Niche Best Places to Live - what has to happen to get Birmingham on this map?

[AU HSV]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

a couple of clicks will get you to the list's methodology pretty quickly:

Cost of Living Grade 12.5%
Higher Education Rate 12.5%
Housing Grade 10.0%
Public Schools Grade 10.0%
Diversity Grade 7.5%
Composite Overall Score 5.0%
Crime & Safety 5.0%
Family Grade 5.0%
Health & Fitness Grade 5.0%
Jobs Grade 5.0%
Nightlife Grade 5.0%
Outdoor Activities Grade 5.0%
Walkability Grade 5.0%
Weather Grade 5.0%
Shortest Commute Grade 2.5%

i would guess we don't fare well in the higher education rate, public schools or crime categories. so to answer the OP's question, those would be the areas to improve in order to move up this list. unfortunately they all go hand in hand. birmingham is a relatively poor and undereducated city compared to its peers. it just is. that doesn't necessarily make it a bad place to live. obviously, that standard is going to be different for everyone, which is why these lists are arbitrary at best. i mean, i guess i get the point of them... we humans love rankings. but i would NEVER use a list like this to help decide my next move. would my life be significantly better in The Woodlands, TX (the #1 city on the list) than in birmingham? doubtful. would someone else's? maybe.

i think it's fair to say that birmingham has paid for her sins of the past, and then some. unfortunately, those sins have left an impression of the city in people's minds that they still assume holds true today. the PR machine has gotten better over the last 10-15 years, and i think people are pleasantly surprised when they actually come to visit, but it's going to take more to get over the hurdle. maybe the World Games will help? at the very least, i can see some civic pride taking root.

Some groups want to hang in to the past because of their agenda or excuse to blame someone for something all the time. Otherwise they have to face the fact that maybe they are the problem.
Keep pushing forward Birmingham, leave the anchors behind.

[OldBankhead]

Cool. Another listicle. Atlanta and Nashville aren't ranked very highly either. Aren't those the go to faves for the experts to talk about? Lists like this typically punish cities by carving out their metro components and weighing them down in their scoring of the usual legacy issues that suburbs don't have. Like anybody reading this is going to say, "Pack your bags honey, we're moving to Naperville." On a whim, just becsuse of this list.

No.

You'd say you're moving to Chicago because of work or whatever and maybe pick Naperville.


Nothing to see here.

[bfmx1]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

a couple of clicks will get you to the list's methodology pretty quickly:

Cost of Living Grade 12.5%
Higher Education Rate 12.5%
Housing Grade 10.0%
Public Schools Grade 10.0%
Diversity Grade 7.5%
Composite Overall Score 5.0%
Crime & Safety 5.0%
Family Grade 5.0%
Health & Fitness Grade 5.0%
Jobs Grade 5.0%
Nightlife Grade 5.0%
Outdoor Activities Grade 5.0%
Walkability Grade 5.0%
Weather Grade 5.0%
Shortest Commute Grade 2.5%

i would guess we don't fare well in the higher education rate, public schools or crime categories. so to answer the OP's question, those would be the areas to improve in order to move up this list. unfortunately they all go hand in hand. birmingham is a relatively poor and undereducated city compared to its peers. it just is. that doesn't necessarily make it a bad place to live. obviously, that standard is going to be different for everyone, which is why these lists are arbitrary at best. i mean, i guess i get the point of them... we humans love rankings. but i would NEVER use a list like this to help decide my next move. would my life be significantly better in The Woodlands, TX (the #1 city on the list) than in birmingham? doubtful. would someone else's? maybe.

i think it's fair to say that birmingham has paid for her sins of the past, and then some. unfortunately, those sins have left an impression of the city in people's minds that they still assume holds true today. the PR machine has gotten better over the last 10-15 years, and i think people are pleasantly surprised when they actually come to visit, but it's going to take more to get over the hurdle. maybe the World Games will help? at the very least, i can see some civic pride taking root.

Have you been to The Woodlands? It's pretty great and I can understand why it's ranked so high. I love how the bluebloods on here are quick to dismiss any list that doesn't make their city shine, yet tout a list where Bham is mentioned like it's sent from heaven saying things like "we're topping so many lists it's getting old."


If you click on the "Best Place to Buy a House" button at the top, you'll see there that Bham or our suburbs still don't show up. I keep hearing the RE market is "HOT" in Birmingham but I wonder if that's another case of tunnel vision and maybe it is hot for Birmingham compared to where it's been.

I don't see any "sins of the past" effect in the criteria above. They didn't take an opinion poll.

But at the same time, many Niche lists are totally bunk. But looking at the top 10-20 on this list actually looked pretty accurate so I assume this one isn't as far out as some of the lists they put out. IDK, worth a discussion.

[OldBankhead]

Worth a discussion. Sure. Post this up on the Atlanta and Nashville board and say this is proof that Huntsville is better... and Tampa, and Boston and DC and...

for a "discussion."

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by bfmx1

Have you been to The Woodlands? It's pretty great and I can understand why it's ranked so high. I love how the bluebloods on here are quick to dismiss any list that doesn't make their city shine, yet tout a list where Bham is mentioned like it's sent from heaven saying things like "we're topping so many lists it's getting old."


If you click on the "Best Place to Buy a House" button at the top, you'll see there that Bham or our suburbs still don't show up. I keep hearing the RE market is "HOT" in Birmingham but I wonder if that's another case of tunnel vision and maybe it is hot for Birmingham compared to where it's been.

I don't see any "sins of the past" effect in the criteria above. They didn't take an opinion poll.

But at the same time, many Niche lists are totally bunk. But looking at the top 10-20 on this list actually looked pretty accurate so I assume this one isn't as far out as some of the lists they put out. IDK, worth a discussion.

I've been to The Woodlands and if I had a job anywhere on the north side of Houston, I would live there no questions asked and I think my quality of life would be as good if not better than it is here in Alabama.

[denenholtz]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

You're right. But, by the same token, you cannot simply dust oneself off and say, "That was then, this is now." Birmingham is doing a good job of shaking off its reputation, but it will still take years.

no, as far as Birmingham goes, it will take decades, but mostly it will take public education!

[denenholtz]

Originally Posted by steveklein

I've been to The Woodlands and if I had a job anywhere on the north side of Houston, I would live there no questions asked and I think my quality of life would be as good if not better than it is here in Alabama.

Funny...,my sibling, a physician formerly at UAB and my best friend a former professor at UAB both moved to the Woodlands with no regrets and no looking back AT ALL.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by denenholtz

no, as far as Birmingham goes, it will take decades, but mostly it will take public education!

Oh, it's the drive-by poster again.