Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yeah, I think the only difference with Cleveland in comparison to Pittsburgh is that the Cleveland metro is about 20% Black. If you cut the Cleveland metro in half, the eastern half, which is closer to Pittsburgh, is probably about 30-33% Black. I say that because the eastern half of the city into nearby suburbs is highly to overwhelmingly Black, with incomes that run the gamut.
I would say Birmingham overachieves on dining and nightlife, two of the things I am most familiar with about the city. Retail offerings are also impressive compared to other peer cities such as Memphis, Little Rock, and Knoxville. Where Birmingham fails for me is crime, appearance/cleanliness, city management, and the lack of population/job growth. Pittsburgh also underperforms economically as well as retail offerings, but makes up for it in education, cultural amenities, professional sports, and creativity. Pittsburgh for all of its faults is in another league compared to Birmingham. Both are located in a region well known for its poverty, however.
Things have definitely changed within the past five years or so in downtown in particular, to Birmingham's credit. But for folks who haven't been since then, I can see why they might say that.
Things have definitely changed within the past five years or so in downtown in particular, to Birmingham's credit. But for folks who haven't been since then, I can see why they might say that.
I'm talking about scenery, and I would never call Birmingham "dirty."
And of course, folks are going to argue with me like I'm not from the area.
I'm talking about scenery, and I would never call Birmingham "dirty."
And of course, folks are going to argue with me like I'm not from the area.
I don't think she was referring to scenery. If she called Birmingham "dirty" I'd disagree, but it does give off a gritty vibe which is to be expected as a former industrial city. Some people like that and some don't.
Yes and suburbs like some of the Heights(Cleveland, University, Richmond and Shaker), parts of Euclid and South Euclid and a portion of Bedford are some of the suburbs where you would find highly to predominantly Black middle class neighborhoods. I'm likely leaving out some other nearby places with such neighborhoods as well.
I don't think she was referring to scenery. If she called Birmingham "dirty" I'd disagree, but it does give off a gritty vibe which is to be expected as a former industrial city. Some people like that and some don't.
I agree, I think Birmingham is moving in a different direction in comparison to it's other Sunbelt peers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gladhands
There's a second tier of cities where you can reasonably live without an automobile. Pittsburgh is on the tier (along with Portland and Seattle). Again, I have never been to Birmingham, so I don't know anything about its mass transit, but in a lot of cities, mass transit is only for the poor and people with DUIs. In Pittsburgh, people can afford cars still use transit.
As far as airports go, where all cities have airports, not all airports are created equally. I would much rather have an international airport with more carriers and destinations. Pittsburgh doesn't have a hub, but there are a ton of routes that fly out of the city, including eight international routes (Although some are seasonal).
Pittsburgh has a lot of amenities, that you would expect to find in a larger city. Beyond the sports, it has top-notch cultural institutions like museums, Opera, symphony and ballet. It has a very large nightlife district, as well as several pockets of nightlife in other city neighborhoods, and a really hot food scene. Jen, I'm not comparing it to Birmingham, but Pittsburgh offers more than a lot of cities and its tier. Everything doesn't equal out once you get below the top 10 cities.
I consider Pittsburgh as one of the larger cities in the US, there's no mistaken that.
But Birmingham shoots well above its' weight; it has museums, nightlife, a growing food scene, and etc. One can possibly live without an automobile in the Southern Neighborhoods of Birmingham also. But yeah, as far as amenities go, people often forget that Birmingham leads a major metro area. The nightlife scene is diverse and underrated; Lakeview is growing as a nightlife district, there's a couple of bars and clubs in Five Points, a strip club and other Hispanic bars/clubs on Valley Ave, and Avondale is implementing more nightlife as well. That's without mentioning what goes on Downtown. Then you add on to that, the upscale shopping, which is also very underrated, there's many options there.
So I don't think Birmingham is in the same tier as Pittsburgh, but they're both comparable.
How is Birmingham moving in a different direction than its peers?
Most of Birmingham's peers within the Sunbelt seem to start from the ground up, brand new, and implement a sense of developing projects that complies with "new urbanism." Those core areas seem to be a bit more suburban, wider streets, modern highrise/midrise, more sterile, cleaner. Birmingham embraces its gritty culture while also doing a good job of incorporating the newer development, with the old.
Most Sunbelt cities are prioritizing on building more and more within its' core, especially when it means increasing foot traffic. Well Birmingham already has that model in place, it's only job is refurbishing those buildings and putting business within these buildings, or in other cases making them mixed-use. While also infilling nearby vacant lots or parking spaces, with much more newer development (apartments).
Example: Turning an old run down Motel in Avondale, into something that'll increase foot activity, and shed growth withing that particular area as a whole.
One thing I also noticed is that Birmingham would rather develop within its neighborhoods instead of focusing on one particular task that'll only benefit one area in the long run; the frequent adjustments are being distributed within the Central, East, South, and Western parts of the city. Keep in mind that Birmingham is a legacy city, and from one of the articles I read a few months ago, some of the key elements for revitalization are...
Rebuilding the central core
Sustaining viable neighborhoods
Repurposing vacant land for new activities
Re-establishing the central economic role of the city
Using economic growth to increase community and resident well-being
Building stronger local governance and partnerships
Building stronger ties between legacy cities and their regions
Something you don't see being applied to other Sunbelt peers.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
