The City of Birmingham proper ("downtown") is largely business/offices, city and county government offices and courhouses, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and several large hospitals.

As with many cities, Birmingham experienced a migration to outlying suburbs, leaving a number of vacant buildings downtown. Efforts began a decade or so ago to revitalize the downtown area by promoting loft development. A number of former commercial buildings have been converted to lofts.

However, for the most part, the sidewalks are rolled up downtown at 5 p.m. Much of Birmingham's nightlife happens in suburban areas or in the southside area called "Five Points South" which is the home of several restaurants and bars.

Dining is a major recreational activity in Birmingham. There are numerous restaurants ranging from fast food to mid-range to upscale. Their parking lots are full every Friday and Saturday night.
 

Traffic on the major highways slows to a crawl during the morning and evening commute hours. Highway 280, I-65 can be especially jammed.

Public transportation is limited. Birmingham has a bus system but it may not get you to everywhere you might like to go.
Link: BJCTA.

Taxis are available.

If you're staying at a major hotel, most have a shuttle service to provide transportation to and from the airport.

Birmingham has a large airport with several carriers and service to numerous places.
Links: Airport website      Map
 

The downtown area has only couple of large hotels--The Sheraton and The Tutwiler (a classic old hotel which has been refurbished), as well as several downscale flop joints. The surrounding suburban areas contain most hotels, including major chains such as Hilton, Sheraton, Ramada, La Quinta, Holiday Inn, etc. An upscale hotel called "The Wynfrey" is adjacent to "The Galleria"--a large enclosed shopping mall.

Check on reservations at hotels.com
Discounts: Priceline
 

The Birmingham area is rather diversified. A major employer is UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham and UAB Medical Center. Some say "UAB" stands for "the University that Ate Birmingham". Other local colleges include Samford, Birmingham Southern College and Montevallo University. So, health care and education are major employers. A number of major companies have offices in the area and there are a variety of local businesses. The steel industry was originally the major industry in the area but it has declined to a minor role. There remains some industrial production but it is not primary in the area.

Related: Find a Job In Alabama
  

Birmingham is home to numerous amateur and a couple of professional theatre venues. See our "Theatre" section for more information.

Several large cimenas can be found in Birmingham.
See our "Movies" section for more infomation.
 

Birmingham, like any city, has areas that may be more prone to violence or crime. As in any city, burglar bars on the windows are one indicator you're in such an area.

According to crime stats, Birmingham has often ranked among the top ten cities for crime. Most of it is property crime (burglary, theft, etc.).

Related links:
Crime Statistics at CityRating.com
SpotCrime.com shows a graphic map, but its accuracy and validity may be questionable--some of it is reported by visitors, and I found one link to a crime report for Birmingham, Michigan (not Birmingham, Alabama).
 

As we mentioned above, dining is a major recreational activity in Birmingham. We recommend you try one of several barbeque restaurants. A few of them: "Johnny Ray's", "Jim 'N Nick's", "Full Moon Barbeque", "Backyard Barbeque". If you enjoy ribs, you should visit "Dreamland Barbeque" on the southside.

Links:

  - BirminghamMenus.com
  - Birmingham Restaurants
 

Visit our "Daytrips" section for some of the places to see.

Links:

If you're in the downtown area, you might wish to visit The Peanut Depot on cobblestone-paved Morris Ave.        Map & Info