Birmingham-Southern College - Local Atmosphere

College Prowler Take

Birmingham is the kind of place that has a little bit of everything. Since it is the largest city in the state, it’s never far away from anywhere you would want to be. In town, there is something for every kind of person. Nature is never very far away for people who like to hike or mountain bike. There are several national and state parks in the area that are perfect for camping or just being with nature. Ruffner Mountain is less than a 10-minute drive from the school, and Oak Mountain State Park has awesome camping facilities. For those who like the big-city atmosphere, there are plenty of places for shopping, dining, or going out. The only thing that Birmingham lacks is the beach. Since Alabama is a coastal state however, the shores are only a half-day’s trip away. Although BSC is located in a metropolitan area, the school itself is able to maintain a somewhat small-town atmosphere. Being in an enclosed campus makes it hard for students to interact directly with the local neighborhood, so the best way to go out and experience Birmingham is to take it one area at a time. The malls are usually a good place to start, then the local restaurants in the surrounding suburbs, and finally the downtown clubs and bars. It’s almost a comfort to be able to go out on the town for a night or two, but be able to return to a place that feels more like home than a big city. Southern has the best of both worlds at its disposal.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Birmingham is not the most... Birmingham is not the most exciting city in the world, and there’s not a lot to do if you’re not into the bar scene. Still, there are lots of great restaurants in town (Surin West and Dreamland BBQ, for example), and enough concerts to tide you over until you can move to a bigger place. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Birmingham is an active Southern... Birmingham is an active Southern city. Read deeply into that Southern part. There are other schools in the city, the biggest, of course, being UAB. Don’t walk around the campus after dark, because the local neighborhood is a little frightening. But in the other parts of the city there are great places like Five Points, Vulcan, and the Galleria. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

The atmosphere is basically a big... The atmosphere is basically a big city but a small campus. It isn’t like U of Alabama or Auburn where you have this huge university that takes up most of the city. Also, there is a lot of shopping that can be done in Birmingham. There’s the Summit, the Galleria, Watermark Place, and many more. There is always somewhere that you can eat, from nice and expensive to quick and cheap. It’s a great place to be if you are looking for a well-rounded college experience. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

There are other universities... There are other universities present, but Birmingham is definitely not a ‘college town.’ I love to visit the Birmingham Museum of Art, and Birmingham has lots of great malls, restaurants, and movie theaters. They also have a wide variety of musical performances and ballets. The only things you should stay away from are parts of town you are not familiar with, and never travel alone. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Birmingham surprised me. There’s... Birmingham surprised me. There’s actually plenty to do around town. Although the school is in a bit of a rough area, go a few minutes up the highway and you’ll find all kinds of places. Five Points is my favorite place to walk around, just because there are so many obscure little shops and music stores. There are also a lot of good places to eat in Five Points and across the city, as well. Seriously, I could eat at a different restaurant every day of the year. Vulcan, the giant pimp, is pretty cool, too. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Five Fun Facts about Birmingham:
• Birmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama, with a metro population of approximately 1 million.
• Birmingham is home to the nation’s oldest baseball park, Rickwood Field, which opened in 1910 and hosted baseball greats such as Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.
• Birmingham is the only place in the world where all the ingredients for making iron are present: coal, iron ore and limestone—all within a 10-mile radius.
• Vulcan, the mythical god of metalworking, is the largest iron figure ever cast and is second in size only to the Statue of Liberty. The statue was Birmingham’s entry in the 1904 World’s Fair, where it won first place.

Southern Living, the nation’s most successful regional magazine, is published in Birmingham.

Famous People from Birmingham:
Mel Allen, Bobby Allison, Charles Barkley, Bo Bice, Bobby Bowden, Rick Bragg, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Dennis Covington, Courtney Cox, Deidre Downs, Fannie Flagg, Louise Fletcher, Bo Jackson, Kate Jackson, Joe Naimath, Paula Poundstone, Ruben Studdard, Pat Sullivan, Heather Whitestone

Local Slang:
The ‘Ham – Short for Birmingham
Southside – The culturally-diverse south side of downtown
‘Brookie – A person who is from Mountain Brook
Over the Mountain (OTM) – The communities of Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia, and North Shelby County, which are located “over the mountain”
Coke – Any kind of carbonated beverage

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