The age-herald., 1902-03-25
.ENSLEY IS NOW 4 THRIVING CITY OF TEN THOUSAND Would Help Birmingham Max a Good Showing in
 1910 REAL ESTATE Is GOING UP MT. c. F. Sharpe Now Manager and Sales Agent of EnsIey Land ComPany-Quality of Build
 Ines Improving.
REAL ESTATE IS GOING UP

If Mayor Drennen's committee on Greater Birmingham induces Ensley to agree to the annexation proposition it will help greatly to give Birmingham an impressive showing in the census of 1910. The people who live in Ensley or who go there every day or two cannot appre- ciate that citys rapid growth. but occa- sional visitors are struck with it.
 Prophets of prosperity predicted that it would be a very large town. When the steel plant was started these prophets talked about a population of 10000 with in few years and today it has a pop ulation of 10000 or nearly that number The population inside the city limits Is conservatively estimated at 1000, but the immediate suburbs are well built up and are said to contain not less than 1000 souls.
 Typographical Situation.
 The topography of Ensey Is in some respects similar to that of Birmingham. It has its highlands on the north side and on the south side and South High lands in Ensley is just about the same distance from Avenue E. the main thoroughfare, that South Highlands In Birmingham is from First avenue.
 A pioneer in the real estate business of Ensley said yesterday that there had not been year since 1897 in which real es- tate values had not enhanced when com pared with the prices of the preceding year. The growth of Ensey is west ward. and in the western section of the city prices have increased threefold within the past twelve months. Lots that could have been bought for two hundred dollars a year ago are now selling for five and six hundred. Averaging the whole city, the level of prices has ad- vanced about 100 per cent since the first of January, 1901.
 Improvement in Building.
 Two years ago nearly all the house built in Ensley were of the poor cheap sort. Since that time there has been steady improvement in the quality of architecture seen in that city, and within the past six months the improvement has been decidedly marked, both with regard to mercantile houses and residences. Many dwellings are being built now
  mingham or any of the older cities of the South.
 Mir. C. F. Sharpe, who was until recent ly engaged in the real estate business at Nashville, is now the manager and sales agent of the Ensley Land Company, of which Mr. Don II. Bacon is president. He was appointed two or three weeks ago but only took charge of his desk in the company's office last Friday.
 Asked yesterday if the Ensey Land Company was going to do much new natting this spring Mir Sharpe said that some flatting would be done but just how much he wasn't prepared to say. The company owns a great deal of valuable property scattered all over Ensley. A good portion of this acreage Is known as reserve property and will not be put on the market this year.
 Mir. Sharpe is a conservative talker but he said he did not know of any city in the country of Ensey's size that has such a bright future. 'If no new indus trial plant is built in Ensley," said MT. Sharpe, "what We already have will cause the citys population to grow to 25,000. and it will reach that mark by 1905. even if we were to stand still in the line of in- dustrial development. But there will be no standing still. Many new industries will be located here. That may be stated as a certainty
 Many New Houses.
 The Ensley Land Company will proba- bly build many houses this summer. Mr. Sharpe said if a thousand large houses were built at once every one of them would be quickly occupied. When a man starts the foundation for house for rent he has forty clamorous applicants not twenty but forty-in less than twen- ty-four hours.