AL vs GA (the states)

I grew up in North Alabama. Spent the first 18 years of my life there. Same house. The next 4.5 years I spent in Southeast AL, in college. I've now lived in GA for 2.5 years. Plus, my wife is from GA. And I went to college with a bunch of GA kids.

I give you that background to let you know my opinions on the two states are informed ones; experienced ones; opinions you can trust. (Wow, I'm starting to sound like Fox News.) So without further ado, I give you my Top 5 / Top 5.

Top 5 Reasons I like Alabama over Georgia:

• It's hard to put into words, but it's just a different FEEL. A slower pace. A front porch setting. Not as much "keeping up with the Jones'".
• Far less TRAFFIC! Yeah, I know, B'ham and Montgomery and Huntsville THINK they have traffic, but they have no idea.
• Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Fun place to visit. They keep adding new venues. And hey, what better place to put a bunch of really smart engineers and the history of our space program than SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF NORTH ALABAMA! Awesome!
• Home of Auburn University. This fact not only makes Alabama one of the top 10 states in the country, but qualifies it as one of the best sites in the WORLD.
• College sports rule the state. No pro sports present. That can be a negative at times, but it gives the state of Alabama a unique feel.

Top 5 Reasons I like Georgia over Alabama:

• You don't have to deal with intolerable Bammer fans. You don't have to hear about their 12 (really only 6) nashinul champeeonchips. You don't see as many dudes in houndstooth hats wearing a torn tanktop and giving more money for his season tickets than he does for 2 years worth of child support. (Ok, maybe I got carried away on that one.)
• Braves and Thrashers. It is nice to have pro sports close by. It is nice to hop in the car with my 6 yr old and drive 45 minutes to watch the Braves play. That's fun. (Notice I did NOT mention the Falcons.)
• Sometimes, better business opportunities. Let's face it: there's just ton more business here and tons more companies.
• More to do, especially if you have kids. GA Aquarium, Coca Cola Museum, Six Flags, etc, etc, etc.
• GA only gets 4. I've assessed a 1pt penalty on GA for their attitude towards Alabama residents. There's a little too much "we are better than you" attitude here (not even close to being true) and too much nose up in the air. The irony of these comments is there's actually MORE rednecks in Georgia than Alabama. (Don't try and debate me on this. You will lose.)

One thing I left out, because it's a tie, is the hunting/fishing/state park comparison. Both are excellent.

Well, there you have it. The scientific, non bias (yeah right), comparison of these two glorious states. I'd love to write more, but Sweet Home Alabama just came on the radio and I've been trying to record this song on my cassette player for months now. Gotta go!