Birmingham's Future (Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Talladega: 2014, crime, home)

[jdawson1237]

I know there are a lot of Bham lovers who think that it's a major US city and should be treated as such. I also know there are Bham haters who intend on tearing it down any chance they get, stating crime statistics and the lack of certain amenities, etc. But what is it's future really?

What is Bham's industry to drive growth? All major US Cities have an anchor industry. For Bham, that was steel but that's pretty much gone now. For revitalization to happen, you HAVE TO ATTRACT NEW PEOPLE. How will they do that? What's the flare?

[Tourian]

Asked and answered.

Originally Posted by jdawson1237

How is the financial industry prominent? You could make that argument for Charlotte, not Bham. The medical industry isn't that prominent either. It has a good medical school but nothing more than other big cities. Most large cities have competing, if not better medical schools and hospitals. The two closest "big cities" are ATL and Nash. Atl = Emory. Nash = Vandy. Rarely will you hear UAB in the same conversation. It's better than average (ranked 43rd US News & World Report) but it's also not an industry.

Originally Posted by Tourian

This is a typical disingenuous goalpost moving reply. They are prominent industries in Birmingham. I didn't just say UAB, there is more to the medical industry here then UAB, but yes UAB is the biggest engine and driver of that. I did not say the medical and financial industry are prominent when compared to say Hong Kong or New York, so bringing up Charlotte makes no sense.

Do you acknowledge the fact that there is indeed a medical and financial industry in Birmingham and are NOW just going to argue that there are cities that have a bigger investment and prominence in those fields? If so, I'm not interested, because you have will have thus admitted that steel is not the only industry here and that is all I was responding to.

http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/blog/2014/07/after-decade-of-change-where-does-birmingham-rank.html

Are you going to just talk about the nine cities ahead of Birmingham? Will the fact that it ranks ahead of cities like Dallas, LA and Atlanta be ignored? Yes, the financial industry is prominent here.

[jdawson1237]

How does Bham rank ahead of Dallas, LA and/or Atl? Those industries are perhaps the largest industries that bham has.. But they're no where near as prominent as other cities. Charlotte is booming with Banking and Financial Services. Btw, the article you referenced only includes assets held. We are 10th because of Regions mainly. Assets held has little to do with how large the industry is in the city. It has to do more with how many institutions are based there. In other words, if you incorporated Regions in Montgomery, it would have made the list.

The point is, Bham is not a hub for anything.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by jdawson1237

How does Bham rank ahead of Dallas, LA and/or Atl?

I just showed you.

Those industries are perhaps the largest industries that bham has..

No kidding, nothing gets past you. That was the point.

But they're no where near as prominent as other cities.

So what. That wasn't what you asked. That's just what you've retreated to.

Charlotte is booming with Banking and Financial Services.

New York is bigger then Charlotte. So?

Btw, the article you referenced only includes assets held. We are 10th because of Regions mainly. Assets held has little to do with how large the industry is in the city. It has to do more with how many institutions are based there. In other words, if you incorporated Regions in Montgomery, it would have made the list.

Assets held is how that lists works. It put your beloved Charlotte in 2nd place. It put Birmingham in 9th because those banks are headquartered here. Regions is a big bank, but it isn't the only bank HQ'd here. Sorry it doesn't support your narrative.

The point is...

The point is I went back to read your previous posts and see what your agenda is. BTW, uptown aint empty and construction is ongoing in Parkside. Truth and facts hurt, don't they?

[Joeyj42]

Originally Posted by jdawson1237

How does Bham rank ahead of Dallas, LA and/or Atl? Those industries are perhaps the largest industries that bham has.. But they're no where near as prominent as other cities. Charlotte is booming with Banking and Financial Services. Btw, the article you referenced only includes assets held. We are 10th because of Regions mainly. Assets held has little to do with how large the industry is in the city. It has to do more with how many institutions are based there. In other words, if you incorporated Regions in Montgomery, it would have made the list.

The point is, Bham is not a hub for anything.

I really don't know what it is about Birmingham that draws so many trolls. But here is a link to metro Birmingham's largest employers in 2013. Link

It seems pretty clear to me that Birmingham's major industries are healthcare and finance. Automotive manufacturing also seems pretty strong. Even though both the Mercedes and Honda plant are outside of the metro a significant amount of people who work at those plants live in Birmingham. Its also pretty silly to compare Birmingham to ATL, Charlotte or LA considering the population differences between those metros.

2010 census
LA: 12,828,837
ATL: 5,286,728
Charlotte: 2,217,012
Birmingham: 1,128,047

I would expect those cities would have more prominent industries, but for a metro of its size Birmingham's finance and healthcare industries are pretty impressive.

[ashpelham]

Birmingham has some real positives to it. It has a moderate climate, and a diverse population. Unfortunately, there is a lot of negative too. Most any place has plenty of that.

Biggest issue is one that most other places have: income discrepancy. What new business that does come in, typically doesn't pay the kind of middle class wages that will prosper Birmingham's citizens.

Birmingham has another disadvantage that a lot of other struggling places have: poorly run government. No city is going to move forward if the pols can't do the right thing for their constituents. See, New Orleans. See, Detroit.

My personal take on Birmingham doesn't matter. The people that live here and love here make that call. I've decided a number of years ago I don't like it, and I'm planning a relo. Just needed to scrap together some home repairs and get it on the market. They won't miss me at all, and I won't miss Alabama.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by Joeyj42

I really don't know what it is about Birmingham that draws so many trolls. But here is a link to metro Birmingham's largest employers in 2013. Link

It seems pretty clear to me that Birmingham's major industries are healthcare and finance. Automotive manufacturing also seems pretty strong. Even though both the Mercedes and Honda plant are outside of the metro a significant amount of people who work at those plants live in Birmingham. Its also pretty silly to compare Birmingham to ATL, Charlotte or LA considering the population differences between those metros.

2010 census
LA: 12,828,837
ATL: 5,286,728
Charlotte: 2,217,012
Birmingham: 1,128,047

I would expect those cities would have more prominent industries, but for a metro of its size Birmingham's finance and healthcare industries are pretty impressive.

Agreed. The OP didn't ask for a comparison up front he just asked what would be the draw for new people. With reasoning like his, people should only move to the largest city on the planet with the biggest industry they are interested in.

The auto industry is also very important. I juat didnt want to fall into the typical troll trap of, "Well they aren't in Birmingham." People like that will only count metro influence if it is something negative. Luckily, we can claim Honda since Lincoln and Talladega county are officially part of the CSA now. I believe Tuscaloosa county will be when the next census comes around. Until then though there is no denying that Mercedes has had an affect on the Birmingham Metro.

my favorite part of the above nonsense is how he said Montgomery would be prominent in banking if Regions moved there. Well no kidding. If Wachovia moved down here from Charlotte and if Wells Fargo packed up from San Fran and Citi came down from NYC theyd make Birmingham pretty huge in banking, now wouldn't it?

[lem1985]

I have seen heard and read that Charlotte is the financial capitol of the south as recent as last year. They are still the home of Bank of America which is probably why most people say that though. For some it is a valid question what is BHAM's major industry or industries because you just never hear BHAM come up when it comes to that talk.

[jdawson1237]

Ah forget it. Everytime someone questions Bham people jump on a hater bandwagon. The fact that financial services and healthcare are its leading industries does NOT mean those industries are thriving and bringing NEW business or people to town. I agree with alot of the statements above and appreciate the back n forth but it seems like most people who make these arguments don't spend considerable time enjoying the vast amenities of larger cities.

Now here's where you might have a point. Alot of people in Bham don't WANT it to be an ATL, Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa etc etc... They like it how it is. It's manageable and has some very nice areas. I happen to prefer larger cities that have more to offer and less humidity. I actually never knew how great lower humidity was until I left and ate outside on a 100 degree day.

Just forget this thread.

[Tourian]

Blah blah blah. Nobody called you a hater...yet. No one cares that you think the industries here are not thriving or bringing new people and you certainly dont have the knowledge to make summary judements of what people here have enjoyed or other places they've been. Its just a bunch of wishy washy backtracking. You wanted to know what Birmingham had to offer besides a steel industry (which is still active) and you were told. What other cities have is irrelevant in answering the original question. If you want to take the thread in another direction and compare Birmingham to every other city in the country so you can rant about every negative angle you can approach go right ahead. That sort of rambling trolling non focused conversation is nothing new or exciting. Or just start a new one or go back to bumping ancient threads with inane comments.