re: Is Alabama an underrated state?

The Indians also told them that tribal legend is the the "mountains" of NWA were carved from the land when the water ran off from a great flood about 4,000 years ago. Thus being why you go "down" to the mountains from east Kansas and west MO.

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Is Alabama an underrated state?

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I would say it's underrated in the fact that it's typically a punchline for being so awful, which it isn't. Full disclosure: my experience with the state (aside from visiting for football) is visiting relatives in Bham once a year since I was a kid and living in Hoover for 2.5 years a while back.

IMO, once you get outside the big cities (Atlanta/Nashville/Charlotte/whatever) no deep south state is really all that much different than the next to live in. What I mean is living in Hoover was really no different on a day to day scale than living in a GA suburb. And once you really get outside the suburbs it's definitely all the same. I mean there's not a lot of difference in montevallo or alabaster AL compared to loganville or monroe GA.

I will second your main point, in AL you can be at beaches/mountains/lakes fairly easily if that's your thing, and there are plenty of good restaurants/bars/concerts/etc to entertain you.

I think most of the people (mainly on the OT board of a louisiana based website) dumping on AL have probably only passed through it or only been for a sporting event.

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The cave was a mine for the Indians tribe. Silver and diamond is what they said, the silver yes, the diamonds may have just been crystals but dad and grandpa would not have know the difference.

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It's funny you should bring this up. One of the topics I've been very interested in for quite some time is treasure hunting in Arkansas. De Soto and his men made it all the way up into NWA back in the day after pillaging central and South America. There are numerous stories of treasure being buried around here because Arkansas has always been a wild and dangerous place. When the Spaniards made it up this far they were often ram out by Natives. And often time had to bury their loot in hopes of returning for it later. And people have, in fact, found such things numerous times around here. ... Lots more to be found.

Anyways, while researching this stuff I have CONTINUOUSLY come across the claim that there are various places around here that bear silver ore. Which is weird because geologists will tell you precious metals don't exist in Arkansas. Yet history is just full of people finding exactly that. Silver. Not gold, but silver.

I know where one of the abandoned mines is supposed to be found. It's in Madison County.

Also, the Spaniards did, in fact, work silver mines in the area. Sorta weird, but fascinating just the same.

There's supposed to be a lost Spanish Treasure cave south of Berryville. And there's another one out near Lincoln on highway 59.

Also, Jessie James and his gang spent a lot of time hiding out in this area and buried a lot of loot as well when the Federalis were bearing down on him SEVERAL different times. One time they robbed a stage coach full of silver making its way from Mexico to the US Capital.

All of that silver was taken into the Shell Knob, Missouri area and turned into counterfeit silver dollars. And hence, many years later, "Silver Dollar City" becomes a theme park.

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Our state does an awful job handling the poverty here, and it's only getting worse

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Come spend a week in basically anywhere in Rural Louisiana, or the Mississippi Delta. You’d think you’re in a 3rd world country. It’s the largest contrast of wealth in the U.S.