Quote:
Originally Posted by pj3000
I always love the Pittsburgh-Birmingham forced comparison as well.
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i think this comes from birmingham long ago being referred to as "the pittsburgh of the south"... mainly due to the steel industry presence and the hilly terrain.
a much better comparison in my opinion is birmingham - memphis.
similar metro sizes (memphis slightly larger)
similar skylines / downtowns (birmingham slightly larger / taller)
similar demographics (large AA population)
equally important roles in civil rights history (mlk assassination / 16th street baptist church bombing)
both more "old south" than "new south" (slower growth than other peer southern metros)
medical centers adjacent to downtown (although UAB is much bigger)
rival universities of a similar size (UAB vs Memphis)
terrain/topography would be the big difference here - memphis doesn't have the hills, and birmingham doesn't have the river.