I-59/20 through downtown Birmingham closed on January 21, 2019.
One year later, the bridges are open to traffic.
Hallelujah!
Everyone’s high fiving and we’re back to normal. Continue reading Living with a bad decision for the next 100 years
Today’s guest blogger is Michael Calvert.
If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Everyone’s thrilled with our highly energized downtown.
Downtown Birmingham was dying.
Now there’s construction everywhere.
What happened?
Here’s the backstory. Continue reading The backstory on what saved downtown Birmingham
Today’s guest blogger is Joe Adams.
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A while back, my good friend Bill Ivey wrote a piece for ComebackTown about the history of Birmingham that recounted the elitists, racists, and snake-oil salesmen who built Birmingham.
It provided a great bibliography, with histories that told the story of how Birmingham was established. After more than a decade here, I’m still learning about the place I now call home.
It’s a lot to ponder. Continue reading Texan married into a family feud when he moved to Birmingham
Today’s guest blogger is Felicia Huntley.
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I wish the same thing for my son as you wish for yours.
I want for my son to have a chance in life.
I know he will never be successful without a quality education.
I live within the city limits of Birmingham, and up until now, parents have had very few educational options for their children. Continue reading At long last Birmingham students have options
Today’s guest blogger is Maury Shevin.
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I questioned the diversity of our suburbs when I wrote, “Why we escaped the Mountain Brook bubble.”
But, two recent events have given me pause for reflection. Continue reading Author of ‘Why we escaped the Mtn. Brook bubble’ has second thoughts
Editor’s note: ComebackTown’s celebrating its 8th anniversary. I thought it might be insightful to republish the very first piece (Jan. 3, 2012). Since publication, the City of Birmingham’s population has stabilized…and our region’s making great progress–all good news! Continue reading Can our suburbs survive if B’ham’s a donut hole?
I’m not sure I appreciated it at the time, but it was a big deal.
The year was 2010 and the event was the opening of Railroad Park.
You would expect William Bell, the mayor of Birmingham, to be one of the speakers, but next to him was Tony Petelos, the then mayor of Hoover. Mayor Petelos spoke enthusiastically about the new park and the future of our Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area. Continue reading Hoover leadership showing courage and vision
Today’s guest blogger is Kevin Scarbinsky.
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It happened in Birmingham.
Bear Bryant and 315. Bo over the top. Van Tiffin and the kick and “It’s good!” “It’s good.” “It’s good!” “It’s good.”
It was good. It was very, very good. It was the Iron Bowl, and it was the heart of big-time sports in this city. Past tense. Continue reading Scarbinsky excited about B’ham sports
You know about the Birmingham haters if you read the comments on al.com, ComebackTown, or any other Birmingham media.
Who are these people?
Why are they so antagonistic towards Birmingham?
And why are they against their own city, county, or region? Continue reading It must suck to be a Birmingham hater
Today’s guest blogger is Emily Truncellito.
If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
Editor’s note: This piece was written as a response to “Why would anyone want to vacation in Birmingham?”
Nestled in the Blue Ridge link of the Appalachian Mountain chain is the tourist hot spot of Asheville, NC.
I lived in Asheville for over 20 years and worked in tourism there, witnessing the industry vacillate between incorporating the native population and excluding it. Continue reading What fractured Birmingham can learn from Asheville