Birminham loses Corporate HQ to Charlotte

[MeltingHotDogs]

Of course when you figure in metro areas the list significantly changes.

As far as 5/3 I believe someone will swoop them up, its only a matter of time. It was the 5/3 people that I had heard from about Wachovia, they were also throwing around Mellon. I have no idea how accurate any of it is, just rumors.

Charlotte has a very impressive business portfolio, it is often puzzling to me how it isnt more talked about and more in the radar. Many people in the main stream wouldnt even know Charlotte to be what it is.

[A2]

Of course when you figure in metro areas the list significantly changes.

As far as 5/3 I believe someone will swoop them up, its only a matter of time. It was the 5/3 people that I had heard from about Wachovia, they were also throwing around Mellon. I have no idea how accurate any of it is, just rumors.

Charlotte has a very impressive business portfolio, it is often puzzling to me how it isnt more talked about and more in the radar. Many people in the main stream wouldnt even know Charlotte to be what it is.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with both of your points. I think if you look at actual Metro Area (LA Seattle, Miami, San Francisco, and cities of the like would definately be in the mix. On the second point about CLT, I think that the problem is branding. CLT is also not on too many people's radar simply because it is an adolecent as far as cities go. It simply does not have the history of cities much larger like Boston, Chicago, or NYC. Some people even get CLT confused for Charlottesville, or Charleston. I think perceptions are changing and recognition is increasing though. In the next two to three decades Charlotte will make its name and city stand out. It all takes time though. Cities are not built overnight, it takes decades.

[RiversideGator]

What are the metro area stats for Fortune 500 companies?

[A2]

What are the metro area stats for Fortune 500 companies?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The list I gave gives a city/county combo. (ie Charlotte/Mecklenburg) I am trying to find a Metro stat now. I am not sure they have one. Nowadays people are confusing CSA's w/ MSA's. I am unsure if the list for Metro's would use CSA, but that could also skew the numbers as well.

[Neo]

The list I gave gives a city/county combo. (ie Charlotte/Mecklenburg) I am trying to find a Metro stat now. I am not sure they have one. Nowadays people are confusing CSA's w/ MSA's. I am unsure if the list for Metro's would use CSA, but that could also skew the numbers as well.

Your list had Lowes which isn't in Charlotte or Mecklenburg county though. It is in the metro.

[A2]

Your list had Lowes which isn't in Charlotte or Mecklenburg county though.  It is in the metro.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thanks for the head's up. If that is the case, then it is quite shocking that the other cities are not in the mix. Hmmm

[sleepy]

thanks for the head's up. If that is the case, then it is quite shocking that the other cities are not in the mix. Hmmm 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't know what that listing includes for Charlotte, but the Minneapolis metro area has 12 F-500 companies, the Houston metro has 22, and metro Chicago has 30.

[monsoon]

It simply does not have the history of cities much larger like Boston, Chicago, or NYC. Some people even get CLT confused for Charlottesville, or Charleston. .....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually Charlotte as a Colonial City has as much history as the rest but people are usually ignorant of history. Lest we forget that Charlotte is the location of the Nation's first Gold Rush and of course it is the place where the first Declaration of Independance from England occured. (in 1775)

[teshadoh]

There is a large amount of history about Charlotte, but since there is little that is preserved of Charlotte from that era - that explains why most assume Charlotte is young. But as a city - Charlotte is very young, which is typically my excuse why the downtown lacks a large historic district. Charlotte was simply a town, though for the area an important town, but small regionally until the early to mid 1900's.

But again - realistically - for any town that has grown into a city - there is little worth to preserve. Charlotte does have several homes from the 1700's & 1800's & I believe some churches, but the commercial district which most place their worth regarding historic signifcance had little to preserve.

But that's off topic - my point being, Charlotte (the area) is historic but Charlotte (the city) is not.

[eastsider]

What are the metro area stats for Fortune 500 companies?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is the list of the top 20 metro areas with Fortune 500 headquarters in 2004 (haven't seen the 2005 metro list yet).

1) New York - Northern New Jersey - Long Island - 71

2) Chicago - Naperville - Joliet - 31

3) Houston - Baytown - Sugarland - 20

4) Los Angeles - Long Beach - Santa Ana -18

4) Minneapolis - St. Paul - Bloomington - 18

6) Dallas - Fort Worth - Arlington - 17

7) Detroit - Warren - Livonia - 16

8) Philadelphia - Camden - Wilmington - 15

8) Washington - Arlington - Alexandria - 15

10) Atlanta - Sandy Springs - Marietta - 14

10) San Jose - Sunnyvale - Santa Clara - 14

12) Boston - Cambridge - Quincy - 13

12) San Francisco - Oakland - Fremont - 13

14) Bridgeport - Stamford - Norwalk - 12

15) Cincinnati - Middletown - 10

15) Seattle - Tacoma - Bellevue - 10

17) Charlotte - Gastonia - Concord - 9

18) Denver - Aurora - 8

18) Milwaukee - Waukesha - West Allis - 8

18) St. Louis - 8

[RiversideGator]

The metro F-500 list is a much more realistic look at the economic status of various cities. In this list Charlotte is still respectable though.

[Unifour]

That is a surprising list. I always heard that Chicago had more corporate headquarters than any other city besides New York. At one time Cleveland was third... New York is the world's number one business center, no other city will ever touch it I imagine. Not even mighty Chicago or Atlanta. Time will tell... At one time, if someone had said Atlanta would have the world's busiest airport, and Charlotte would be second to New York in banking assets, Boston and Chicago and San Francisco would have laughed you outta the room. I still say New York will remain king of the heap in corporate America.

[A2]

That is a surprising list. I always heard that Chicago had more corporate headquarters than any other city besides New York. At one time Cleveland was third... New York is the world's number one business center, no other city will ever touch it I imagine. Not even mighty Chicago or Atlanta. Time will tell... At one time, if someone had said Atlanta would have the world's busiest airport, and Charlotte would be second to New York in banking assets, Boston and Chicago and San Francisco would have laughed you outta the room. I still say New York will remain king of the heap in corporate America.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

AGREED 100%

GO NYC

[monsoon]

AGREED 100%

GO NYC

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually if it was not for foreign immigration, NYC would be losing people. In NC alone, more than 100,000 New Yorkers have moved here in the last 5 years.

[tedo420]

monsoon, yes you do have a point about Birminghams dead downtown, but it's changing, fast. And we have a leg up. You see there is no city in the South like Birmingham. It's the only northern city in the south. It was started as planned layed out steel producing city. It s layed out in a grid system, like NYC. As result it grew very rapidly in the first 20 years. Nashville, Charlotte just were formed randomly, usually a place to trade FARM PRODUCTS, FOOD, COTTON, ETC. Throughout the 1960's Birmingham, Atlanta, New Orleans were the same size. Charlotte and Nashville were cow towns. Furthermore Birmingham benefits from it's northern roots by. It's diverse population-Many Greeks, Italians, Lebaneese,came to work in the steel mills Thats why we have better food, better more diverse cafes, Highlands, Bottega, they have been in operation for years. Other bigger southern cities loose nice cafes in a few years and rely on chains. Birmingham is still the 4th largest banking center in the country with a MSA of 1,100,000. We will be fine, healthcare is huge in Birmingham. All the old historical buildings( something charlotte doesn't have much of) are being bought up and renovated. In the near future when Atlanta is L.A size, birmingham will be more like a well preserved San Francisco, with culture, great food, sports, etc . Oh by the way N.C beaches suck, Gulf Coast is much better

[monsoon]

Yet Birminham's population continues to fall. Get back to me when this "San Francisco of the South" actually manages to attract more people than it loses.

[johnnydr87]

I am sure the the First National bank of Bugtussle is admired by its citizens also.  Nothing wrong with that, but a financial center it is not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Haha.

Region's bank is pretty big over here where I live....

[triadcat]

monsoon, yes you do have a point about Birminghams dead downtown, but it's changing, fast. And we have a leg up. You see there is no city in the South like Birmingham. It's the only northern city in the south. It was started as planned layed out steel producing city. It s layed out in a grid system, like NYC. As result it grew very rapidly in the first 20 years.  Nashville, Charlotte just were formed randomly, usually a place to trade FARM PRODUCTS, FOOD, COTTON, ETC. Throughout the 1960's Birmingham, Atlanta, New Orleans were the same size. Charlotte and Nashville were cow towns.  Furthermore Birmingham benefits from it's northern roots by. It's diverse population-Many Greeks, Italians, Lebaneese,came to work in the steel mills Thats why we have better food, better more diverse cafes, Highlands, Bottega, they have been in operation for years. Other bigger southern cities loose nice cafes in a few years and rely on chains.  Birmingham is still the 4th largest banking center in the country with a MSA of 1,100,000. We will be fine, healthcare is huge in Birmingham. All the old historical buildings( something charlotte doesn't have much of) are being bought up and renovated. In the near future when Atlanta is L.A size, birmingham will be more like a well preserved San Francisco, with culture, great food, sports, etc . Oh by the way N.C beaches suck, Gulf Coast is much better

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

tedo,

You are really showing your ignorance of Charlotte and N.C. Have you even been to our beaches and outer banks?? I bet not. And I wonder why more people are moving here than Alabama .

[bobliocatt]

monsoon, yes you do have a point about Birminghams dead downtown, but it's changing, fast. And we have a leg up. You see there is no city in the South like Birmingham. It's the only northern city in the south. It was started as planned layed out steel producing city. It s layed out in a grid system, like NYC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like Birmingham, but its layout, historical core and urbanity isn't unique in the South. Memphis, Tampa, Miami, New Orleans, Richmond, Charleston, Savannah, Louisville, Norfolk, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Galveston, to name a few, are all southern cities that have gridded street layouts, large historical cores and high levels of density comparable or far higher than B-ham's. Some like Tampa or Memphis are historical manufacturing and distribution centers, also.

Imo, what's unique about Birmingham is that its one of the largest southern urban areas near mountains. But then again, it can be argued that Knoxille and Chattanooga are, as well.

[QC704]

Oh by the way N.C beaches suck, Gulf Coast is much better

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The only time I ever swam in the gulf coast I itched like hell for 2 weeks.

[QC704]

tedo,

You are really showing your ignorance of Charlotte and N.C.  Have you even been to our beaches and outer banks?? I bet not.  And I wonder why more people are moving here than Alabama  .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I dont mean to offend any of the bama posters but I think Alabama suffers because it's just that, Alabama. The whole gulf coast region suffers from the same stigma.

[sleepy]

monsoon, yes you do have a point about Birminghams dead downtown, but it's changing, fast. And we have a leg up. You see there is no city in the South like Birmingham. It's the only northern city in the south. It was started as planned layed out steel producing city. It s layed out in a grid system, like NYC. As result it grew very rapidly in the first 20 years.  Nashville, Charlotte just were formed randomly, usually a place to trade FARM PRODUCTS, FOOD, COTTON, ETC. Throughout the 1960's Birmingham, Atlanta, New Orleans were the same size. Charlotte and Nashville were cow towns.  Furthermore Birmingham benefits from it's northern roots by. It's diverse population-Many Greeks, Italians, Lebaneese,came to work in the steel mills Thats why we have better food, better more diverse cafes, Highlands, Bottega, they have been in operation for years. Other bigger southern cities loose nice cafes in a few years and rely on chains.  Birmingham is still the 4th largest banking center in the country with a MSA of 1,100,000. We will be fine, healthcare is huge in Birmingham. All the old historical buildings( something charlotte doesn't have much of) are being bought up and renovated. In the near future when Atlanta is L.A size, birmingham will be more like a well preserved San Francisco, with culture, great food, sports, etc . Oh by the way N.C beaches suck, Gulf Coast is much better

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Birmingham is a nice town, but your exaggeration of the city hurts your position.

First, Birmingham has never been larger than New Orleans, and still isn't. And Atlanta was larger than Birmingham before the '60's.

Second, river towns and port cities also had large ethnic populations as well. Small towns in the Mississippi Delta--Greenville, Greenwood, Clarksdale--traditionally had large Chinese and Jewish populations.

Third, there are cities all over the South on a grid system--not that that signifies much anyway (Boston?).

Fourth, New Orleans, Mobile, Savannah, and Charleston all got their start and their wealth trading agricultural products, yet few would think of those cities as somehow hickish.

There are a lot of things going on in Birmingham that are positive, but those things are also going on in many other areas of the South.

[bobliocatt]

The only time I ever swam in the gulf coast I itched like hell for 2 weeks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I will admit that I prefer Florida's Gulf Coast beaches over the Atlantic Coast. Maybe because they're less commercialized.

[Blazer85]

Birmingham has over 1,000 new residential units downtown that are either under construction or approved. There are many other projects on the drawing board that are near being finalized. People may be leaving downtown, but theyre not leaving the metro area. Let's not forget Birmingham has a metro of about 1.1 million. By the next Census, downtown's population is likely to increase. There's a LOT going on downtown... more than has been going on in a VERY long time. I'll remind those also that may not know. Regions (now based in Birmingham) is larger than SouthTrust ever was. Birmingham also has major banks Amsouth and Compass. Not to mention numerous successful upstart banks like ServisFirst. Rumors have been floating around quite a bit now about the potential of Regions expanding (particularly after the growth from obtaining Union Planters out of Memphis).

Make no mistake, Birmingham is on the rebound. If you dont recognize it yet, you will soon enough.

[Jaylon]

I haven't been on urbanplanet long, but one thing I have notice is alot of "city hating" and personally I find it to be very childish. Every week there is a different post asking people to vote on which city is best. I was born and raised in Birmingham. I love Birmingham. I know it's not Atlanta and it's not Charlotte, but that doesn't bother me in the least There are still great things about it. I don't understand why people just can't be proud of where they are from without having to put down other cities. And all of these people on here from Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami or where ever, that are pushing up their cities had nothing to do with how well their cities are doing now. And if you are from a smaller city, don't try to make your city out to be more than it really is. Seriously, how old are you guys? Be proud of where you are from and let that be the end of it.

I'm J and I'm proud to say I'm from Birmingham.

-J