Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Charleston sc (affordable????...not so much)
Greenville sc [I](need to visit, but I have heard a lot of good stuff!)[/i]
Savannah ga (...need a flak jacket to walk around)
atlanta ga and surrounding suburbs (HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ah...right)
Montgomery and birmingham ala (hmmm maybe)
jackson miss (need to visit)
oxford mss(need to visit, but seems blocked by two expressways.)
flower mound texas (I just can't bring myself to believe Texas as deep south...it seems to be its own thing)
sugarland,tex
austin (great town!..although tx)
nashville tnn (great city, but walkable?)
chapel hill (great city)
raliegh durham (great city)
charlotte NC (walkable????)
charlotteville va (yup)
Virginia beach va (affordable????)
williamsburg (safe?)
alexandria va (affordable????)
leesburg va (?)
good list, a few seemed like they could fit the mold...others way off.
Ok, I live in Birmingham. It is a GREAT city. I travel ALOT and there isn't much better out there as far as good day to day living.
In fact Birmingham has continually been on the top of many "most livable" lists. We actually have a huge yearly music festival celebrating our place as "America's Most Livable City" (Newsweek and Conference of Mayors)
It is rated top in the US as far as medical care---the main industry in B'ham.
However there is one area that we have been on bottom: non-drivers. There is a bus system. It is reliable, but not extensive. I live in the Trussville and it is like 5 to 7 miles to the nearest bus stop. (No one from Trussville would be caught dead on the bus anyway--more about that later) If you just mainly stayed in the downtown area you could make it without a car. But I dont think you would find everything you need downtown.
there is often talk of improving public transportation here. But it is slow...AS MOLLASSES (as we say down here)
It will be very hard for it to improve because there is a mentality here that public transportation is for poor people. Cars are an important part of most peoples identity down here. Keep in mind it can get pretty hot here too. Birminghamians are tempted to take their car when they visit their next door neighbors. lol It's really not that uncommon for people to drive to their mailbox....if the drive way is a little long or steep.
So I dont see how the city could ever support more extensive public transportation here. Especially if they are going to keep it affordable for the few people who do use it.
So If you are seriously averse to driving....Id think twice. But if you want to live in the most livable city in America.....get a car. lol
I'm not too crazy about it, but I can see how some like Nashville. That said, the majority of it is not walkable. Some of the major streets in the city, even in high density areas, don't even have sidewalks. Bike lanes are few and far between. Unless you live in a downtown condo, owning a car is almost a neccesity.
To answer the question, Chattanooga might fit some of the requirements for a mid-sized city.
Hold on...the deep south and the sunbelt are not exactly the same thing. While yes, the deep south is part of the sunbelt, the sunbelt also encompasses the Upper South and Southwest and parts of Colorado and the West Coast (I believe Denver is considered a Sunbelt city?)...if we are sticking to just the deep south, several southern states need to be excluded...North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia, and Arkansas (although it is a state half in the Upper South, half in the Deep South). My personal vote for the best city in the sunbelt/deep south would have to be Dallas, Houston, or Atlanta. (yes I understand Dallas and Houston are often considered Southwestern, but there is no question at least in my mind that they are Southern cities.)
THey are southern cities. But they aren't deep south. I would say if you make a list of deep southern cities. You have to say cities like Birmingham, New Orleans, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, Mobile. Cities like that.
good list, a few seemed like they could fit the mold...others way off.
ehh, how is Charleston not affordable? Compared to many places in our nation it is quite affordable. It may be more expensive than rural areas and more struggling cities. I think that if someone wants to move here (whether downtown or the nicer suburbs), now is the time.
I am impressed that you have such knowledge as to judge all of these cities though
THey are southern cities. But they aren't deep south. I would say if you make a list of deep southern cities. You have to say cities like Birmingham, New Orleans, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, Mobile. Cities like that.
I wouldn't classify New Orleans as the deep south. No more than Houston would be.
What your looking for really does not exist in the south, Atlanta has some of your needs, some transit options on a big city level, but even there the sheer sprawl of the area would make it limited. Walking, well that is minimal in the south, you would really need to drive to a park or some recreation area to walk. The south is sprawl and it was designed for the car, not the pedestrian.
What your looking for really does not exist in the south, Atlanta has some of your needs, some transit options on a big city level, but even there the sheer sprawl of the area would make it limited. Walking, well that is minimal in the south, you would really need to drive to a park or some recreation area to walk. The south is sprawl and it was designed for the car, not the pedestrian.
-I think that's over generalizing the south already had a lot of people before the car came along and yes there ARE a lot of older walkable neighborhoods in the south. There is actualy a lot of historical areas the south is not ALL sprawl.
-But yes it is also quite true that most of it has been built up post war and is not very pedestrian friendly. true in plenty of areas outside the south also even if not as much so. -Emil.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Birmingham?
