By Don Keith
We were at the quietest point of any commercial airline flight, the final approach to Shuttlesworth International, when the lady in the window seat on my row voiced an observation to no one in particular, one heard throughout our 737: “It’s so greeeeen!” Continue reading What Outsiders See in Birmingham That We Don’t
By Graham Smith
Mountain Brook is fortunate in many ways.
We are sometimes viewed as a community unto itself—a place with its own schools, its own resources and its own concerns. Continue reading Mountain Brook Mayor: Something Unexpected Is Happening Behind the Scenes
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. Continue reading Birmingham’s Greatest Single Asset Completely Took Me by Surprise
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. Continue reading Mountain Brook Woman Writes Beautiful Love Letter to Birmingham
By Hunter Williams
Shanghai. Montpellier. Budapest. Hiroshima. Birmingham.
Read that list again. That’s not a typo — that’s the 2026 stop list for the FISE World Series, one of the largest action sports festivals on Earth, and this August, our city joins it. Birmingham is the only U.S. stop on the entire tour. Continue reading Birmingham Days Away from One of World’s Biggest Action Sports Festivals
By Eric Thomas
What if you could land at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, step outside, and hop on a tram that carried you straight into the heart of the city — through Uptown, the Civil Rights District, the Parkside, UAB, Five Points, Lakeview, and back again? Continue reading The Magic City Loop: Birmingham’s Ride into the Future
By Don Erwin
Many fine articles have been published about George Barber’s life and accomplishments.
I would like to add a personal perspective. Continue reading The George Barber I Knew: The Visionary Who Brought the World to Birmingham
By Scott Gelber
For nearly 50 years, New York wasn’t just where I lived. It shaped how I saw the world.
I spent 25 of those years working in Manhattan. If you’ve ever worked there, you know the rhythm.
Everything moves fast. Continue reading A New Yorker and The Birmingham he Never Saw Coming
By David Sher
I’m writing this column for one reason.
This piece is for the folks who take Birmingham’s strengths for granted and feel we’re falling behind Huntsville. Continue reading You and Your Family May Not Need Birmingham until You Do
By Steve Alexander.
If you haven’t visited Five Points South lately, you’ll be amazed with what you see.
Gone is the graffiti.
Clean and Safe ambassadors patrol the district.
There are no encampments in the park.
The unhoused are being proactively connected to the
services they need.
Five Points South is re-emerging right before my eyes.
Continue reading A New Five Points South Is Emerging Right Before My Eyes