enjoyed seeing these buildings in person. In addition to the extensive number of loft conversions under way, I noticed some cool new mid-rise apartment buildings under construction (near the railroad tracks). There's a decent amount of construction taking place, although it hasn't reached "boom town" levels.

Birmingham feels like a city that's recapturing some of its former energy after a period of neglect. In that way, along with its industrial past, it feels more like those cities further to the north such as Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Buffalo than its "new south" neighbors. Yet Birmingham does have some of that southern charm that sets it apart from those cites up north. It seems like a friendly place - when I asked for info, each person I talked to was happy to help out. Definitely seems above average in terms of friendliness.

All in all, I enjoyed my brief visit and I definitely want to spend more time in 'the Ham in the future.

I'm not sure why anyone would call it a "cesspool," unless they're referring to parts of the city I didn't see (admittedly, I only checked out a small part of the city). In terms of this poll, both "moving in the right direction" and "southern charm" are the options I would choose.

Oh, and what a pleasure not to get stuck in traffic either entering or leaving the city. Roads, both surface streets and Interstate 20, seemed to be in very good shape. All the more reason to grumble and complain when I returned to Atlanta and got stuck in stand-still traffic for an hour thanks to road construction. Ugh.

[TimCity2000]

pretty fair assessment for a first-time visit.

undoubtedly you spent most of your time downtown or in one of the adjacent south or east neighborhoods.

birmingham, like many, is a tale of two cities however. the neighborhoods west and north are not faring nearly as well, and i imagine that is where the "cesspool" vote comes from. lots of poverty and crime in these areas unfortunately.

[hemjem]

Originally Posted by steveklein

Edge out Nashville? In what capacity?

You sound like someone who doesn't have a clue to what is going on in Nashville.

Edging out Nashville is a bit unrealistic right now-if not virtually impossible at least given the clear dynamic trajectory Nashville is already on. Birmingham has some areas that have changed for the worse - like the areas around west end, like around Lomb, midfield, east lake, center point/roebuck, even around Oxmoor, Valley, Greensprings, and some parts of Homewood. Birmingham blew its true opportunity decades upon decades ago. But they made their own bed. I would never again actually live FT in that city. Never. Too many better options exist in the SE.

[hemjem]

and I voted for something else, because Birmingham's viability and future is in competition with too many other really dynamic cities in the SE and SW.

[TimCity2000]

Nashville is turning into the next Austin. Both of those cities are booming right now. Definitely don't see Birmingham on that path anytime soon, but honestly I do like where we're headed. Sustained job growth is the key component that seems to be lacking, though, and it's a big one.

Still, I don't think of Birmingham as a "cesspool", although I imagine many people who have never been here would easily come to that conclusion based on our image.

[hemjem]

Birmingham is far from a cesspool for sure, but it always has been impervious to the realities of how uncompetitive and behind its been in the recent past. Some of that false pride has changed and gone away, but it hasn't disappeared quickly enough it seems to me. Other cities in the south have just zoomed past Birmingham just like Atlanta did back in the mid to late 70s. Birmingham sat back and didn't act quickly and was mired in terrible race relations, and the city still has vestiges of this stuff, and some of the same bigots are still around, but just older, less vocal but now have children and some even have grand children who secretly harbor the identical hatred of the 60s - now they are just more measured in a conscious attempt to cloak the identical bad attitudes. In short, the built city may have changed but lots of the people haven't changed or grown 'enough'.


@TimCity - your point is spot on unfortunately...like Andre Agassi says "Image is Everything".

[shadowfaxx]

Cesspool, hands down!

[_OT]

When someone confuses competition, with cultural differences...

[bosshawk]

Originally Posted by stillinthesouth

I visited Birmingham for the first time this Saturday. I liked what I saw. The Art Walk was taking place when I was in town, so I'm guessing there was more street activity than usual. People were clearly enjoying themselves on a beautiful (and hot) afternoon in late summer, and the restaurants and bars downtown were buzzing.

My impression is that Birmingham has very solid "bones." The large stock of historic buildings is impressive - I really enjoyed seeing these buildings in person. In addition to the extensive number of loft conversions under way, I noticed some cool new mid-rise apartment buildings under construction (near the railroad tracks). There's a decent amount of construction taking place, although it hasn't reached "boom town" levels.

Birmingham feels like a city that's recapturing some of its former energy after a period of neglect. In that way, along with its industrial past, it feels more like those cities further to the north such as Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Buffalo than its "new south" neighbors. Yet Birmingham does have some of that southern charm that sets it apart from those cites up north. It seems like a friendly place - when I asked for info, each person I talked to was happy to help out. Definitely seems above average in terms of friendliness.

All in all, I enjoyed my brief visit and I definitely want to spend more time in 'the Ham in the future.

I'm not sure why anyone would call it a "cesspool," unless they're referring to parts of the city I didn't see (admittedly, I only checked out a small part of the city). In terms of this poll, both "moving in the right direction" and "southern charm" are the options I would choose.

Oh, and what a pleasure not to get stuck in traffic either entering or leaving the city. Roads, both surface streets and Interstate 20, seemed to be in very good shape. All the more reason to grumble and complain when I returned to Atlanta and got stuck in stand-still traffic for an hour thanks to road construction. Ugh.

Those who would call it a cesspool do not even live in the city, and harbor severe personal insecurities that cause them to wish ill will upon a city they don't even live in. Glad you had a good time.