Birmingham vs. Huntsville vs. Mobile: Best city for urban professionals (Montgomery: low crime, good schools)

[Rwarky]

Out of Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile which city has the greatest opportunities for African-American urban professionals? Which city is the worst?

[Reactionary]

Are you writing a book?

Seriously, you've posted this same question ("Best city for blacks: Calgary or Edmonton?); plus other posts like "Which states could the U.S. live without?" and "Sacramento vs. Raleigh".

Make it a love story...

[Rwarky]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

Are you writing a book?

Seriously, you've posted this same question ("Best city for blacks: Calgary or Edmonton?); plus other posts like "Which states could the U.S. live without?" and "Sacramento vs. Raleigh".

Make it a love story...

I'm exploring many cities to live, this is why I create these kind of threads. Besides, as an African-American male I would like to know which cities are good or bad for us...in other words, open minded.

[Keeper]

Any of the cities you mentioned would be suitable if you are looking for a job. AL is not as backwards as many ppl think. Mobile has an African-american mayor as does B'ham(I believe)..

[Rwarky]

Originally Posted by Keeper

Any of the cities you mentioned would be suitable if you are looking for a job. AL is not as backwards as many ppl think. Mobile has an African-american mayor as does B'ham(I believe)..

I'm not one of those that consider Alabama backwards. If I did, I wouldn't have considered these cities.

[Keeper]

I wasn't referring to you specifically just the preception many ppl have about AL.

The hardest part besides looking for a job is deciding which area best suits you. Mobile is on the coast and an older city, B'ham is more metro and H'ville is booming with BRAC

[Reactionary]

which cities are good or bad for us

For 'us' - Huntsville: better educated population, Federal Government largest employer, HBCU AAMU, and military town.

Bham 'city' has high crime (see other threads), poverty, bad schools. Bad for everybody, but especially 'us'.

Mobile 'city' has crime, poverty, bad schools ('dropout factories'). Bad for everybody, but especially 'us'.

News Alert: "World to End Tomorrow - Women and Minorities affected the Most"

It could be that you're sincere and that I'm dealing with the BSOD c000021a... if so, the answer is still HSV...

[Reactionary]

Rwarky, it also helps to know what kind of professional you are - each city has it's own industries...

[Mr. 205]

Originally Posted by Keeper

Any of the cities you mentioned would be suitable if you are looking for a job. AL is not as backwards as many ppl think. Mobile has an African-american mayor as does B'ham(I believe)..

The best, in my humble opinion, would have to be Birmingham. Let me preface my choice by saying, the city (proper) has its fair share of problems -- as do most central cities across the nation -- but it should be noted that crime and other undesirable elements don't adhere to imaginary boundaries like city limits. There are certain sections of Homewood (an affluent suburb) I wouldn't recommend over portions of Birmingham (e.g. Forest Park, Highland Park, Crestwood, etc). With that said...

Birmingham, a metro of 1.1 million people, provides the best opportunity for Black professionals in the state of Alabama. A large Black population (80% city, 30% metro), a highly publicized environment for entrepreneurs, greatly improved race relations, and a booming downtown renaissance with a bevy of cultural and nightlife options combine to create a wonderful atmosphere for the urban professional.

In recent years, the city was named one of the top 10 cities for Blacks by Black Enterprise Magazine, one of America's "Most Livable Communities" by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and, as of June 2007, is the nation's leader in long-term income growth -- increasing almost 100% from 1990 to 2005.

Now with the not-so-good:

1. Crime. Birmingham's homicide rate is ridiculous for a city (proper) its size. Truth be told, unless you're involved in drugs or gangs, your chances of being murdered on a Birmingham street are exponentially low. But, regardless, these crimes matter and should not be taken lightly. Learn about the areas with the problems (mainly western Birmingham: West End, Ensley, etc) and remember to be aware of your surroundings at all times.

2. Politics. There's a sentiment among local residents that insists while Birmingham is, in fact, growing, it's falling well short of its potential -- a fact almost as infuriating as going backwards. Add to this the fact that Birmingham (proper) is losing residents by the thousands and you have a unique and hard-to-solve problem on your hands. The metro area suffers from political balkanization and much of this separation falls along lines of race and/or class.

In short, the area has a myriad of problems, but hands down, it's probably your best bet in terms of rising as an urban professional. And the worst choice, in my opinion, would have to be Montgomery - a city that exists only as the headquarters of an ineffective and dysfunctional state government.

[Bravo35223]

I'd agree that Birmingham is your best bet....the metro area has 1.1 million people with 240,000 in the city proper and the remainder in the suburbs, which have very low crime, good government and good schools....

What is your profession?