Neighborhood To Watch: Uptown Birmingham, Alabama

04.05.2024 - 11:51 / forbes.com

Offering an eclectic mix of urban sophistication and leisurely activities, the Uptown Birmingham District is a bustling area known for its entertainment, dining and shopping options, featuring diverse restaurants and boutiques. Uptown is a district that anchors the northern end of downtown. Adjacent to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) in downtown Birmingham, Uptown boasts modern architecture, green spaces and attractions like The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Topgolf, Protective Stadium and City Walk.

“These assets are critical to Birmingham’s tourism industry and its ability to attract major concerts and events for our city,” says David Fleming, CEO atREV Birmingham. REV is a place-based revitalization and economic development nonprofit that is working to make the city of Birmingham a more vibrant place.

Uptown is where the fun happens, and Birmingham pride can be seen in full effect. From supporting your favorite team at the new Protective Stadium to watching world-famous musicians at the renovatedLegacy Arena, Uptown is known for prime entertainment. In 2015, the Birmingham City Council voted to allow the Uptown district, including the BJCC, to become the city's first "entertainment district" with visitors allowed to carry drinks outside. These venue investments have helped stimulate new interest in the Birmingham market and aided in bringing high value events to the region. Key successes include the return of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2023 and hosting the NCAA Women’s Basketball Regionals in 2025.

According to the Birmingham Business Alliance, Uptown has been experiencing significant growth. The Alliance was created to enhance job creation, community development, talent recruitment and tourism in the seven central Alabama counties of the Birmingham metro, also known as the Greater Birmingham Region.

As Birmingham focuses on creating Vibrancy Gaps to create congruent vibrancy throughout its nine distinct districts, the city’s Uptown district has experienced over $1 billion in recent investments. “All of this makes Uptown an important part of Birmingham‘s economic vitality and attractiveness,” notes Fleming. “However, the investment that has transformed Uptown in the public’s view is the addition of CityWalk.”

City Walk BHAMtransformedthe space under the city’s interstate into a vibrant “third space” for residents and visitors. A 31-acre public space developed underneath the reconstructed I-59/20 bridges, City Walk features a dog park, amphitheater, and other performance spaces, pickleball courts, playground area as well as space for fitness and food trucks. It’s also home to a skate park, the largest in the southeast and fifth largest in the U.S.

The Uptown District