Young family looking at a potential move to Birmingham. Looking for input...

[bfmx1]

I'm going to copy part of TimCity's response and add my own opinions:

downtowns: this one isn't a contest, Birmingham has a downtown feeling where Huntsville does not at all

suburbs: Birmingham, being bigger has more/better suburbs overall but none as "good" or as Madison for an all around score. I prefer Birmingham's burbs personally, but Madison just looks great on paper and is newer feeling. It's not as rich as Mountain Brook, but MB is very exclusive and not much to speak of on its own. Hoover would be the closest comparison and Madison is OVERALL better IMO.

outdoor activities: probably a tie... agree.. Birmingham has Oak Mtn and Red Mtn but HSV has Montesanto and Lake Guntersville and is closer to the Tennessee offerings. I think, not sure, that Lake Guntersville is a bit more active than Logan Martin or Smith lake but not real sure. I guess I'd put HSV on top by a little? No? Eh tie.

food: Birmingham definitely! No contest

jobs: Huntsville's job market is very niche. so i hesitate to say it's a better job market.. It's really not that good apart from Gov contract employers which isn't that diverse. Birmingham will have something for almost everyone.. Albeit not a huge selection to choose from but is more diversified in its economy. Engineer or Gov Contract... Hunstville all day. Most everything else Bham wins.

crime: no contest here. this is a black eye for birmingham. i will say that i live in the city and have never once felt unsafe. unfortunately, as in most places, violent crime seems to be concentrated in a handful of areas which in turn give the city a bad reputation.

sports: tie.

music: Birmingham definitely. There is alot of good small venues like large bars that have good music on the weekends.. There's always a good cover band somewhere.

nightlife: Birmingham by another longshot. Pretty good night life scene for its size. Poeple like to talk about the crime rate but in the nightlife districts, it feels safe and just as dangerous as any other big city's downtown.

transportation: tie again.. HSV will have less traffic but there's fewer places to go.

Personally, I like Birmingham alot better. HSV is one big suburb in my opinion and is a great place to raise a family with excellent schools.. Birmingham is more of a city with grit and more interesting.

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by bfmx1

Personally, I like Birmingham alot better. HSV is one big suburb in my opinion and is a great place to raise a family with excellent schools.. Birmingham is more of a city with grit and more interesting.

this kind of sums it up for me. really just depends what stage in life you are and what is important to you. huntsville was a great place to grow up and, to be fair, has made great strides in attracting young people recently. however, birmingham has more of the character / feel of the type of place i like as an adult.

[BamaDave]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

The question I ask is 'why' and the answer can't just be 'racism'. There has to be something else at play here. People are always looking for 'better'. You do realize that many black people have moved to suburbs too? Why did they do that? They were looking for more safety and comfort I guess, like the white people who left. This is just what people do. You say suburbs excluded black people, I see a ton of black people in the suburbs.

Yes, things have changed NOW (to some degree), but in the past White flight was largely racially motivated. I mean, come on. Once a Black family moved onto a White street back just a few decades ago, the For Sale signs flew up almost overnight. This left cities like Birmingham poorer, with all of the associated legacy problems that still continue today. The problems don't exist because the city was "left to the Blacks."

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by BamaDave

Yes, things have changed NOW (to some degree), but in the past White flight was largely racially motivated. I mean, come on. Once a Black family moved onto a White street back just a few decades ago, the For Sale signs flew up almost overnight. This left cities like Birmingham poorer, with all of the associated legacy problems that still continue today. The problems don't exist because the city was "left to the Blacks."

I think we all need to quit looking at color so much. It's not all about that. It's also about culture, money, status, etc. Everyone is judgmental to a certain extent and naturally segregate themselves into groups with similar interests. There were problems in the old days. We all know that. A lot of hard work has went into getting rid of those barriers.

We are all supposed to be united as Americans. We are all supposed to at least have that in common. Nowadays we don't even have that. No wonder the rest isn't working. We can continue the blame others all we want, it won't matter, you will just stay frustrated.

[bfmx1]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

I think we all need to quit looking at color so much. It's not all about that. It's also about culture, money, status, etc. Everyone is judgmental to a certain extent and naturally segregate themselves into groups with similar interests. There were problems in the old days. We all know that. A lot of hard work has went into getting rid of those barriers.

We are all supposed to be united as Americans. We are all supposed to at least have that in common. Nowadays we don't even have that. No wonder the rest isn't working. We can continue the blame others all we want, it won't matter, you will just stay frustrated.

This ^^^..... Could not agree more. It also has so much to do with how people present themselves. When you get pulled over by a cop, the way you present yourself has way more effect than your skin color. This goes for anyone.

[BamaDave]

It's very easy for White people to say we shouldn't talk about color or "I don't see color." The only reason we're talking about it in this conversation that has totally derailed from the original post is because of the accusation that the city's problems are due to being turned over to the Blacks.

[BamaDave]

And now we have the Corona flight to the suburbs! https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/18/coro...n-suburbs.html

[bfmx1]

Originally Posted by BamaDave

It's very easy for White people to say we shouldn't talk about color or "I don't see color." The only reason we're talking about it in this conversation that has totally derailed from the original post is because of the accusation that the city's problems are due to being turned over to the Blacks.

Agree with this too. I was never saying, or meant to say, we should not see and celebrate color and our origins/cultures. I'm simply saying that, IMO, what matters more than anything is overall presentation which determines how you'll be treated by cops, employers, and everyone.