According to Portfolio.com, Birmingham was rated the 76th Most Fun city in America (out of 100). Put another way, Birmingham was also rated 25th on the list of Least Fun cities. You can see the numbers at this link.
In good news, Birmingham was rated (surprisingly) more fun than:
- Honolulu, HI
- San Antonio, TX
- San Jose, CA
- Memphis, TN
On the other hand, Birmingham was rated (embarrassingly) less fun than:
- Boise, ID
- Little Rock, AR
- Tulsa, OK
- Wichita, KS
- Greenville, SC
- Akron, OH
- Toledo, OH
- Greensboro, NC
- Harrisburg, PA
- Scranton, PA
- Des Moines, IA
- Omaha, NE
- Buffalo, NY
- Youngstown, OH
I think it speaks volumes about Birmingham’s character that we rank 79th in “Culture”, 92nd in “Food and Drink”, but 13th in “Shopping”. I agree completely – there’s precious little to do if you don’t go out and spend money on stuff you probably didn’t need. Maybe our local governments should put less energy into promoting new shopping developments and instead try and encourage some “Food and Drink” or “Culture”. Professionals, skilled workers, and entrepreneurs (and musicians, dancers, and actors) simply won’t want to come to a city that’s not fun. Who decided to grow a whole city around the wives of doctors, lawyers, developers, and bankers?
I first heard this story on WBHM in its Magic City Marketplace segment for May 3. If I remember correctly, Craig Ey, Editor of our Birmingham Business Journal, suggested that maybe we didn’t deserve our low “Food and Drink” rating, citing Frank Stitt’s restaurants as a counter-example of quality. Unfortunately, this is pretty much the only example anyone can give when faced with an allegation that Birmingham might not have a thriving culinary scene.
Regardless of what I think of those few restaurants – or whether every decent-sized city in America may have at least a few just like them – it’s an obvious problem that they’re often the only example anyone can give of “good food” in Birmingham. I also suggest that diversity would be essential for a better rating in this area. Plus, I think we have a vast wasteland in the “interesting, but affordable” category.
I admit to generally being a lowbrow eater, but I think we deserve these miserable ratings. I wish I knew how to fix it. Instead, I only know when I’m sick – but I need a doctor to stitch me back together.