Why is downtown so run down? (Birmingham, Mobile: low income, appointed, apartments)

[par4him]

I visited bimingham because i may take a job there in august not so long ago and my first impressions when I arrived in Hoover was WOW! I thought i was going to fall in love with the area. Then the next day I went downtown expecing to find a vibrant urban center similar to Greenville S.C. or Chattanooga T.N. To my suprise it was run down. What happened? why is downtown not revitilizing like Greenville or chattanooga which by the way are much SMALLER cities. Also is there any great night life here. I thought Downtown would be the place to go. What is holding the city center back? Is the crime bad here? what are the pros and cons of living in Birmingham? What is the reception of a black wife and white husband in Birmingham or Hoover. which is the better place to live? Does Birmingham have a minor league hockey team, baseball or a good amount of sporting events here? Does good concerts come to Birmingham or do I have to drive to Atlanta?

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by par4him

I visited bimingham because i may take a job there in august not so long ago and my first impressions when I arrived in Hoover was WOW! I thought i was going to fall in love with the area. Then the next day I went downtown expecing to find a vibrant urban center similar to Greenville S.C. or Chattanooga T.N. To my suprise it was run down. What happened? why is downtown not revitilizing like Greenville or chattanooga which by the way are much SMALLER cities. Also is there any great night life here. I thought Downtown would be the place to go. What is holding the city center back? Is the crime bad here? what are the pros and cons of living in Birmingham? What is the reception of a black wife and white husband in Birmingham or Hoover. which is the better place to live? Does Birmingham have a minor league hockey team, baseball or a good amount of sporting events here? Does good concerts come to Birmingham or do I have to drive to Atlanta?

Think of it as a work in progress, namely because the downtown area is probably a good five-ten years behind Greenville and Chattanooga (both really good examples of urban planning done well). However, the picture is changing rapidly, due to the large inflow of loft apartments/condominiums being developed and a budding nightclub scene.

Birmingham's downtown really suffered badly during the 70s through a combination of bad civic planning (the central shopping district was totally ruined by an ill-advised makeover and never recovered) and white flight. However, the downtown area has seen a surge in occupancy, and a lot more is going on.

As far as being a mixed race couple, Birmingham's Southside/Forest Park area is a very good place to be. Hoover is also a good place. It's no longer the 50s and 60s, so you shouldn't have any challenges.

Musically, there are a lot of acts that come to town, as well as music festivals. Plenty of clubs with live music and really great musicians (former studio musician here, so I think I'm a good judge). Jazz, alternative, rock, classical do well here. I'm sure C&W does, too, but I can't stand that stuff.

That being said, the really great clubs are in the Five Points/Lakeview/Pepper Place districts. And there are quite a few. The best thing to do is pick up a Black & White (it's a free alternative pub that you'll find all over town) and check out the acts yourself. What's more, my wife and I (we're both foodies from Chicago) have been amazed at the quality of restaurants around here. We and a group of friends formed a supper club where the only rule was that the restaurant had to be locally-owned. Three years later, we still haven't eaten at a sub-par restaurant.

We have minor league baseball and arena football. We had hockey for a while. UAB has a good college basketball team. However, college football is really the big draw here. Do yourself a favor and pick Auburn or Alabama, whatever your allegiances might be. Things are really that partisan here, a 365-day avocation. Actually, it's kind of fun if you get into it.

Crime is not bad at all downtown and the areas I mentioned. However, there are two notable bad parts of town, West End and North Birmingham, where gangs have nothing better to do than shoot each other up. What a waste.

Overall, B'ham is a great place to live and raise a family, with plenty of things to do. Having

[drfranklin]

I have a deep fondness for Birmingham (and Alabama as well) - lived there for several years (from 97-03). I still have immediate family in Vestavia and visit occasionally. Made a recent visit to downtown B'ham for a baptism and noticed just how "dead" everything was.

Several months ago, my family and I moved from Chattanooga to Greenville, SC. Both cities are outstanding examples of downtown revitalization. Last Sunday, we drove into downtown Greenville for some walking/sight-seeing. I haven't been in two years and was amazed to see the continued growth - there were people everywhere. The suspension bridge and large waterfall (natural) were gorgeous. I might even call this place "touristy". (See: Greenville's Downtown (http://www.greatergreenville.com/development/dtn_map.asp - broken link), Falls Park, Greenville, SC)

I hope Larry Langford can jump start some sort of re-vitalization for the downtown B'ham area.

[Southlander]

Huntsville, 100 miles north of Birmingham, has minor league AND collegiate hockey.

[san phlegmatico]

Think of it as a work in progress, namely because the downtown area is probably a good five-ten years behind Greenville and Chattanooga

Keep holding your breath.

Those of us who understand how Birmingham operates (the metro at-large, not the city per se) are not surprised that the likes of Greenville, SC and Chattanooga are miles ahead of B'ham. It's by design, I tell you, that B'ham has been "left to the blacks -- to rot." (I quote directly from a Mountain Brook power player with whom I spoke in recent years.)

And here's another gem from the same power broker: "Birmingham is a great place to live. It's not a great place to visit and there isn't much to 'do' -- let's keep it that way. Keep the riff-raff [read: non-southerners and blacks] and transients out. It's easier to do business with people you know and trust. We don't want to be like Atlanta. We don't want to be urban... Keep it down home cuz."

You insist on believing that it's impossible for an old guard to wield such power, to confound urban revitalization plans of a mid-sized city --

Look at Greenville! Look at Chattanooga! Look at Memphis! Everybody can do it, therefore we can too!

You are guilty of both wishful thinking and inductive argument fallacy.

combination of bad civic planning (the central shopping district was totally ruined by an ill-advised makeover and never recovered) and white flight

It wasn't by accident. The power brokers were diabolically ingenious when they hatched and then acted upon their scheme to sabotage retail, deter tourism, and consolidate a population of ignorant and disenfranchised blacks into the city vacuum created by white flight from B'ham's inner-most concentric circles.

What is holding the city center back?

The power brokers Over the Mountain -- especially in Mountain Brook -- make it a 365 day avocation to leverage the full brunt of their weight towards steering money away from downtown. They make clandestine deals that keep outside money from going down there. They wage effective word-of-mouth campaigns dissuading people form patronizing the city or moving down. They're not above arm-twisting, either.

That's it, in a nutshell. If you want to learn more, use the search function. You will find reams of good information authored by me on this subject. Someday you can read a voluminous expose, also authored by moi, illuminating this subject in gory detail.

Note to cpg: God bless you for embracing your adopted hometown and for assimilating. I suppose if you must be in a place, it's best to like it. But you have bought the B'ham line hook-to-sinker with regards to progress and revitalization. You hear what you want to hear; you discredit what you don't want to hear. Or you shoot the messenger. You want so badly to see B'ham move progressively along the path to modernity. Why can't you be happy to reside in suburban Walhalla and be done with it? I don't quite understand. If you hunger for city life, move somewhere else. 'Cause it just ain't gon' happen hyah. Take it to the bank -- any of those banks downtown. That'll be one of the compelling reasons to go downtown, after all.

It occurs to me I'm beginning to pity you. You drank the Kool-aid; I've tried to take you to the hospital (the other compelling reason) for a stomach pump; but, you simply refuse help. What can I do? You can lead a horse to water...

One would think that fifteen years is enough to get hip to the B'ham mentality. As it stands, you're still quite the naif. You won't be the first carpetbagger to come down here and get foiled by B'ham's particular brand of southern reactionism and "wait 'til tomorrow" rhetoric. You've underestimated the aw-shucks, good-ole-boys' abilities to conspire and execute their master plans. Believe me, I understand how they might appear to you so innocuous, so bumbling... And I probably wouldn't understand it either, were it not for my personal experience on the inside. But alas, you shall see -- one day.

-- SP II

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by san phlegmatico

Keep holding your breath.

Those of us who understand how Birmingham operates (the metro at-large, not the city per se) are not surprised that the likes of Greenville, SC and Chattanooga are miles ahead of B'ham. It's by design, I tell you, that B'ham has been "left to the blacks -- to rot." (I quote directly from a Mountain Brook power player with whom I spoke in recent years.)

And here's another gem from the same power broker: "Birmingham is a great place to live. It's not a great place to visit and there isn't much to 'do' -- let's keep it that way. Keep the riff-raff [read: non-southerners and blacks] and transients out. It's easier to do business with people you know and trust. We don't want to be like Atlanta. We don't want to be urban... Keep it down home cuz."

You insist on believing that it's impossible for an old guard to wield such power, to confound urban revitalization plans of a mid-sized city --

Look at Greenville! Look at Chattanooga! Look at Memphis! Everybody can do it, therefore we can too!

You are guilty of both wishful thinking and inductive argument fallacy.



It wasn't by accident. The power brokers were diabolically ingenious when they hatched and then acted upon their scheme to sabotage retail, deter tourism, and consolidate a population of ignorant and disenfranchised blacks into the city vacuum created by white flight from B'ham's inner-most concentric circles.



The power brokers Over the Mountain -- especially in Mountain Brook -- make it a 365 day avocation to leverage the full brunt of their weight towards steering money away from downtown. They make clandestine deals that keep outside money from going down there. They wage effective word-of-mouth campaigns dissuading people form patronizing the city or moving down. They're not above arm-twisting, either.

That's it, in a nutshell. If you want to learn more, use the search function. You will find reams of good information authored by me on this subject. Someday you can read a voluminous expose, also authored by moi, illuminating this subject in gory detail.

OK San - I am calling out your ignorant butt right here - Get ready boy.

Here some information from the website of the Greater Birmingham Foundation - ever heard of it? Who runs it San? Tell me now....go on.

Here are the grants for Spring 2007

Grants from Spring Cycle (June 2007)
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham awards grants twice a year from its Community Funds, the discretionary grantmaking funds dedicated to meeting the community's most pressing needs. The following grants are from Community Funds, with additional support from Donor Advised Funds. Organizations that received their first grant from Community Funds in this grant cycle are noted with an asterisk.
3 Parks Project, $1 million over four years as a lead gift in a public-private partnership to support the creation of Railroad Reservation Park and Red Mountain Park and the expansion of Ruffner Mountain Nature Center.
Alabama Poverty Project, $7,000 to support the Faith Initiative in informing and encouraging involvement from Alabama faith leaders in seeking solutions to poverty in our state.
Alabama Public Television, $40,000 for the Ready to Read in Literacy Project to help children in 10 pre-K programs in the Birmingham City District build strong language and reading readiness skills, plus a family literacy component.
Alabama Rivers Alliance, $15,000 (DAF only) to support the Alabama Water Agenda, a proactive policy campaign that aims to achieve four aspects of healthy water in the Birmingham area and statewide with Alliance4 partners, the Cahaba River Society and Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
Assistance League of Birmingham, $22,000 for Operation School Bell in adding a shoe voucher program and increasing the amount of new clothing for school and the number of children served in grades K-6.
Autism Society of Alabama, $5,000 (DAF only) for Adventures in Autism, a therapeutic recreational program which promotes networking and family and peer support for families affected by autism.
*Bare Hands Gallery, $2,000 to support the Day of the Dead Festival and increase cultural understanding between the Hispanic and non-Hispanic communities. Better Basics, $30,000 ($500 DAF) to help first and second graders who struggle to read at grade level through reading curriculum taught by certified teachers and trained volunteers. Birmingham Artwalk, $4,000 to hire additional performers at the upcoming sixth annual festival in downtown Birmingham as it expands to accommodate growing crowds.
*Birmingham Change Fund, $30,000 in matching funds over two yearsto help this giving circle establish a way to share knowledge about organized philanthropy with Birmingham's African American communities and encourage more individual investment in collective resources that to make a positive impact locally.
Birmingham Pledge Foundation, $3,500 toward a strategic planning process, update of teachers guide and pledge kit and purchase of new computers.
*Birmingham-Jefferson History Museum, $1,000 to hire a consultant to analyze status and governance, provide training to board members and staff, recommend improvements and begin to develop a strategic plan.
Birmingham-Southern College, $140,000 over three years to support an Urban Environmental Studies major course of study that will train students in natural sciences, society and policy and environmental education.
Boy Scouts of America-Greater AL Council, $20,000 to support the Soccer and Scouting program to help Hispanic youth in Birmingham learn values, American culture and reach their full potential.
Cahaba River Society, $46,000 (DAF only) to support innovative growth solutions by encouraging developers and local governments to adopt improved design standards for development along the Cahaba watershed.
Cawaco Resource Conservation and Development Council, $20,000 ($10,000 DAF) to assess conditions in Newfound Creek in west Jefferson County, determine costs for restoration and provide information to state and federal funding sources.
Children's Dance Foundation, $10,000 to support community partnership serving young and old with physical, mental or emotional challenges, and to support elementary school performances that that teaches math concepts.
Children's Policy Cooperative of Jefferson County, $50,000 over two years for program/administrative assistant who schedules meetings, maintains the database and supervises volunteers and others.
*Community Health Charities of Alabama, $10,000 toward campaign manager position, which will include work to expand giving campaigns, promote member agencies and work with lawmakers to effect policy change.
Cornerstone Schools of Alabama, $30,000 ($1,000 DAF) to support the Institute for Early Learning, which provides a positive learning experience for at-risk, pre-schoolers from Woodlawn, Gate City and East Lake and training for their parents or caregivers.
Crisis Center, $15,000 toward part-time suicide prevention program coordinator to organize suicide prevention activities and maintain records and data for director and board.
*Downtown Redevelopment Authority of the City of Bessemer, $60,000 toward a capital campaign to renovate and re-use a historic downtown property as affordable work space for local artists and craftspeople and foster a network to collaborate and promote their work.
Family Court of Jefferson County, $18,000 to support a coordinator position to expand Teen Court programs for first-time non-violent juvenile offenders in Bessemer Family Court.
*Family Guidance Center of Alabama, $5,500, to support the Center for Families in Jefferson County by buying new computers and software to develop job readiness and workplace skills.First Light, $25,000 ($100 DAF) to serve as lead agency in collaboration with Pathways and Jefferson County Housing Authority to reduce the number of women returning to homelessness by offering direct referral vouchers and intensive case management services for women entering the Shelter+Care program.
Full Life Ahead Foundation, $17,000 to support the Planning Process Project, which coaches individuals with disabilities and their families on how to set goals for the future, plan careers and find employment.
Girls, Inc of Central Alabama, $20,000 ($5,000 DAF) to support the program coordinator position for work in preventing pregnancy among girls ages 10-18 and training contract educators to serve the five-county area.
Greater Birmingham Mathematics Partnership, $30,000 ($5,000 DAF) to supplement a grant from the National Science Foundation for middle and high school teachers so that 30 K-4 teachers from Bessemer, Fairfield, Homewood, Hoover, Jefferson County, Mountain Brook, Shelby County, Trussville City, and Vestavia City schools can take summer courses and participate in the grade-level sessions during the school year.
Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, $8,000 to support hiring a part-time teacher of English as a Second Language to expand intensive ESL classes for beginners and help to eliminate a waiting list for participants.
Holy Family High School, $45,000 to purchase and operate a 14-passenger bus to transport the school's 200 Cristo Rey students who are involved in Corporate Work Study Program jobs*Inverness Vineyard Christian Fellowship, $6,500, toward start-up costs of the Fostering Helps! Program which provides emergency assistance bags for children, bimonthly support groups and quarterly training opportunities for foster parents, and mentoring relationships for novice foster families. J.C.C.E.O./HeadStart, $20,000 ($15,000 DAF) to promote nutrition and fitness for young children in childcare facilities, targeting childcare providers in 749 programs across the five-county area.
*Jefferson County Library Cooperative, $20,000 for the Born to Read Project, introducing each mother and newborn in Jefferson County hospitals to resources at their local public library.
Junior League of Birmingham, $35,000 ($1,000 DAF) over two years to support the All Aboard! Read with Me! Imagination Library Initiative, which mails a book every month to Jefferson County children up to age 5.
Lakeshore Foundation, $15,000 ($500 DAF) to support the All Kids Active Initiative, training teachers and providing resources for students with physical disabilities in Shelby County, including individual education plans and adapted equipment such as sports wheelchairs.
Lakeside Hospice, $8,000 to refurbish and equip the Grief Room, used for group counseling, grief support teacher training, grief training, teen grief seminars and other workshops and meetings in St. Clair County.
*Laps for CF Foundation, $10,000 to hire a development officer who will establish a network between the 400 Alabama families facing the challenges of cystic fibrosis and the fundraising and awareness efforts of the organization.
Liz Moore Low Vision Center, $7,000 to fund support groups that provide access to educational programming, transportation, equipment and social activities for people who share similar needs.
Metropolitan Arts Center/Virginia Samford Theatre, $5,000 to commission a new staging of a 1927 classic musical “Show Boat" in honor of the theatre's 80th anniversary.
McWane Science Center, $90,000 ($7,000 DAF) over two years toward planning and design for the Smart Café, creating a place that offers healthier food choices as well as an enjoyable and educational exhibit.
Music Opportunity Program Foundation, $10,000 toward the String Academy instruction program for some 300 beginning violin, viola, cello, and bass players in third through fifth grades at seven Birmingham City Schools, 10 Jefferson County Schools and six after-school locations.
Neighborhood Network, $15,000 toward renovation of a house at the McCoy Center, in order to increase capacity and effectiveness of services to low-to-moderate income families in the Smithfield community and western Birmingham.
N.E. Miles Jewish Day School, $7,000 toward hiring a learning specialist for the Student Support Service program for students with special needs.
Oak Mountain Missions Ministries, $17,500 to support serve individuals in Jefferson and Shelby counties through distribution of food, furniture and financial assistance.
Outreach Incorporated, $22,000 ($500 DAF) to support the home repair program serving elderly people in the inner city.
Planned Parenthood of Alabama, $11.750 ($500 DAF) to hire a reproductive health educator for the Young Mothers Project, which provides in-depth education on contraception and sexually transmitted infection to young teen mothers, teachers and staff in the Birmingham City Schools.
*Pleasant Mount Baptist Church, $10,000 ($500 DAF) toward the men's ministry home repair program, which assists financially disadvantaged seniors referred by the Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging in collaboration with churches in Blount County.
Region 2020, $84,500 ($30,500 DAF) over three yearstoward the involvement of private and public sectors in the next edition of Community Counts, in the 3 Parks Project and in the Regional Law Enforcement Task Force Initiative, which promotes cooperation among regional law enforcement entities.
Safe Harbor, $10,000 toward the position of director of resource, benefiting parents and family members of at-risk teens residing in Jefferson, Shelby and St. Clair counties.
S.A.F.E. Place, $7,000 toward hiring two part-time staff instructors for the "Aspire" curriculum for senior high students in Jefferson, Blount and St. Clair counties.
Samaritan Counseling Center, $9,000 toward salaries for therapists providing counseling, maintaining records and developing a referral network.
Shelby County Advocacy Center, $4,500 ($500 DAF) toward upgrade for technology equipment used in investigation, treatment and prosecution of child abuse cases and for professional development of multidisciplinary team members in Shelby County.
*Shelby County Historical Society, $7,500 to enhance and augment displays, including Native American and African American artifacts and memorabilia from Shelby County.
*South Regions Minority Business Council, $15,000 to support Minority Business Enterprise capacity building workshops, educational seminars and training.
*Special Equestrians, $2,500 to update technology for presentations, tracking volunteers, fund development and other tasks serving residents of Jefferson and Shelby counties who are diagnosed with a variety of physical and behavioral disorders.
Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of America, $4,500 to support training for foster parents in handling abused and neglected youth, reducing the number of disruptions in placement and behavior management training.
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, $6,000 to support the Healthy Community Program by hiring a part-time coordinator who will focus on reducing or eliminating breast cancer health disparities among African Americans in Jefferson County.
Success By 6, $45,000 ($30,000 DAF) to serve as lead agency of a community collaborative to support a health and developmental screening project created by the Early Care and Education committee of the Children's Policy Cooperative of Jefferson County for children ages 0-5.
*Umdabu Dance Company, $7,000 toward the position of choreographer and artistic coordinator, who will develop three dance/drama pieces and coordinate outreach and educational activities in Jefferson County, including students and teachers at Jess Lanier High School, Pinson Middle School, McAdory High School and Gardendale Elementary and participants at Birmingham Parks and Recreation Summer Camps and Birmingham Public Library gatherings.
United Methodist Center for Senior Citizens, $4,500 to purchase a dishwasher for use in daily meal and snacks service to elderly people in Jefferson County who use the center.
*Walker County Arts Alliance, $10,000 to support creative writing/story telling and pottery programs to benefit fourth and fifth graders in Jasper City and Walker County schools.
Youth Leadership Forum, $3,000 to support leadership development sessions and community service sessions that will help participants develop skills to be effective members of their community.
YWCA, $150,000 ($20,000 DAF) over three years to support a capital campaign to renovate and expand Interfaith Hospitality House, including 24 two-bedroom apartments for long and short term housing for homeless intact families, homeless fathers with their children, and single mothers with adolescent sons.
RELATED ITEMSFall 2007 Grants from Community Funds 2006 Grants from Community Funds 2005 Grants from Community Funds 2004 Grants from Community Funds

And now San - here comes the part that you are going to have a hard time sucking down.

Here are the names of the people that are on the leadership team of the Greater Birmingham Foundation.

Co-chairs
Neal R. Berte - Mountain Brook
Edward M. Friend III - Mountain Brook
C. Dowd Ritter - Mountain Brook
William D. Ritter - Mountain Brook
Cameron M. Vowell - Mountain Brook

Campaign Catalyst Committee
Eddie Aldridge
Robert and Brooke Battle
Sheila Blair - Mountian Brook
Margaret Brunstad
Tom Carruthers III - Mountain Brook
Geoffrey Connor
David Faulkner
Brian Giattina
Nancy Goedecke - Mountain Brook
Bill Goodrich - Mountain Brook
Mike and Suzanne Graham - Mountain Brook
Troy and Ann Haas
Susan Haskell - Mountain Brook
Gaynell Hendricks
Bill Hereford
Alan Hunter
Ted Kennedy - Mountain Brook
Sandy Killion, Committee Chair
Matthew Menendez - Mountain Brook
Kathryn Miree - Mountain Brook
Wray Pearce - Vestavia
Guin Robinson
Mimi Tynes - Mountain Brook
Frances Verstandig - Mountain Brook
Jane Kaul Wilson - Mountain Brook
Odessa Woolfolk
Sam Yates

http://www.foundationbirmingham.org/icon_emailthis.gif (broken link)Email Thishttp://www.foundationbirmingham.org/icon_printable.gif (broken link)Printable Versionhttp://www.foundationbirmingham.org/dot_clear.gif (broken link)http://www.foundationbirmingham.org/dot_clear.gif (broken link)http://www.foundationbirmingham.org/dot_clear.gif (broken link)http://www.foundationbirmingham.org/dot_clear.gif (broken link)http://www.foundationbirmingham.org/site_footer.jpg (broken link)http://www.foundationbirmingham.org/footer.jpg (broken link)http://www.foundationbirmingham.org/dot_clear.gif (broken link)http://www.foundationbirmingham.org/poweredbyneulogic.gif (broken link)

Note to cpg: God bless you for embracing your adopted hometown and for assimilating. I suppose if you must be in a place, it's best to like it. But you have bought the B'ham line hook-to-sinker with regards to progress and revitalization. You hear what you want to hear; you discredit what you don't want to hear. Or you shoot the messenger. You want so badly to see B'ham move progressively along the path to modernity. Why can't you be happy to reside in suburban Walhalla and be done with it? I don't quite understand. If you hunger for city life, move somewhere else. 'Cause it just ain't gon' happen hyah. Take it to the bank -- any of those banks downtown. That'll be one of the compelling reasons to go downtown, after all.

It occurs to me I'm beginning to pity you. You drank the Kool-aid; I've tried to take you to the hospital (the other compelling reason) for a stomach pump; but, you simply refuse help. What can I do? You can lead a horse to water...

One would think that fifteen years is enough to get hip to the B'ham mentality. As it stands, you're still quite the naif. You won't be the first carpetbagger to come down here and get foiled by B'ham's particular brand of southern reactionism and "wait 'til tomorrow" rhetoric. You've underestimated the aw-shucks, good-ole-boys' abilities to conspire and execute their master plans. Believe me, I understand how they might appear to you so innocuous, so bumbling... And I probably wouldn't understand it either, were it not for my personal experience on the inside. But alas, you shall see -- one day.

-- SP II

Sorry San - enough is enough......time for you to drink the Kool Aid.

Your motto: "Don't confuse me with the facts".

[Southlander]

If everybody thought like SP, there would be nobody left in the entire city. But people are moving TO Birmingham and its burbs...more people moving TO than moving AWAY...that should tell you something.

[Bravo35223]

[SIZE=1][LEFT]This is information from the United Way of Central Alabama 2007 Annual Report:[/LEFT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][SIZE=3][LEFT]The past year was not[only one of accomplishments[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1][LEFT][SIZE=1]- it was a year of excellence. This United[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]Way continues to perform in the top tiers[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]when compared to ourpeers and with much[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]larger regions in thiscountry.]We took top honors among the leaders in the[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]categories of Tocqueville Society Membership,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1][LEFT][SIZE=1]Tocqueville Society Endowed Gifts, Resources[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]Under Management, Amount Raised per Capita,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]Corporate and Employee Giving.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]What this means is the United Way of Central Alabama, dominated by leaders from Mountain Brook is by some measurements, the #1 United Way organization in the United States. Not in Total Giving where it could not stand up against much larger cities, but when UWCA is #1 in the United States in Amount Raised per Capita - it means that Mountain Brook's wealthy families (see below as they re named) and corporations they run are the most generous in the nation.And their giving as you will see below, is flowing steadily to disadvantaged individuals of all races and nationalities to better this metro area.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1] In addition, our[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]2007 campaign raised $36.65 million, a 5.2%[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]increase over the previous year, our largest[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]increase in five years.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]We also are managing five grants worth $7.1 million[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]that seek to bring financial stability to families[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]and individuals; provide funds for emergency[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]food and shelter; provide assistance to people[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]with HIV/AIDS; promote early childhood learning;[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]and provide transportation for low income[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]workers.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]Moreover, for the fifth consecutive year, United[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]Way of Central Alabama was awarded four out of[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]four stars by Charity Navigator, a nonprofit rating[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]service, for managing its finances in an efficient[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]and effective manner. Less than 3% of all[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]the charities in the nation achieved such an[/SIZE]
[SIZE=1]honor.[/LEFT][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][/SIZE]
[LEFT]Now - let's look at what organizations benefitted from this generosity....starting off the top with $635,000 to the 100% African American A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club....

Oh No San, millions and millions flowing straight from Mountain Brook downtown for AIDS and assistance to African Americans??!?!

Poor poor San.....chow down really hard on the facts son.

By the way, what is your favorite Kool-Aid flavor?



A. G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club $ 635,712
Aid to Homeless Children Program (Blount County) 25,000
AIDS Alabama, Inc. 63,525
Alabama Goodwill Industries, Inc. 61,272
Alabama Head Injury Foundation, Inc. 139,360
Alabama Kidney Foundation 102,000
Aletheia House 425,154
American Cancer Society 776,017
American Heart Association 814,558
American Red Cross 3,138,023
Arc of Jefferson County (The) (includes Blount County) 547,640
Arc of Shelby County (The) 123,626
Arc of St. Clair County (The) 85,980
Arc of Walker County (The) 341,030
Better Basics, Inc. 77,718
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham 349,700
Birmingham City Schools - Special Needs Fund 26,000
Birmingham Independent Living Center 129,546
Birmingham Urban League 281,200
Blount County Children's Center 97,335
Blount County Needy School Children's Fund 15,000
Boy Scouts of America - Greater Alabama Council 940,855
Boy Scouts of America - Black Warrior Council 69,300
Boys & Girls Club of Central Alabama, Inc. 596,866
Camp Fire USA - Central Alabama Chapter 1,016,289
Catholic Family Services 130,000
Childcare Resources 561,946
Children's Aid Society 884,825
Children's Health System 666,727
The Amelia Center 80,000
Christian Love Pantry, Inc. 25,500
Collat Jewish Family Services 68,000
Concerned Citizens for our Youth, Inc. 173,000
Crisis Center 642,790
Developing Alabama Youth Foundation, Inc. 105,000
Easter Seals of the Birmingham Area 168,996
Family Connection, Inc. 188,154
Family Resource Center of Northwest Alabama 126,000
Fellowship House 210,462
Gateway 1,116,432
Girl Scouts of Cahaba Council 564,762
Girls Incorporated of Central Alabama 791,518
Glenwood, Inc. 85,320
Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity 317,486
Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama 50,000
IMPACT Family Counseling, Inc. 75,000
Legacy YMCA 87,880
Levite Jewish Community Center 239,740
Literacy Council (The) 184,500
Oasis, A Women's Counseling Center 70,000
Oneonta City Schools Needy School Children's Fund $ 4,000
Pathways 275,000
Pell City Needy School Children's Fund 4,000
PING (Partners in Neighborhood Growth) 70,000
Positive Maturity 637,474
SafeHouse of Shelby County, Inc. 100,000
Salvation Army - Birmingham Alabama Area Command (The) 1,609,140
Salvation Army - Blount County 33,000
The Salvation Army - Walker County 91,834
Shelby County Needy School Children's Fund 10,000
Shelby Emergency Assistance, Inc. 216,297
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America - 134,640
Central Alabama Chapter
St. Clair Children's Advocacy Center - The Children's Place 26,729
St. Clair Day Program, Inc. 65,650
St. Clair Department of Human Resources 37,400
Travelers Aid Society of Birmingham Alabama, Inc. 213,024
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham 666,063
United Community Centers, Inc. 79,463
United Way Community Food Bank 206,000
United Way International 4,800
Walker County Needy School Children's Fund 6,000
Workshops, Inc. 655,577
YMCA of Birmingham, Inc. 788,158
YWCA of Central Alabama 1,401,704
Total Partner Allocations $ 25,828,697
Special Allocations
New Programs $ 55,000
Success By 6 Initiative 170,000[/LEFT]
[/SIZE]

OK San - Get out your white pages....we're naming names again. Here is the Board of Directors of United Way of Central Alabama

This is hard cold facts that point out that Mountain Brook's citizens are among the most COMPASSIONATE and KIND anywhere.

Dr. Neal R. Berte - Mountain Brook
Thomas E. Bradford, Jr - Mountain Brook
J. Mason Davis
Edward M. Friend III - Mountain Brook
Elmer B. Harris - Vestavia
Donald E. Hess - Mountain Brook
James E. Jacobson, Sr.
Rex J. Lysinger - Mountain Brook
Jesse E. Miller - Mountain Brook
Thomas H. Lowder
Kathryn W. Miree - Mountain Brook
M. Eugene Moor, Jr. - Mountain Brook
Drayton Nabers, Jr. - Mountain Brook
Claude B. Nielsen - Mountain Brook
Richard A. Pizitz, Sr. - Mountain Brook
William A. Powell, Jr.
C. Dowd Ritter - Mountain Brook
Susan J. Rouse
William J. Rushton III - Mountain Brook
Hatton C. V. Smith - Mountain Brook
Wm. Michael Warren, Jr. - Mountain Brook
G. Wayne White
Alice M. Williams

San - you've got the credibility of that little Gecko lizard on the GEICO commercials. Maybe we should substitute you for him...

[san phlegmatico]

Cute.

Did your red pen get away from you? Is your face and computer desk all inked up like Jim Carray in Liar Liar? What a bloody mess! Eeew.

Of course there were financial contributions; I never claimed there was bupkis. How asinine.

But there are just enough to keep Birmingham from totally falling off the face of the earth. Just enough to keep it where it is now -- where it has been for many decades. That's the optimistic viewpoint, though.

I would argue that contributions for urban progress are holding fast or diminishing relative to what's actually needed to catapult B'ham over the top and into the modern age.

Bravo, Mr. Bravo. You have some bona fide financial heavyweights on your list. But you're not quite making a valid argument. It's rather specious that a mere list pillars of the community types and their tony (predominantly suburban) residential addresses, and ties to local charities and pet projects makes the case that there's real modernity at afoot.

Kudos for your crack research. Now put down the crack pipe!

Birmingham, you are no New York. You are no San Francisco. You are no Boston. You are no New Orleans. You are no Austin, Texas. You might be on par or slightly more happening than Raleigh, NC. That's kind of like saying B'ham is king of dip-sh1ts. Wait, wasn't it a Raleigh-based film -- Bull Durham -- that gave us Kevin Costner setting the minor league record for homers, whereby he conceded, "it [would be] a dubious honor, if ya think about it"

Nah, I like that "king of the dipsh1ts line" from Sixteen Candles.

Back to the facts and a few common sense consensuses.

--> The population continues to decrease in the city -- fact.

--> Urban density scale? Ha! There are about as many cars per square mile downtown as there are humans. That's the same ratio you get in a suburban mall, or quaint suburban village. At any given moment walking down a downtown sidewalk you are probably one of a dozen humans in view in a 360 direction (if you can see due to the trees). Exceptions: the block around the Harbert Center and University Drive in front of UAB. In downtown B'ham there are probably more trees per square mile than human residents.

By the way, too many trees do not serve a city well: urbanites like to see where they're going, gaze upon and be inspired by the architecture, the skyline, and the gridded labyrinth. They desire oneness with the concrete leviathan: to be a small part of that big, tall, and broad swath. Trees are desirable in midtown areas such as Highland Ave -- for that urban-bleeding-into-suburban purgatory feel. But even still, the trees are so numerous and untrimmed, they smother and suffocate. (St. Charles Ave. in NOLA is the model for layout and aesthetics in this regard.)

--> There is no mass transportation in B'ham (buses don't count; and if you don't go underground to some extent you're not even in the game). Fact.

--> B'ham is no walking town. One easily makes the case that urbanity is not afoot in B'ham. It is acar.

--> There is no vibe, no energy, no pulse. Miserable fact. The bane of my existence. Hence the ennui and animus on parade here. But B'ham is alive!! Yeah, if you're comparing B'ham to Jackson, Miss., Mobile, Chattanooga, Greenville, SC, etc. Oh wait! -- 'Nooga and G'ville: y'all are the same ones who heralded these two sleep-time-down-souths as trail blazers for urban revitalization.

Let's do this: you guys take me on a day trip downtown and we'll beat the streets -- on foot, of course (the only way to do a city). Show me anything going on down there that remotely competes with any gamma city (forget alpha or beta). I'm up for the guided tour. But you better have something up your sleeve, for I walk the streets of Southside and downtown regularly (for exercise and for motivation to flee this lame hellhole).

A few salient points in rebuttal to your list:

--> A few of those I know were saboteurs of key businesses once located downtown.

--> "Compassion and kindness" -- Charitable, yes. These are generally good Christian people. They donate to local charities, the United Way. I'm sure they send monies to Sally Struthers. But how many of them interact with blacks or bohos in daily walks not pertaining to company business? Socially? Live in close proximity? -- which brings me to my next point...

--> How many do-gooders and revitalizers live downtown? How many do anything other than work and make appearances at their pet projects "down thar" (while they bask in homogenous luxury on the good, clean, and safe side of the mountain)?

--> How many of those contributors are really interested in building up a vibrant, pulsating, dense urban city? Dare I say... very few, if any. It runs contrary to the country-come-to-town and blue-blooded countrified and plantation ethos. Sure, they like their rinky-dink art festivals, go gaga for irrelevant Alan Hunter mini-fests, and enjoy knowing they have minor league sports and Idol tours at the BJCC. They're disappointed that college football got run out at Legion Field. They're still angry at Auburn University and Pat Dye for that one. The NFL won't be allowed in. No pro sports. To quote a very powerful B'ham sports magnate: "the pro game is the devil... it's not just about competing with the college game. it's the element of fan it breeds -- and the big corporate and national spotlight... it would ruin us all."

(I happen to agree that pro sports are detrimental in many ways to local flavor and business; therefore, I don't generally favor pro franchises for cities not at least at beta level. But that's beside the point.)

--> Tourism is nonexistent. Yet another reason why urban life will not take to or stick in B'ham. They won't stand for tourism of any stripe: whether it's real-deal bar and music venue strips (not some flimsily-constructed chain-based kitsch-krap) or international cultural offerings.

B'ham can't be a transient city because the likes of New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta, and Nashville are already miles ahead. And UAB can't draw flies in this regard because it's a suitcase school: for the reasons heretofore mentioned about local mentalities and anti-urban proclivities.

The bottom line continues to be: B'ham doesn't want to live downtown. Sure, there are a handful in the lofts and such. A couple of old farts and second-residences in the high rises. But they're far from full, and they've been touting that "critical mass" was "just around the corner" for a decade or more. It won't happen. Let go of the dream.

It's this simple: B'ham people don't like anything about urban life -- the pace, the density, the heterogeneity -- nuthin'! Residential or otherwise. Some tolerate working in high rises, but that's the extent of it.

B'hamians like their bar-hopping accessible by car. They like their (perceived) safety. They love their 'burbs. They hate walking, especially in the hot or cold -- which is 75% of the time (B'hamians are soft as butter -- but this too is beside the point). And besides, Southside is just dangerous and gritty enough and interesting -- no need for the genuine article.

Birmingham: not a real city.


--SP II

[Bravo35223]

Nice post San.

Now refute this quote from you:

The power brokers Over the Mountain -- especially in Mountain Brook -- make it a 365 day avocation to leverage the full brunt of their weight towards steering money away from downtown. They make clandestine deals that keep outside money from going down there. They wage effective word-of-mouth campaigns dissuading people form patronizing the city or moving down. They're not above arm-twisting, either.

Waiting.................

Sorry you just got it shoved up where the sun don't shine and you know it.

You must learn in debate - to back up your points with third party verifiable facts and you just don't know how to do that.

You are the master of an asserted, anecdotal diatribe. I think everyone here, would agree.

BTW - I've gotten PM's on the board thanking for my post yesterday.

See ya