Parkside is a small but lively section of downtown Birmingham. Residents tend to be young, and most live in apartments or condos. The neighborhood is filled with restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, and it features one of the city’s most popular social hubs in Railroad Park.
The neighborhood is known for its bevy of restaurants. Residents can try:
The neighborhood’s condos and apartments are a mix of modern and renovated designs, and they rarely hit the market. When they do, the average home value is in the mid-$400,000s, with the Printers Corner condo complex among the most popular options. More than 95% of residents are renters.
Residents often live in Parkside for its convenience. The neighborhood’s sidewalks and grid-like streets make it easy to get places on foot. Roads like 1st Avenue are lined with medium-sized trees. The amount of entertainment and nightlife options makes the community appealing to young adults. Parkside has a median age of less than 30, and its populations under 18 and over 65 are well below national averages. Because of all its activity, the area can be noisy at night and on weekends.
There is no shortage of ways to spend a day in Parkside. Among the most popular is going for a picnic or a bike ride at Railroad Park. “I love Railroad Park because you see all walks of life there. … It’s one of the better things that has happened downtown,” Prichard says. Sports fans can cheer on the minor league Birmingham Barons baseball team, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, at Regions Field. Next door is the Negro Southern League Museum, where visitors can explore the sport’s history. The Red Mountain Theatre hosts performances of plays like “The Wiz” and “Dear Evan Hansen.”
There will soon be another option. KultureCity, a national nonprofit, purchased the area’s historic Powell Steam Plant in 2025, with plans to turn the space into a multi-use, sensory-inclusive facility that will hold community events and house a technical college. The space is planned to open in 2028.
Though many residents walk, MAX Transit buses make stops at Railroad Park and other locations near the neighborhood. Drivers can easily get onto Interstate 65, which crosses with Interstate 20 to the north. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is around 15 minutes away.
Students are zoned for Birmingham City Schools. Highly rated options are within 2 miles of neighborhood, like the private Saint Rose Academy in Highland Park, for prekindergarten through eighth-grade students, and the state-funded Alabama School of Fine Arts in Fountain Heights, for grades seven through 12. The state’s CHOOSE Act of 2024 provides eligible families with funds to put toward private school tuition, typically between $2,000 and $7,000. All families will be eligible for the scholarship before the 2027-2028 school year.
Lynlee Real-Hughes
ARC Realty Mountain Brook
(659) 204-5104
387 Total Sales
2 in Parkside
$225K - $300K Price Range
Jamie Phillips
Keller Williams Realty Vestavia
(205) 236-0207
20 Total Sales
1 in Parkside
$436,760 Price
DC
Darlene Cooke
Down South Realty Inc
(659) 202-7576
6 Total Sales
1 in Parkside
$436,760 Price
ST
Stephen Todd
Ray & Poynor Properties
(659) 207-9793
18 Total Sales
1 in Parkside
$300,000 Price
| 1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime | Parkside | US |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 9 | 4 |
| Sexual Assault | 7 | 4 |
| Assault with Weapon | 6 | 4 |
| Robbery | 4 | 4 |
| Burglary | 9 | 4 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 9 | 4 |
| Larceny | 7 | 4 |
| Crime Score | 6 | 4 |
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
$1,625 - $2,770 per month
$1,078 - $3,875 per month
$799 - $1,699 per month
$1,064 - $2,399 per month
$1,206 - $2,190 per month
$1,099 - $1,323 per month
$1,282 - $2,882 per month
Bike Score®
Walk Score®
Transit Score®
Local Logic measures the walkability, access to public transit and bikeability of any address. CAP Index provides objective, accurate, and consistent data to help measure, compare, and mitigate crime risks.
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