April Journal Prompts Day 2 - What place do you consider your home?

 April Journal Prompts Day 2 - What place do you consider your home?

Birmingham, Alabama!

I was born and raised here and have never lived anywhere else. Well, except for a brief time when I was a baby and mom and I lived in St. Petersburg, Florida. But I don't even remember that.

My mom moved around a lot when she was a child and she was always having to start a new school and make new friends. It was important to her that her children not have that same experience. We lived in a small suburb just outside of Birmingham and attended the same school with basically the same group of kids from Kindergarten until 12th grade. 

When I was a teenager and in my early twenties, I did not like Birmingham much. I worked downtown and you did not want to be caught down there after 5 pm or after dark. What's more, there wasn't much to do down there after working ours anyway. I wanted to move and live somewhere else. But for various reasons, that never happened.

Now twenty-thirty years later, if you ask some people that don't spend much time in Birmingham, they'll tell you it's terrible but they would be wrong. Yes, there is crime. But crime has made it's way into the suburbs and rural areas now so no place is 100% safe, I don't care what you think or say. And you can say what you will about Arrington, Bell, Langford and other mayors that have been in power since the late 80's but they, along with their city council brethren have done an amazing job bringing people back to the downtown area to live, work and play. I absolutely love it and wish I could afford to live there. (I live in a semi-rural part of Alabama about 30 miles out)

I love the addition of Protective Stadium, Legacy Arena, Regions Field, City Walk, all the high rise condos and apartments, the night life, restaurants and shopping--everything is back in downtown Birmingham.

I also love the rich history of our city, even if some of it is not at all pleasant. 

Yes, I'm proud to tell people I'm from Birmingham, Alabama and don't think I'll live anywhere else anytime soon!