Mobile vs.... (Montgomery, Jackson, Columbia: insurance, movers, crime)

[traveler3]

Can anyone whose been to these cities compare them to Jackson.

Columbia, SC
Tallahassee, FL
Orlando, FL
Jackson, MS
Baton Rouge, LA

[oscottscotto]

Originally Posted by traveler3

Columbia, SC
Tallahassee, FL
Orlando, FL
Jackson, MS
Baton Rouge, LA

Columbia - never been

Tallahassee - much smaller than Mobile, but does have Florida St.

Orlando - never been

Jackson - not sure of statistics, but very similar in size when it comes to the feel of the city. Mobile has alot more "flavor" than Jackson however, and it is right by the gulf, has nice communities across the bay from it, and is slightly less ghetto. Jackson does have a neat historic neighborhood near Belhaven (sp?) college though.

Baton Rouge - passed through a few times, didn't really notice anything special. Pretty ugly in many parts. LSU is there though, and that's cool.

I know I didn't help much ...

[JRA2000TL]

I travel nationwide for my job so I can tell you. Looking at your list, they are all comparable except Orlando.

Columbia, SC --It's about the same size as Mobile with reasonable cost of living. They have a college or two there just like here. No major differences. I've only been there once, so I don't know much. They do have a really nice airport though.

Tallahassee, FL --Again, about the same size, but it's a college town. It's FL, so they have no state income tax and better schools than Mobile. Otherwise, it's another Anytown USA. If you like football, you'd like it there.

Orlando, FL--It's grown extensively. The airport is a nightmare because of the tourists. The city is great and has tons to do. The cost of living is very reasonable for this type of city. If you work in the service/hospitality industry, there are plenty of opportunities. You'll want a decent income to be able to enjoy all the things to do in the city. The traffic sucks and it's VERY diverse, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you're a static boring person like me and you like to be around similar people, it's different. There are alot of international residents and tourists there, especially from the UK.

Jackson, MS--It's the same size as Mobile but a depressing city. The economy doesn't appear decent at all there (but honestly is there anywhere that is doing well these days?). The city population is heavily a minority like Mobile (not trying to sound racist, just stating the facts, look it up). The crime is terrible there also. This city has gotten progressively worse over the years and I don't recommend it to anyone. It's really a miserable place, a big ghetto.

Baton Rouge, LA--I'll first start off like this. No offense to any LA residents or LSU fans, but unless you're a die hard LSU fan or a Louisiana native, you will feel out of place. LA is a whole different world of its own as are most of its residents. While there are some nice people everywhere and you can't stereotype, this is a college town known for its rambunctious and obnoxious people. The town is ugly, the roads suck, and it's typical with Louisiana corruption and politics. To me, it's another miserable place, but this is all opinion of course. It's about the size of Mobile also.

Mobile, AL--I'm from here and grew up there, though I can be objective as I've traveled around the country and feel "cultured" enough to where I can visit someplace and not experience the culture shock anymore. It's comparable in size to all the other cities mentioned except Orlando, which has grown extensively. The job market here, like other places, isn't great. The city has it's good and bad parts. It is close to the beach but far enough to avoid most hurricane flood damage unless you live in a low-lying area. The minority population has soared within the past 15 years. You can view that however you want since most have positive and negative views on it. I won't get into that, just stating facts. We do have some new industries coming in, and most relate to steel, shipbuilding, or aircraft building (mostly all manufacturing). We don't have a great deal of white collar corporations here unfortunately, so that's a big reason jobs lack. The cost of living is reasonable with cheap property taxes and insurance. You can buy alot of house for your money also.

Hope that helps a little.

[beast360]

dont know bout other citys

but columbia way bigger than mobile

hotter too!!

100s are common in summer

more to do, more schools

FL ? dont know yet

but columbia and mobile are close in standings,

with orlando on top

[A&M Bulldawg]

Columbia isn't way bigger than Mobile........if anything, Mobile is a little bigger than Columbia.

[mimpdaddy]

I have been to all those cities.

Mobile and Baton rouge have the most favor to me.

Orlando is nice if you like FL.

Columbia is kinda landlocked.

Tallahassee smaller but nice too.

Jackson MS too much like my hometown.

[downtowndoll]

The only place I feel I can compare Mobile to is Jackson, MS, since I once lived there and have relatives there still.

Jackson is really not set up well. They seem to have more crime than we do and, unfortunately, the whole city was burned down during Civil War. Many people live out in the Reservoir area or Ridgeland area. The downtown is trying to come back but it seems very unappealing still.

Mobile's downtown has come back, most of the movers and shakers still live in the city in areas like Midtown and Spring Hill. If you live in those two spots , especially Midtown, there's not the traffic issues people are dealing with in WEst Mobile and Eastern Shore. I love it and our quality of life is wonderful since we gave up the big commutes, saving an 1hour every day is big!
People who had moved in the 90s to the Eastern Shore have come back or are trying to come back, if they can just sell their over-priced houses over there. I know lots of people who weren't happy there; usually people under 60.

That's not the case in Jackson, and I think when people start abandoning the city, you have a situation like New Orleans.

Orlando seems interesting to me; never have heard anything bad per se about it. Traffic seems really, really bad though.

[arboc]

Originally Posted by downtowndoll

Midtown and Spring Hill. If you live in those two spots , especially Midtown, there's not the traffic issues people are dealing with in WEst Mobile and Eastern Shore. I love it and our quality of life is wonderful since we gave up the big commutes, saving an 1hour every day is big!

I find it's just the opposite. I've experienced no traffic problems out here in West Mobile and I find it completely maddening when I have to cross the interstate toward downtown.

[A&M Bulldawg]

Columbia, SC-is smaller than Mobile. It has two small black universities. It has a nice downtown. It has a suburban feel than an urban feel. It has a slight black majority.

Tallahassee, FL-is smaller than Mobile. It has Florida A&M and Florida State. It is a growing city. Again, it has a more surburban feel, and it also feels a tad rural.

Orlando, FL-is larger than Mobile. What can I say?......It's Disney City USA. Because of that, it has more shopping, more tourism, more traffic, more diversity, and more development/boom than Mobile.

Jackson, MS-is a smaller than Mobile. It is dirty and "ghettoish". It has Jackson State. It is more like Montgomery although Montgomery is better and is more progressive. It has the crime of a northern city. It has very large African American population like Mobile. It almost kind of reminds you of Buffalo, maybe?

Baton Rouge, LA-is the same size as Mobile. It compares with Jackson with the crime, as well as Mobile a little. It has Southern University and LSU. Because of its proximity to New Orleans, it has a slight New Orleans and Creole flair. It's very southern like Mobile. It has very large African American population like Mobile. Baton Rouge's growth and progress seems to have come from Katrina evacuees while Mobile's growth and progression seems to come from coastal related jobs, aerospace, and others. There you have it: Baton Rouge and Mobile are almost twins despite several differences.

[PortCity]

The way you compare the cities are right on point.