Will bham-hoover metro reach 2.0 million (Birmingham, Huntsville: 2015, buy, pros and cons)

[Tourian]

Don't worry. Im sure some top notch headhunter for F500 companies is going to stumble across this forum and create an account just to tell us how he wouldn't choose Birmingham for any reason. Ooo, or maybe well get lucky and itll be a CEO that signs up. Just give it a minute...

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Don't worry. Im sure some top notch headhunter for F500 companies is going to stumble across this forum and create an account just to tell us how he wouldn't choose Birmingham for any reason. Ooo, or maybe well get lucky and itll be a CEO that signs up. Just give it a minute...

forgive me for talking some sense on this board. there has not been a skyscraper completed in birmingham or the surrounding area for 25 years and absolutely nothing on the board. there are plenty of buildings downtown that can still be used for office space if demand is there. it would take a huge spike in demand to warrant construction of a new skyscraper.

i know you like being birmingham's cheerleader, but deep down, you know this too... so i don't know why you feel the need at trying to belittle my sensible speech that i'm trying to get across to 205Urbanite who i am still not sure if he is a troll trying to make you and raj look silly, or an actual head-in-the-clouds poster.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by steveklein

forgive me for talking some sense on this board. there has not been a skyscraper completed in birmingham or the surrounding area for 25 years and absolutely nothing on the board. there are plenty of buildings downtown that can still be used for office space if demand is there. it would take a huge spike in demand to warrant construction of a new skyscraper.

i know you like being birmingham's cheerleader, but deep down, you know this too... so i don't know why you feel the need at trying to belittle my sensible speech that i'm trying to get across to 205Urbanite who i am still not sure if he is a troll trying to make you and raj look silly, or an actual head-in-the-clouds poster.

I wasn't talking to or about you, and it is pretty obvious who I am referring to. I know you like to think of yourself as the purveyor of reasonable thought and knowledge, but you are just peddling your (negative) opinion like every one else is entitled to.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by Tourian

I wasn't talking to or about you, and it is pretty obvious who I am referring to. I know you like to think of yourself as the purveyor of reasonable thought and knowledge, but you are just peddling your (negative) opinion like every one else is entitled to.

what negative opinion am i peddling? that birmingham doesn't need a new skyscraper? that's not my opinion... that is a fact with the proof being that there isn't one being planned. the market dictates that.

what other negative opinions am i peddling? that birmingham's population isn't booming? just look at the census data for crying out loud compared to cities which birmingham used to be compared to. of course this is now regarded as unfair because birmingham has fallen behind them.

birmingham has a lot going for it. i've never said anything to the contrary. however, most of those positives are in small pockets and i'm of the opinion for the entire region to really take a big step forward, it's going to take new companies/industry/jobs coming to the area, and not just 50 here or 100 there. i am talking about something on the order of thousands if not tens of thousands of jobs. until that happens, birmingham's upward trajectory will be severely limited.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by steveklein

what negative opinion am i peddling?

It is, and when I question or debate you in an honest way about it, you conveniently deflect or just dip out altogether. I don't mind, you certainly don't have to respond to everything OR ANYTHING (wouldn't that be awesome) I say, but I notice you'll only respond to something that's easy to debate. We all know a new tower is a out in the ether right now.

But if I ask you why you think Birmingham is undesirable because it is #1 on value yet you don't hold that same opinion of OKC, no response.

If I say Birmingham gets national credit for its food scene and show evidence of its awards and that it rightfully gets positive credit and draws people here for that, you tell me I'm a sunshine pumper and that Birmingham is not a food destination. Compared to what? The world? Nope. That's not what I said.

But I'm used to it. I expect nebulous targets, moving goalposts, backtacking, changing arguments, strawmen, no true Scottsmen, all the tricks for your type. You can call me all the names you want, but you can't stop me.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by Tourian

It is, and when I question or debate you in an honest way about it, you conveniently deflect or just dip out altogether. I don't mind, you certainly don't have to respond to everything OR ANYTHING (wouldn't that be awesome) I say, but I notice you'll only respond to something that's easy to debate. We all know a new tower is a out in the ether right now.

But if I ask you why you think Birmingham is undesirable because it is #1 on value yet you don't hold that same opinion of OKC, no response.

If I say Birmingham gets national credit for its food scene and show evidence of its awards and that it rightfully gets positive credit and draws people here for that, you tell me I'm a sunshine pumper and that Birmingham is not a food destination. Compared to what? The world? Nope. That's not what I said.

But I'm used to it. I expect nebulous targets, moving goalposts, backtacking, changing arguments, strawmen, no true Scottsmen, all the tricks for your type. You can call me all the names you want, but you can't stop me.

i don't think oklahoma city is a particularly desirable place. have i ever said so? but i do think it is ahead of and on a better trajectory than birmingham. double digit % population gains in every decade that the city has existed (9.7% in the 1970s... close enough) bear that out.

as for birmingham being a culinary destination. just stop. i'm not saying birmingham does not have great, award-winning restaurants. i've never said or even impllied that because it clearly does. and so do many other similarly sized cities. i'm talking in a more general sense... people go to orlando for its theme parks. people go to miami for its party/club scene and beaches. people go to charleston and savannah for their antebellum history and architecture. people go to asheville for the biltmore. people go to new orleans for bourbon street, the french quarter and its history. people go to las vegas for its casinos. not every city has to have that one big tourist draw to be successful, growing cities. charlotte, dallas, and phoenix are managing fine without them. but people don't go to birmingham for its food scene. period. end of story. maybe if you dig enough you can find a family somewhere that planned a trip to birmingham to check out its restaurants, but please get your hand out of the sand on this issue. i've heard of maine lobster, of carolina, kansas city, and memphis bbq... or new york and chicago style pizza, of new england clam chowder, of philadelphia cheese steaks... please enlighten me... what is birmingham known for on this front?

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by steveklein

i don't think oklahoma city is a particularly desirable place. have i ever said so? but i do think it is ahead of and on a better trajectory than birmingham. double digit % population gains in every decade that the city has existed (9.7% in the 1970s... close enough) bear that out.

So go spread this knowledge on the OKC board. Post in every positive thread there about how OKC isn't a "particularly desirable place"

as for birmingham being a culinary destination.

Like I said, the restaurant scene has gained national attention. It brings revenue in to the city along with the events and attractions we run. Its not just chain restaurants. I do not know what else there is to say, other then you like to run on and on about stuff that doesn't matter or isn't an answer to my statement.

[steveklein]

Since you seem to hate strawmanning so much, why do you keep bringing up "it's not just chain restaurants"?

And the reason I don't post in the OKC forum is because I haven't lived there for nearly 30 years, nor do I have any plans to relocate there. Nor do I have any family that lives there.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by steveklein

Since you seem to hate strawmanning so much, why do you keep bringing up "it's not just chain restaurants"?

Because the poster I was responding to before you jumped into the middle of the conversation as the champion of all things Anti-Tourian claimed we had nothing here of note - only chains. Remember? No, of course you don't

And the reason I don't post in the OKC forum is because I haven't lived there for nearly 30 years, nor do I have any plans to relocate there. Nor do I have any family that lives there.

Or any of the other top 10 cities on that list. Its just more convenient and fun to be here and throw shade at Birmingham.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Because the poster I was responding to before you jumped into the middle of the conversation as the champion of all things Anti-Tourian claimed we had nothing here of note - only chains. Remember? No, of course you don't



Or any of the other top 10 cities on that list. Its just more convenient and fun to be here and throw shade at Birmingham.

It's more convenient to discuss Birmingham and its pros and cons because I HAVE LIVED IN THE AREA FOR THREE DECADES.

My God, dude.... get a grip.

I love how you act like I want Birmingham to fail or something. I would love for the city to prosper. Bring on the corporate headquarters. Expand Railroad Park to the northside of town linked by the pedestrian bridge. Utilize the vast tracts of land immediately east of I-65 and south of 20/59 north of the railroad tracks. Redevelop the brownfield just west of I-65 near 6th Avenue South. Build a new venue at the BJCC to attract conventions, concerts, etc, Let's see the neighborhoods of Woodlawn, Druid Hills, and Titusville to be the next to undergo a rebirth as the city center comes alive. I'd love to see crime rates drop, new hotels built, more vertical growth to make the city more walkable. More useful public transit options, more bike lanes and a bike sharing program, a focus on making Birmingham more environmentally friendly, etc.

I'd love to see all these things happen. And some of it is happening, but at a snail's pace compared to other cities. Of course the city is progressing. Most cities are. But is it progressing relatively speaking? That's a much tougher question to answer, and I'd lean towards no or barely.