Alabama is the third poorest state (Birmingham, Mobile: place to live, most dangerous, vs)

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by rock90

Okay, I'll reproduce the evidence as you seem to have missed it the last go-round:



Good job, Birmingham. But 37% is not "most of Alabama's wealth".

Who said 37% was "most"?

It's the largest single contributor to Albama's GDP. Without Birmingham Alabama would be on par with Mississippi in both population and GDP, that really changes the landscape for Alabama.

[Nlambert]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

If you want to slander Birmingham at least get your facts straight. It was Jefferson County that declared bankruptcy, NOT Birmingham.

I don't see anyone making excuses for Birmingham having crime or high poverty, you kind of brought that up yourself.

I'm really confused by your closing statement on COL, what exactly are you getting at?

My intent was not to slander Birmingham.... Birmingham is a part of Alabama and does contribute to the wealth of the state. My point was that it is not the main contributor (as others have shown) to the state's wealth. A certain poster on here is known for constantly touting Birmingham as being the best area of the state, which is opinion and isn't necessarily true. This poster likes to downplay other key areas of the state to keep the focus on Birmingham. Then they go on to basically say that people are getting mad that the article showed a picture of Huntsville (to me that was poking fun at Huntsville yet again because the OP doesn't seem to like the area). That struck a nerve. It's an excellent area for some, and a place others wouldn't recommend. It comes down to personal opinion, and if those posters can have theirs some of us who disagree are allowed to have theirs. The question was raised as to why they would choose Huntsville as their picture since Huntsville is far from being the poorest part of the state. Personally I think it was kind of a "what the heck were they thinking" moment by adding a picture of a city that is doing very well right now with an article that talks about Alabama being a poor state.


Admittedly, I made an error on it being Jefferson County that bankrupted so my apologies on that one. My point was that some were saying that the suburbs of Birmingham were enjoying a low COL in comparison to other states, which isn't necessarily true. When the COL in that area is a large percentage higher than the national average and higher than the suburbs of some other much larger cities, how is Alabama's low COL helping in those areas? It's not.

[rock90]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

Who said 37% was "most"?

It's the largest single contributor to Albama's GDP. Without Birmingham Alabama would be on par with Mississippi in both population and GDP, that really changes the landscape for Alabama.

From the Department of Beating Dead Horses Department:

Originally Posted by Tourian

And I get it.

It is entirely possible for Birmingham to generate most of Alabama's wealth AND for other places to contribute to Alabama's wealth too.

But there has to be a #1.

Hey, I like Birmingham. I'm down there a lot. Just needed to clarify that although it's the #1 wealth producer in the state, it doesn't generate most of Alabama's wealth.

And things can change. Birmingham does rely a lot on the financial sector. As the #10 banking hub in the US, it'll face some disruption from "fintech" startups, the next hot area for the Silicon Valley folks. But the city got through the steel industry slowdown fairly well, so I'm sure it'll do fine.

[Tourian]

That's right. It doesn't produce the majority of. It produces the most among Alabama's metros. It is the primary contributor. It is the main contributor. It is the largest contributor. That is an accepted use of the word. And it is what I was implying. I was not saying it produced the majority.

But you know that. I'm glad it is not that surprising to you. But apparently it is a shocker to those who think we live in a bankrupt city with shut down steel mills and nothing but poor people living on welfare. AND I noticed you weren't here to temper any discussion earlier in the thread when people were claiming that the "rest of the state" was keeping Alabama down in wealth and it was all up to Huntsville to bear the load.

[TN2HSV]

Originally Posted by Tourian

But you know that. I'm glad it is not that surprising to you. But apparently it is a shocker to those who think we live in a bankrupt city with shut down steel mills and nothing but poor people living on welfare. AND I noticed you weren't here to temper any discussion earlier in the thread when people were claiming that the "rest of the state" was keeping Alabama down in wealth and it was all up to Huntsville to bear the load.

No one said that HSV shoulders a burden created by the rest of the state. You might've inferred that, but it wasn't said. I think that's the chip on your shoulder talking.

[Nlambert]

Originally Posted by TN2HSV

No one said that HSV shoulders a burden created by the rest of the state. You might've inferred that, but it wasn't said. I think that's the chip on your shoulder talking.

Bingo. This was exactly the point I was trying to make. Tourian, you seem to like to tout Birmingham as being the #1 city in the state. While I won't argue at any point that Birmingham is an important piece to the puzzle, it is not the only piece. No one ever said anywhere that Huntsville was better than any other part of the state. But to try to downplay it's role in the state's wealth is reaching.


This thread didn't start to compare Birmingham to Huntsville. There are hundreds of those types of threads here already.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by TN2HSV

No one said that HSV shoulders a burden created by the rest of the state. You might've inferred that, but it wasn't said. I think that's the chip on your shoulder talking.

Oh really...

Originally Posted by Becky2517

Madison Co has some of the top rated schools in the country, but, that is Madison - what about the rest of the state?

Originally Posted by pkbab5

I think the point is that the rest of the state likes it the way it is. I am all for pursuing excellence, but I'm against forcing others to do so if they don't want to.

Originally Posted by Dirt Grinder

This little oasis (Madison/Huntsville) isn't representative of the entire state of Alabama. I've heard many a transplant make fun of the rest of the state because it doesn't strive for the "excellence" accessible to us. The money just isn't there for the entire state to live up to lofty expectations.

Originally Posted by OmarLittle

Forbes used Huntsville as a way to represent Alabama's poverty? That's like saying the Trump Tower represents Manhattan.

Originally Posted by rock90

Alabama overall has some things that need fixing. Huntsville/Madison has it pretty sweet. It's almost as if there's a dichotomy. Nah, that's too complex -- just leave.

Originally Posted by NoleFanHSV

And the locals telling everyone else to leave just put their head in the sand or fingers in their ears. How did Huntsville get to where it is? Because there were those who listened. Those who found a better way to do things. The rest of Alabama could learn from that.

That's just to page 3. I don't have to infer anything. The posts are indicative of a belief that nothing good, prosperous or positive exists outside of Madison co. And/or that the rest of us need to look up to and mimic what is happening there. That's just bunk plain and simple.

[Nlambert]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Oh really...













That's just to page 3. I don't have to infer anything. The posts are indicative of a belief that nothing good, prosperous or positive exists outside of Madison co. And/or that the rest of us need to look up to and mimic what is happening there. That's just bunk plain and simple.

You are drawing your own conclusion based on people saying they like Huntsville the way it is... and that they find that using Huntsville as an example of a poor area of the state was unwarranted. They go on to explain why Huntsville shouldn't have been used as the backdrop for an article discussing the state's lack of wealth. Besides, the thread IS about Huntsville, not Birmingham. Sorry - but you're attempts to steer it in that direction aren't working. Those threads need to be in the Birmingham section.


Please show me where that indicates that anyone feels Huntsville to be superior to Birmingham? How is that any different than the posts you make about Birmingham? You are content in the area in which you live and feel that it is a great area. We all feel that way about where we live, otherwise we wouldn't live here. That doesn't mean that it is superior to any other area.


Each area provides unique opportunities that aren't available in other areas of the state. If you want to be an Engineer or work on the space program/govt contracting, you live in Huntsville. If you want to work in the financial district (and probably many other areas), you live in Birmingham. If you want to work in an area with sea life or work near the port, you live in Mobile. If you want to work for the state government, you live in Montgomery.

[NoleFanHSV]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Oh really...













That's just to page 3. I don't have to infer anything. The posts are indicative of a belief that nothing good, prosperous or positive exists outside of Madison co. And/or that the rest of us need to look up to and mimic what is happening there. That's just bunk plain and simple.

You misread my comment. My comment was actually a rebuttal to Dirt Grinder's comment that everyone else should leave if they don't like how things are done here. My point was that the reason why Huntsville/Madison is where it is today is because people stayed and made change when they didn't like something instead of just leaving.

Plenty of people in Huntsville/Madison who have the attitude of "don't like it leave".

[Dirt Grinder]

Originally Posted by NoleFanHSV

...My comment was actually a rebuttal to Dirt Grinder's comment that everyone else should leave if they don't like how things are done here...

Actually, I never stated "everyone should leave if they don't like how things are done here." My post very specifically targeted the statement "...Keep on being backward Alabama and be proud." I certainly do recommend anyone with a such a low opinion of Alabama's citizenry to seek another place of residence commensurate with their lofty ideals.