A friend recently sent me a link to an incredibly positive article about Birmingham published in the Los Angeles Times. A few minutes later I received another—then another.  The e-mails kept coming.

People were obviously excited and wanted to share our good news.

At first I was surprised, but then realized this was just the continuation of an amazing few weeks.

Our blog of March 26 titled, “Birmingham haters eat your hearts out,” went viral. Quite frankly, this had never happened before. The piece was an aggregation of national articles praising Birmingham.

We’ve always had strong readership, but nothing like this.  I watched the number of page views explode.  People were posting links on Facebook and Twitter, and our number of e-mail subscribers soared.

Then a follow up piece, Birmingham’s back—tell the world, also created a sensation.

I’ve lamented that Birminghamians seem to concentrate on our negatives, but we’re in the midst of a sea change.  Not only are good things happening in Birmingham, but our pride is swelling.

Maybe we haven’t noticed our transformation—but outsiders keep reminding us how good we are.

You’ll feel great pride when you read this piece.  But this article is actually more powerful in print than it appears on the Internet.  A good friend sent me a copy of the actual article.  It completely dominates the LA Times travel section—giant color pictures and all.

Birmingham, Ala., embraces its complex history

Los Angeles Times

April 14, 2013

Alice Short

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When I told friends I was planning a trip to Birmingham, the reaction was universal.

“Alabama?” one asked. “On purpose?”

I shared their skepticism, viewing the travel literature with the jaundiced eye of a longtime Angeleno who puzzled over the concept of vacationing in the South. But I was flying here for a business meeting that had been scheduled for Presidents Day weekend, so why not take some extra time and look around?

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David Sher is a co-founder of Buzz12 Advertising and co-CEO of AmSher Receivables Management. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham)), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).