Recent survey shows that Mountain Brook is a welcome place for millennials

Through the years, some people in the Birmingham area have perhaps viewed Mountain Brook as an older, more staid and socially conservative community.

But the city recently received unexpected positive attention from two new surveys that could help change the way the city is viewed, even by some of its own residents.

In September, employment website zippia.com listed Mountain Brook in its new ranking, “Best City In Each State For Millennials To Relocate.”

In fact, Mountain Brook was listed at No. 2, trailing only Broadview Heights, Ohio, and was one of only two cities from the Deep South — along with Bryant, Arkansas — to make the top 10.

Using U.S. Census data, zippia.com looked at median incomes and home prices, millennial unemployment and the percentage of millennials living in poverty in 2,249 cities.

“Our criteria was to find affordable cities where paychecks stretch further, poverty is low, and jobs are plentiful,” the survey states.

Also last fall, Mountain Brook was named the “No. 1 Fit City in Alabama” by fitness site barbend.com.

City officials and others were pleased to see the city’s high potential appeal to the much-desired millennial generation.

“All across our city, we work hard to build a community that is attractive for all age groups,” Mayor Stewart H. Welch III said. “It is particularly important to be able to attract millennials because they represent the future leadership of our great city. They are young, bright, compassionate and willing to get involved to assure we achieve continuous improvement in quality-of-life for our city.”

“With the school system that we have and the beautiful neighborhoods, I am not surprised it’s a draw for families that want to move in and raise their children,” said Virginia Smith, president of the Mountain Brook City Council.

Welch also mentioned the city’s five “unique and picturesque villages,” 45 miles of sidewalks and walking trails, seven parks, two athletic complexes and low crime rate.

The high ranking shows that Mountain Brook is “a community for all ages and is a great place to live and work and for all ages,” said Evans Johnson, project manager at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson and some other young people in the city — including a couple of representatives from the youngest group, Gen Z — said Mountain Brook is a welcoming, forward-looking community.

It’s a place, they said, where young people feel included and can enjoy quality restaurants and other gathering places, a supportive social scene, great opportunities for fitness and recreation and a growing roster of youthful entrepreneurs.

“Historically, I think people have viewed Mountain Brook as part of the Birmingham metro area that was inaccessible unless you lived there, but what I think people miss is that Mountain Brook has so much more to offer, especially to millennials,” said Kim McGuire, 32, director of franchise services at Chester’s International in English Village and the president of the Junior Board of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.

It is certainly positive for the city to be viewed as a good place for younger people, Smith said.

“It’s important for a city to be vibrant and welcome change,” Smith said. “I think that if you are staid and conservative, then you don’t get to explore new opportunities and new ideas, and it’s important for any city to continue to grow, even if you are not able to grow in your actual physical boundaries.”

“Any attention on Mountain Brook as a city that offers opportunity for a younger crowd is always a positive thing,” said Caroline Shea, a 2016 MBHS graduate and the philanthropy coordinator for Birmingham nonprofit Christopher Kids.

Many young people want to move to Mountain Brook because of the quality of its schools, Shea said.

Mountain Brook is, overall, a good city for young people, Johnson said.

“The community and the villages especially give everyone something to do,” she said. “There’s always a spot to meet your friends and there’s something for everyone here.“

Born in 1997, Johnson lives now in Cahaba Heights but grew up in Crestline and attended Mountain Brook Junior High and Mountain Brook High School.

“Especially for people who have grown up in Mountain Brook, I think it will always be a city that is attractive for young people,” Shea said.

“There are so many small businesses that are run by young people,” she said.

These businesses are a big part of what brings young people to the city, she said.

“There are many places to shop, eat, exercise, as well as work while supporting others’ entrepreneurial aspirations many of us have,” Shea said.

“I was fortunate enough to grow up in the city, but being back as a young adult has allowed me to appreciate it in a different light,” said Maggie Baker, a 2016 MBHS graduate who attended Wofford College. “The immediate sense of community with others in my age group has allowed a smooth transition not only for me, but also friends from high school moving back and friends from other cities and states moving to Mountain Brook for the first time.”

“There is a great networking aspect to living in Mountain Brook, which is beneficial to young people,” Shea said. “With a smaller (number of residents), you’re bound to know someone who knows someone.”

The city has restaurants that fit “every craving and budget” and is now “the perfect social town for young people,” Baker said.

In fact, even if a young person does not live in Mountain Brook, it can be a draw, McGuire said.

“The city is accessible and offers so much of what millennials are looking for when it comes to dining, shopping and play,” she said.

“We prefer an experience, and not just any place will do,” she said.

The city also offers great small businesses in very walkable settings.

“Shopping in any one of the villages has something for everyone,” McGuire said. “The villages offer a unique experience you can’t find anywhere else.”

Health-conscious millennials and members of Gen Z also appreciate the city’s growing culture of fitness and its many opportunities for exercise and outdoor recreation.

“Most everyone I know tries to get some form of physical activity semi-regularly, and there are so many options to choose from walking to guided personal training sessions,” Baker said.

“Many Mountain Brook businesses are marketed toward bettering the health and fitness of the community,” Shea said, citing such examples as MPower Pilates, TriFusion Method, Iron Tribe and Platinum 2 Pilates, as well as new restaurants like Blue Root Company and the workout clothing boutique, Eleven Eleven Clothiers.

Home prices are, understandably, an important metric in the zippia.com survey.

“Studies have shown that while millennials continue to buy a home like previous generations, it usually doesn’t happen until they’re in their 30s,” the site stated. “The reason being is that millennials take more time to save up for the bigger home. With the paychecks you’ll find in these cities, maybe you won’t have to save up so long for that perfect house.”

In the zippia.com survey, Mountain Brook has an average income of about $75,000, 2.3% of millennials in poverty and an average home price of about $605,000.

Despite the higher average home price in Mountain Brook — higher than many of the other cities listed — the average income helps compensate, according to the survey.

“That’s quite a lot per year, meaning it wouldn’t take long to pay off student debt and save up for a home,” it said.

Welch agrees. “Of the 10 top cities, Mountain Brook has by far the highest average income … meaning more opportunities for great-paying jobs,” he said. “This higher income allows millennials to afford a more expensive home in one of our many beautiful family-friendly neighborhoods.”

Home prices in Mountain Brook do not discourage “young people from wanting to be near the area before they can buy their first home,” said Caroline Shea. “There are many areas nearby that are attractive for young people to rent with roommates or buy until they can afford their first home in the city limits.”

After renting in Homewood, Shea and her fiancé have recently purchased a home on Sims Avenue in Crestline Park.

“The high housing prices do make me concerned that fewer people my age will be able to purchase a house as early as our parents did,” Baker said. “However, there are many rental options or apartments that make living affordable for young people in Mountain Brook.”

There are, of course, some opportunities for the city to improve or do more when it comes to attracting young people, “either as residents or patrons of its businesses,” McGuire said.

“I think Mountain Brook could appeal to millennial parents by adding or updating playgrounds and parks,” she said.

She also suggests using some of the outdoor spaces in the city for “fun events” to attract a youthful demographic and cites Irondale Furnace Trail — a spot she visits often with her family — as an example.

“There is a great open space with historic furnace ruins,” she said. “How cool would it be to host an intimate outdoor concert or art festival there?”

“More city-wide events for young people would be immensely helpful to allow people to meet each other and increase connection,” Baker said, noting that such activities are obviously not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city should also support small businesses in Mountain Brook, especially the ones run by younger people targeted for younger people, Shea said.

“Long-standing businesses who are able to hire younger staff or even younger interns would help greatly to mentor the next generation of residents and business owners,” she said.

One can sense a generational shift that will be beneficial for Mountain Brook, which currently “is changing, as does every city through the years,” McGuire said.

Mountain Brook “has the opportunity and is on the cusp of changing how people view this city,” she said. “It will be millennials and Gen Z that really give momentum to the changing viewpoints.”

The city “is accessible and welcoming to all who want to work, live, shop or dine here,” McGuire said.

“The key ….. to keep the momentum of change is embracing the experience of Mountain Brook,” she said. “Young people value and search out places that give them a feeling of stepping outside the monotony of daily life.”

“Millennials … want every experience to count, and if the city continues to be committed to offering fun, accessible and thoughtful opportunities to experience Mountain Brook, I think you’ll start to see an increase in young people walking through the villages,” McGuire said.