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It's only 672 people. You can see more than that at Niki's West on a given day.

Or in a line outside the county courthouse.

But those 672 people are big for Birmingham. They're the kid who stuck his finger in the dike. They're Rocky Balboa, climbing up the ropes after tumbling in an Apollo Creed heap. They are hope, when nobody thought there was any.

Birmingham, you might recall, was supposed to be under water by now, or flat on the canvas and KOed. It was to have lost its place as the state's largest city. Analysts predicted it would, by now, be smaller than Montgomery, and maybe Mobile.

But for the second straight year Birmingham found ... momentum.

Mayor William Bell (The Birmingham News/Mark Almond)

Last year the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama issued a report that showed Birmingham's population loss had slowed almost to a stop – while Montgomery and Mobile struggled. Then Census estimates released this week – remember they are estimates -- found that Montgomery lost 3,200 people between 2012 and 2013, and Mobile was stagnant.

But Birmingham grew. By a .3 percent smidge. But it grew. By 672 people.

That's modest, of course, and more symbolic than anything. But if you look across the country at the population changes, there's reason for a place like Birmingham to be optimistic. Overall trends seem to be shifting, with city centers growing more rapidly than suburbs in many places.

According to Governing.com, the cities that lead the urban movement are those that make themselves attractive to young people who prefer the excitement and convenience of an urban core. You can see it in Birmingham, in places like Avondale and Norwood where youth has given the city momentum.

The question now is whether Birmingham can keep it going.

Mayor William Bell on Thursday acknowledged the numbers are just an uptick, but he said the momentum is real and palpable and obvious on the streets.

He pointed to a lot of things to keep it going. The city's recent creation of a land bank authority will, if it goes as planned, increase property values, put abandoned properties back into use and make neighborhoods more appealing.

Bell vowed to invest in police and fire and streets and neighborhoods to make people feel more safe and secure. Without that there can be no real momentum.

But Bell also talked about big dreams. He has begun a new push again to build that domed stadium – likely at a cost of about a half billion dollars – to make all that spending on hotels and entertainment districts pay off.

And he said he recently met with NBA officials, just to keep Birmingham in the conversation for future expansion. If, somehow, a potential owner were to emerge.

That's fun to dream about. It is welcome, after so many years of disappointment (and indictments), to see a city that no longer sees itself as ever-failing and falling.

But if Birmingham is to keep momentum, it must worry most about reinvesting in itself.

Because in the end it is not domes or $5 billion beltlines that draw people to a community. It is security and comfort and schools and satisfaction. It is pride in the community that keeps them there.

So if Birmingham wants to build on the positive news, let it turn its attention to a transit system that really works. Let it double down on investments it has already made in parks, roads, sewers, schools, police and fire departments, utilities, infrastructure and people. It can improve the things it has, and find creative ways to revitalize the city core that seems to draw this new generation.

Build on the past to build the future. That would be momentum.

John Archibald is a columnist for Alabama Media Group. jarchibald@al.com