A recent study is pointing out spooky spots in Alabama. The findings from the organization Lawn Love found that Birmingham is the most haunted major city in the state.
Reporters at Lawn Love studied the country’s 200 largest cities and ranked them based on paranormal activity. Paranormal activity includes anything supernatural from ghosts and Bigfoot to vampires and zombies.
Cities in California, the Southwest and the Northeast ranked higher in paranormal activity. The Midwest had cities with the least paranormal activity. In Alabama, Birmingham ranked 68th, while Montgomery, Mobile and Huntsville landed in the bottom third.
Managing Editor Sharon Sullivan says though Alabama straddles behind most states, residents clearly enjoy the occasional ghost adventure.
“Birmingham and Mobile have a lot of haunted hotels. They ranked really high as far as locations,” she said. “Birmingham also ranked really well on the community side. There were a lot of conventions and events, I mean not a lot, but they ranked in that top quarter of cities for conventions and ghost tours. There’s definitely a community interest.”
Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile and Huntsville also have a high number of haunted cemeteries.
Researchers found differences among the four cities. Residents are more likely to spot ghosts in Mobile and Bigfoot in Huntsville. Birmingham is more “vampire-friendly,” which means that vampires would live better in the Magic City than other Alabama cities.
However, Alabama offers some of the fewest paranormal-themed events in the country. Birmingham was tied for first for the fewest paranormal conventions among all cities studied.
Sullivan said Alabama has residents and visitors interested in the supernatural and that cities should consider offering more spooky sightings and activities.
“Maybe there is some interest there with ghost tours,” Sullivan said. “It’s very much a tourist thing, but there’s a lot of interest in that, especially from people who are visiting from other places. Drawing that interest and bring[ing] people together who have an interest in that sort of paranormal activity.”
Reporters at Lawn Love collected data from various sources such as TripAdvisor reviews, local investigative organizations and bloggers chasing UFOs. More information on the study can be found at lawnlove.com.
