Ask a displaced Alabamian (as I did) about their memories of Birmingham, and chances are the first words uttered go something like "dirty, sooty, and poor." During the second half of the twentieth century life rarely got better, as Birmingham was left behind while neighboring Atlanta's reputation, and population, waxed greatly. In short, Birmingham in our time emerged with a rust-belt image, despite its being geographically situated well within the sunbelt, and with its sense of place being negatively attenuated further by the accumulation. of generations of racial injustice. How did Birmingham get that way?