Central City is an active community in the heart of downtown Birmingham. Home to restaurants, bars and cultural centers, the neighborhood is ideal for people looking to be in the middle of the action, with many of its condos offering views of the region. The area is walkable, but MAX Transit buses can also take residents wherever they need to go.
The neighborhood is filled with brick, loft-style condos, many of which were built before 1950. Options include the Art Deco-style Watts Building or the John A. Hand Building, which features marble interiors. Many condos offer scenic views of the region. Units often range from the mid-$100,000s to the lower $600,000s. “It’s a lifestyle thing,” says James Faulkner, a Realtor with RealtySouth who sells homes across Birmingham. “People want to be downtown and get that feeling... It’s like SoHo in New York [City].” More than 70% of residents are renters.
Central City’s food is one of its calling cards. “You can totally brag on the restaurant scene,” Faulkner says, especially along 2nd Avenue North:
The community is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in Birmingham, providing access to nearby restaurants, parks and museums. Residents can also ride bikes or hop on one of the MAX Transit buses, which have stops throughout the area. That includes the Magic City Connector, which takes riders from the neighborhood’s Birmingham Museum of Art to places like the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the restaurant-filled Five Points South community. Interstate 20 and U.S. routes 78 and 280 are nearby. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is around 5 miles away.
Linn Park hosts the Fiesta Birmingham celebration each fall. The event brings together more than 150 vendors from Caribbean, Latin and European cultures, with people enjoying food, live music and dancing. It is the largest Hispanic Heritage Month celebration in Alabama. The annual Birmingham Art Walk, along 20th Street, allows more than 100 visual artists to showcase their work.
The area is close to Sloss Furnace in East Birmingham. A throwback to the city’s iron industry days, the one-time blast furnace is now a cultural center where visitors can take classes from metal artists or attend festivals and concerts. General admission is free, and paid guided tours are also available. Faulkner says the site is a point of pride for Birmingham and is a popular spot for weddings. Central City is also home to the Birmingham Museum of Art, which has nearly 30,000 pieces in its collection and is free to visit. The nearby Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, often called the BJCC, hosts large concerts, comedy shows and athletic events.
Linn Park, split between Central City and Fountain Heights, has walking paths, tall trees and a pavilion. Marconi Park offers a baseball diamond and a basketball court. Just north of the community, underneath Interstate 20, is City Walk BHAM, a public space split into different segments. The segments near Central City include a dog park, a beer garden and a large playground. In other sections, visitors can find a skate park, an amphitheater, a roller rink, pickleball courts and a food truck area.
The neighborhood, known simply as “Downtown” or “The Lofts district” by residents, has plenty of activity. Patrols from the City Action Partnership watch the community on Segways, on bikes and on foot. These patrols keep streets clean of trash and graffiti, and help residents with whatever they need, including assistance with car trouble. Area streets are often one-way, and small trees are planted along its many sidewalks. The area can be noisy at night, especially between 2nd Avenue North and Morris Avenue.
Students are zoned for Birmingham City Schools, including the neighborhood’s own John Herbert Phillips Academy, a prekindergarten through eighth-grade school that is highly rated. It offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, which aims to inspire curiosity in its students. The neighborhood is a few miles from the private, top-rated Saint Rose Academy. The state’s CHOOSE Act of 2024 gives eligible families between $2,000 and $7,000 to spend on private school tuition. All families will be eligible for the funds before the 2027-2028 school year.
Janet Hamm
ARC Realty Alabama
(205) 381-4453
52 Total Sales
1 in Central City
$195,000 Price
Jean Thrasher
Keller Williams
(659) 207-3552
37 Total Sales
1 in Central City
$253,900 Price
Brian Kelleher
Keller Williams Homewood
(659) 207-5345
143 Total Sales
1 in Central City
$230,000 Price
Lori King
Jonathan Chamness Realty Group
(888) 606-7028
101 Total Sales
1 in Central City
$324,500 Price
James Faulkner
RealtySouth-MB-Crestline
(659) 204-7650
150 Total Sales
2 in Central City
$370K - $520K Price Range
Ginger Busby
LAH Sotheby's International Realty Homewood
(659) 207-3782
82 Total Sales
2 in Central City
$422K - $975K Price Range
| 1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime | Central City | US |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 7 | 4 |
| Sexual Assault | 9 | 4 |
| Assault with Weapon | 8 | 4 |
| Robbery | 7 | 4 |
| Burglary | 8 | 4 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 7 | 4 |
| Larceny | 6 | 4 |
| Crime Score | 7 | 4 |
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
On average, homes in Central City, Birmingham sell after 106 days on the market compared to the national average of 54 days. The median sale price for homes in Central City, Birmingham over the last 12 months is $320,000, down 9% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
$1,007 - $1,200 per month
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First-time homes overlooking Birmingham's hip entertainment district
New construction townhomes in the heart of the Lakeview Entertainment District
A downtown Birmingham neighborhood filled with history, food and recreation.
A walkable pocket of Birmingham packed with restaurants, breweries and attractions
This Birmingham neighborhood is small in size, but huge in history
This suburb's residents are close to downtown Birmingham's attractions
