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We'll just have to amicably disagree my friend. Birmingham's black demographic is mostly concentrated in the west, not north. Ensley, Fairfield, Midfield, West End, Lipscomb etc. The only really pronounced black presence is immediately north of downtown in Norwood. It starts to thin out very quickly after that going toward Gardendale. "Upscale" can be interpreted differently depending on what your criteria may entail. To you, it may only mean more high end shops, to others it may mean a more modern/asethetically pleasing city to the eyes overall. Are those parts of Jackson that you mentioned walkable like Southside Birmingham? I need to know because if so, it's changed since Jackson State's Homecoming of 09. Sorry but I see no simarities between Jackson and West Texas. Much more in line with Memphis than anything in Texas to me. And for the record, yes of course the number of blacks you encounter depends on what part of town you're in but both cities have "commonground". Many more blacks will be seen in those type places in Jackson versus Birmingham. Noone can tell me differently, so I'll take it the way you threw it.
Ummm.. Memphis is more like East TX an AR than AL or GA too.
Birmingham was 73.46% black in 2000, Jackson was 61.6%. What difference does it make whether or not you see them? On that note why does it matter in the first place? And while we are going in that direction, Birmingham IMO is actually a lot more segregated than Jackson.
As far as walkability, Jackson is a lot less spread/sprawled than Birmingham. The neighborhoods that I mentioned in the actual city are just as walkable as anything comparable in Birmingham.
If you're using aesthetics to make something upscale (as subjective as that is) it's going to differ from person to person. If you like hills and trees and land of course you'll like Birmingham.
Like you said nobody will tell you different so it's whatever.
Thanks, I'm aware of the recent changes going on over there. It matters because that is a big difference between the two cities. Statistics (especially outdated ones) mean nothing compared to live and in person. I'm not arguing with you, I just disagree and feel I've spent enough time in both places to validate my opinion.
Huhh? lol
You need to spend more time in Birmingham if you think they aren't that different; trust me they are.
Major differences:
1.) I agree; Jackson is mostly flat and Birmingham sits atop Red Mountain. This is true!
2.) Subjective, but Birmingham is WAY more upscale than Jackson.
Birmingham is more in line with Nashville while Jackson is more in line with Memphis. Most would agree that Memphis/Nashville = worlds apart. This is true! Birmingham has a lot of upscale areas such as the Summit and part of the Galleria, etc. Birmingham is also more related to Atlanta.
3.) Demographically (not statically, I'm referring to what you see mostly when you're there) there are WAY more blacks in Jackson. Just like there are a lot more blacks in Memphis than Nashville. Actually, Birmingham has more blacks than Jackson. Birmingham's black population and Jackson's city population are equal. Birmingham's black population is mostly in the west, north, and east. South Birmingham is a little bit more diverse. Also, in Metro Birmingham, blacks live mostly in the western parts; in the norther parts to Fultondale, Forestdale, Center Point, and Trussville; in the southern parts to Homewood, Oxmoor, and Bessemer (A lot of blacks live in Hoover and in Simmonsville or East Alabaster); and in the eastern parts to Leeds/Moody.
4.) Southernness, Jackson for sure, but it's subjective again. Both are very southern!
5.) Birmingham is much larger than Jackson as the previous poster said. Birmingham proper is about 70,000 people bigger while the metro is about 700,000 bigger. You can tell the difference!
6.) I'm not aware of any swanky areas of Jackson like Southside Birmingham. Birmingham has better nightlife.
I lived in Birmingham for years, and my Dad is Jackson State Alumni, so I should know. Birmingham is leaps and bounds ahead of Jackson. lol
You were there, but you had to clean it up a bit. LOL!
1.) Landscape/scenery-Birmingham
I've always favored mountainous landscapes over flatter places personally.
2.) Education-Birmingham
UAB (award winning medical research), Birmingham Southern and Miles College.
3.) Shopping-Birmingham
Not terribly sure about Jackson, but I don't ever remember seeing higher end shops there like Saks Fifth Avenue, Juicy Couture, BCBGMAXZRIA, White House|Black Market, Tommy Bahama etc. like in Birmingham.
4.) Dining-Birmingham
Schula's, STIX, P.F.Chang's Bistro and The Cheesecake Factory are a few of my favorites there.
5.) Nightlife-Birmingham
Quite a few more options in Birmingham.
6.) Skyline-Birmingham for sure.
IDK, Jackson reminds me of Baton Rouge in some ways, but I wouldn't have to sleep on this one. Birmingham easily.
I couldn't imagine living in BR, but I'd choose it over either of the two. All 3 of them kind of sit in the same comparison category though.
I couldn't imagine going back either. It's close proximity to New Orleans was probably what made it advantageous at the time.
Interesting that you consider them almost identical. Maybe it's me, but I place Birmingham in a slightly higher tier than them, probably because of the population gap and better skyline lol.
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