Druid City

I've been wondering for a few weeks now, why there are so many businesses in Tuscaloosa that have the word Druid in their name?....then, as I was pondering this, other people were calling Tuscaloosa, Druid City. After trying to imagine what may be the source of such a cool nickname I remembered to look it up. Though slightly disappointing (to me, anyway. I guess I conjured some scene out in the woods of these cloaked beings congregating for some mystical reasons.....after reading that back to myself, it just sounds like I'm describing a bunch of KKK wackos getting together) the story behind the name is that in the late 1800's, the people in charge of Tuscaloosa planted oak trees along the downtown streets. Tuscaloosa became known as Oak City and/or Druid City because the Druids worshipped oaks. Now that I think about it, I guess it's a pretty good reason for a pretty cool name.
Many of those trees have gone by the wayside just as much of downtown Tuscaloosa. It's sad, really, Tuscaloosa went the way of so many cities where the downtown area was totally neglected. Today it is full of vacant, slightly vacant, and probably should be vacant buildings. Interestingly though, there is a complete revitalization effort that seems to be in its infant stages. I hope to see this turn out to be a project that completely transforms the area into a vibrant downtown. Not many people in Tuscaloosa have grasped the enjoyment of a multi-dimensional downtown (that's a post for another day), but there seem to be enough that have and are working towards some type of effective downtown. Several blocks have already been demolished and more are scheduled for demolition. Don't worry, none of the demolished buildings were architecturally stimulating....most were the bland 60's style. Hopefully, I'll be able to report many new wonderful places opening in the next few years. Sadly, all I can report now is that my favorite bakery closed. It was an incredible German bakery that was a highlight of moving into town...people were always coming in....I felt real sadness when I walked to the door and the sign said "All fixtures for sale".
That certainly turned into a rambling episode.