Chapter 4: Megalopolis

While Mobile can certainly not be considered as a part of the Megalopolis or even a large, metropolitan city, it is the 3rd largest city in Alabama. Many of the characteristics of what made cities in the megalopolis like NYC and Boston so big can also be attributed to the reason Mobile became one of Alabama's largest cities.  As mentioned previously, Mobile's proximity to rivers and the Gulf of Mexico set it up as a major port for Alabama and the South, bringing money and business into the city's coffers. The influx of people that forced land size to increase mentioned in our book also happened in Mobile in the late 1900s, when the city's square mileage tripled.  Although the population grew, there have been no real prolems with congestion due to the influx of people (though it's hard to compare once you've experienced the worst traffic in the WORLD living here!).

In the Megalopolis, skyscrapers and tall building s are the norm, but in Alabama, not so much. Although these buildings are few and far between, Mobile is actually home to the tallest building in Alabama and along the Gulf Coast, save Houston. The RSA Tower in downtown Mobile, began construction in 2003. It now houses 25 office floors, 3 lobby floors, 4 hotel floors, and 1 service floor, together with 20 elevators and 570,000 square feet (52,955 m2) of column-free floorspace.[1] The lighted crown is visible from 30 miles (48 km) away along Mobile Bay on a clear night.[2]

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_Battle_House_Tower