Let's examine the numbers & history
The West End area of Birmingham is an historic community situated west of downtown Birmingham. It's largest employer is Princeton Baptist Medical Center. This area is considered to encompass the neighborhoods of Arlington-West End, Germania Park, Oakwood Place, Rising-West Princeton and West End Manor. It covers roughly 4.708 miles and boasts a population of 16,707 (as of 2010).
The general population density for the entire city of Birmingham is 1,420 people per square mile but in the West End it is 3,549 per square mile. Some of the difference in the numbers could stem from the fact that this area of Birmingham is a little flatter than the rest of the city giving the West End more suitable area for development. The majority of the houses in the West End were built between 1940 and 1959 when the West End experienced it largest growth spurt to date.
Birmingham as a whole boasts home ownership of 64.7% of the population. The West End numbers are slightly lower at 53.8%. This number should excite potential investors as it means that out of every 100 residents, 46.2 of them are renters. Almost exactly half of the population are renters.
32% of the City of Birmingham is considered to be below the poverty levels as established by the US government. The area of West End is at 45%.
The average sale price of houses in this area last year was $39,167 which equates to an average of $26 per square foot as compared to $116 per square foot average for Birmingham as a whole. In the West End, 1% of the listed homes sold within 6 months of listing. Of those listed 50% were foreclosures. (these numbers were taken from realtor.com)
The potential for investors is enormous in this area. The extremely high renters percentage coupled with the extremely low per square foot price makes this area a prime area for investors looking to build their rental portfolios. There is also an abundance of affordable properties for sale.
West End was a thriving community from 1929 to 1983. Obviously, the local economy had the largest negative impact on the area, but also the existing housing situation was a contributing factor as well. Most of the houses built in the area were either small starter homes or apartments. The scattered large houses were either falling into disrepair or had been subdivided into apartments. This left the up and coming homeowners or potential homeowners little or no choice but to move from the area if they wanted an upgrade.
Below I've listed some of the notable landmarks in the area.
Alabama State Fairgrounds
I have not been able to locate an exact date that the Fairgrounds opened. However, I can ascertain that it was open and active prior to the 1904 World's Fair.
The statute of the Roman God of Fire and Forge (Vulcan) was displayed at the World's Fair that year. Commissioned by the Commercial Club of Birmingham and created by an Italian immigrant named Giuseppe Moretti, the Vulcan is the largest completely cast iron statue in the world. Coming in at 57 feet tall, it was shipped to St. Louis in pieces and reassembled there. It was awarded the "Grand Prize". Once the fair was over, it was disassembled and shipped back to Birmingham. However, due to unpaid freight charges, the statute was unceremoniously dumped next to the tracks where he stayed for many months.
Eventually he was put back together and was on display at the Alabama State Fairgrounds. However, he was without his spear as it had been lost in St. Louis. He became the largest advertising vehicle at the time due to his lack of a sword. At various times he would come to hold a bottle of Coke, an ice cream cone and even a jar of pickles.
He remained on display at the fairgrounds until 1939 when he would receive his own park atop the Red Mountain on the border between Birmingham and Homewood.
Legion Field
Adjoining the Fairgrounds was the Legion Field sports center. For many years it was called the "Football Capital of the South". At its peak it sat an impressive 83,091 fans. It was colloquially called "the Old Grey Lady".
The University of Alabama Football Team (1927-2003)
Auburn Tigers (1927-1998)
UAB Blazers (1991-present)
Dixie Bowl (1948-1949)
Hall of Fame Classics (1977-1985)
All American Bowl (1986-1990)
Rickwood Field
A short distance from both the fairgrounds and Legions Field is the Rickwood Field located at 1137 2nd Avenue West. Rickwood Field is the oldest surviving professional baseball park in the United States. Initially it was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team owner Rick Woodward. It is now owned by the City of Birmingham and is considered a "working museum".
Some of its tenants included:
Birmingham Barons (1910-1986)
Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro League (1920-1960)
Pittsburgh Pirates used it for spring training in 1919
Philadelphia Phillies used it for spring training in 1911 & 1920
Arlington House (Mudd-Munger House)
The Arlington House or Mudd-Munger House is located at 331 Cotton Avenue SW. It is the only original antebellum mansion in the city of Birmingham. It was built in 1822 by Judge William Mudd who was one of the 10 founding fathers of Birmingham.
During the civil war General James H. Wilson, who conducted the largest union raid into Alabama in the spring of 1865 established his headquarters there, effectively saving the mansion from destruction and allowing it to escape the war unscathed. Today it is both a museum and an events venue.
Below is a photo of the house taken in 1959.
