Birmingham, Ala.’s downtown has just been named one of the 10 best downtown areas in the entire United States by Livability.com, a popular site that tracks America’s best places to live and visit.
Coming in at #10 on this year’s list, Livability.com calls Birmingham “a comeback story that’s still being written.”
“Downtown Birmingham, Ala., is on the rise after suffering from years of economic loss stemming from a dwindling population and industry decline,” the site explained. “The redesign and renovation of a park kick-started a series of ongoing revitalization projects that continue to attract new businesses, visitors and residents.
Some of the “key indicators” Livability.com cited as evidence of downtown Birmingham’s resurgence include its 6.8% unemployment rate, 2.8% average income growth, and the fact that retail vacancies dropped 1.7 percent from 2012 to 2013.
But it’s the city’s intangible qualities that propel it into the top 10.
“The best downtowns foster creativity, inclusion and innovation,” Livibility.com said. “They showcase what is good about a community by offering a diverse array of local architecture, art, lifestyles and things to do. Great downtowns unite residents from all walks of life, even those in the suburbs, by providing places to connect. Above all, the top-performing downtowns must maintain a high level of energy and give all residents in a city a reason to come on down.”
Birmingham Business Alliance CEO Brian Hilson said Birmingham’s inclusion on the list will help to further promote investment in the downtown area.
“This is fantastic news, not only for the City of Birmingham, but for the entire Birmingham region,” said Hilson. “Downtowns, especially active ones like ours in Birmingham, help project a positive community image. Downtowns serve as a signature place for the community they are part of. They contain history, and they represent current and future economic vitality. In most metropolitan areas the downtown is the economic hub of the region, and that’s definitely true in Birmingham because of the concentration of employment, as well as the livability features downtown Birmingham offers. It is exciting to see downtown Birmingham receive this much-deserved recognition. We’ll use this positive news to promote further investment in Birmingham.”
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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