[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

And if Birmingham hadn't been such a corrupt and racist place, it would have 6 million people now, not Atlanta: https://www.al.com/opinion/2019/07/b...wo-cities.html

Much of Atlanta's rise came from its proximity to Florida and its favorable position on I-75, which routes all Florida-bound traffic from St. Louis to Chicago to Detroit (the Great Lakes region has a similar population to California) travels through it. Atlanta was the edge of civilization back in 1950, when Florida only had 2 million residents. Now Florida has 20 million residents, giving Atlanta a huge regional market that didn't exist historically.

Meanwhile, I-65 connects Birmingham with Mobile, and there is no direct interstate highway that connects Birmingham (via Montgomery) with Florida. The fastest path from Birmingham to Orlando is...through Atlanta.