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New list alert! I didn't look at every metric or every city on this list but did notice that Mobile and Montgomery ranked higher than Birmingham. I'm not sure why. Normally, I like to dig into the actual metrics used and can normally find some fatal flaw. I think this is done by city not metro. But given that, I would kinda expect to see Hoover rank somewhere. The other burbs in Bham are probably too small.
Clearly the bad schools keep Birmingham out, but Mobile and Montgomery are no better. Funny thing is that Birmingham ranked A- in diversity. I find that comical given some of the discussions we've had here recently about what diversity is. I don't think Birmingham, as a city, is very diverse at all so I'm not sure why it got such a high grade. If I had to bet, they looked at the number of "non-whites" and called that diversity - whatever.
Anyway, this doesn't fair very well for Birmingham if this is to be somewhat trusted - especially when Huntsville made the top 50 (#31).
I wouldn’t put too much credibility in some of these rankings.
Looks like strong liberal cities made the top tier and or maybe
The best place to have a riot. Anyway downtown Eutaw Alabama can make the top with the right metrics or ask the right questions they are looking for.
New list alert! I didn't look at every metric or every city on this list but did notice that Mobile and Montgomery ranked higher than Birmingham. I'm not sure why. Normally, I like to dig into the actual metrics used and can normally find some fatal flaw. I think this is done by city not metro. But given that, I would kinda expect to see Hoover rank somewhere. The other burbs in Bham are probably too small.
Clearly the bad schools keep Birmingham out, but Mobile and Montgomery are no better. Funny thing is that Birmingham ranked A- in diversity. I find that comical given some of the discussions we've had here recently about what diversity is. I don't think Birmingham, as a city, is very diverse at all so I'm not sure why it got such a high grade. If I had to bet, they looked at the number of "non-whites" and called that diversity - whatever.
Anyway, this doesn't fair very well for Birmingham if this is to be somewhat trusted - especially when Huntsville made the top 50 (#31).
There are a zillion of these. And no two rank the same. The fatal flaw is that it looks at individual cities and not the metro as an organic whole. Live in one of Birmingham's suburbs, send your kids to those really good suburban schools, and enjoy all the amenities of Birmingham itself--and you're in high cotton.
We lived in Avondale when we were first married. We were literally the first couple on our block to buy, not rent. Sent our kids to private school until the oldest hit sixth grade. Then we skedaddled to Mountain Brook when it came time for junior high and high school. When the last kid was clutching his diploma, back to Forest Park we went.
This is where gut feel comes into play. If you took 100 Alabamians and asked them to choose between Montgomery and Birmingham metros as where they'd want to live, I'm awfully sure which one would win. Mobile has its appeal in terms of laid-back lifestyle, but it's practically frozen in time. It might as well be encased in amber.
As far as Montgomery is concerned, I had a client contract that required I spend two days a week working in their office. For two long years. Towards the end of my contract, the client asked me, "So, Minivan, what would it take to get you to move to Montgomery?" I replied, "A gun to my head. Even then, I'd make a break for it around Prattville."
And as someone who has done business in Huntsville for 30 years, I can tell you that I'd choose Birmingham in a heartbeat based on amenities alone. That's not a slam on Huntsville. It's just that Birmingham offers a lot more to do, and its offerings will continue to grow post-Covid.
There are a zillion of these. And no two rank the same. The fatal flaw is that it looks at individual cities and not the metro as an organic whole. Live in one of Birmingham's suburbs, send your kids to those really good suburban schools, and enjoy all the amenities of Birmingham itself--and you're in high cotton.
We lived in Avondale when we were first married. We were literally the first couple on our block to buy, not rent. Sent our kids to private school until the oldest hit sixth grade. Then we skedaddled to Mountain Brook when it came time for junior high and high school. When the last kid was clutching his diploma, back to Forest Park we went.
This is where gut feel comes into play. If you took 100 Alabamians and asked them to choose between Montgomery and Birmingham metros as where they'd want to live, I'm awfully sure which one would win. Mobile has its appeal in terms of laid-back lifestyle, but it's practically frozen in time. It might as well be encased in amber.
As far as Montgomery is concerned, I had a client contract that required I spend two days a week working in their office. For two long years. Towards the end of my contract, the client asked me, "So, Minivan, what would it take to get you to move to Montgomery?" I replied, "A gun to my head. Even then, I'd make a break for it around Prattville."
And as someone who has done business in Huntsville for 30 years, I can tell you that I'd choose Birmingham in a heartbeat based on amenities alone. That's not a slam on Huntsville. It's just that Birmingham offers a lot more to do, and its offerings will continue to grow post-Covid.
Not related to this thread, but I never will understand how people make opinions with different criteria. You have to make an opinion respectable by looking at both equally. Example, in the general u.s. thread, there are a couple of post with Birmingham being mentioned with other cities/area. One poster listed things as economic growth, infrastructure, entertainment, downtown landscape and developments overall a particular city has. They made their opinion about the other city, but didn't list (they have no clue, tbh) nothing for Birmingham. Then I list the things happening in Birmingham, and their reply was..."in Birmingham is rich vs poor", or "Birmingham is one of most dangerous cities", or "Birmingham has crime". Like that had nothing to do with what you originally said. People always seems to move the goal post to fit their narrative with discussing Birmingham. Yet, you didn't mention those with the city you was bragging about, though. So why just use it against Birmingham. You can't expect to be taking serious if you only looking through a one sided len. People only see Birmingham for the how it was in the past and think that it shouldn't be as 21th century and have good thing happening as people say it is. But the rest of Alabama and America is.
Last edited by mcalumni01; 03-23-2021 at 09:27 AM..
Not related to this thread, but I never will understand how people make opinions with different criteria. You have to make an opinion respectable by looking at both equally. Example, in the general u.s. thread, there are a couple of post with Birmingham being mentioned with other cities/area. One poster listed things as economic growth, infrastructure, entertainment, downtown landscape and developments overall a particular city has. They made their opinion about the other city, but didn't list (they have no clue, tbh) nothing for Birmingham. Then I list the things happening in Birmingham, and their reply was..."in Birmingham is rich vs poor", or "Birmingham is one of most dangerous cities", or "Birmingham has crime". Like that had nothing to do with what you originally said. People always seems to move the goal post to fit their narrative with discussing Birmingham. Yet, you didn't mention those with the city you was bragging about, though. So why just use it against Birmingham. You can't expect to be taking serious if you only looking through a one sided len. People only see Birmingham for the how it was in the past and think that it shouldn't be as 21th century and have good thing happening as people say it is. But the rest of Alabama and America is.
Welp, that's what happens when you allow a bunch of racist morons to run a city for decades on end. From truckling to United States Steel, to the entirety of the Civil Rights fiasco, to scrapping a very good transit system, to not consolidating the metro area in the 1950s and 60s when we had the chance, Birmingham's leadership from 1945 to 1979 was pretty abysmal. It takes a long time to dig your way out of the hole we left for ourselves.
Welp, that's what happens when you allow a bunch of racist morons to run a city for decades on end. From truckling to United States Steel, to the entirety of the Civil Rights fiasco, to scrapping a very good transit system, to not consolidating the metro area in the 1950s and 60s when we had the chance, Birmingham's leadership from 1945 to 1979 was pretty abysmal. It takes a long time to dig your way out of the hole we left for ourselves.
We are talking about today. Not the past. Every city has a troublesome past, whether on a smaller scale or larger one. Regardless of what occurred decades ago, the attention is about today. Look at progress today and not yesterday
We are talking about today. Not the past. Every city has a troublesome past, whether on a smaller scale or larger one. Regardless of what occurred decades ago, the attention is about today. Look at progress today and not yesterday
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.
Welp, that's what happens when you allow a bunch of racist morons to run a city for decades on end. From truckling to United States Steel, to the entirety of the Civil Rights fiasco, to scrapping a very good transit system, to not consolidating the metro area in the 1950s and 60s when we had the chance, Birmingham's leadership from 1945 to 1979 was pretty abysmal. It takes a long time to dig your way out of the hole we left for ourselves.
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.
And that shaking off starts at home. We can't undo what happen in the past, the only thing necessary is focus on today, tomorrow and the future. Who's to say Birmingham need a lot more years. What is it that Birmingham trying to be. I get it, people want a booming population and better schools. Birmingham isn't the only city with stagnant or declining population and so called "underperforming schools" in the south or this country. Yet it's still progressing and moving forward regardless of human defined obstacles.
Last edited by mcalumni01; 03-23-2021 at 01:05 PM..
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.
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