# Dayton, Ohio or Birmingham, Alabama? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 20, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560 "2005-09-20T17:30:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/41 "2005-09-21T01:34:57Z")
I see I’m still not making myself clear. Barring some sort of family or close-friend emergency, I am not going to Alabama. Ever. Somehow, I think they’ll manage without me. In fact, I’m willing to bet that, except for you, no one really even gives a hoot. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/42 "2005-09-21T01:40:05Z")
**I live in Dayton.** (I bought a 90 year old house that I’m renovating in the Lower Dayton View neighborhood near downtown) I was born and raised in Chicago and took [what I figured was] a temporary job 15 years ago. So much for temporary… While I have a terminal case of homesickness for Chicago, and will probably move back there when my youngest is in college, I like Dayton and have made some great friends here. I will miss them when I leave here. All things considered, it’s not a bad place to live. There are some fine people here. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/43 "2005-09-21T01:40:34Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > I see I’m still not making myself clear. Barring some sort of family or close-friend emergency, I am not going to Alabama. Ever. > > Somehow, I think they’ll manage without me. In fact, I’m willing to bet that, except for you, no one really even gives a hoot. Huh? Why? What the hell did we do to you? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/44 "2005-09-21T01:41:59Z")
Oh, and uh, Birmingham. I’ve never been anywhere near Dayton. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/45 "2005-09-21T01:43:07Z")
Nothing at all. Don’t take it personally. I’ve also written off Keds, Kraft Mac and Cheese and Kias. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/46 "2005-09-21T01:46:48Z")
\*\*The score so far… Dayton —28 Birmingham— 7 A 4 to 1 ratio…\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/47 "2005-09-21T01:48:10Z")
I grew up in the same state as Dayton, I went to a pre-college camp there a few summers (at Wright State University), I went to the Air Force Museum once on a Boy Scout trip, and I’ve been in the vicinity a few more times. Meanwhile, I have never been in Alabama, and have no connection that I know of with any of the cities in that state. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/48 "2005-09-21T01:48:37Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > Nothing at all. Don’t take it personally. I’ve also written off Keds, Kraft Mac and Cheese and Kias. :rolleyes: How KKKlever. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/49 "2005-09-21T02:00:48Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > Nothing at all. Don’t take it personally. I’ve also written off Keds, Kraft Mac and Cheese and Kias. Why did you “write off” a whole state that you have never been to and don’t even know much about? People don’t talk about cold days in hell if they are ambivalent about something. There must be something troubling you. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/50 "2005-09-21T02:00:53Z")
Aw, c’mon. Give me the benefit of the doubt. That was a coincidence. I hope… [sub]I laughed at your reply before submitting this. Is that wrong? It’s just that it read like some lame comedy routine gone horribly wrong.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Elysian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@Elysian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysian)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/51 "2005-09-21T02:03:24Z")
Damn, **Shagnasty** , stop derailing the thread. I want to find out who lived here in Dayton with me, not listen to some bug you have up your butt. Cool down. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/52 "2005-09-21T02:12:16Z")
I grew up in Dayton. Other than my father spending two lousy years in Birmingham in the 50s I wouldn’t have any other connection. ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/53 "2005-09-21T02:20:49Z")
I grew up in a suburb of Birmingham, and presently live about twenty four miles from it. I’ve always lived here, and never really wanted to live anywhere else. Well, except New York City (I absolutely loved it!) but that won’t happen in this life. I am aware there is a city in Ohio called Dayton, but the closest I have been was to a very tiny place called Circleville, and only twice. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/54 "2005-09-21T03:00:15Z")
> [@Sylkyn](#): > > I am aware there is a city in Ohio called Dayton, but the closest I have been was to a very tiny place called Circleville, and only twice. Circleville? OK, now we’re getting somewhere. (I’m from Chillicothe.) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/55 "2005-09-21T03:53:22Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > Nothing at all. Don’t take it personally. I’ve also written off Keds, Kraft Mac and Cheese and Kias. I can’t blame you. There’s [really](http://www.tourdekalb.com/LiRi%20Canyon%20fall%20color%20medium.JPG) [nothing](http://history.nasa.gov/MHR-5/Images/fig282.jpg) [here](http://www.01it.co.uk/ABTT-website/images/galleries/Shakespeare-Festival-big.jpg) [that’s](http://mardigraslady.com/miscfamilyfriendspics/02-05-05mot/smP2050027.JPG)[worth](http://gt350h.com/pearson/69talladega500_program.jpg) [seeing](http://p.vtourist.com/1168952-The_Start_of_Our_Day-Gulf_Shores.jpg) . Personally however, there’s no state I wouldn’t love the opportunity to visit. (I’ve been particularly wanting to go to Illinois lately [Springfield and Nauvoo, specifically] as I’ve never been.) ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/56 "2005-09-21T04:02:07Z")
I got my first obscene email from there. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/57 "2005-09-21T06:24:29Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I can’t blame you. There’s [really](http://www.tourdekalb.com/LiRi%20Canyon%20fall%20color%20medium.JPG) [nothing](http://history.nasa.gov/MHR-5/Images/fig282.jpg) [here](http://www.01it.co.uk/ABTT-website/images/galleries/Shakespeare-Festival-big.jpg) [that’s](http://mardigraslady.com/miscfamilyfriendspics/02-05-05mot/smP2050027.JPG)[worth](http://gt350h.com/pearson/69talladega500_program.jpg) [seeing](http://p.vtourist.com/1168952-The_Start_of_Our_Day-Gulf_Shores.jpg) . > Personally however, there’s no state I wouldn’t love the opportunity to visit. (I’ve been particularly wanting to go to Illinois lately [Springfield and Nauvoo, specifically] as I’ve never been.) Springfield, IL: Home of the ‘Penis on the Prairie,’ aka the Springfield Hilton. It’s obscenely the tallest thing for miles and miles around, giving it a rather phallic appearance when you’re in town. I wouldn’t recommend staying their, though, as it’s the noisiest hotel ever built; it’s constantly creaking and cracking and swaying in the wind. Plus, it seems like every little noise in the hall can be heard in every room on the floor. Very cool state capital, though. Happy ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/58 "2005-09-21T08:01:43Z")
I think my only connection to Dayton is that I have some distant relatives who live there (by distant I mean cousins of the 3rd or even 4th removed variety). Now Birmingham, I lived there for a couple of months back in '76. What I remember of the Vulcan statue is that it was up on a mountain and the torch would light up red if there had been a fatal car accident, I think. I did’t see much of the city though, just around the “five corners” area (is that right? or is it four corners?!), around the UAB. What I remember of it was that it was nice, temps were pretty moderate for January-February (compared to the DC area!), but I didn’t want to live there on a more permanent basis. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/59 "2005-09-21T09:34:12Z")
I’ve been to Dayton a few times, twice to visit Wright-Patterson, and once for the “biggest ham-fest in the world” (ham radio). Also, one of my closest buddies from high school moved there, but I haven’t had a chance to visit him yet. ☹ I’ve never been to Birmingham. ---
**Author:** ![Poonther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Poonther](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poonther)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560/60 "2005-09-21T12:56:36Z")
I was born and raised in southern Alabama, so I’ve got way more connection with Birmingham, AL than Dayton, OH. Birmingham was the best shopping and medical location (UAB) in the state and I’ve been there tons of for both reasons, well the medical just to visit others like grandparents that were very sick. The thing I did not like about Birmingham was that until the early 80’s (I think) Interstate 65, the major north-south artery was not complete. So when we’d go to Huntsville to visit relatives, we’d have to get off the interstate and get on U.S. 31 from Alabaster to Hoover and then again in the Gardendale/Fultondale area. It could be a traffic nightmare. Anyone else remember this? Also I find Birmingham’s terrain to be much much prettier than that of it’s big obnoxious brother…Atlanta. B’ham is in a very hilly location. As for Dayton, I’ve been there twice. Once to visit my sick cousin (she was much older) at her house in Kettering. I was a grad. student at the time at OU in Athens which is in the SE part of Ohio. Then I went and visited again for my cousin’s funeral when she died from the cancer. So I have much more pleasant memories of B’ham than Dayton. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayton-ohio-or-birmingham-alabama/322560.md?page=4)