Suggested Soundtrack: go to this site, watch and listen (yeah, it's about that other Birmingham, but it still applies) (http://www2.b3ta.com/birmingham/)

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055542/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/34397175.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/34397186.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055036.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055038.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055037.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055150.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055435.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055039.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055042.jpg

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http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055388.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055000.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39054999.jpg

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http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055049.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055050.jpg

old signage recovered from removed ugly 60s recladding

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055051.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055052.jpg

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http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/37375633.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055001.jpg

stay in the suburbs!!!

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055002.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055003.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055004.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055867/original.jpg

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Looks like Downtown Houston about 30-40 years ago, but believe me that is not a bad thing. This is before they started to tear down a lot of the structures, but a lot still stands today. Great pics.


BTW, dont you think these two buildings look alike.

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/39055140.jpg

The building I am referring to is on the right side of the street.

http://www.pbase.com/lwh/image/25786347.jpg

I still like it LSyd, whatever comment I made before - but it's a bummer that folks at that city photo board didn't share the joy...

I am so fascinated when I see pictures of places like Birmingham Alabama. It looks like nothing I imagined. I've never been to Alabama. How large is it? What are the people like? Is the population diverse?

I am so fascinated when I see pictures of places like Birmingham Alabama. It looks like nothing I imagined. I've never been to Alabama. How large is it? What are the people like? Is the population diverse?

not sure of AL population...around 6 million sounds right in my head. Birmingham's about 1.1 million metro, about 240,000 city, and more like a rustbelt city due to being built around industry. people are...generally, deep south in a lot of ways, some good (eccentric, nice) some bad (football-obsessed) but very level-headed, cool and tolerant about it (unlike a certain large southern city 2 hours to the east.) then again, there's a certain self-loathing among some natives of the city...it's almost like a bastard child. and i've found people in AL general to be really cool, although a good bit country, but nice and level-headed (unlike a certain state to the east. :bash: )

diverse...feels like it, and tolerance seems good. even if i can still see some ugly effects of segregation on city areas; i see this teaching juvenile law at an inner-city school and taking pics, but that's basically every american city after white flight and the 50s/60s. the city's 70%+ african-american; there's a good deal of hispanics, too, and a good stretch of asian stores, and a lot of asians do study at UAB, known for its medical school (one of the city's new focus industries after industry went downhill.) there's also been some odd remarks of reverse-racism in city-county politics. in short though, the city's learned a good deal from the problems of the 60s.

i also never pictured it like it is, until i saw Randy Sandford's photos on skyscraperpage and visited. one of my favorite teachers in high school lived here and talked about how great it was, especially the Vulcan statue when we studied mythology, and i pictured then in my mind a very dinky small town. i was suprised to get here.

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Man, those photos rawk! I love that pano, but I can't place where it was shot.

Nice picture.

Los Angeles Forum is bunch of annoying, Southeast forum is sooo peaceful.

Damn, B'ham looks like it could have been a great city once. Too bad b'ass-ackward leadership held it back for so long.

Such a shame that the city was held back for so long. Still looks like it may have a lot of potential. How is the current leadership?

Damn, B'ham looks like it could have been a great city once. Too bad b'ass-ackward leadership held it back for so long.

:ohno:

yup, all that mega-development in Atlanta...it was planned to be here.

and it would've fit nicely because of that planning. thanks for the historic preservation boost though.

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Man, those photos rawk! I love that pano, but I can't place where it was shot.

thanks. 1st Ave North on the part that overpasses Sloss Furnaces...now that i've got my new camera and the weather's nicer (it was about 40 with the wind blowing when i took that one,) i need to go back there, and also another overpass a bit down the road, to see if i can't get a better angle, more zoom and less harrassment from the sun obscuring Highland Park's skyline.

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What a HUGE collection of urban buildings, especially since the emphasis is now historic preservation. These pics are awsome; but to see downtown Birmingham in person is spectacular. The huge grid pattern and block after block of urban fabric is something you have to see to really appreciate. Downtown Birmingham's location at the southern terminus of the Appalachians makes this city truly unique - many close scenic overlooks of downtown. Also being less than four hours away from the Gulf of Mexico is convenient. Vulcan statue, Sloss Furnace, Heaviest Corner on Earth, Alabama Theater, Southside, Lakeview and the encompassing streetcar neighborhoods make Birmingham unlike any other southern downtown. No wonder I love it here.

As always, LSYD, you've outdone yourself.

OMG how wide is that first pic!

thanks y'all.

it's very wide. and needs to be reshot...when it's warmer than 20 degrees fahrenheit.

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Great photos... as usual :okay:

Nice pix. :)

Speaking as someone who comes from the other (UK) Birmingham, I've always wondered what it looked like.

By the way what do they call people from Birmingham, AL? it's not Brummies is it?

Ta for the Pictures, they were bostin.

thanks Raleigh, Steven and Stephen. heh...

Speaking as someone who comes from the other (UK) Birmingham, I've always wondered what it looked like.

By the way what do they call people from Birmingham, AL? it's not Brummies is it?

Ta for the Pictures, they were bostin.

heh, no, it's not Brummies. jokingly i've heard "Birminghamsters" but usually it's Birminghamians, which kind of goes well with Alabamians.

I put some of my pics of Brum here if you haven't seen them (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=237696)

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