How hilly is Huntsville? (Decatur, Hartselle: movies, school, live)

[writerwife]

It's kind of like when I first moved here in the 70s.. most of the people I spoke with back then, when NY was mentioned, only thought of the city. Most had no idea of the beautiful countryside of upstate. There were much fewer transplants back then. (Oh that sentence structure!)

[bluebeard]

Also Huntsville IS largely a new city. Most of the development is fairly recent. It may have been founded pre-civil war, but that doesn't mean much.

Many cities in California have been around since the founding of the country. However, until recently most of them were cow-towns and orchards. I consider them new cities, given most of the building were built after the 50's. You can find smaller older parts of towns, but those are the exceptions.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I'd like to correct you on a few of your points. Most people think of the Appalachian Hills when they think of the South, just as much as they think of the Deep South. So, people think of both. That's a wrong assumption on your part to think that most 'outsiders' think of the South as mostly flat.

Point #2. When people think of Alabama, they think of flat, because much of Alabama is flat. Particularly everything from Montgomery down to Mobile.

I did qualify that I was making that statement based on what has actually been said to me. I have never met anyone that expressed any other opinion except that the South is flat. I also will point out that most people by my experience, don't easily realize that Alabama is a Gulf Coast state.
(I am assuming you are referring to the Appalachian Mountain foot hills when you refer to the Appalachian Hills)

About one third of the state of Alabama could be classified as flat. However I will qualify that by stating that hills are scattered throughout the central and south central part of the state as one travels into the coastal plains. The southeastern area of the state is much like Georgia and quite flat, as is the Fla. panhandle that it adjoins. The plains of other southern states, especially Georgia are actually flat.
( I believe from my travels that one could easily qualify one third of most states as different from the rest of said state, and yet does not define the state for what it is most known. So your point seemed strained)

I don't know where you get your information on what people think of Alabama, but I am curious as to why you think your source is more accurate than someone else's. Especially when you say their assumption is that the state is flat based on your saying 'much' of it is. Looking at a topographical map, comparing to a known flat state, one could quickly see that the majority, well more than half, of the state is anything but flat.

Thanks for pointing out what you perceived as flaws in my comments. Noted.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by bluebeard

Hilly and flat is all relative. What's your frame of reference?
In Birmingham I spent the longest time wondering where Red Mountain was. I eventually figured out it was the hill I lived next to.

Please excuse me for being blunt, but that is not a smart comment.

Frame of reference is the scientific determination between a hill and a mountain. They are not the same.

If you ever drove down Altamont Road or Montgomery HWY , or countless other streets you would realize how your comment would be taken as jest or ignorance. It is after all a downtown mountain. If you need more height in Birmingham, go to Shades Mountain or Double Oak Mountain. You won't find many cities with the change of altitudes that you find here without going to the Rocky Mountains.

The attached photo is taken from Ruffner Mountain, five miles east of DT. It is one of the smaller mountains in the city. Shades and Double Oak are in the southern suburbs.

[TN2HSV]

I think what bluebeard meant is...it depends on what you're used to. If you're used to the flatness of Iowa cornfields or the Mississippi delta, then HSV will seem hilly to you. If you are used to the Rockies or even the mountains of East TN/West NC (as I am), then HSV seems relatively flat. But it also depends on where you are within the HSV area! The airport area and generall WEst & South of there toward the river is VERY flat. The further east you go, the hillier it gets.

So, the correct answer is....it depends

[Captain Huff]

Madison is really flat if that is what you are looking for.

[TN2HSV]

Monte Sano is 1621 ft.
Monte Sano Mountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Red Mtn in B'ham is 1025 ft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Mou...ngham,_Alabama)

Lookout Mtn in Chattanooga is 2389 ft
Lookout Mountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monte Sano and Lookout Mtn are both part of the Cumberland Plateau, which is a part of the Appalachains. From what I can tell, Red "Mtn" is part of the Cahaba Ridges, which is Applachian foothills I suppose. I grew up on the Cumberland Plateau in TN, while my husband grew up in Mtn Brook (B'ham). He calls the ridges in B'ham mountains; I call them hills

[TN2HSV]

Originally Posted by Captain Huff

Madison is really flat if that is what you are looking for.

Not all of it. Rainbow "Mountain" is in Madison and there are some really nice views of the rocket and Monte Sano from parts of the Highland Lakes neighborhood off Slaughter Rd. There are several neighborhoods off Eastview that are hilly.

[SarahBellum]

Originally Posted by Captain Huff

Madison is really flat if that is what you are looking for.

Not the part I live in, either. I'm between Hughes and Shelton near Madison Blvd. Our driveway is darned steep and the neighbor's roof directly across the street from me is even with the road. The houses behind this one are well above us. Our first winter here, we thought we'd be smart and park down on the street during an ice storm. It didn't help a bit because we would have had to get down two more steep hills to get out of the neighborhood.

There are some flat areas, especially the newer subdivisions I mentioned earlier that were built on former cotton/soybean fields. I'm afraid you can't say Madison is "really flat," though.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

Please excuse me for being blunt, but that is not a smart comment.

Frame of reference is the scientific determination between a hill and a mountain. They are not the same.

If you ever drove down Altamont Road or Montgomery HWY , or countless other streets you would realize how your comment would be taken as jest or ignorance. It is after all a downtown mountain. If you need more height in Birmingham, go to Shades Mountain or Double Oak Mountain. You won't find many cities with the change of altitudes that you find here without going to the Rocky Mountains.

The attached photo is taken from Ruffner Mountain, five miles east of DT. It is one of the smaller mountains in the city. Shades and Double Oak are in the southern suburbs.

Please excuse me for being blunt, but that comment was friggin stupid.

There is no scientific definition that creates categories between a hill and mountain. Its arbitrary (as most categorizations are), and there is no usage of this terminology that is agreed upon by the scientific community. If there is a definition, please supply it here with a source. Driving down Altamont road doesn't count as evidence, just that we have different definitions.

I would call northern Alabama hilly, but rarely mountainous.

Growing up I lived next to what we called the Cupertino Hills. They are quite similar in height to Red Mountain and other "mountains". It is really relative.