Posts by davidsher:
Birmingham’s Greatest Single Asset Completely Took Me by Surprise
October 21st, 2026
By Dan Williams
I’ve spent almost 30 years selling cities for a living. I’ve sat across the table from mayors, business executives and nonprofit leaders in communities across the country.
So when I arrived in Birmingham a bit over a year ago as the new President & CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, I thought I had a pretty good sense of what to expect. Read the rest of this entry “
They Made Millions. What They Did Next Could Change Birmingham Forever
October 20th, 2026
By David Sher
What would you do if you sold your company and suddenly had enough money to never work again?
Buy a yacht? Travel the world? Move to a tropical island? Read the rest of this entry “
Birmingham Mayor: ‘One Plus One Still Equals Two’
October 14th, 2026
By Randall Woodfin
A little more than 10 years ago, I announced my first run for mayor. As that anniversary passed, I’ve been thinking about how much our society has changed since then.
Back then, if I had told the people of Birmingham that one plus one equals two, I believe every person listening would have accepted it as true. Read the rest of this entry “
Jefferson County Is Doing What Many Thought Impossible
October 6th, 2026
By Danny Carr
Something remarkable is happening in Jefferson County – and almost no one is talking about it.
Only three years ago, we faced a deadly problem that seemed nearly impossible to solve. Today, the numbers tell a dramatically different story. Read the rest of this entry “
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 “