ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Maury Shevin. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
For the last nine months, I have been meeting with opinion leaders and opinion makers both within and without the City of Birmingham to find out what a run for the Birmingham City Council would take. Continue reading Birmingham’s rough and tumble world of political intrigue
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Roman Gary. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
My name is Roman Gary.
As you can tell from my photograph, I’m a young African-American.
What you can’t tell is that I attended Ramsay High School and graduated from Auburn.
You also can’t tell that I’m married, have a baby girl, and am a principal in a local architecture firm.
You also wouldn’t know that I chose to move back to Birmingham when many of my professional friends moved away.
Why Birmingham? Here is my story…
Continue reading Young professional: Why I came back to Birmingham
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Andrea Taylor.. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Wish me happy anniversary. I’m celebrating my first year in Birmingham this month.
I’ve lived, worked, and traveled the U.S. and visited more than 70 countries on seven continents.
I see Birmingham through a unique lens and have been made to feel very welcome here.
If asked about the history of Birmingham, you might tell me about Bull Connor, dogs and hoses, or the 1963 church bombing.
You might feel embarrassed about Birmingham and prefer the world forgets.
However, Birmingham’s tortuous history may be our biggest strength. Continue reading Birmingham: We can change the world
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Mimi Shannon. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
At this second, writing this article, I am sitting right next door to my apartment building on the brand new Rotary Trail.
The sun is setting, the “Magic City” sign is changing from red to white, there is a black family with their kids that are playing on an abstract cement seat, a preppy looking young white father and his two toddler children walking by, a young hippie couple admiring the trail, Zyp bikes flying above me on 1st Avenue South, and runners galore.
Continue reading Mountain Brook gal: Achieving my dreams in downtown Birmingham
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is David Dionne. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
I’m frustrated.
That’s why I’m willing to go out on a limb and disclose what’s going on at Red Mountain Park.
I see so much potential for Birmingham, for Red Mountain Park, and for our regional park system.
But the public, our potential donors, and government officials don’t seem to understand what we’re up against. Continue reading Red Mountain Park faces a difficult future
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Douglas Stewart. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
The story you are about to hear is truly remarkable.
If an author had written it as a plot in a book, you wouldn’t have thought it possible.
For many years downtown Birmingham had the reputation of being unsafe.
Many people had given up on our downtown. There were vacant buildings everywhere and businesses were rushing to the suburbs never to return. Continue reading How we slashed crime by 70% in downtown Birmingham
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Brad Toland. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
It’s no secret that Birmingham has radically undergone a change of identity over the last several years. New developments are happening so quickly that it can be hard to keep up with them all.
However, just like the fifteen year old that decides to attempt personal reinvention over the summer, sometimes the changes aren’t necessarily for the best in the long run, and need to be carefully considered with a focus on long term impacts. Continue reading How Birmingham can become a major player on the world stage
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is John Scott. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
It was a little slice of Birmingham cultural and architectural history. If you’re of a certain age (that is, old) you may remember going to Waite’s after church on Sunday and having the egg salad sandwich or eclairs.
You may also remember the strange foods over in the small and dusty grocery section, my most clear memory being the tins of chocolate covered ants from South America. Continue reading The pain of losing a family treasure to an awakening Birmingham
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest bloggers are Tom Cosby and Barry Copeland. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Editor’s note: We in Birmingham are often guilty of not celebrating our successes. It’s only appropriate that two of Birmingham’s greatest community leaders tell the story about how The Chamber of Commerce (BBA) along with ordinary citizens and political leaders pulled off one of Birmingham’s greatest successes. Continue reading How Birmingham pulled off a billion dollar triumph!
ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Darlene Negrotto. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Take a moment to recall a fond memory of Vulcan.
Perhaps it was a childhood outing with family, or a romantic evening admiring the city lights.
Now think of the hundreds of thousands of others over the decades who have held similar heartfelt memories – and know that similar memories will continue to be made far into the future.
Vulcan is a common thread in our community. He serves as an important link to our past, and to the generations yet to come. Continue reading Would you buy a pickle from Vulcan?