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 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? Continue reading They Made Millions. What They Did Next Could Change Birmingham Forever
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. Continue reading Birmingham Mayor: ‘One Plus One Still Equals Two’
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. Continue reading Jefferson County Is Doing What Many Thought Impossible
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. Continue reading Birmingham Residential Electric Bills Are 41% Higher Than Huntsville’s
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? Continue reading Vestavia Hills Lost 49–0. So I Started Digging
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:
Continue reading What Happened When Birmingham And Huntsville Sat Down for Lunch
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 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. Continue reading Big Loss for Birmingham: Our Old Alabama State Fair