I have been hanging out on Birmingham's Southside since I was 11. I attended Ramsay High School which is a few blocks from Five Points South. I also attended John Carroll High School which was on Highland Avenue. When I returned home from UVA, I worked at UAB. So most of my academic and professional life were spent on the Southside.
There weren't any national coffee chains back then. There was a convenience store where Ruby Tuesday's sits. There was a different fountain in front of the Greek Orthodox Church. If we were heading downtown, it meant that we had crossed from south to north.
So when did the Southside become part of downtown? Was it always part of the downtown area? Several organizations will ask, "Would you like our "south of town" or "downtown" location?" When I look at the address of the "downtown" location, it is on the Southside.
When I volunteered for ONB, I recall hearing the term "City Center" to describe the Civic Center to Vulcan as the northern and southern borders. So am I alone in wondering when the Southside became part of downtown Birmingham?
