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Old 02-28-2011, 05:07 PM
 
28,896 posts, read 53,932,532 times
Reputation: 46662

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Quote:
Originally Posted by HsvCharger View Post
Blah Blah Blah all these bham people need to realize that there time is over. Mobile and Huntsville have better leaders, are more innovative and are getting away from the change is bad mantra that bham will forever be stuck in.
You're kidding, right? The Birmingham MSA had an 7.5% growth. What's more, this is in a market with a GDP larger than Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery combined, even when you toss in a Dothan or Gadsden for good measure. So even at a rate one-third of Huntsville, the Birmingham MSA's population growth kept track with Huntsville's. What's more, as satellite cities Tuscaloosa, Gadsden, and Anniston are absorbed into the Birmingham MSA for statistical purposes (An inevitability, since Birmingham is already now covering those counties as part of the DMA, not to mention Jasper, Clanton and Cullman), then look for the metro population to swell to roughly 1,650,000 in the next decade, even before any actual population growth occurs. Add an additional 7.5% population growth on top of that, and the Birmingham metro area conceivably grows to almost 1.8 million by 2020. Talk to any economic development expert on this and he'll agree. A lot is happening in the 'ham to knit together a lot of communities and organizations together. The latter part of the last decade was just a pause.

Look, I like Huntsville. I have commercial real estate in Huntsville. I like to see Huntsville grow. At the same time, Huntsville's growth is a bit fragile. It's essentially a company town, whose meteoric growth over the past decade has been fueled by big run-ups in defense spending and BRAC. Slash the DOD's budget and, suddenly, Huntsville is in a world of hurt. To find a parallel, you'd have to go back to Birmingham in 1979 when United States Steel shut down, and unemployment skyrocketed to 18%. More importantly, Huntsville is not a major trading, transportation, or distribution center. Its location between Birmingham and Nashville pretty much guarantees that it never will be that, either, so it's doubtful whether the city can pull another rabbit out of its community hat the way it did with BRAC. Just remember, BRAC could have just as easily gone the other way. All those military jobs could have emigrated from Huntsville, rather than immigrated.

Today, Birmingham continues to benefit from diversified industry encompassing manufacturing, healthcare, finance, transportation, distribution, mining, publishing, etc. etc. etc. Downtown occupancy remains around the 90% mark, even after 2.5 years of a recession. Add the intermodal transfer facility, the imminent completion of I-22, and the fact that the metro area looks as if it's finally getting it's economic development act together, and the area should be posting pretty impressive numbers in the next ten years. What's more, Birmingham has enjoyed the highest per-capita income growth over the past thirty year of any American city. This is not exactly a city in the doldrums.

In other words, argue about things you know something about. This isn't a competition between Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, and Huntsville. It's about Alabama in general. The sooner you realize it, the better.

Last edited by cpg35223; 02-28-2011 at 05:29 PM..
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Old 02-28-2011, 07:45 PM
 
Location: Mobile,Al(the city by the bay)
4,982 posts, read 9,045,635 times
Reputation: 1953
Quote:
Originally Posted by LH84 View Post
If Birmingham falls to 4th place pouplation wise, it will continue to be the most urban city in the state for a very long time. Birmingham population reached a peak of 340,000 in 1960. The infrastructure to service that many people is still there and it would take decades for the fastest growing city in the state to reach a population of 340,000

Well it`s not so much as structual density becasue Mobile`s city limits ended near the loop area which is very small.From downtown to the loop area Mobile is just as dense and urban as any good size city hands down.Mobile`s urban areas do not reflect it`s size it actually seem a bit larger there were over 200k living from downtown to the loop area back in the 60`s that is a small and area with so many people.


B-ham will seem larger because it has a larger metro that spills into another county that is why B-ham will seem larger fro a while not becasue of the city.
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Old 02-28-2011, 07:47 PM
 
Location: Mobile,Al(the city by the bay)
4,982 posts, read 9,045,635 times
Reputation: 1953
Seem like you are angry Cpg lol ! .......I like your city pride you remind me a lot of my self my friend.
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Old 02-28-2011, 08:28 PM
 
28,896 posts, read 53,932,532 times
Reputation: 46662
Quote:
Originally Posted by PortCity View Post
Seem like you are angry Cpg lol ! .......I like your city pride you remind me a lot of my self my friend.
Well, it annoys the crap out of me, particularly when it's said with such ignorance.

Here's the deal. I don't really take swipes at any Alabama town (With the exception of the occasional reality check directed at Montgomery. I admit my flaws). But Birmingham seems to be the proverbial pinata that everybody likes to take a jab at, when it really drives so much of the state's economy. What's more, they are usually really lazy jabs, driven by old stereotypes rather than actual facts.
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Old 02-28-2011, 09:25 PM
MPC
 
703 posts, read 1,257,369 times
Reputation: 514
Backs in the 50s and 60s all it was, was Mobile & Birmingham. Now its Huntsville & Montgomery. Mobile is starting to get back, but it took decades. Huntsville added 22,000 in the city this past decade, back in 1950, Mobile added 52,000 in 2 years to its city(given it was because of the war).

I would like to see Birmingham & Mobile be on top again, I kno B-ham is but thats not what I mean.
If Mobile & Birmingham continued to grow, Birmingham would probably have 800-1.2 Million more people and Mobile 500-1 Million.

I'm not trying to diss any other city but Mobile & Birmingham were it. You have B-ham as your main inland city and Mobile as your bay city. Both had 200,000 people 50 years ago.
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Old 02-28-2011, 11:14 PM
 
Location: Birmingham
522 posts, read 839,569 times
Reputation: 187
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpg35223 View Post
You're kidding, right? The Birmingham MSA had an 7.5% growth. What's more, this is in a market with a GDP larger than Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery combined, even when you toss in a Dothan or Gadsden for good measure. So even at a rate one-third of Huntsville, the Birmingham MSA's population growth kept track with Huntsville's. What's more, as satellite cities Tuscaloosa, Gadsden, and Anniston are absorbed into the Birmingham MSA for statistical purposes (An inevitability, since Birmingham is already now covering those counties as part of the DMA, not to mention Jasper, Clanton and Cullman), then look for the metro population to swell to roughly 1,650,000 in the next decade, even before any actual population growth occurs. Add an additional 7.5% population growth on top of that, and the Birmingham metro area conceivably grows to almost 1.8 million by 2020. Talk to any economic development expert on this and he'll agree. A lot is happening in the 'ham to knit together a lot of communities and organizations together. The latter part of the last decade was just a pause.

Look, I like Huntsville. I have commercial real estate in Huntsville. I like to see Huntsville grow. At the same time, Huntsville's growth is a bit fragile. It's essentially a company town, whose meteoric growth over the past decade has been fueled by big run-ups in defense spending and BRAC. Slash the DOD's budget and, suddenly, Huntsville is in a world of hurt. To find a parallel, you'd have to go back to Birmingham in 1979 when United States Steel shut down, and unemployment skyrocketed to 18%. More importantly, Huntsville is not a major trading, transportation, or distribution center. Its location between Birmingham and Nashville pretty much guarantees that it never will be that, either, so it's doubtful whether the city can pull another rabbit out of its community hat the way it did with BRAC. Just remember, BRAC could have just as easily gone the other way. All those military jobs could have emigrated from Huntsville, rather than immigrated.

Today, Birmingham continues to benefit from diversified industry encompassing manufacturing, healthcare, finance, transportation, distribution, mining, publishing, etc. etc. etc. Downtown occupancy remains around the 90% mark, even after 2.5 years of a recession. Add the intermodal transfer facility, the imminent completion of I-22, and the fact that the metro area looks as if it's finally getting it's economic development act together, and the area should be posting pretty impressive numbers in the next ten years. What's more, Birmingham has enjoyed the highest per-capita income growth over the past thirty year of any American city. This is not exactly a city in the doldrums.

In other words, argue about things you know something about. This isn't a competition between Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, and Huntsville. It's about Alabama in general. The sooner you realize it, the better.
Well said cpg!! I agree with you, and the Mobilians. I would like to see Mobile, as well as, other Alabama cities prosper and grow. I truly wish that people in Huntsville will take a chill pill. Of course your city and metro area has grown rapidly...wonderful!! You guys have pushed past Mobile metro for now, but Mobile definitely has some positive things going on as well...you could be passed right back, but it really isn't a competition because we are all Alabama.

People in Huntsville need to know their place. Do not turn this into a competition between cities. Do not hassel your city officials about a Nordstrom, Cheesecake Factory, IKEA, or other retailers that you guys would not be able to support right now(you aren't that big yet...just chill out). I understand that there are many things in Huntsville that you would find in larger markets, but you can only support so much, and retailers know that. Just continue to visit Birmingham or Nashville right now. I really like Huntsville, but like I said...know your place. Do not throw jabs at other metropolitan areas within the state. You guys are a rapidly growing, small city(very similar to our Hoover suburb just kidding).

Birmingham has been declining for some time now, but we have actually bottomed out in the past few years, in terms of population. We are a much larger city with, much larger problems that are being worked out as much as possible. Our leaders realize that something must be done to turn the city around. As cpg has said, we have a diversified economy. If one industry fails, we have others that provide stability...one that you(Huntsville) are very familiar with, Research. Just be cool Huntsville, and have a good night.
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Old 02-28-2011, 11:58 PM
 
12,732 posts, read 21,622,051 times
Reputation: 3768
So, do y'all really think Tuscaloosa, Gadsden, Anniston, etc. will be added to the MSA to give it a population of 1.6 million or did I readcpg35223's post wrong?
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Old 03-01-2011, 01:25 AM
 
1,487 posts, read 1,822,241 times
Reputation: 688
Quote:
Originally Posted by LH84 View Post
If Birmingham falls to 4th place pouplation wise, it will continue to be the most urban city in the state for a very long time.
Spot on... according to the 2000 urbanized area populations Birmingham is by far the largest.

Birmingham 663,615
Mobile 317,605
Huntsville 213,253
Montgomery 196,892
Tuscaloosa 116,888
Anniston 75,840

Source
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Old 03-01-2011, 07:46 AM
 
Location: Metro Birmingham, AL
1,672 posts, read 2,859,988 times
Reputation: 1246
Quote:
Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg View Post
So, do y'all really think Tuscaloosa, Gadsden, Anniston, etc. will be added to the MSA to give it a population of 1.6 million or did I readcpg35223's post wrong?
That is what he said, but I think thats kinda stretching it a bit, but I also wouldnt rule it out either. Those three cities are already in the Birmingham TV market.
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Old 03-01-2011, 08:36 AM
 
12,732 posts, read 21,622,051 times
Reputation: 3768
I wonder what's the commuting patterns for those counties that the listed cities are in. I would consider the far eastern side of Tuscaloosa County, Birmingham; that side has more in common to Birmingham than Tuscaloosa. Those residents got to Bessemer and Hoover to shop than to Tuscaloosa (look at the more traffic heading to Birmingham compared to Tuscaloosa). LOL! That's what we say when we're heading home.
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