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Born in the cauldrons of its steel mills, then reborn from the depths of the Great Depression and the struggle for Civil Rights, this one-time industrial giant is growing strong once again--this time as a medical and technological hub.
Birmingham is composed of many neighborhoods and outlying areas, several of which are separate cities with their own governments and school systems. The main geographical feature of Birmingham is Red Mountain, whose iron, coal, and limestone deposits were the city's original sources of wealth and its reasons for being. Many spectacular views of the city can be enjoyed from Vulcan Park at the top of Red Mountain.
Downtown
Much of the early 20th-century architecture remains from Birmingham's heyday. One of the most impressive is the Alabama Theatre, which was refurbished to its original opulence in 1998 and is now home to concerts, Broadway shows, and the annual fall Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Nearby attractions within walking distance include the Carver Theatre (home of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame) and the McWane Science Center, which includes an IMAX movie theater. Also within walking distance are Linn Park (home of the historic Tutwiler Hotel), the Birmingham Museum of Art and the annual music festival, City Stages.
Downtown Birmingham witnessed many of the most important and tragic events of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Places of significance such as Kelly Ingram Park are marked by historical plaques, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute tells the whole story of Birmingham's role in those turbulent times.
Southside
As you head south from downtown, the first significant change begins at about Sixth Avenue South, which is where the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) begins. UAB has one of the most impressive and famous medical centers in the country and regularly attracts some of the world's most renowned surgeons, educators and researchers (as well as many famous patients). Locally, though, the Southside is known as the destination for entertainment, nightlife and fine dining.
At the intersection of 20th Street, 11th Avenue South and Magnolia Avenue is Five Points South, the epicenter of the Southside and home to the most exciting nightclubs, finest restaurants and hippest retail boutiques in Birmingham. Restaurants such as Highlands Bar and Grill, Cosmo's Pizza and the Original Pancake House are all within walking distance, as are several excellent bars and nightclubs. Here you'll also find many small, locally-owned shops and boutiques that cater to a generally young Bohemian clientele.
Forest Park
Just east of Highland Park Golf Course, the neighborhood of Forest Park stretches along Clairmont Avenue and hosts a small enclave of shops and restaurants like the Silvertron Cafe. Just west of the Highland Park Golf Course on 29th Street South is the Lakeview Historic District, where you'll find several fine restaurants like Sol Y Luna, as well as a number of informal establishments like O.T.'s Neighborhood Sports Grill.
Ensley
To the west of Downtown and the Southside is the community of Ensley. This is an old, working-class neighborhood that is noted for music, sports and education. Ensley is the area of town that boasts Legion Field and Rickwood Field. The latter is the oldest standing baseball stadium in the United States, and was home to the Birmingham Barons baseball team from 1910-1980. It is quite fitting that the home of Rickwood Field is also the birthplace and childhood home of the great Willie Mays.
Homewood
Starting at the top of Red Mountain and going down its southern slope is the community of Homewood. This was Birmingham's first "over the mountain" community and is largely residential. Homewood, however, has some of the Birmingham area's finest restaurants and shops. People drive from all directions to eat at De Vinci's Pizza and Nabeel's Café and Taverna.
Hoover
Another of Birmingham's outlying "bedroom" communities is Hoover. Though largely residential, Hoover is also notable for the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium (aka "The Hoover Met", the new home of the Birmingham Barons baseball team) and for Birmingham's most popular shopping mall, Riverchase Galleria.
Bessemer
The home of the great Bessemer blast furnaces, Bessemer fell on hard times when the influence of the steel industry waned. Bessemer has since made a comeback, largely due to the presence of the family theme park Alabama Adventure. Old Bessemer has its attractions too. People have been coming here since 1907 from all points in Birmingham to have dinner at the Bright Star restaurant.
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