Thats an open question, but for us it is within a long walk or a short bike ride to a lot of high quality jobs. For Ensley, you are most likely hopping on the i

Thats an open question, but for us it is within a long walk or a short bike ride to a lot of high quality jobs. For Ensley, you are most likely hopping on the interstate to get to work. Once you have to get on the interstate, why not keep going another few miles to a stronger economy? Or even better, why not just invest closer to the jobs? For a Bham specific example, there are probably very low cost properties closer to UAB or Regions. To make the case that someone SHOULD invest in Ensley, the investor has to make that case defensively for why Ensley instead of 3 miles east closer to downtown. The biggest issue for Ensley, not mentioned in the article, is that Ensley was built as an industrial village for Tennessee Coal and Iron (TCI) with an absolutely mammoth manufacturing facility alongside Ensley (largest in the world, per wiki). TCI was acquired by US Steel and US Steel relocated and expanded the plant to Fairfield. Now that the jobs are gone, Ensley has struggled to survive. I would imagine the completion of I-20 was the final straw, since it is now easier to access cheaper land further out. It is unfortunate, but not unreasonable.