After years of investing in revitalization efforts -- turning old warehouses into offices, opening new parks, building a minor league baseball stadium -- Birmingham is finally seeing the big payoff.

People are no longer fleeing from the inner city, new businesses are moving in and home prices are actually on the rise.

In the 12 months ended September, home prices climbed 6%, bringing the median home price in the metro area to $174,000. And CoreLogic expects above-average returns again this year, forecasting a 7.8% increase in the 12 months ending in September.