Mobile Facts. Alabamas Pensacola, just with more jobs

Mobile, Ala., has started a charm offensive to convince outsiders that it is somehow a better city than statistics show, at least based on crime and other demographic measures. It is not.

A brief review of the literature:

From Business Insider:

Overall score: 62.4/100

Mobile dropped six spots in this year’s ranking. It ranked highest in terms of healthy behavior, at No.116. The index looks at lifestyle habits like smoking, exercise frequency, diet, and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Results are based on phone interviews with a random sample of 353,563 adults in the U.S. Metro areas are based on the Metropolitan Statistical Areas defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Source: Gallup Well-Being Index

From ABC News:

Bottom 11 Metropolitan Areas for Well-Being
Charleston, W.V. – 60.8
Huntington-Ashland, W.V., Ky., Ohio – 61.2
Mobile, Ala. – 62.4
Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas – 62.5
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C. – 62.7
Fort Smith, Ark., Okla. – 62.9
Bakersfield, Calif. – 63.0
Evansville, Ind., Ky. – 63.1
Rockford, Ill. – 63.1
Spartanburg, S.C. – 63.4
Utica-Rome, N.Y. – 63.4

From Comcast:

5. Mobile, Alabama
5-year Increase in Violent Crime Rate: 137
Violent Crime per 100,000 (2005): 397.1
Violent Crime per 100,000 (2010): 534.1
Murders per 100,000: 7.4

Mobile is one of the poorest cities in the U.S. In 2010, more than 20% of the residents lived below the poverty line. In that same year, 12.8% of Mobile households earned less than $10,000. While certain types of violent crime, including murder and robbery, actually declined between 2005 and 2010, the total rate jumped by 35% because of a massive rise in cases of aggravated assault.

Douglas A. McIntyre



Read more: Mobile, Ala.: Still One of America’s Worst and Most Dangerous Cities - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/infrastructure/2013/06/20/mobile-al-still-one-of-americas-worst-and-dangerous-cities/#ixzz2YjcPNErP

It's sad and scary.  

Regarding job creation, to this uneducated observer, it appears the difference between Alabama and Florida is that Alabama is willing to invest HEAVILY in luring industries.

Just off the top of my head, Alabama has new manufacturing plants for Honda, Mercedes, Hyundai, Kia, Airbus, and ThyssenKrupp (steel).

Heck, in Pensacola, we just outsource shipyard jobs at the Port of Pensacola to companies in Mobile and Mississippi, anyway, so perhaps Alabama deserves more credit for job creation.

I've heard the city of Pensacola contracts with Offshore/Inland to provide workers for the Port of Pensacola, even though we have plenty of shipfitters right here in Pensacola who have to drive to Mobile in order to work.

But we have the Blue Wahoos and Stooderville Lot of great jobs here. Geee Picky Picky .

I read that B. Spencer has been bitching about the noise the Ships Gen sets make and Offshore/Inland is going to leave. They already owe some fees that they might or might not pay...

Who is B. Spencer?

I have seen truck stops where trucks parking overnight plug into electricity so the trucks don't have to run their diesels all night.

Why couldn't the port provide shore power to ships so they don't have to run their generators?

I think they do provide some shore power but not in the amount that a Big ship requires. I believe there is a bid out to set up a large shore power station (200,000 range) I think. . But is a very complex deal with some of the ships equipment being 3 phase 440,880 or more volts. Then there is the issue of mating the ships connector to the ports power. I dont know if they are doing to try and meter it or how that would work. We used to configure some of our boats for shore Power but a lot was left up to the owner.
I was speaking of Brian Spencer city council man.

That would be the same Brian Spencer who wanted to take down the helicopter at The Wall because he didn't find the helicopter aesthetically pleasing.

My husband was furious....he remarked that Spencer didn't understand that the soldiers in 'Nam loved the sight and sound of the approach of this specific type of helicopter.

Eric wrote:

Who is B. Spencer?

I have seen truck stops where trucks parking overnight plug into electricity so the trucks don't have to run their diesels all night.

Why couldn't the port provide shore power to ships so they don't have to run their generators?

Regarding Councilman Spencer, see HG's post on which I just commented regarding Pensacola's meltdown. My opinion of him is phenomenally low.

PB, I could not possibly agree with you and your husband more regarding the helo @the wall. Spencer's pleasure with the "aesthetics" are... f-ing IGNORANT AND IRRELEVANT!!

*AGAIN* I will state my opinion that *SOMEONE* in Pensacola needs to get on the ball and do the work to successfully expand the port and its operations. What a shameful waste of an awesome resource.  

riceme wrote:

Eric wrote:

Who is B. Spencer?

I have seen truck stops where trucks parking overnight plug into electricity so the trucks don't have to run their diesels all night.

Why couldn't the port provide shore power to ships so they don't have to run their generators?

Regarding Councilman Spencer, see HG's post on which I just commented regarding Pensacola's meltdown. My opinion of him is phenomenally low.

PB, I could not possibly agree with you and your husband more regarding the helo @the wall. Spencer's pleasure with the "aesthetics" are... f-ing IGNORANT AND IRRELEVANT!!

*AGAIN* I will state my opinion that *SOMEONE* in Pensacola needs to get on the ball and do the work to successfully expand the port and its operations. What a shameful waste of an awesome resource.  

But....but.....but.....it's all noisy, ya know?