Mobile Realtyreality

Author Jonathan D. Miller recently stated in an article that appeared on GlobeSt.com,

(excerpts)

"Once we get through the current economic mess, certain cities and places will emerge winners and losers.

People, meanwhile, will continue to move away from colder climes. Many blue collar workers won't be picky as long as they can find a job. And increasingly that means heading south to states like Alabama.

I was in Mobile, home to the original American Mardi Gras, over the weekend. Now the local economy is not hopping, but a German company is building a huge new steel mill north of town. The city still hopes to keep its share of the Air Force's contract to build midair jet fueling tankers (fighting off Boeing and Seattle). The container port has received a boost with new facilities and existing freight rail lines lead north. Folks are worried about the national economy, no doubt, but recent activity provides hope and some measure of buoyancy in these rough times, a real contrast to many other places today. If Mobile can link into regional global pathway centers like Atlanta or Houston over the next generation, it's fortunes could be enhanced greatly. High speed rail connections would be a boon.

The South can rise again--this once sleepy region certainly has better prospects than the Great Lakes Rust Land." For the full story, see The South Can Rise Again:

The author is not saying anything that all of us have not been saying for the past few years here in Mobile. Now whether or not Mobile takes advantage of a number of opportunities potentially headed this way is left to be seen. There have been and will continue to be times when honestly, I  believe the city leaders are a bit shortsighted in their opinions on the direction of this lowly town. If the South, meaning Mobile in this instance, is to continue to grow both economically and population wise, the city has to grasp every opportunity in sight and take advantage of it's location and many transport faciilties not found in other Gulf Coast cities. Mobile is a hub of ocean, river, highway, airway, and railway access -- real pluses for large commercial ventures doing business on an international and national level. It's time for Mobile to awake from it's sleep southern state.