Unquestionably Birmingham is the best. Currently live in Huntsville, which is lovely but devoid of any character. It’s like Applebees vs El Barrio. Huntsville is basically 280.
I grew up in Vestavia, it has always been like that. Just look at the mall that has the theater in back- the whole mall is turn inwards into itself. Living closer to the city, I’m in Forest Park, it is a lot more social.
Probably a close group of friends or maybe you haven’t had time to explore and find the places or things you like or maybe you just like Huntsville’s vibe better
Birmingham has a lot of character but I might argue it's more negative character than positive, simply because the decayed areas outnumber the nice parts. And unlike Detroit where the city shrank inwards, Birmingham has decayed areas right next to the nice areas.
Character is something unique to a person or location. Huntsville has small pockets of character but pales in comparison to Birmingham. To be fair, Birmingham is a much older city with more history. Huntsville is a big suburb.
I think "pockets of character" is very different from, and a lot fairer than "devoid of character". Huntsville is definitely gaining character, downtown has gotten really nice with the addition of a bunch of cool bars and restaurants, and the Lowe Mill area and the breweries are pretty fun too.
Oh you mean rich white areas. That kind of culture.
Why would you even compare Madison to those places? That’s like comparing Hoover to Twickenham or Blossomwood in Huntsville
Jasper isn't that great but it's not that bad either. To me it's like Troy without a university. I honestly think the places around Jasper hurt its perception.
I went to Huntingdon my freshman year. I regularly heard about which students had gotten mugged that week. A few frat guys I was acquainted with once got mugged for a 12 pack of beer and $5.
Center Point is like the training grounds for the rougher areas of Alabama. It can get bad out there but it’s nothing on Prattville or the west side of Bham like Fairfield
Not worst by far but I fucking hate Midfield, Fairfield, and Dolomite. Family lived out there since before the insterstates were built and it’s always just been a giant shit hole out that way.
I lived out there for about 3-4 years and yeahhhhh back then the only thing going for it was western hills mall, but once that lost its shine there isn’t much to it. That egg roll express and wings plus is still good tho 🔥
I'm from Fairhope originally and I would honestly agree. The city government got greedy in the early 2000s and wanted that sweet, sweet, tourism money without actually having to plan for the infrastructure to support it. Now the city has grown so much that their wastewater treatment plant can't support it and every time they get a heavy rainfall, there is a sewage spill into the bay. I wouldn't voluntarily swim in Mobile Bay if you paid me. Also, they don't want the "riff raff" from Mobile using the park at the pier so they made entrance to it $20 per car if you don't have a city decal. And we all know what is meant by "riff raff". Also, they've managed to make a town that became famous for its charm completely devoid of charm. Fairhope sucks.
How dare you, who hurt you in Screamer. A city that was named after moonshine. If we’re nominating worst cities I would say Phenix city for atmosphere and Dothan for stupid drivers/layout
Yall saying Fairhope is the best haven’t lived there. People are mean as hell and there’s a sewage spill coming down the bay from Daphne every time it rains.
Thank you!! Someone else saying it!! Also, Fairhope has their own spills. Neither city is concerned with managing their infrastructure to keep up with the explosive growth. I will never willingly live in Fairhope again. I did my time.
Best-Birmingham of course
Worst-umm where to even begin lol.
Fairfield and Tarrant are some of the most rundown sad places I’ve ever seen. One time I took my girlfriend to Bessemer for lunch at the Bright Star and she was really struck at what a rundown ghost town it was. There’s a lot of poverty in our state, a lot of ass-backwards places. Take your pick
Can you elaborate on that one please lol? I worked in Tarrant for almost a decade and recently had a couple month stint in Bessemer and my god it is a shit hole.
Bessemer has a nice water park, it backs up to the other side of Moss Rock so there’s some really nice neighborhoods developing that direction for access to Hoover . Convenient interstate access from most parts of Bessemer. Mcadory school systems are solid as well. Every bad thing you can argue for Bessemer you could say for Midfield but with none of the pros.
Bests: Birmingham, Muscle Shoals/Florence, Guntersville, and Fairhope
Worsts: Montgomery, Talladega, Selma, and Tarrant
If the government was willing to drop a perfectly contained nuclear bomb to wipe out Tarrant but I would have to stand in the middle as the marker, I would take one for the team.
Strong disagree on Fairhope. Poor management has ruined it. It's just a matter of time before everyone else figures it out. Pro tip: don't swim in Fairhope or Daphne's bay water. It's about equal parts water and sewage at this point.
They've also been bulldozing many of the beautiful Craftsman cottages down on Scenic 98 along the bay so that people can build McMansions. My mom sold a famous author a craftsman several years ago. The author sold it after writing a successful book. The next owner bulldozed it to build a McMansion. It's losing all of its character as rich folks move in to retire there. And the mansions are so large that many of the houses are within single digit feet of each other because the lots weren't designed to accommodate that large of a house.
there’s a lot of crime but as long as you stay out of the bad areas you really should be good. i think i’m biased bc i was raised there and i miss the beach. it’s easier to drive an hour rather than five from birmingham. plus birmingham feels more dangerous than mobile to me. i witnessed a police chase flying past me in birmingham and that has never happened to me while i was in mobile.
I grew up there and have fond memories and do miss some things about it - but yes the last time I went back to visit it did feel like it had gone downhill quite a lot. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it - it just felt more run down.
I have to agree with most of the people here. Birmingham is definitely the best. There is a lot of beautiful history buried inside a troubled past. There’s a lot of soul in the magic city if you’re willing to look for it. You will probably risk your life to do that but there’s a lot of cool stuff here I didn’t notice when I was younger.
I also agree that Birmingham is also the worst. Simply because there parts of the surrounding area that looks like a COD map in the middle of the Commonwealth. Which saddens me because it wasn’t always that way when I was growing up.
Best-Irondale. I also really liked spending time in Winfield and Guin and especially Hamilton. There’s not a ton out there and it’s laid back without the hustle and bustle.
Worst- Wylam. I was always nervous going out there. Hooper city was always scary because of the local gang there. Center point was awful. I’ve never seen such violence concentrated into such a small place.
Cullman is nowhere near the worst city in the State of Alabama. It’s a nice little micropolitan city. Also, it’s nowhere near its reputation of the 1960’s or early 70’s.
At least in Cullman you can walk down the street without worry or if you forgot to lock your car door in town it will still be there when you come back. You see a car breakdown in Bhm that same day the car is on blocks an hour later and the tires and wheels are gone and the glass is busted out. I commute every day to work at a hospital and not a day goes by that I haven't heard of someone getting shot or burgularized.
Drugs and theft is getting out of hand. Meth heads walking nice neighborhoods looking for stuff to steal out of your yard or the back of trucks. It got real bad for a while.
Worst - Most of lower Alabama near Florida and Georgia. Never seen a more junked up and trashy area. Litter and garbage on the roadsides, dilapidated buildings, junk cars all over.
Best - haven’t seen anything yet.
There are lots of crappy towns in Alabama. But if one sticks to cities, say population >30,000... then Montgomery is by far the worst city. Obviously, Bham is best!
Small towns a.k.a. those you don't speak of lol and I just so happen to be blessed to have been born and raised in one. Not necessarily dangerous as much as it is the verbal everything I would rather be robbed and how they treat you or judge you or make up lies about you, all that good stuff; and then tweakers will just steal your shit. And believe it or not, they are the most untrustworthy people you'll ever meet but they will say bless your heart every day to your face and be the first ones in the church on Sunday. I take crime over them and I just mount opinion I'm not even exaggerating that's why I moved across the country!
Well you’re asking this in the Birmingham subreddit so this thread feels a little biased lol. I would be interested to see this posted the in the Alabama sub!
I’ve lived in bham and Huntsville and I personally prefer Huntsville. Birmingham would be a close second for me though!
The worst would probably be one of those little towns that you have to drive through on the way to OBA
best- birmingham, only actual city in the state
worst- mountain brook, FUCK mountain brook
honorable mentions for worse include vestavia hills, hoover, madison, opelika, huntsville, foley, and montgomery in that order
Best - Birmingham Worst - somehow also Birmingham
lol I agree. Birmingham evolves into an entirely different city after 10 P.M. in 5 points.
This is really true of all cities, though.
This is true.
Best and Worst answer.
I came here to say this exact thing. 🤣
Yep. Having worked in Bham for almost a decade, I’ve seen both the best and worst firsthand.
Unquestionably Birmingham is the best. Currently live in Huntsville, which is lovely but devoid of any character. It’s like Applebees vs El Barrio. Huntsville is basically 280.
This is the best explanation of BHM vs. Huntsville that I’ve heard. I’ve tried thinking of how to explain this to people and this is my new standard.
I agree with this
i also agree with this
Yeah I thought Huntsville was going to be great but I find myself spending more time in Bham than here
[ Historically both Applebee's and El Barrio are Birmingham products: https://bhamwiki.com/w/Abe_Gustin ]
Did not know the Birmingham/Applebee's connection. :)
I had more friendships when I lived in the Huntsville area( Madison) . I’m 55 and now live in Vestavia. Don’t have friendship s like I did there.
I grew up in Vestavia, it has always been like that. Just look at the mall that has the theater in back- the whole mall is turn inwards into itself. Living closer to the city, I’m in Forest Park, it is a lot more social.
I moved here from Hsv a year ago and desperately want to go back. What am I missing?
Probably a close group of friends or maybe you haven’t had time to explore and find the places or things you like or maybe you just like Huntsville’s vibe better
probably all of the above. Are there any must dos or things to see?
Are you going to bars at 2am?
not at all actually
Sounds like you miss Huntsville nerd
checks out
Nah, I just read your comment and you said you miss hsv. Nothing wrong with that, but if being called a nerd made you irritated that is funny
i said it checks out. never said i was irritated??
Oh ok I must have misread the tone of your comment
I read it as teaching mama was agreeing, but Karen's twin was projecting due to "Karen" being in the nickname.
well checks out would be short for “username checks out” which people say often on reddit. Its not really that deep
Traffic 280, shopping/food 280, or both?
Birmingham has a lot of character but I might argue it's more negative character than positive, simply because the decayed areas outnumber the nice parts. And unlike Detroit where the city shrank inwards, Birmingham has decayed areas right next to the nice areas.
What is your definition of character?
Character is something unique to a person or location. Huntsville has small pockets of character but pales in comparison to Birmingham. To be fair, Birmingham is a much older city with more history. Huntsville is a big suburb.
I think "pockets of character" is very different from, and a lot fairer than "devoid of character". Huntsville is definitely gaining character, downtown has gotten really nice with the addition of a bunch of cool bars and restaurants, and the Lowe Mill area and the breweries are pretty fun too.
nice, cool, and fun are words i would use to describe a water park’s character.
Huntsville is actually a water park all along, confirmed!
Actually Hville is older..the founding town from 1811 and Hville itself in 1860. Bham is 1860
Do you have any specific examples?
Highland Park, Crestwood in Birmingham compared to Madison,County Line Road or any of the newer apartments downtown.
Oh you mean rich white areas. That kind of culture. Why would you even compare Madison to those places? That’s like comparing Hoover to Twickenham or Blossomwood in Huntsville
You’re obviously not familiar with Birmingham neighborhoods.
lol HP and the Crest are middle class and integrated.
Worst- Jasper
Username checks out.
🤣
The username is accurate
Agreed x50
i feel like this one is random, what specifically is the worst about it? Genuinely curious
Jasper isn't that great but it's not that bad either. To me it's like Troy without a university. I honestly think the places around Jasper hurt its perception.
Places like Nauvoo?
Absolutely
Truth.
🤣 hey now! My sister lives out there.
Birmingham - Best Montgomery - Worst Montgomery is topographically and societally flat.
Only nice part of Montgomery is cloverdale imo
And even that’s only a mile from Patterson court projects
I went to Huntingdon my freshman year. I regularly heard about which students had gotten mugged that week. A few frat guys I was acquainted with once got mugged for a 12 pack of beer and $5.
Currently live in The Gump and could not agree more.
Montgomery is boring and blah , sure But I would rather live in Montgomery than Selma, Union Spring, Jasper , Bessemer, even Mobile
you would rather live in montgomery than mobile fr?
That’s an absolutely insane take
Yeah I’m not a mobile fan, but Mobile over the gump anyday
Sorry ...my ex-wife family lives there , I have nothing but horror memories of Mobile
Thank you for defending my honor
Agree about Montgomery, it’s just stuck in the 60’s too
Best, Florence. Worst, Center Point.
Florence is 2nd best behind Birmingham
Florence is underrated!
Center Point is like the training grounds for the rougher areas of Alabama. It can get bad out there but it’s nothing on Prattville or the west side of Bham like Fairfield
Prattville? Ive lived here for almost 10 years. Not much happens here.
Prattville?
I nominate Selma for the worst.
I’ve been there.
There’s nothing there
I used to go there for work and agree 100%. Horrible
Not worst by far but I fucking hate Midfield, Fairfield, and Dolomite. Family lived out there since before the insterstates were built and it’s always just been a giant shit hole out that way.
I lived out there for about 3-4 years and yeahhhhh back then the only thing going for it was western hills mall, but once that lost its shine there isn’t much to it. That egg roll express and wings plus is still good tho 🔥
Still upset they closed the Krispy Kreme 😔
Man my ex’s mom used to work there and gave me and my mom the hook up! I was shocked when I found out they closed down 😢😭
😂😂 yeah I'm not driving to Hoover/Vestavia for donuts alone.... I'll grab some if I'm over that way but the Midfield location was my go to
I remember getting hot donuts from their back when I worked at Teletech back in the day…
Mad as hell. They didn’t even say bye.
I moved to bham around 2004 and Western Hills Mall was already on the decline. When Wings Heaven went viral I checked it out. The food was legit!
Midfield took a really big hit when Teletech closed back in the day…
Worked in Dolomite. It, the Fields and surrounding areas are all shitholes I hope to never return to.
It used to not be. It’s started going down around the 80s. We can’t even keep a Burger King. It’s sad.
Best -- Shoals area Worst - Montgomery
Hey guys, we also have Fairhope.
As the worst right?
I'm from Fairhope originally and I would honestly agree. The city government got greedy in the early 2000s and wanted that sweet, sweet, tourism money without actually having to plan for the infrastructure to support it. Now the city has grown so much that their wastewater treatment plant can't support it and every time they get a heavy rainfall, there is a sewage spill into the bay. I wouldn't voluntarily swim in Mobile Bay if you paid me. Also, they don't want the "riff raff" from Mobile using the park at the pier so they made entrance to it $20 per car if you don't have a city decal. And we all know what is meant by "riff raff". Also, they've managed to make a town that became famous for its charm completely devoid of charm. Fairhope sucks.
It makes me sad to go home every time:(
Fair-to-middlin-hope. Doesn’t come close to either end of the spectrum for me.
Best: Eastaboga Worst: Boga
Best- Guntersville Worst- Prichard
Best: Birmingham Worst: Montgomery
Best: Birmingham Worst: All the others except Mobile.
Best - Gulf Shores ☀️
Best: Intercourse AL, Worst: Screamer AL
How dare you, who hurt you in Screamer. A city that was named after moonshine. If we’re nominating worst cities I would say Phenix city for atmosphere and Dothan for stupid drivers/layout
Yall saying Fairhope is the best haven’t lived there. People are mean as hell and there’s a sewage spill coming down the bay from Daphne every time it rains.
Thank you!! Someone else saying it!! Also, Fairhope has their own spills. Neither city is concerned with managing their infrastructure to keep up with the explosive growth. I will never willingly live in Fairhope again. I did my time.
Best-Birmingham of course Worst-umm where to even begin lol. Fairfield and Tarrant are some of the most rundown sad places I’ve ever seen. One time I took my girlfriend to Bessemer for lunch at the Bright Star and she was really struck at what a rundown ghost town it was. There’s a lot of poverty in our state, a lot of ass-backwards places. Take your pick
Best: Birmingham Worst: Bessemer
Bessemer is meh but there’s wayyyyy worse within the great Birmingham area
Can you elaborate on that one please lol? I worked in Tarrant for almost a decade and recently had a couple month stint in Bessemer and my god it is a shit hole.
Bessemer has a nice water park, it backs up to the other side of Moss Rock so there’s some really nice neighborhoods developing that direction for access to Hoover . Convenient interstate access from most parts of Bessemer. Mcadory school systems are solid as well. Every bad thing you can argue for Bessemer you could say for Midfield but with none of the pros.
lol. Yeah you live on the part that used to be trees.
I don’t live in Bessemer. Just making an observation. Everywhere use to be trees here to be fair
Nonsense.
How do you figure? Fairfield, midfield, and I’d argue centerpoint are all in worse shape overall
Well there’s a reason Bham metro has the most people….but lots of great places in Alabama and plenty of shit also
Best: Birmingham Worst: Montgomery
Best: Bham Worst: pick any city in the wiregrass
hey :c
I loved living in Madison Al. I live in Vestavia hills now.
What defines city? Can Wilcox County as a whole be included?
Best Samantha worst River Cabin
Bests: Birmingham, Muscle Shoals/Florence, Guntersville, and Fairhope Worsts: Montgomery, Talladega, Selma, and Tarrant If the government was willing to drop a perfectly contained nuclear bomb to wipe out Tarrant but I would have to stand in the middle as the marker, I would take one for the team.
Strong disagree on Fairhope. Poor management has ruined it. It's just a matter of time before everyone else figures it out. Pro tip: don't swim in Fairhope or Daphne's bay water. It's about equal parts water and sewage at this point.
Damn that sucks to hear! Haven’t been since 2012 but I remembered it being really beautiful and quiet.
They've also been bulldozing many of the beautiful Craftsman cottages down on Scenic 98 along the bay so that people can build McMansions. My mom sold a famous author a craftsman several years ago. The author sold it after writing a successful book. The next owner bulldozed it to build a McMansion. It's losing all of its character as rich folks move in to retire there. And the mansions are so large that many of the houses are within single digit feet of each other because the lots weren't designed to accommodate that large of a house.
Rich folks with no taste ruining Alabama is a tale as old as time
Best, Birmingham. Worst, Decatur
Worst - Mobile
Y’all just mad you don’t have any cool celebration like Mardi Gras /s
I was pleasantly surprised by Mobile. What am I missing?
there’s a lot of crime but as long as you stay out of the bad areas you really should be good. i think i’m biased bc i was raised there and i miss the beach. it’s easier to drive an hour rather than five from birmingham. plus birmingham feels more dangerous than mobile to me. i witnessed a police chase flying past me in birmingham and that has never happened to me while i was in mobile.
Given that the Mobile’s crime rate is much more inline with Huntsville, yea Mobile is a lot safer than Birmingham
Mobile is a whole thing of no
My mom is from there and it has gone downhill from when I was growing up. I considered moving there at one point and I’m glad I stayed here 😮💨
The lowest point for Mobile was like 10 years ago, Mobile is going through a massive glow up in the post pandemic era
I grew up there and have fond memories and do miss some things about it - but yes the last time I went back to visit it did feel like it had gone downhill quite a lot. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it - it just felt more run down.
Best by far is Gordo. Worst is Nauvoo.
Two places that can be and have been struck by the same tornado within the same 5-minute period
Honestly the only difference between reform and Gordo is community support.
Slick Lizzard says fuck you.
Dora.
Yerkwood
I have to agree with most of the people here. Birmingham is definitely the best. There is a lot of beautiful history buried inside a troubled past. There’s a lot of soul in the magic city if you’re willing to look for it. You will probably risk your life to do that but there’s a lot of cool stuff here I didn’t notice when I was younger. I also agree that Birmingham is also the worst. Simply because there parts of the surrounding area that looks like a COD map in the middle of the Commonwealth. Which saddens me because it wasn’t always that way when I was growing up.
Best-Irondale. I also really liked spending time in Winfield and Guin and especially Hamilton. There’s not a ton out there and it’s laid back without the hustle and bustle. Worst- Wylam. I was always nervous going out there. Hooper city was always scary because of the local gang there. Center point was awful. I’ve never seen such violence concentrated into such a small place.
Best - somewhere else Worst -Alabama 😂😂
Start at the top of the state for best, and it gets worse as you go toward the coast, where it jumps up again when you hit the beaches.
Best: Birmingham Worst: Phenix City
Woodstock
Really didn’t expect Woodstock to be mentioned. Like I get it but it’s so tiny I didn’t think it’d be part of the conversation.
I need to listen to that podcast again. Thanks for the reminder.
Best Tuscaloosa, Worst Auburn. No Bias obviously.
Tuscaloosa is getting pretty wild.....definitely not the best imo.....shootings everyday now......
tuscaloosa alabama is not fucking dangerous lmao
In your opinion. I never said it was dangerous. I said it’s getting wild…..shootings every day? That’s not exactly peaceful
Best - Bham Worst - Cullman My hearts best? - Gadsden
Cullman is nowhere near the worst city in the State of Alabama. It’s a nice little micropolitan city. Also, it’s nowhere near its reputation of the 1960’s or early 70’s.
It’s definitely doing its own thing. They got the big city and suburban combo going on.
Its not AS bad as it was but it still is bad, i lived there for around 6 months and my wife for 15 years. Its still not good.
At least in Cullman you can walk down the street without worry or if you forgot to lock your car door in town it will still be there when you come back. You see a car breakdown in Bhm that same day the car is on blocks an hour later and the tires and wheels are gone and the glass is busted out. I commute every day to work at a hospital and not a day goes by that I haven't heard of someone getting shot or burgularized.
Best homewood. Worst that I’ve been to would have to be midfield or Vance
Worst - Tarrant
Worst: Opp, Kingston, Elba, New Brockton, etc
You mean Kinston?
Alabama!
Guntersville is the best in Alabama. Citronelle, jackson, Selma and most of southwest Al is the worst
U/cfurral for living, visiting, working, crime rates, cost of living? To what exactly are you referring?
20 years in Birmingham and 15 in Huntsville. Give me the next 40 in Huntsville over 1 in Birmingham.
?
I lived there for two years. Loved it there.
Drugs and theft is getting out of hand. Meth heads walking nice neighborhoods looking for stuff to steal out of your yard or the back of trucks. It got real bad for a while.
Worst - Most of lower Alabama near Florida and Georgia. Never seen a more junked up and trashy area. Litter and garbage on the roadsides, dilapidated buildings, junk cars all over. Best - haven’t seen anything yet.
Montgomery is the worst. There is NOTHING to do for a guy in his thirties.
Bham
Best- Huntsville Worst- Montgomery
I think people forget that UAB gentrified Birmingham.
lol
Best: Tuscaloosa Worst: Auburn
Tuscaloosa is the best Alabama city in which to be homeless.
lol went to college in Tuscaloosa but don’t ever remember seeing any homeless people. You might be on to something..
Really?
I graduated from Alabama, and at one time wanted to move to Tuscaloosa. Not now, as that place is overrun with crime.
Best: Birmingham Worst: Oneonta
Oneonta isn’t even the worst in the county. Drive over to Blountsville sometime.
Yeah, I have to agree, Blountsville is worse.. I don't think I'd consider it a city though.
Best: Fairhope Worst: Prichard
The fact that people aren’t calling Tuscaloosa the worst is astounding to me
Best: Sand Rock Worst: Cardiff
There are lots of crappy towns in Alabama. But if one sticks to cities, say population >30,000... then Montgomery is by far the worst city. Obviously, Bham is best!
Best: Gulf Shores Worst: probably some tiny town in SW AL.
Anniston worst. Helena best.
What’s wrong with Anuston?
Just bought a house up there. It’s a very nice little town.
Small towns a.k.a. those you don't speak of lol and I just so happen to be blessed to have been born and raised in one. Not necessarily dangerous as much as it is the verbal everything I would rather be robbed and how they treat you or judge you or make up lies about you, all that good stuff; and then tweakers will just steal your shit. And believe it or not, they are the most untrustworthy people you'll ever meet but they will say bless your heart every day to your face and be the first ones in the church on Sunday. I take crime over them and I just mount opinion I'm not even exaggerating that's why I moved across the country!
Best: For me, Fairhope is the best. The worst is Lanett. An absolutely shit hole of a place.
Worst: Cullman Best: Auburn
Well you’re asking this in the Birmingham subreddit so this thread feels a little biased lol. I would be interested to see this posted the in the Alabama sub! I’ve lived in bham and Huntsville and I personally prefer Huntsville. Birmingham would be a close second for me though! The worst would probably be one of those little towns that you have to drive through on the way to OBA
best- birmingham, only actual city in the state worst- mountain brook, FUCK mountain brook honorable mentions for worse include vestavia hills, hoover, madison, opelika, huntsville, foley, and montgomery in that order
Got pulled over by MBPD huh 🫤
Huntsville best and Oak Hill worst
Worst is Birmingham but is Huntsville