Posts by davidsher:
Birmingham Residential Electric Bills Are 41% Higher Than Huntsville’s
September 30th, 2026
By Joyce Lanning, Ph.D.
Huntsville is booming. Metropolitan Birmingham is growing at a fraction of Huntsville’s pace.
Electricity prices may not be the reason. But they certainly don’t help.
A Huntsville Utilities residential customer using 1,200 kilowatt-hours pays about $147 a month. An Alabama Power customer using the same amount pays about $207 — 41% more. Huntsville Utilities presented those numbers earlier this year (p 116)
And this isn’t just a homeowner problem. Read the rest of this entry “
Vestavia Hills Lost 49–0. So I Started Digging
September 22nd, 2026
By David Sher
I have to admit I don’t know much about high school football.
But I have grandchildren who attend or previously attended Vestavia Hills High School, so I pay some attention to the Rebels.
On September 4th, Vestavia Hills was ranked No. 2 in Class 6A.
Thompson was No. 1.
Thompson beat Vestavia 49–0.
Forty-nine to nothing.
How’s that even possible? Read the rest of this entry “
What Happened When Birmingham And Huntsville Sat Down for Lunch
September 18th, 2026
By Doug Martinson
Editor’s note: Huntsville columnist Doug Martinson and I recently sat down for lunch in Birmingham. Our conversation reminded me how much Birmingham and Huntsville have to learn about each other. Doug later wrote this column about our meeting, the origins of our two columns, and his family’s long tradition of civic involvement:
Mountain Brook Woman Writes Beautiful Love Letter to Birmingham
September 15th, 2026
By Judith Chi
In 2024 our family visited Birmingham, never having set foot in Alabama before.
It was love at first sight – lush trees, charming neighborhoods, spectacular food, and a culture of collective care. Truly a dream come true.
It’s now 2026 and nothing could have prepared us for our lived reality. For any professional and family thinking about moving here, I want to share with you the real story of what life is like here, beyond the happily ever after. Read the rest of this entry “
Big Loss for Birmingham: Our Old Alabama State Fair
September 8th, 2026
By David Sher
When I was a child growing up in Birmingham in the 1950s, there were four things I looked forward to all year: my birthday, Christmas in downtown Birmingham, the Iron Bowl, and the Alabama State Fair.
Fortunately, I still have a birthday.
But the Christmas downtown of my childhood is gone. The Iron Bowl left Birmingham. And the Alabama State Fair I remember is gone too. Read the rest of this entry “
Birmingham Was Destined for Greatness. It’s Not Too Late
September 1st, 2026
By David Sher
Editor’s note: Much of this article draws on research by Walker Beauchamp from his time as a student at Samford’s Cumberland School of Law.*
In 1872, iron master Abram Hewitt predicted Alabama would become “the manufacturing center of the habitable globe.”
In 1906, speculator John Gates said Birmingham would become “the largest American city not on navigable waters.”
In 1919, industrialist Henry Clay Frick predicted Birmingham would surpass Pittsburgh by 1940.
None of it happened. Read the rest of this entry “
Irondale Exposes One of Metro Birmingham’s Biggest Flaws
August 25th, 2026
By David Sher
I want to make this perfectly clear: I am not an enemy of Irondale.
I’m impressed by a small municipality that keeps stacking up economic wins while so much of the rest of Jefferson County struggles.
But that’s exactly the problem. Read the rest of this entry “
Huntsville, for The Love of Everything Holy, Stop Building before It’s Too Late
August 20th, 2026
By Prioleau Alexander
Editor’s note: This column appeared recently in the Huntsville Real-Time News coordinated by Doug Martinson. I think it’s important for people in Birmingham to know what ‘s going on with our Alabama neighbor to the North.
Residents of Huntsville, Alabama don’t understand how much they have—and as a result, how much they have to lose.
As a native of Charleston, SC, I grew up in a city far more like Huntsville today than the place I call home. Read the rest of this entry “
I Got a Job Offer in Birmingham. Should I Take It?
August 18th, 2026
By David Sher
Before people ever set foot in Birmingham, they are making decisions about us.
Should I move my family to Birmingham?
Should I relocate or start a business there?
Should I visit? Read the rest of this entry “
The Birmingham BBQ Restaurant That Changed America
August 11th, 2026
By Wayne Rogers
Say “Birmingham BBQ” and the names come rolling out like smoke from a pit: Full Moon. Jim ‘n Nick’s. Bob Sykes. Carlile’s. Golden Rule. Dreamland. SAW’s in all its glorious forms — Juke Joint, Soul Kitchen, and beyond.
Birmingham barbecue means hickory-smoked pork, low and slow, where the smoke does the talking and the sauce just listens. Read the rest of this entry “