Young People are taking over Birmingham

Birmingham’s young professional demographic has grown 3x the national average between 2010-2015 and now makes up almost 6% of Birmingham’s population.  How many people is that?  12.5K YP’s called Birmingham home in 2015, up from 8K in 2010. (Source:  U.S. Census Bureau).

millennials, birmingham,cities,
Credit: Giphy.com

The ‘Ham now ranks 64th out of 150 large U.S. cities for YP growth, up 40 spots from 2010.

YP’s have been attracted to Birmingham’s revitalized areas including Avondale, Woodlawn and Lakeview, as well as downtown.

Historic restoration tax credits have helped to spawn preservation of older buildings downtown.  Ten large-scale historic properties are either under current renovation or were completed this year.

Millennials, Birmingham,apartments,rent
Credit: Bloomberg 2015

Construction of new multi-family developments have also popped up. Currently, there are more than 2,000 apartment units either under construction or recently completed in Birmingham’s urban core – an area identified as downtown and the immediate adjacent neighborhoods.  And, young people can afford to live in Birmingham.  Bloomberg rates Birmingham in the top 5 of cities with affordable rent for millennials.

YPs, Birmingham,walking,biking, work
Credit: Giphy.com

Living close to work allows for different modes of, (should we say healthier?), transportation.  Birmingham has seen a 224% increase in people biking to work (compared to 21% in U.S.) and 46% increase in people taking it on foot, compared to 8% increase for U.S. (Source, The American Communities Survey)

Can we say, more bike lanes anyone?

Welcome to Birmingham, millennials and YP’s!  You’re helping to invigorate our beautiful city.

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