Birmingham vs. Huntsville (Montgomery, Mobile, Tuscaloosa: hotel, houses, job market)

[Justin Scott]

What are major differences and similarities in your opinion? I've only been to Huntsville twice, while growing up in Birmingham. I'm not an expert at all.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

This is an interesting debate (Justin finally brings one). Just kidding Justin.

To deny a small rivalry exists between the two is burying your head in the sand IMO. Birmingham is the typical superior big brother who gotten complacent, Huntsville the inferior little one with a fire in his belly. Birmingham is in the fractured, fighting among itself, too-big-to fail mode, while Huntsville is very united and growing. Birmingham is rooted in old money, Huntsville has a newer, thriving economy investing in the 'new' economy (or, it WAS new, all the government contracting and stuff). It's not a super-tech hub like some other places. IN GENERAL, Birmingham has a lot of old historic stuff while Huntsville is seemingly an endless trip mall full of chain restaurants. All this stuff is very general, so nobody get butthurt and think that it's all that way (I know the Huntsvillians will be here soon to defend the honor).

I've lived in both and I like them both. Funny thing is that while Huntsville is growing more percentage wise, the overall number is still similar, I think B'ham added 20K people in the past 6 years while HSV added 32K or so. They like to compare the city limits too, which we all know is kinda dumb.

There are a lot of realistic, forward thinkers in Huntsville government, while in Birmingham, I think a lot of people got complacent. Good news is, I think B'ham is now awake. A lot of good, motivated people are in good positions of power now around here, first of which is Mayor Bell. I think he helped facilitate a lot of the turnaround.

[Justin Scott]

I agree, Mayor Bell has been amazing for Birmingham.

[Justin Scott]

I have always found Huntsville to be similar to San Diego in terms of government policies and San Francisco with economics.

[ClemVegas]

Huntsville has a better traffic situation and is less gritty / industrial looking. I also likes its downtown park better than the one in Birmingham.

[Shakeesha]

Huntsville is a nicer area. The downtown is more inviting, and easier to drive around.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

This is an interesting debate (Justin finally brings one). Just kidding Justin.

To deny a small rivalry exists between the two is burying your head in the sand IMO. Birmingham is the typical superior big brother who gotten complacent, Huntsville the inferior little one with a fire in his belly. Birmingham is in the fractured, fighting among itself, too-big-to fail mode, while Huntsville is very united and growing. Birmingham is rooted in old money, Huntsville has a newer, thriving economy investing in the 'new' economy (or, it WAS new, all the government contracting and stuff). It's not a super-tech hub like some other places. IN GENERAL, Birmingham has a lot of old historic stuff while Huntsville is seemingly an endless trip mall full of chain restaurants. All this stuff is very general, so nobody get butthurt and think that it's all that way (I know the Huntsvillians will be here soon to defend the honor).

I've lived in both and I like them both. Funny thing is that while Huntsville is growing more percentage wise, the overall number is still similar, I think B'ham added 20K people in the past 6 years while HSV added 32K or so. They like to compare the city limits too, which we all know is kinda dumb.

There are a lot of realistic, forward thinkers in Huntsville government, while in Birmingham, I think a lot of people got complacent. Good news is, I think B'ham is now awake. A lot of good, motivated people are in good positions of power now around here, first of which is Mayor Bell. I think he helped facilitate a lot of the turnaround.

I don't really understand the notion of a Birmingham/Huntsville rivalry. I like Huntsville. I do biz in Huntsville, have friends in Huntsville, and travel to Huntsville frequently. I just never get any vibe like that. Part of it has to do with the fact that the two cities have two utterly different economic bases.

To me, if there is a rivalry between the two, it really should be converted into a more positive dynamic: Namely, combining forces to kick butts down in Montgomery. It is absolutely absurd that these two cities drive so much of the state economy yet take a back seat when it comes to state politics. Birmingham's metro area alone has a higher GDP alone than Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery combined, with a couple of other smaller metros thrown in. Meanwhile, Huntsville is doing its part to bring a lot of technology-sector companies into the state. Both cities have a very solid future ahead of them and constitute the economic axis of the state.

So the two cities should cooperate, not compete, particularly in ramming through wholesale changes in how this state does business. From burning the existing state constitution to the waterline to overhauling our bizarre tax system and completely dysfunctional education system, both cities should join forces.

Personally, my theory is that we should draw a line across the state so that it runs a little south of Tuscaloosa and have the northern half secede from the rest of Alabama. In one fell swoop, we would enjoy a much higher ranking in terms of per capita income, education, and pretty much every other metric you care to name. It's a radical idea I know. But while the rest of the state would complain about it, they have resisted any attempt by these two cities to plot their economic destiny. Resisting home rule. Refusing to create a new state constitution. The list goes on.

So, rivalry? Who gives a damn about a rivalry. Both are great towns in their own way. Maybe we should think about what interests we have in common rather than what makes us different.

[jdawson1237]

There's no rival except the one created by Bham people when it comes to growth. Having spent a lot of time in both, I don't really see Huntsville peeps caring that much. Many of its residents go to Nashville to do their shopping or other entertainment anyway. Huntsville is the closest city to taking away Birmingham's crown as the largest in AL.

Huntsville does not feel like a big city at all and the ONLY three areas it trumps Bham is this:
Huntsville wins the landscape award with more mountains and closer to the smokeys.
Huntsville wins climate IMO because they're almost guaranteed snow
No traffic... That's not really a plus, because there's no where to go. Traffic means someone wants to be there for some reason which is cool.

Birmingham definitely has more character in its areas and restaurants and offers a more diverse job market.

There would be a rivalry IF, the two cities had teams that were rivals. Or if they competed in the same corporate space which they don't. Hville is government jobs. Bham is a mix of a lot of things.

I look at Huntsville as a decent large suburb with a nice downtown but it's not very downtown feeling. Sure it's easy to drive around, but so is Gadsden.

[TimCity2000]

Apples and oranges.

I grew up in Huntsville from the ages of 7-18 and have lived in Birmingham for the last 15 years. I think any imagined rivalry has only come about in the past 5-10 years, largely due to headlines proclaiming that Huntsville is on track to overtake Birmingham as the state's largest city. (Nevermind that the metro area populations are not close, and that the land area of Huntsville is 215 sq mi compared to Birmingham's 150.)

I like both, but the two could not feel more different. It's all about what your preference / priorities are.

Huntsville represents newer growth (although ironically it's a much older city), but its cityscape is dominated by suburban sprawl. The impression is generally that of chain restaurants and strip malls. Jobs are largely in the STEM fields, which are great for income stats. Definitely growing faster than Birmingham, but not exactly tearing up the charts like Nashville or Austin either. Probably an desirable rate of growth actually. Easier to plan for.

Birmingham is old money, slower growth. Banking, medical and manufacturing jobs dominate. Food has made a name for itself here, too. The recent renaissance downtown has shed a light on what good bones this city has. There is no comparing the two downtowns AT ALL. UAB alone has a better skyline than Huntsville. Birmingham has a complicated Civil Rights history that makes it more akin to Memphis. As with any city of size, the school system is a problem. Fix education and then job growth, and the rest (crime, population growth, etc) will take care of itself.

Curious to hear whether or not Huntsvillians feel like there's any rivalry between the two? I will say that Huntsville rarely comes up in my discussions with friends and colleagues. That's not a sleight, it's just the truth.

[harry chickpea]

I'm not sure about any rivalry. I know a few people in Huntsville that wouldn't move to B'ham, and I know people in B'ham that like it there and wouldn't want to live elsewhere. Why does everything have to be a "rivalry?" All that does is create an excuse for nasty attacks and snark. I can do snark, but artificially creating places to practice it is overkill, if not meanspirited.

There are old places in Huntsville. The historic district around Five Points has some older houses and no "cookie cutter" development. The hotel on top of Monte Sano might be long gone, but the history of the two cities may actually have Huntsville being older than B'ham. If you look at civil war era maps, B'ham did not even exist back then.

If you drive down 20th Street or 1st in B'ham, you will get one impression. If you drive down 72 or Memorial Parkway in Huntsville you will get one impression. Where do you draw the line though? Mountainbrook and Crestwood are part of B'ham for some people, but not for others. Green Mtn. and Madison are part of Huntsville for some people and not for others.

Overall, Huntsville has a higher proportion of highly educated engineers and B'ham a larger arts community. Huntsville has a lot more flat land and less air pollution. B'ham has some great views.