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As a Black guy native to South Carolina, Charleston's not perfect, but it's pretty darn cool--one of the most historic and urban cities in the South, and easily the most urban between SC and AL.
As a Black guy native to South Carolina, Charleston's not perfect, but it's pretty darn cool--one of the most historic and urban cities in the South, and easily the most urban between SC and AL.
I'd say Birmingham and Columbia seems more urban IMO.
I'd say Birmingham and Columbia seems more urban IMO.
Charleston's metro is roughly 650,000, Birmingham's, 1.2 million and Columbia's, 730,000. Of the three, however, Charleston is experiencing the most rapid growth. (Wikipedia)
And what are you talking about? The Beaches at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL are sugar white and gorgeous, the water a beautiful blue...
Well when I've gone to the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores the water has been brown. At the same time, the water at Pensacola Beach was turquoise-blue. That's what I'm talking about. Gulf Shores is sugar white beaches and brown water and Pensacola Beach is sugar white beaches and turquoise-blue water.
Dude, I've been living in the Charleston area for the past 10 years. If you consider an area that is mostly white with a large number of African Americans and a growing number of illegal immigrants as "diverse" then you obviously don't travel much.
I'm originally from New Jersey. North Jersey to be exact. If you want to see what real diversity looks like then take a trip there.
Here we go. Everybody from anywhere in the general vicinity of NYC wants to bring that vicinity up when somebody talks about diversity or urbanity, etc. Nobody is talking about "in comparison to New Jersey." If an area has a large number of African Americans, as you say, then it isn't totally white, therefore it has some diversity, you know, as opposed to being totally white and utterly lacking in diversity. And the Reggae Nights concerts I've been to at James Island County Park didn't look totally white either.
I'd say Birmingham and Columbia seems more urban IMO.
Nah, trust me, it's Charleston; don't confuse a skyline with being urban. Because of the layout of the city (downtown) and the era in which it matured, it's easily the most urban of the three. It's the most walkable and has a pretty dense downtown (denser than Columbia's, not sure if it's denser than Birmingham's). It's one of the few cities in the country that can say that at one point, it was actually larger than NYC.
I would rather be physically tortured before living in either one of these states. If forced to choose then I would live in the Rock Hill area that way I could be near Charlotte, which resembles a few characteristics of a city.
I would rather be physically tortured before living in either one of these states. If forced to choose then I would live in the Rock Hill area that way I could be near Charlotte, which resembles a few characteristics of a city.
Indeed, I will note that the next time I post a poll that says, "Alabama, South Carolina, or torture?"
Nah, trust me, it's Charleston; don't confuse a skyline with being urban. Because of the layout of the city (downtown) and the era in which it matured, it's easily the most urban of the three. It's the most walkable and has a pretty dense downtown (denser than Columbia's, not sure if it's denser than Birmingham's). It's one of the few cities in the country that can say that at one point, it was actually larger than NYC.
I didnt confuse a skyline. I have been to all three cities and I can tell you that Charleston felt the smallest to me. Birmingham city is more urban than Charleston by far. All you got to do is ride through all of these cities and that will be obvious.
I didnt confuse a skyline. I have been to all three cities and I can tell you that Charleston felt the smallest to me. Birmingham city is more urban than Charleston by far. All you got to do is ride through all of these cities and that will be obvious.
You don't judge a city's urbanity by riding through; you judge it based on how walkable it is, how intact and cohesive the urban fabric is. For instance, neither Columbia or Birmingham have anything comparable to King Street. A place can be (or feel) smaller and yet more urban.
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If an area has a large number of African Americans, as you say, then it isn't totally white, therefore it has some diversity, you know, as opposed to being totally white and utterly lacking in diversity. 
