What DON'T you like about Huntsville/Decater areas? (Birmingham, Madison: transplants, buyer)

[mm42]

I can't believe Huntsville drivers are considered fast. Try driving in Atlanta.

[ZnotZed]

I can't believe someone actually asked 'what's wrong with the military'. I like what someone else said about 'group think'... so true. Military people, on the whole, tend to think that wrapping themselves in a flag makes them patriotic. I don't think we're over in Iraq or any other country defending American freedom.
We may be defending the American way of life, by protecting oil/other interests that allow us to grow fat while sitting on couches watching tv and eating lots of junk food (all bought at Walmart...don't get me started on Walmart)...
But MY individual freedom is not at risk from anyone in Iraq.
As for Walmart... are you deaf? Blind? Do you not hear the conversations of the employees there? Every time I go in there, which is less and less often, I assure you, I hear employees talking. The conversations always start off being critical of Walmart then taper off with "But I have to watch what I say. I do'nt want to lose my job."
Have you not seen the movie.."Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price".
Anyone who asks the question "what's wrong with the military" and "What's wrong with Walmart" is driving home my point nicely.
As for the driving... curteous? Are you serious? You probably think they are being courteous because you most likely drive a huge SUV where if they don't yeild to you they get crushed.
Try driving a tiny little truck, an 87 in fact... with no airbags and no abs. I drive cautiously, out of necessity. I don't see a lot of that courteousness you speak of. I just see a lot of people in a huge hurry. Why not leave for work a few minutes earlier instead of driving twenty miles over the speed limit?
Do you think you are immortal? You drive that way, you WILL be one of the many many Parkway wrecks we see every week.
Keep those blinders on, you'll retire and go live at some overpriced retirement community and die there, believing you did all you could for your country and thinking you are a great American when in fact you were part of the problem.
I am not really afraid of speaking against the military. I was in it once. It's using up all the poor kids and returning them to the USA as damaged goods.. we will have an entire damaged generation. And they are not all going to look happily back on their service. ONe day they will question the validity of it all. You can bet on that.

[deesonic]

To ZnotZed... Whoah! Someone speaking there mind on here is sure to get slammed. Seriously, as an Army vet, husband of a two-time Iraq vet, and son of a former Wal Mart employee I applaud you speaking your mind. Figured I would give you some kudos before others come on here and pile on.

I think you're pretty dead on about the Iraq war and Wal Mart actually. I have seen that movie. And although I always appreciated the public's outward appreciation for my military service when my wife and I were serving (and the military DOES deserve our appreciation), I always felt most of the public didn't really know why we were at war in the first place. They just know they're supposed to root, root, root for the home team and if they don't win it's a shame. And I can't help but be disgusted by what I call the "bumper sticker patriot" mentality of many who shop away at Wal Mart buying Chinese made goods (including those bumper stickers and magnets I mentioned), getting fat watching American Idol and Dancing With the Stars and having no real clue about why our men and women are overseas in the first place.

But to get back on topic a bit... What do I not like about the Huntsville area? Have I mentioned the archaic beer laws in this state? The lack of an interesting downtown?

[Southlander]

It's easy to find something you don't like.
Personally, I'm SO disappointed to find that this area is not a 30-minute drive to the Gulf of Mexico. I was SO shocked!

[marmac]

(regarding Walmart employees)-----------why don't they go back to the jobs they held before they applied at Walmart?

Surely those jobs paid more,had better benefits, and they left on their own free will (sarc)

[HSVbulldawg]

Things I don't like:

1) Allergy Problems

2) Not as many special interest classes and events for adults as there are in larger cities - I won't drive 1.5-2 hours each way just for a class.

3) Summers are really hot and winters are too cold. The spring and fall are really nice though.

4) Young single population is not that large here. This area tends to attract young married people over young single people (although there are quite a few young male engineers)

5) Infrastructure needs updating (roads are pretty decent overall but sewers need a lot of work)

[knightofeffect]

Not so much a list of things I don't like rather than things I would like to see change:

1) Downtown height zoning restrictions. Just get rid of them.

2) Lagging/unattractive buildings and consumer options right off of Memorial Parkway. With the exception of Redstone Federal and Parkway Place, the vast majority of buildings seem rundown.

3) Acquire magic. Fix the major divide in the school system.

4) Allow UAH to control its own destiny. UAH is sandwiched between a thriving hospital and the second biggest research park in America, not to mention the booming biotech industry, yet when biotech and other research funds are given to the UA school system it is directed to UAB and UA well before UAH is given any consideration. I have friends in genetics (at UAH) that you would think would be really thrilled to be in Huntsville now that Hudson-Alpha is here (they also intern there), but they are all reluctantly leaving to continue their education.

5) When or if BRAC starts getting fully ramped up, it would be nice to see the Huntsville-Madison-Decatur areas acting together to make infrastructure decisions and advancements instead of everyone acting in their own immediate best interests. I know, I know, why waste that wish when I could go for world peace?

[hey teach]

Things I do not like about Huntsville
1. racial division and racism among residents
2. allergies
3. school system (HCS) needs total revamp
4. not much in the form of entertainment
5. downtown is more business and less shopping or entertainment

[ala-bubba-ama]

I will be glad to tell you what I don't like. The first year, it was shock and awe. No one said hi, how are you, welcome, or nice to meet you. The first words: What church are you affiliated with, what is your education, what do you do for a liviing. Immediately judging and categorizing. This is what you call southern hospitality? No thank you. People are fake (not all, about 90%), most local buss. people are shady, people hide behide thier Bibles. No city life, not much of a downtown except the court house. The closest place for entertainment is Atlanta . As I have said before It is a buyer beware state for a reason. There is a lot of do as I say, not as I do. I'm moving this spring, can't wait. My bags are packed. I don't care if the door hits me on the way out. I'm not looking back. Only foward. Going back to the N.E., to people I can trust.

[madisonmamma]

Originally Posted by BKOTH97

Madison has plans for a second highschool and the plans (from what I know) are for all of those east of Hughes to attend Bob Jones and those west of Hughes to attend the new high school. From my experience in Madison (lived here 6 years) that will be a very even split (demographic wise) and will create 2 excellent high schools. I honestly don't think you can go wrong by moving to Madison from a school perspective. If you move into one of the Huntsville school districts there is a distinct possibility of major zone changes because of the overcrowding in certain districts.

One of the biggest problems in the HSV City system is the bussing of students....it has made a LOT of parents unhappy and created overcrowding situations in rapidly growing zones like Providence. In Madison, there is none of that. You go to the school you are zoned for. Period. And all the schools are pretty great, so you can't go wrong in whatever part of Madison you end up in.