You work downtown and make plans to meet a friend at the Summit for lunch.
You drive onto the 3rd Avenue North entrance ramp of the Red Mountain Expressway. Continue reading 13 Jeffco cities wasting your money–risking your life
You work downtown and make plans to meet a friend at the Summit for lunch.
You drive onto the 3rd Avenue North entrance ramp of the Red Mountain Expressway. Continue reading 13 Jeffco cities wasting your money–risking your life
I recently published a piece titled “Mountain Brook stealing from Vestavia Hills.”
It tells about my clever Mountain Brook friend who smuggles his garbage into the trashcans of a nearby Vestavia Hills’ neighbor because Vestavia picks up garbage more often than Mountain Brook. Continue reading Confusion in Mtn. Brook, Vestavia, Homewood, & Birmingham
My Mountain Brook friend slipped down the stairs to his basement, opened his garage door, and quietly pushed his trash container to the street. Continue reading Mountain Brook stealing from Vestavia Hills
You’ve probably had the misfortune of noticing a few ants crawling around in your kitchen cabinet.
This is almost always a tell-tale sign that there are a lot more ants nearby.
That’s what we’re beginning to see with Hoover.
Continue reading Why we should worry about what’s happening to Hoover

Rarely do you have an opportunity to read an article that clearly shows why we’ve had virtually no job growth in our metropolitan area.
Erin Edgemon of al.com recently wrote a piece about how a Jefferson County municipality took a big gamble and lost.
Continue reading Mtn. Brook, Homewood, Vestavia wannabe gambles & loses

I’m almost shell shocked.
I was flipping through the pages of the Over the Mountain Journal, when I saw the headline, “Hitting on all cylinders—Mountain Brook Mayor Welch Lays Out His Plans for 2018.”
The mayor of Mountain Brook, as you might expect, discussed his efforts to help Mountain Brook merchants and restaurants.
But then Mayor Welch, a longtime financial executive, went off in a completely and unexpected direction. Continue reading Mountain Brook, Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia Hills show leadership
Would the University of Alabama have national championship football teams if 80% of its students were ineligible?
UA would have some good players, but we wouldn’t be winning many football games.
This is the heart of Birmingham’s problem.
Continue reading Mountain Brook and Homewood suck leadership out of Birmingham
It’s time for folks in the suburbs to show our appreciation for Birmingham.
There’s a tendency to think that our suburbs are independent and could operate fine by themselves. Continue reading Is Birmingham Sugar Daddy for our rich suburbs?

ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.
Today’s guest blogger is Mike Mahon. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.
My name is Mike Mahon.
My wife and I live in Homewood.
I grew up in the Birmingham area, graduated from the University of Virginia, and work as an investment banker in downtown Birmingham.
I’m an ordinary guy—but a recent improvement to my day-to-day routine has been raising a surprising amount of curiosity from people. Continue reading This Homewood millennial’s commute will surprise you!
Birmingham and Atlanta were about the same size in 1950.
Have you ever wondered why Atlanta grew and Birmingham stagnated?
In 1959, the Mayor of Atlanta sent us a letter spelling out how Birmingham could be a great city.
We paid no attention.
Continue reading The letter everyone in Homewood & Mountain Brook should read