In a column for AL.com published on Nov. 8, 2026, author and former broadcaster Don Keith argues that Birmingham suffers from a pervasive inferiority complex that blinds locals to the genuine natural beauty and economic advantages recognized by outsiders.
Coordinated by David Sher, the opinion piece points to an outsider’s initial reaction during the final commercial airline approach into Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. The window-seat passenger remarked on the abundance of greenery blanketing Red Mountain, Trussville, and East Lake Park, a view often taken for granted by frequent flyers.
Keith writes that during a past corporate recruiting effort for executive talent, his team anticipated that prospective movers would harbor deep-seated negative preconceptions regarding civil rights history, crime, and heavy industry. Instead, outsiders registered little apprehension, focusing primarily on summer temperatures and college football culture rather than historical baggage.
Drawing on personal residency experience in Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Atlanta, Mobile, and Metro Nashville-Davidson County, Keith contends that Birmingham holds its own against heavily praised metropolitan areas. He notes that peer cities carry their own severe logistical burdens, including grueling rush-hour congestion along Interstate 40 and Interstate 65, alongside complex municipal governance hurdles.
The column encourages residents to abandon persistent feelings of inadequacy tied to a bygone era of steel mill smoke and civil rights turbulence. Keith concludes by asking locals to recognize what they already possess, urging celebration of the abundant natural assets rather than overlooking home in pursuit of outside emulation.
