[friday13]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

When I become the best construction developer and civil engineer, I will think about everything that y'all said, and I will fix it, and I will bring more growth to Alabama that IIIIIIIIIII think it needs and should have!

yeah, when will that be, KE? huh? the way you're relentlessly voicing out your views of grandiose growth on these boards, I wish no developer in their right mind currently take action on your fantasies, because by the time you, the big shot engineer developer grow up, there will be nothing left for you to develop and drive to fast growth.

But rest assured, we are growing, just not up to your insane expectations.
Don't put the cart before the horse. We grew, alright, ask the people on septic out on the edges of the city, that the City has not had time and money to lay the sewer lines. I'm not a civil engineer (nor any kind of engineer for that matter), but common sense dictates you first have the infrastructure, then the people (subdivision). I truly hope they teach some urban planning, too in Engineering school.

You're tired of seeing the cotton fields, soybean, corn and chicken houses? Well, that's too bad. Newsflash: somebody has to FEED all these people living in the sprawling burbs and cities!
I'm sure there's a KE on each state forum rooting for faster growth.
Well, how would you like your southern-style mashed potato coming out of Mongolia, instead of Idaho, or chicken from some far-flung underdeveloped country because there was no farm land left here? Bonus: you can plant your own collard greens in a flower pot in the window in your nice subdivision.

What's next on your wish list? Huntsville were a port at the Atlantic Ocean, and Montgomery the financial capital of the nation (if not the world) since the Wall st. messed up?
If we want it, we can build it?! I don't it works that way in the real world.

signed: I-refuse-to-grow-up-and-accept-growth-Peter-Pan

[OyCrumbler]

Why does Alabama have to match any other state's growth? What's the point of having fifty states if they're all racing to be the same?

Progress is fine, but that isn't the same thing as rapid population growth. It's not as if the sunbelt boom cities are having it particularly good these days.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

Why are you laughing? It's the truth. Some of you need to stop opposing growth!

Growth doesn't happen just because you stop opposing it. To promote growth, an area needs to have the right mix of: business climate, cultural expectations, transportation network, education (both public education and an educated workforce),skilled workforce, allied industries, infrastructure, etc.
For example: NC didn't just start growing, it took effort and critical decisions that started way back in the 50's. They laid a foundation for change that took a generation to germinate and a lifetime to come to where it is today.

Making decisions (however unpopular they might be at the time) with an eye to the future is probably the safest bet for growing one's economy. Why else would a state like NC even be considering a statewide smoking ban while it remains the nation's number 1 tobacco producer?

[sedriskell]

Hey, I'm studying Urban Planning at U of Alabama Anyways, I'm fine with how were growing now, as I've been saying. It is steady and manageable growth. Alabama's growth rate in most areas really jumped last year, Morgan County added 1,100 people, an amount that hasn't been matched in recent years past.

Like I was saying, we just have to be patient... if too much growth occurs at one time, we can't handle it, Atlanta is a perfect example of that. Slow, steady growth is what we want. Slow and steady means more industries that are locating here are permanent, and that is exactly what we want. We want to be able to retain the people that move here, and be able to improve their lives. We don't want to smother them with thousands upon thousands of people.

Do we really wanna be like Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, or those South Florida fast growing areas? No, we absolutely don't want to! Look at those cities and tell me what you see? I'll tell you what I see, collapsing housing markets with a shaky job market on the verge of implosion, and we all know it's true. Do you see that in Alabama? Nope, and you know why? It's because the growth that we've been experiencing has been due to industry being cautious when looking at Alabama, which is what we want. We want industries who do a lot of research on an area before they move there, those are the industries that intend to stay, and that is what we want.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl

Why else would a state like NC even be considering a statewide smoking ban while it remains the nation's number 1 tobacco producer?

Probably because of it's growth, from people of other areas of the country. And because it already has a large and growing research hub (people who work jobs and state revenue that don't depend on tobacco).
Maybe not, but seems like a possiblity to me.
I'm too cynical to think that politicians care about the future and that most thinking really think about it in that way.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by bluebeard

Probably because of it's growth, from people of other areas of the country. And because it already has a large and growing research hub (people who work jobs and state revenue that don't depend on tobacco).
Maybe not, but seems like a possiblity to me.
I'm too cynical to think that politicians care about the future and that most thinking really think about it in that way.

You have some of the puzzle pieces but not all. Some of the main reasons why I think it's even up for consideration are:

1. The state is run by Democrats
2. NC's population has grown exponentially from the outside
3. NC found a way to retain its best and brightest college grads instead of losing them to business in other states
4. NC has spent decades and money on improving elementary, secondary and post secondary public education across the state
5. The Research Triangle area remains one of the most educated major metros in the entire country.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by sedriskell

Hey, I'm studying Urban Planning at U of Alabama Anyways, I'm fine with how were growing now, as I've been saying. It is steady and manageable growth. Alabama's growth rate in most areas really jumped last year, Morgan County added 1,100 people, an amount that hasn't been matched in recent years past.

Like I was saying, we just have to be patient... if too much growth occurs at one time, we can't handle it, Atlanta is a perfect example of that. Slow, steady growth is what we want. Slow and steady means more industries that are locating here are permanent, and that is exactly what we want. We want to be able to retain the people that move here, and be able to improve their lives. We don't want to smother them with thousands upon thousands of people.

Do we really wanna be like Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, or those South Florida fast growing areas? No, we absolutely don't want to! Look at those cities and tell me what you see? I'll tell you what I see, collapsing housing markets with a shaky job market on the verge of implosion, and we all know it's true. Do you see that in Alabama? Nope, and you know why? It's because the growth that we've been experiencing has been due to industry being cautious when looking at Alabama, which is what we want. We want industries who do a lot of research on an area before they move there, those are the industries that intend to stay, and that is what we want.

Raleigh is hardly imploding and Charlotte is holding its own considering the national financial crisis. Neither city has seen huge drops in housing prices and people are still moving to each to position themselves for future opportunity when the national picture improves.
Raleigh again was named the nation's best city for business by Forbes for the 3rd year in row while next door neighbor Durham was 3rd. While housing prices in NC cities are higher than other places in the South, they are not out of whack to salaries (like FL) and they don't have downward pressure. So, before you assert doomsday for these places, do a little research.

[sedriskell]

Excuse me? No need to get in sucha fowl mood. Tell me what is the unemployment rate up in NC? Doesn't that tell you that maybe industries got a little overconfident in their market. From what I've heard from other people, Charlotte had a lot of condo buildings going up, but some had to halt construction because no on is buying them.

I'm not trying to bash North Carolina, I have family up there, I'd like for it to rebound. Just because massive amounts of people are moving to a city, doesn't mean that it's a good thing. Especially if there aren't enough jobs...

[southernnaturelover]

If you want to see growth just come on down to Baldwin County, more and more forested areas are being bulldozed every day for strip malls and subdivisions.

[chj]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

If you want to see growth just come on down to Baldwin County, more and more forested areas are being bulldozed every day for strip malls and subdivisions.

I know what you mean. perdido is getting a dollar general. I know that dollar general is a big store, but, for somewhere like perdido I'm surprised that it is coming there.