We asked, you answered—your thoughts on downtown Birmingham

If you ask 10 people what they think of Downtown Birmingham, you’ll probably get 15 different answers. We wanted to learn more about our audience’s perception of the area, so we asked our Instagram and LinkedIn followers their thoughts. Here’s what we discovered.

What does our audience think of Downtown Birmingham?

Here at Bham Now, we’re always curious to learn more—from scoping out the newest openings in our city to getting to know our audience better. We put up polls in October 2021 on LinkedIn and Instagram—on LinkedIn, we received 205 responses and on Instagram, 793 followers answered.

The majority of our LinkedIn + Instagram audiences would go downtown for work + fun 🤩

“When I think of Downtown Birmingham, I think of…”

Whether you love it or hate it, we wanted to know what our audience thinks of Downtown Birmingham. We asked our Instagram followers to share what comes to mind when they think of the area, and their answers range just as much as our city does. Here’s a look at what comes to mind.

1. Good food & breweries 🍔

Of the almost 50 answers we received, 35% shouted out downtown’s good food and brewery scene. Not sure where to start when it comes to eating downtown? Here are a few of our top picks:

• 6 local Black-owned restaurants to try
• Your guide to 15 Birmingham-area breweries + what to order at each
• EastWest got multiple shoutouts—check out their can’t-miss deals

2. UAB 🐲

Is it any wonder that UAB is top of mind when people think of downtown? UAB constantly ranks as a top employer and school in the country. Here are just a few of the times UAB’s made the news:

• UAB was ranked the #1 Best Large Employer in America by Forbes.
• UAB is one of America’s best employers for diversity according to Forbes.
• The university is at the top of the US News & World Report’s list of best global universities for infectious diseases.

3. Spending a lot of time trying to find parking 🚗

We’ve all been there, right? Another top answer when we asked our audience for their thoughts was parking issues and the endless construction downtown.

4. Buildings like The Pizitz, City Federal, Alabama Theater + the Alabama Power Building 🏙️

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Of course, Birmingham’s architecture is another standout feature.

5. Unrealized potential 🌟

As I read through our poll answers, a theme began to emerge: for most of our audience, Downtown Birmingham represents progress. For many of us, downtown is home—and many of the issues we see are things we can work together to change. Whether it’s supporting our neighbors without homes or advocating for our local arts scene, each of us has a part to play in making downtown a safe and welcome place for all.

What do you think of Downtown Birmingham? Let us know by tagging @BhamNow on social.