If you really love sprawl...
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5/12/2008
Birmingham is the place for you. I grew up in this city and as a teenager in the suburbs did not enjoy it much. There seems to be a stark economic dynamic between the urban and rural areas. The old industrial urban downtown is notoriously impovershed and plagued with crime. On the other hand the suburbs, mostly of shelby county, for as long as I remember have been at an insanely rapid state of growth. This development and sprawl constantly cuts into the natural beauty of the area and replaces it with high-end shopping, a bounty of strip malls and monsterous churches. Speaking of which you MUST own a vehicle to get anywhere. This of course created serious traffic problems in my area. The car dependency and hot days also culminates into serious pollution issues. What they called "ozone alert days" are a common occurance. The whole culture of the birmingham metro area seems to be one of consummerism and suburban isolation. But if this is your thing then join in on the great southern migration and buy yourself an SUV, just remember not to go outside in the summertime.
Abhd | Buffalo, NY