CSNbbs

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mhj45eddg...ngham-ala/

Birmingham, Ala.
Downtown, the number of residents downtown has increased 32% since 2000, with 737 planned units in the construction pipeline. A stadium for the minor league baseball team the Birmingham Barons has been built at Railroad Park, a green space created on a former industrial site next to a rail corridor. Office space absorption was positive in 2012, with net 126,000 square feet leased out, and downtown employment density relative to the southern city’s size is comparable to Philadelphia’s business district, according to REV Birmingham.

Also, Birmingham makes list of 'Best Cities for Consumer Banking', ranks fifth
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/201...t_business

Great. I really want to see Birmingham grow and be a successful city. It would be good for UAB.

But but but that can't be!

Its amazing that I hear nothing but great things about Birmingham from people outside the state of Alabama, once you get inside state lines folks act like Birmingham is the land of filth. I find the same thing about Atlanta also.

Birmingham is a great city, with many flaws and issues, the largest issue is one of guilt, guilt where its deserved and not deserved, guilt where the city and surrounding cities have not forgiven themselves and others, who see no reason to forgive at all. There aren't many cities with the history of overcoming, and becoming a model for perseverance as Birmingham is and until cities in Jefferson realize a three cord rope is stonger then a single one, and that we are strongest when we are in it together... we will have people outside the state continue to see potential wasted while we see the facade of progress looking at our own kingdoms...

FBI crime data from 2011 ranks Birmingham 7th in violent crime. Also at 25%, the magic city has one of the nations largest poverty rates. Sorry but not ready to make lemonade out of this lemon. BTW we lost to Memphis again. They ranked 5th in violent crime. Damn those murdering bastards.

(03-29-2013 08:57 AM)randy22263 Wrote: [ -> ]FBI crime data from 2011 ranks Birmingham 7th in violent crime. Also at 25%, the magic city has one of the nations largest poverty rates. Sorry but not ready to make lemonade out of this lemon. BTW we lost to Memphis again. They ranked 5th in violent crime. Damn those murdering bastards.

(03-29-2013 08:57 AM)randy22263 Wrote: [ -> ]FBI crime data from 2011 ranks Birmingham 7th in violent crime. Also at 25%, the magic city has one of the nations largest poverty rates. Sorry but not ready to make lemonade out of this lemon. BTW we lost to Memphis again. They ranked 5th in violent crime. Damn those murdering bastards.

Yes, Birmingham, a city of over a hundred square miles. The story originally linked, is talking about Downtown, a neighborhood of like 5 or 6 square miles.

Using 2011 data when its 2013 and there is data for 2012 shows, nevermind... since we are talking about murder and poverty.. they are in the same community more often then not, Birmingham's murders rate from a statistical point includes, surrounding cities, as far away as Hueytown, thats because Birmingham is easily geographical pin pointed. So in reality Birmingham isnt in the top 20 cities where murder is concerned...and this is the type of misinformation that cause others to think its true now...rather then...not and believe Birmingham is a dangerous place....and it is, but thats true for every city in Jejjerson, Alabama, and these America...

Remember we were talking about murder, not violent crimes....

(03-29-2013 10:16 AM)rebounder2u Wrote: [ -> ]Using 2011 data when its 2013 and there is data for 2012 shows, nevermind... since we are talking about murder and poverty.. they are in the same community more often then not, Birmingham's murders rate from a statistical point includes, surrounding cities, as far away as Hueytown, thats because Birmingham is easily geographical pin pointed. So in reality Birmingham isnt in the top 20 cities where murder is concerned...and this is the type of misinformation that cause others to think its true now...rather then...not and believe Birmingham is a dangerous place....and it is, but thats true for every city in Jejjerson, Alabama, and these America...

the violent crime statistics the fbi releases are city by city if listed as a city. they are for the city limits of birmingham only and do not include surrounding areas. if you included the surrounding upper middle class burbs like mt brook vestavia and homewood birminghams violent crime rates would drop like a rock. birmingham is a rare case where virtually all of the middle/upper income areas are located outside the city limits which skews the statistics.

(03-27-2013 09:06 AM)GreenHornet33 Wrote: [ -> ]Its amazing that I hear nothing but great things about Birmingham from people outside the state of Alabama, once you get inside state lines folks act like Birmingham is the land of filth. I find the same thing about Atlanta also.

You know what Jesus said, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own land."

(03-29-2013 10:16 AM)rebounder2u Wrote: [ -> ]Using 2011 data when its 2013 and there is data for 2012 shows, nevermind... since we are talking about murder and poverty.. they are in the same community more often then not, Birmingham's murders rate from a statistical point includes, surrounding cities, as far away as Hueytown, thats because Birmingham is easily geographical pin pointed. So in reality Birmingham isnt in the top 20 cities where murder is concerned...and this is the type of misinformation that cause others to think its true now...rather then...not and believe Birmingham is a dangerous place....and it is, but thats true for every city in Jejjerson, Alabama, and these America...

I don't know of ANY major city in ANY state that doesn't have a problem with violent crime. In nearly every case, the more affluent of ALL ethnic groups has moved out to the suburban cities or unincorporated county areas nearby. This leaves those who have the least to be an even greater proportion of the city's population (and to attend its schools). The more powerless these folks feel, the more likely they are to turn to "The Great Equalizer" - the gun - to exercise some measure of power. They have inadvertently become a major example of the NRA's position on "gun rights" in action.

Many - maybe most - of those who are moving into the "loft districts" within the city, or into the "better neighborhoods", are usually shown as childless couples or those who send their kids to private schools. This brings up a question of how "immersed" they are in the total city's environment. At any rate, nothing about this problem is unique to B'ham alone.

Something else to keep in mind that while there is still crime (there always will be) overall levels are way, way down in this country. So, yes, there are problems, and yes, it's bad to be at the top of the list, but it's not like it was in the 70s and 80s.

Now downtown is on fire.

(03-29-2013 01:33 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote: [ -> ]Now downtown is on fire.

Another one of those "vacant / unused (perhaps heavily insured?) " buildings that the "homeless" like to occupy.