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View Poll Results: WHICH 2 CITIES ARE GROWING :METRO, TRANSIT, ENTERTAINMENT etc
BIRMINGHAM "MAGIC CITY" 12 24.00%
LOUISVILLE KY 26 52.00%
CHATTANOOGA TN 6 12.00%
MOBILE AL 6 12.00%
Voters: 50. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 03-27-2015, 07:04 AM
 
Location: Louisville
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sleepless in Bham View Post
So what sets Louisville apart from Birmingham?
When you're in the 2 cities you can feel the difference. Birmingham fell a lot further than Louisville did during suburbanization. When I'm downtown Louisville it feels more walkable and vibrant. Also investment in Louisville's core has been happening for a longer period of time. Louisville is bigger(and not just because it merged with Jefferson County) with a bigger urbanized area. Its core has more support from the surrounding region. This makes a difference. Also there are more trendy and healthy neighborhoods surrounding Louisvilles core. All one has to do is visit both cities and it's undeniable.

When I'm downtown Birmingham it feels like an office park that closes at 5. When I stay downtown i'm directed by the hotel staff not to go outside at night, whether right or wrong. There is a huge push in Birmingham for revitalization and it's impressive. I have always enjoyed Birmingham. The suburban parts of the cities are quite similar with the same upscale chains and similar housing stock. The staff at the Embassy Suites on John Hawkins in Hoover know me by sight, which means I travel too much.

Louisville is just more cosmopolitan at this point. The city is healthier. It has a big corporate presence downtown and big support from all of the major companies headquartered there. There's no reason to think Birmingham isn't well on it's way. When comparing the two cities I don't see how anyone objectively would come to a different conclusion.

Both cities were on a Forbes list "15 Cities with emerging downtowns"

Cleveland, Ohio - In Photos: 15 U.S. Cities' Emerging Downtowns - Forbes
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Old 03-27-2015, 08:37 AM
 
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
11,974 posts, read 25,468,595 times
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Birmingham reminds me of Louisville 20 years ago. Similar size, hilly topography nearby while urban core is in a flat valley, affluent urban area east of downtown, some great parks, significant economy divide between sides of town. What Louisville did was turn an industrial wasteland into a great waterfront, add several high quality museums (Muhammad Ali Center, Frazier History Center), build a sparkling $250 million dollar arena downtown, revive a dead downtown mall into a thriving hangout, and currently it's getting a much needed infrastructure boost as the downtown interchange is rebuilt and 2 new bridges are built. Birmingham seems to be turning the corner, if they had stock in cities I'd buy now.

Mobile city is so-so but there are some great places just across the bay like Daphne and Gulf Shores. Chattanooga has a more tourist friendly downtown with 2 really cool places to visit (aquarium and incline railroad).
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Old 03-27-2015, 10:56 AM
 
Location: Taipei
7,777 posts, read 10,156,636 times
Reputation: 4989
Bham is the only city I've spent any significant time in. Been three times for a total of two weeks. I've only stopped in Louisville for one day and driven through Mobile a few times. Never been to Chattanooga.

My impressions are:
1) Louisville by a good margin 2) Birmingham 3) Chattanooga 4) Mobile

They're all intriguing and I have always wanted to spend time in Mobile when I pass through. Chattanooga has gotten quite a bit of acclaim the last few years and I have several friends who were Vanguard Scholars (conference was held in Chattanooga last year) and they had lots of positive things to say.

Most recent MJ articles on each city (some are from five years ago):
Elements of Urbanism: Louisville | Metro Jacksonville
Downtown Revitalization: Birmingham | Metro Jacksonville
Exploring Chattanooga Vanguard Style | Metro Jacksonville
Elements of Urbanism: Mobile | Metro Jacksonville

Really nice insight into one of Louisville's gentrification pioneers:
Can the 'Godfather' of New Louisville Revive One More Neighborhood? - CityLab

Quote:
Originally Posted by censusdata View Post
Birmingham seems to be turning the corner, if they had stock in cities I'd buy now.
I've got some shares in Birmingham. If you send me a check I'll transfer to your name
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Old 04-20-2015, 12:59 AM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
9,680 posts, read 9,387,327 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sleepless in Bham View Post
So what sets Louisville apart from Birmingham?
Louisville is growing faster and has a better political climate. The leadership has worked hard to diversify Louisville's economy. Louisville contains a large corporate presence and much larger arts community than Birmingham. Those two factors, alone, contribute to a higher quality of life for its residents. Crime is lower, and infrastructure is above average for a metro its size. Louisville, given its importance and influence, is often grouped with larger cities for comparison such as Nashville and Cincinnati while Birmingham is grouped with smaller cities.
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