Arlington-West End is an established, historically Black community in Birmingham, and many of its residents have lived there for a long time. Home prices are generally lower than in other areas of the city. Residents have access to MAX Transit buses and can walk to a handful of local restaurants and nearby parks.
Arlington-West End residents are dedicated to its upkeep. Many of them have lived in the neighborhood for decades; the area’s median age is nearly 50, and close to a third of the population is over 65. “A lot of current and former city leaders live in the area,” says Erika Coleman, a Realtor with Coleman Realty Group who has sold homes in the Birmingham area for about six years. The Arlington-West End Neighborhood Association meets once a month at the West End Public Library, giving people a voice when issues arise. Area streets are wide and usually have sidewalks, and train tracks run northwest of Elmwood Cemetery and Mausoleum.
Most of the neighborhood’s homes were built before 1950, with several from the 1920s or earlier. These houses are often bungalows and cottages with front porches. “There can be a home of less than 1,000 square feet, and then a 2,000-square-foot home less than two blocks away,” Coleman says. Prices can range from about $60,000 to the lower $200,000s, which is well below other parts of the Birmingham Metro Area. Nearly 65% of residents are renters.
The neighborhood is zoned for Birmingham City Schools, including the community’s own Hemphill Elementary School. Alabama’s CHOOSE Act of 2024 gives eligible families between $2,000 and $7,000 to spend on private school tuition. The state will make all families eligible by the 2027-2028 school year. Arlington-West End houses the private Ephesus Academy, which serves students from prekindergarten through 12th grade.
MAX Transit bus routes 1 and 3 make stops in the community. Riders can get to Fountain Heights attractions like the Alabama Theatre and Kelly Ingram Park, where several Civil Rights monuments stand. The neighborhood is just over 10 minutes from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where many of its more than 20,000 students are studying medical fields, and close to 20 minutes from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, outside of rush-hour traffic. Princeton Baptist Medical Center sits in the neighborhood between Lomb and Tuscaloosa avenues.
Depending on their location in the neighborhood, residents can walk or bike to a handful of restaurants and shops. Options include American Ranch House, a Southern-style eatery; A-Train Station, which has a rotating menu of comfort food; and WE Community Cafe, a pay-what-you-can kitchen. Piggly Wiggly and Sheba Foods are grocery store options, and there is a Dollar General just south of the neighborhood off Dennison Avenue.
There are a handful of green spaces close to the neighborhood. Residents can relax at Harrison Park, which has tennis courts, a playground and a recreation center. Woodward Park is home to a baseball diamond, a jungle gym and a pavilion, and Elyton Park offers a basketball court and hosts community events. Coleman says people often visit nearby Rickwood Field, the oldest baseball stadium in the country, which now acts as a museum. Legion Field, which hosts the annual Magic City Classic football game between Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University, is a couple of miles away. The event has been held since 1945 and attracts roughly 60,000 people.
Jeremy Galloway
eXp Realty, LLC Central
(205) 894-6266
118 Total Sales
4 in Arlington-West End
$50K - $175K Price Range
Barbara Turbville
eXp Realty, LLC Central
(205) 813-8840
164 Total Sales
1 in Arlington-West End
$32,500 Price
Margie Nixon
Norluxe Realty Birmingham LLC
(205) 703-2201
157 Total Sales
2 in Arlington-West End
$18K - $250K Price Range
Steve Parker
Keller Williams Realty Hoover
(205) 379-6172
579 Total Sales
1 in Arlington-West End
$60,675 Price
Sheila Pownall
Real Broker LLC
(659) 204-7333
111 Total Sales
1 in Arlington-West End
$115,000 Price
Lou Hill
EPI Real Estate
(659) 204-7311
96 Total Sales
1 in Arlington-West End
$89,000 Price
| 1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime | Arlington-West End | US |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 5 | 4 |
| Sexual Assault | 6 | 4 |
| Assault with Weapon | 6 | 4 |
| Robbery | 6 | 4 |
| Burglary | 4 | 4 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 5 | 4 |
| Larceny | 4 | 4 |
| Crime Score | 7 | 4 |
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
On average, homes in Arlington-West End, Birmingham sell after 33 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Arlington-West End, Birmingham over the last 12 months is $76,000, up 17% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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Rickwood Field, the country’s oldest ballpark, is in this Birmingham neighborhood
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Historic neighborhood in the Smithfield community, 2 miles west of Downtown Bham
Rolling hills and simple houses just south of Downtown Birmingham
Investment homes near the West End 5 miles from Downtown Birmingham
