[carpe777]

Originally Posted by Archguy

Not even remotely--same goes for MS, AR, LA, SC and to a slightly lesser extent, GA & FL.





No idea how you're counting. Birmingham is not third and never was.



NY and NJ transplants are nightmares. Don't like my opinion? Sue me

Birmingham may not have been 3rd largest banking center but it was in top five or six, in late 90's or early 2000's before SouthTrust bought out by Wachovia and when Regions, AmSouth, and Compass ( now BBVA/Compass ) were all headquarterd in Birmingham. Birmingham was behind only NYC, Charlotte, San Fran and a couple of others at most

Carpe

[Amercity]

Despite albama's potential, alabamians will not want their state to turn into georgia or florida. Although, once potential is realized, business will set up shop in alabama with thousands of people migrating to alabama. I just never see alabama ever becoming a booming state in the sense of north carolina because, it seems to me many of them hate outsiders moving to their state.

[carpe777]

Originally Posted by Amercity

Despite albama's potential, alabamians will not want their state to turn into georgia or florida. Although, once potential is realized, business will set up shop in alabama with thousands of people migrating to alabama. I just never see alabama ever becoming a booming state in the sense of north carolina because, it seems to me many of them hate outsiders moving to their state.

I am not trying to be dismissive but have you spent time in Alabama ? Your assertion above I'm sure is true to a degree, but I am from AL originally ( 39 years ) and have been out of the state for 10 years and actually think businesses are more reluctant to relocate to Alabama ( notwithstanding some of the outstanding industrial prizes AL has won in last 15-20 years , starting with Mercedes deciding to come to AL in 1993 ) than Alabamians are reluctant to have "outsiders" move into the state.

Many national retailers and other businesses have developed some of their best performing locations (compared with rest of country) in Alabama (esp Birmingham and Huntsville areas ), probably because of the dirth of new national businesses willing to expand in Alabama. Once a new national brand hits town, folks tend to go crazy, being so starved for companies they hear all about all the time in national advertising. Huntsville is more affluent than Birmingham as a whole and gets many times gets national brands to expand there first before they consider Birmingham. The whole North and North/Central Alabama area is not a huge market, but is easily 3 million which isn't chump change. Many folks from outside the South don't realize that Birmingham alone is 1.2 million plus.

Carpe

[ja1myn]

Short answer: no.

Long answer: hell no.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by Amercity

Despite albama's potential, alabamians will not want their state to turn into georgia or florida. Although, once potential is realized, business will set up shop in alabama with thousands of people migrating to alabama. I just never see alabama ever becoming a booming state in the sense of north carolina because, it seems to me many of them hate outsiders moving to their state.

North Carolina natives aren't too fond of people moving to their state either, but that didn't stop anyone.

[carpe777]

Originally Posted by ja1myn

Short answer: no.

Long answer: hell no.

From NYC and recently having moved to ATL, you've probably never been to AL and wouldn't know

[ja1myn]

Originally Posted by carpe777

From NYC and recently having moved to ATL, you've probably never been to AL and wouldn't know

Unlike what you may think of me, I'm actually not a close-minded, average NYer. But I can understand you thinking that I am due to the blunt nature of my previous statement.

You're correct though, I've never been to Alabama and I also haven't heard of anyone flocking to the state in droves like NYers and other people from across the nation do to states like NC. I have friends from across the nation and have never really heard anything too great (economic-wise) about the states of Alabama and Mississippi. I am not trying to bash on those two states here, I am just stating what an overwhelming majority of people have told me.

When a consistent amount of people having nothing good to say about a particular area, it usually signals to me that it's not worth my time.

[carpe777]

Originally Posted by ja1myn

Unlike what you may think of me, I'm actually not a close-minded, average NYer. But I can understand you thinking that I am due to the blunt nature of my previous statement.

You're correct though, I've never been to Alabama and I also haven't heard of anyone flocking to the state in droves like NYers and other people from across the nation do to states like NC. I have friends from across the nation and have never really heard anything too great (economic-wise) about the states of Alabama and Mississippi. I am not trying to bash on those two states here, I am just stating what an overwhelming majority of people have told me.

When a consistent amount of people having nothing good to say about a particular area, it usually signals to me that it's not worth my time.

I appreciate your honesty. I just had a nice reply, agreeing with some of the thrust of your comments and touting some of the little known niceties of the area, but , alas, succombed to McDonald's wifi service which disconnected me and swallowed up the reply !

Carpe

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by ja1myn

Unlike what you may think of me, I'm actually not a close-minded, average NYer. But I can understand you thinking that I am due to the blunt nature of my previous statement.

You're correct though, I've never been to Alabama and I also haven't heard of anyone flocking to the state in droves like NYers and other people from across the nation do to states like NC. I have friends from across the nation and have never really heard anything too great (economic-wise) about the states of Alabama and Mississippi. I am not trying to bash on those two states here, I am just stating what an overwhelming majority of people have told me.

When a consistent amount of people having nothing good to say about a particular area, it usually signals to me that it's not worth my time.

Love both posts. North Carolina was just too easy to invade. Alabama has a lot of stuff that outsiders wonder about.
1. There are more churches than people, and if you don't know your Bible you can get cut out of conversations.
2. There are only two college football teams in the country, although Georgia tries to make one.
3. There is a reputation that every person has a gun. Not true - a lot of us have more than one.
4. This is the big one - Alabama has a crazy Constitution - BUT... voters have declared that the budget has to be balanced every year. That means no easy pickings for extreme social "mandates" and such, no dragging the state into debt so the banks and Feds hold control over it. Since the state has to live within its means, outside of Jefferson County the rest of the counties and cities generally do so as well. (Those responsible in Jeff County for their debt crisis are in jail, like those at Morgan and BOA and Countrywide should be, instead of having been bailed out.) People who are used to nanny states run away screaming. We like that.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by ja1myn

Unlike what you may think of me, I'm actually not a close-minded, average NYer. But I can understand you thinking that I am due to the blunt nature of my previous statement.

You're correct though, I've never been to Alabama and I also haven't heard of anyone flocking to the state in droves like NYers and other people from across the nation do to states like NC. I have friends from across the nation and have never really heard anything too great (economic-wise) about the states of Alabama and Mississippi. I am not trying to bash on those two states here, I am just stating what an overwhelming majority of people have told me.

When a consistent amount of people having nothing good to say about a particular area, it usually signals to me that it's not worth my time.

Seems to me people from the northeast tend to feel more comfortable staying near the east coast, which is why they go to Florida and the Carolinas. Alabama's transplant tend to be from the Midwest, since these folks have no attachment to the Atlantic.

Also, many people are like sheep, all it takes is a magazine article telling them to move somewhere, and then they all start herding that way.