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Born and raised in Birmingham and lived in Memphis since 2001. I could move back to Birmingham with no issues, but Memphis is better.
Birmingham's advantages over Memphis:
* Medical is almost a tie (Healthcare in general, but not by much. Both also have dentistry and optometry schools). Healthsouth was really a difference maker at one time.
* Great if you went to Auburn or Alabama (I went to Auburn)
* Has restaurants Memphis doesn't (Cheesecake Factory, 5 Guys, Fire & Ice etc)
* All of its metro area is in the same state. (There are some people who look down on the Mississippi part of the Memphis metro area. And the Mississippi people do the same sometimes to the Memphis people
* Birmingham doesn't talk as bad about itself as Memphis does.
* College Football rules!
* Has a amusement park (Memphis had Libertyland, but it is gone)
* Proximity to Atlanta
* Better for single people (Recent Auburn & Alabama graduates as well as others in the state are all over the city).
* Better government (I know about Larry Langford, but just Google Willie Herenton). Plus Memphis has a city and a county mayor which makes things different and has a lot of waste. Hopefully this metro government referendum will pass.
Memphis
* Jobs with a big companies: Memphis (FedEx, Autozone, International Paper, Service Master, Hilton, Medtronic, Acreddo, Smith & Nephew etc...)
* More to do as a family and more tourist type activities (Stax, Graceland, Beale St, Tunica, etc...)
* NBA team
* Airport hub
* Driving distance to cities like St. Louis, Dallas, Atlanta, etc...
* Cheaper utilities
* College basketball rules
* More diverse when you really look under the hood. There are people from everywhere at FedEx. Same is true for UAB too, but Memphis has a bigger scale when you add in some of the other Fortune 500 companies.
* Memphis has better traffic (280 in Birmingham is awful, nothing like that in Memphis)
* Food I am just not talking about the barbque. Memphis has a better name recognition when you ask people around the country. It has many food channel mentions.
* The music goes to Memphis. Birmingham had City Stages and the Heritage Festival while Memphis has Memphis in May and it has a lot of name recognition. Not to mention Stax, Sun Studios, Rock & Soul, Gibson Guitar, and Graceland.
* FedEx gives companies with warehouses or distribution needs a reason to locate here.
The ties:
* Both have a Civil Rights Museum
* Minor League baseball
* Low cost of living
* Schools (not talking about city, but the area in general. Memphis may have a slight edge.)
* Both were on First 48 (SMH).
* Both could be a biomedical force, but I think FedEx still might give Memphis the advantage.
Here is on key thing I see. In Birmingham, downtown is the CENTER of the city. In Memphis, it is not. That makes Memphis look very different. Also, the Desoto County area of Mississippi is part of Memphis metro and because it is a different state, different county, etc... They tend to just duplicate what is in the state of Tennessee instead of doing something slightly different to add to the overall appeal. Both have these new outdoor malls which is the new thing now.
Both are great cities. Memphis has more of an identity than Birmingham. You know Memphis for its food or crime, or music. But having been here 9 years, they are VERY similar and I can live in either. I like NBA basketball, so Memphis gets the edge. Birmingham needs to get that identity though. Huntsville is coming on strong. Bridgestreet is very nice!
Architecture -> Memphis
Development -> Tie with a slight edge to Memphis
Economy -> I think Memphis
Education -> Tie
Entertainment -> Memphis
Family life -> Tie
Healthcare -> Tie
Shopping -> Birmingham
Transportation -> Memphis
having lived in both---tiwce in memphis, and i am commuting now 4 days per week 60 miles from the city center waiting to purchase a cottage in the city, i pretty much agree w/ this list. development goes to memphis; however, w/out a doubt. much of the southern metro of memphis is located in north mississippi, which has 1 of the fastest growing counties in the nation, #38 out of 100, and #1 in ms. the casino district is located in the south metro, the third largest gaming district in the u.s. and an annual gdp (2007) of 4.7 billion dollars. nice suburbs, new interstate and a new u.s. highway, continued industrial, biomedical, medical, manfacturing, and technology relocations. new aiport additions to handle large aircraft at the north tunica airport, currently, building another huge casino, plans for a water-acquarium themed casino that is estimated to cost approximately 1.5 billion dollars. riverbend development, which will construct mixed development, housing---single, multiple, and codos for 9,500 residents. it has been approved by the ms legislature, haley barbour, and a proposed 2 billion dollar hybrid car plant. there is a great deal going on there. the same is true w/ eastern shelby county, and the building of the largest intermodal station in the u.s. on the shelby fayette county, tn boundaries. marshall county, ms. windturbine plant being built, haywood county, just outside of shelby county, tn has just started building a mega wind turbine electric plant. 7 miles or less lacked on the connection of the 2nd outer loop beltway, which will complete the nafta highway to canada. currently, proposal for a third bridge+railroad bridge in north memphis crossing into arkansas, which will connect the memphis metro to blytheville micro area and the jonesboro metro area. memphis international is just finishing the completion of a 340ft air traffic control center, the third largest in the southeast. just finished resurfacing of one of the 4 main runways, building a 7 story parking garage, refacing of the front of the airport, a huge moving outdoor sidewalk, plans to completely change the c concourse, continued busiest cargo airport in the world, and busiest 3-11 passenger airport in the united states. hugh growth of downtown medical center. st. jude #1 children's research hospital in the world, methodist central top liver, lung, and heart transplant hospital in the nation, campbell eye institute ranked in top 5 eye institutes in the world, w/ its new facilities. the new bio/defense/vaccine research park is steadily progressing, new facilities for training ortopedic surgeons and internists on robots and cadavers---only one of its kind in the world. trained 15,000 doctors worldwide last year. pyramid just revealed its multilevel store, snake pit, allegator display, live cypress swamp exhibit, and access ramps for boats and other water vessels, w/ direct access to the mississippi river.
current discussion of addition of oxford and tupelo, ms jonesboro and blytheville, arkansas, and haywood county, tn current metro growth has exceeded the 1% low-ball by 7.8%. memphis proper, instead of projected loss gained at least 3%. shelby county gained from low-balled 903,000 to contiguous ua of 938,245, while the metro projection is estimated officially one year ago at 1.3 million, which is also confirmed by most authorities to be low.
i do think that shelby county, ala has better shopping, i'm not sure about b'ham proper. i am talking about the summit and inverness. i understand nordstroms is on the way to memphis and the same stores that have just been put in to brentwood, outside of nashivlle. they will probably go to collierville; however, i've been told they will be in memphis proper, near germantown, goodlett farms area. downtown is really growing. memphis is doing well. i think b'ham will be better now that lankford is gone. i like the city, and i love mountainbrook. look at the great photos of memphis and b'ham by bill cobb, urban photos. i wish memphis could get both north and south ends of the downtown in frame, and the downtown medical center could be seen more clearly. the pyramid is 32 stories high. the rivermark is a highrise that goes unseen most of the time, as does the new horizon highrise on the south side of the city.
Lane Parke
-a redevelopment in the upscale suburb of Mountain Brook. This project has been approved and will begin construction any day now. This development is envisioned to bring extinct luxury shopping to the area as well as restaurants and a boutique hotel. Lane Parke of Mountain Brook Village
Highway 280 Project
-a project to one of the area's most used roads. This project will added 4 elevated toll lanes south to this already 6-lane highway. On the northern side, the toll lanes will be depressed with the free lanes being at ground level. Alabama rolls out new U.S. 280 toll road plan | al.com
Airport
-a terminal expansion
-a consolidated system will be put in place allowing baggage to be checked in at a central location
-large glass portion of the curbside entrance of the Birmingham airport will be replaced with solid walls for security protection. The airport's name will be placed in a visible location on the wall.
-concessions area will be expanded, adding a greater variety of food and retail tenants.
-the addition of a Federal Inspection Services area in Concourse A, handling customs and immigration services for international passengers.
-construction of walkways making it easier for disabled passengers and those in wheelchairs to enter the airport concourse areas.
-the addition of a new passenger waiting area with seating and concessions, within view of planes awaiting boarding.
-the addition of a new area for greeting and sending off passengers on the lower level near the baggage claim area.
-improved lighting allowing the airport to use sunlight more in daytime hours and cut costs.
Other Projects
-new ER center on Highway 280
-new 13-story hospital on Highway 280
-several large master planned communities under development with more than 1,000 homes, including The Preserve, Hillsboro, etc.
-Children's Hospital expansion along with other on-going medical development at UAB
-Fair Park development, which will incle a sports-themed district, retail, residential units, etc.
-Daniel Payne Towne Center, a project in north Birmingham that will have 600,000 square foot of shopping, 500,000 square foot of office space, 150,000 square foot indoor water park, a 10 million gallon aquarium, an 800 room resort hotel, a golf course, a movie theater, a bowling alley, an arcade, and hundreds of homes.
-I-22/I-65 intersection
-making 48 miles of I-65 8 lanes
bulldawg, is the 280 hospital the one started by richard screw-she , or is it another hospital complex? also, the last time i was visiting (july, 09) i remember seeing some, i think two, construction sites for high rise condominums. i think one is somewhere a block or so from the downtown fish market restaurant. i moved from b'ham, 5 pts, in sept, 08. there was so much building going on in the medical center and uab, it was hard to keep up w/ the cityscape. the children's hospital was being built when i left. i really like the use of the materials on many of the new buildings. too, the colors and the designs and pattern work. it speaks well for uab.
it is good to read some of the positive things about the city. someone on the forum really "dogs" everything that is attempted. when i came into the city last july, i immediately noticed how they had shaved down some of the ground at the bridge/interstate work on the northside. i still love coming up the knoll and rounding the interstate to see downtown. it really is pretty at night, and it brings back so many good memories. the drive from memphis to b'ham has improved from 78, too.
This is a good one.
As far as culture and scenery, I would go with Birmingham. Amenities and urbanity I would go with Memphis. Memphis also feels larger than Birmingham. I always place Memphis in a slightly higher tier than Birmingham too, but Birmingham is a lot nicer overall.
A lot of that is due to the topography of Birmingham, which includes ridges and hills, where development is more pronounced in the lower areas. It's sort of like Pittsburgh in this regard. Memphis is on the plains of the Mississippi River, which allows for even development. The development is also a bit denser and less spread out in Memphis, excluding the areas of Collierville and Cordova.
This is probably one of the more interesting battles I've seen. Probably since I can't think of two places this close geographically with as much of a contrast culturally. Birmingham and Memphis are like night and day to me with Memphis being night and Birmingham being day. Very different.
I vote for birmingham.. I like the scenery around Birmingham, its alot nicer than Memphis. Its closer to mountains and Other bigger cities Nashville and Atlanta.. SHopping is a whole lot better in Birmingham. The Summit against Wolfchase... Economy Is tie for me. Archetic goes too Memphis. Nightlife I would say memphis..
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, or is it another hospital complex? also, the last time i was visiting (july, 09) i remember seeing some, i think two, construction sites for high rise condominums. i think one is somewhere a block or so from the downtown fish market restaurant. i moved from b'ham, 5 pts, in sept, 08. there was so much building going on in the medical center and uab, it was hard to keep up w/ the cityscape. the children's hospital was being built when i left. i really like the use of the materials on many of the new buildings. too, the colors and the designs and pattern work. it speaks well for uab.
the drive from memphis to b'ham has improved from 78, too.
