The historic Southside community is situated on the hilly and forested slopes of Red Mountain just south of

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

. The neighborhood includes the landscape from

Railroad Park Railroad Park is a 19-acre park in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, that opened in the fall of 2010. It was designed by landscape architect Tom Leader and built by Birmingham-based Brasfield & Gorrie. The park lies immediately south of the N ...

to the crest of Red Mountain, and from

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...

to U.S. Highway 31 (or "Red Mountain Expressway"). It is one of the most densely populated residential neighborhoods in the city and home to the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a Public university#United States, public List of research universities in the United States, research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established i ...

(UAB) and its adjacent hospitals, the state's second-largest employer. The Birmingham Business Journal anticipated Southside to have the highest income growth of any zip code in the metro area.

Characteristics

Southside is one of the most cosmopolitan neighborhoods in Birmingham, and was historically known for its counterculture. Five Points South in particular has long been a popular nightlife and entertainment district. Because of the international draw of UAB, Southside is the most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood in Birmingham and is also considered one of its main "gayborhoods", playing host to the city's annual

gay pride LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to sham ...

parade each June. With its college town atmosphere, the community has a high percentage of bicycle commuters, and according to walkscore.com, has two of the top three most walkable zip code neighborhoods in the metropolitan area. Southside has several local businesses, and many residents are employed in the medical, research, and banking industries that anchor Birmingham's economy, or at one of the law firms located in Five Points South. George Ward Park, Vulcan Trail, Magic City Rotary trail, and

afford residents with opportunities for outdoor recreation and scenic views. The

Vulcan statue The ''Vulcan'' statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and is the city symbol of Birmingham, Alabama, reflecting its roots in the iron and steel industry. The tall statue depicts the Roman god Vulcan, god of the fire and forge, w ...

, Birmingham's city symbol, crowns the crest of Red Mountain and is visible from most areas of the neighborhood. Other attractions include Good People Brewery,

Dreamland Bar-B-Que Dreamland Bar-B-Que is a barbecue restaurant chain based in Alabama. It was founded by "Big Daddy" John Bishop in the Jerusalem Heights neighborhood of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1958, but has since franchised, opening Alabama restaurants in Birmin ...

, the Frank Fleming Storyteller Fountain, the

Alys Stephens Center The Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center (ASC) is a performing arts facility located on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham ( UAB). It hosts over 250,000 people for more than 300 diverse events annually. The ASC is th ...

and the

Regions Field Regions Field is the name of a minor league baseball Baseball park, park in the Southside (Birmingham), Southside community of Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. It is the home field for the Birmingham Barons of the Southern League (1964–present), South ...

baseball stadium.

History

Much of Southside was established in the 1890s by John Phelan and Robert Jemison Sr. (of the South-Side Land Co. and the Jemison Real Estate & Insurance Co., respectively) as a leafy

streetcar suburb A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Such suburbs developed in the United States in the years before the automobile, when ...

for Birmingham's middle and upper class residents similar to Atlanta's

Inman Park Inman Park is an intown neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, and its first planned suburb. It was named for Samuel M. Inman. History Today's neighborhood of Inman Park includes areas that were originally designated * Inman Park p ...

neighborhood. The proximity of UAB and the magnet school

Ramsay High School Ramsay High School is a four-year magnet high school in Birmingham, Alabama. It is one of seven high schools in the Birmingham City School System and one of three International Baccalaureate schools in the Birmingham metropolitan area. Originally ...

stabilized the community during white flight in the late 20th century, and the area continues to maintain some of the lowest crime rates in the city. As one of Birmingham's oldest residential neighborhoods, it has recently experienced a revival in demand for housing options with historic character, as well as the construction of new apartments and condominiums. The neighborhood contains seven historic districts subject to design review under the neighborhood association subcommittee; these districts include an eclectic mix of houses built between 1890 and 1920, primarily representing the

Prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

, Craftsman, Neoclassical, and Victorian styles, with a few examples of Queen Anne and

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

. The network of sidewalks, tree-lined streets and rear-access alleys recently served as a conceptual model for the

new urbanism New Urbanism is an urban design movement which promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually inf ...

community of Mt. Laurel located thirty minutes south by car. Southside residents have organized into three neighborhood associations (Five Points South, Glen Iris, and Southside) which meet monthly. Most residences are within city council district 3, currently served by Councilor Valerie Abbott, though district 5 and 6 are also represented. File:Apartments in Five Points South.JPG File:A street in Five Points South.png File:Robert Jemison Sr. House Glen Iris Park Dec 2012.jpg File:1931 11th Avenue South Birmingham Dec 2012.jpg File:Agee House (NRHP) Birmingham, AL.JPG File:A larger home in the neighborhood.png

Public services

Libraries

Southside Public Library, UAB Sterne Library, UAB Lister Hill Biomedical Library (limited access)

Transportation

*UAB Blazer Express: All Lines *Dart Express Bus: Blue line (Five points South to Downtown Business District on 20th St), Green Line ( Lakeview district to UAB on University Blvd) *Birmingham City Bus System: line 14 throughout, lines 48 and 8 going west, lines 17 and 12 going east, and lines 39, 42, 31, 72, and 51c going south

Education

* In neighborhood: Glen Iris Elementary, Epic Alternative Elementary, Ramsay Magnet High School, The University of Alabama at Birmingham * Includes areas serving: Avondale Elementary, Arrington Middle School, Putnam Middle School, Carver High School

Police

UAB Police Department (Located near Phelan Park), Birmingham Police Department South Precinct Headquarters (Located in Five Points South)

Birmingham Fire & Rescue

Station #2 Southside, Station # 3 Highland, Station # 7 Greensprings

References

External links

*{{commonscat-inline, Southside, Birmingham Neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama