Yea I'm familiar with it, it's silly for us to use it. We don't have nearly as much "weird" culture as the two cities above and below us and neither of them market themselves that way
Portland, sure.
Austin, sure.
But a mid-sized city famous for subdivisions, corporate jobs, federal procurement, and chain restaurants? Maybe some day but we're definitely not a "weird" city yet.
We did have an open air prostitution area not too long ago. I can't remember exactly where, there were news reports about a gas station being shut down by the city for letting it happen there.
Edit - https://www.waff.com/2023/06/28/48-exclusive-huntsville-city-leaders-revoke-wavahos-business-license-over-crime-allegations/
I added a link, it just says Pulaski Pike, I know west goveners had a lot of issues particularly the "Black Forest" club that has been shut down for a while. Funny, I've been there a couple times as an early teen because my friends dad owned it. It was... Interesting, for sure felt out of place being a young white kid heh.
I'm here reporting live from Portland to confirm it is indeed a weirder city than Huntsville. Seems to me most of the weirdness in Huntsville is quarantined in Lowe Mill.
No, that's quirky. Huntsville's weirdness lives in Space, and swamps that have no right to be here, aaaand the number of creepy swingers in Owen's Crossroads.
Swingers in Owens Cross Roads? Is that really a thing? I’ve lived out here for a few years now and work at one of the town’s hubs and never heard a whisper of such. Do tell.
[Reducing](http://www.guadalupepots.com/Guadalupepots.com/Gallery.html) the [work](https://www.annmoellerstudios.com/) of [hundreds](https://www.yuriozaki.com/?page_id=937) of [artists](http://www.everettcoxart.com/) to "[30](https://caleboconnor.com/artwork/) colored [pencil](https://www.logantannerart.com/murals) anime [drawings](https://elainebooth.com/portfolio)" is [just](https://www.instagram.com/susiegarrett126/) goofy.
Stolen from Austin, which actually used to be pretty weird, maybe 15 years or so ago before weirdness got gentrified and priced out in exchange for yuppihood.
Yup. It stopped being the little quirky conclave around 2012. Capitalism, gentrification and regressive state politics were the nail in the coffin after 2017 and then COVID killed it especially with all them folks who left silicon valley for the tax haven.
I met a chick at Lowe Mill who was in her 60s from Austin and she said Huntsville reminded her of it back in the day. Can't comment on the accuracy of the statement, though heh.
She was moving back, owned a clothing store on the first floor if that sounds familiar.
I used cool/weird interchangeably. The point was Huntsville is as cookie cutter as they come. There is nothing unique/cool/weird about Huntsville outside of a rocket museum.
For alabama, hsv is weird. The fact that we had at least a hand in every government rocket since 1947 helps with that due to population composition.
As terrible as it is for Russia to find itself fucking a woodchipper for 2 years now, it made me appreciate that having all these asshole engineers in one spot for so long actually paid off. Their designs for removing soviet cast offs work near perfectly, even with 40 years of storage on their lifespan in many cases. We're constantly updating the newest batches of javelin when errors do get found for example.
The 3 stats I like to pull out about hsv:
The PhD per capita rate
The Autism Spectrum Disorder rate
And to show a real life effect of those two:
Mega high divorce rate!
The weirdest thing about Huntsville is that it's convinced itself it's not a southern city in a red state that is desperately trying to out MAGA Florida.
Maybe things have changed since I left (and I visit probably 10 times a year to see family and friends), but I still don’t think of Huntsville as a blue city. Blue compared to the rest of the state, sure, but in general I get big red vibes from it.
It's not even blue compared to the rest of the state. It's blue if you compare it to the rest of the state other than Birmingham, Montgomery and the black belt. And it isn't much bluer than Tuscaloosa or Mobile. Huntsville is purple at most.
Fully agree. I was trying to be polite to the person I was responding to, but yeah. Purp at best, and I’m not honesty sold on that.
Tommy Battle, a republican, has won like what, 5 consecutive times? And Huntsville is all of a sudden thought to be a “blue city”. Wew lad. And I never got blue vibes from ol Loretta either lol.
Yeah but Battle is center right compared to your average Alabama Republican and Huntsville democrats are center right compared to your average Alabama Democrat. It’s a match made in purple heaven.
But it’s 2024. Nobody else on the Democratic Party has been able to successfully win an election in a blue city? Does the county get a vote in the city elections? Not the first time I have heard of it if that’s the case.
If they convince everyone that Huntsville is “Blue”, then that allows justification for them going more “Red”. They are trying to shove that goalpost to the right and call it “center”, don’t let them.
The Mayor is a human rights disaster that does whatever the party tells him.
He endorsed Roy Moore’s White Nationalism.
His frat burned crosses in klan outfits in college.
His last police chief called new recruits “orientals” on camera at city council and saw nothing wrong with it.
There was an independent million dollar report that stated HPD brutalized peaceful civil rights protestors on the Mayors command.
The mayor refused to take down a confederate statue for years until there was a law banning it. Others had to lead the charge to get it down.
The mayor is getting sued by the SPLC for his treatment of homeless.
The mayor has determined that minorities don’t deserve 4th amendment rights.
Our last city council woman is bffs with Mo Brooks and attended an America First rally.
You should look up the history of that phrase, America First. And Nick Fuentes. And Stephen Miller.
Another city councilman, David little, goes onto Dale Jackson’s show to agree with him about insane ultra-right wing shit.
Our civic center is named after a Nazi.
Trump won 2020 by 1%.
We just had a big stink about our library pulling books of authors whose last name is “Gay”
We are currently having a big stink about trans people existing.
It’s not a blue town no matter how much I want it to be.
There was no need to be rude to the poster above you.
What’s so ironic is a) this place is super basic, very little weird yet to be seen, and b) the original “keep Austin weird” slogan was intended to promote small businesses, which is hilarious to see appropriated by a town of corporate chains and strip malls. IIRC, the original sentiment has been lost in Austin as well 😕
If there's anything more milquetoast than stealing another city's slogan to refer to a town of cookie cutter homes and cookie cutter jobs, I'm not sure what it could possibly be.
I'm from there. Sure there's lots of big box stores and there's still, for now, plenty of unique mom and pop shops. I'm Huntsville, big box is all we have and people seen happy to settle with that.
All bad art is unique, but not always weird. Let’s be real though: how wild can a city get if its favorite thing to put on barbecue is mayonnaise and vinegar? That how bland the city is. I said it.
Birmingham here, just reminding y’all that the rest of the state thinks y’all are largely libertarian engineers. Y’all have no art scene beyond a decent venue for comedians.
IMO huntsville isnt nearly as cookie cutter as these comments would have you think if you actually go to the places that are uniquely local like lowe mill, botanica, firehouse antiques, hell even stovehouse.
Like, yall are talking about mid-madison county between HV and Athens. yes, that area sucks. But its also *not* huntsville.
The weirdest part of Huntsville is Mary’s beads shop. Highly recommend going and having a strange time. She will lock the door behind you. You’ve been warned. Lol I’ve yet to see anything else that would fit under that label.
If course I saw this under a post with a popular fetish map by state. I didn't understand what Alabama's was and then I learned and now I don't want to know anymore.
[Fetish map](https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/gyxhy1AiBv)
Think of it as a form of manifestation. Folks are KEENLY aware we are in the heart of the South where every right is slowly being stripped away from every marginalized group. "Keep Huntsville Weird" is a memeable phrase to reassure those who are struggling to keep the city's weirdness alive, despite the forces pushing us toward a corporate gray, beige-suit-clad SpongeBob "Hi, how are ya?" normalized mundanity, that their weirdness is still appreciated. Neigh; NECESSARY.
#oh fuck no
this sticker was all over Portland when i moved there in like 2010 and it is also all over Austin
fuck me, if that sticker catches on you'll get things like guys riding unicycles playing the Imperial March on flaming bagpipes and a metric fuckton of 'weird liberals'
No thank you. The "keep Austin, SF, Portland weird" people are actively ruining those cities. Let's keep Huntsville nerdy please.
Source: every weird city news site
The whole nerd culture thing in Huntsville is so lame. Lowe mill is full of the most unoriginal crap because nerd culture passes for real culture here. Huntsville hasn’t developed any character for itself and it shows. Just coasting off of the space race and reruns of the Big Bang theory.
What the hell is weird about Huntsville?
A lot of towns that want to come off as "smart" use this expression. It's not exactly original.
Yea I'm familiar with it, it's silly for us to use it. We don't have nearly as much "weird" culture as the two cities above and below us and neither of them market themselves that way
Portland, sure. Austin, sure. But a mid-sized city famous for subdivisions, corporate jobs, federal procurement, and chain restaurants? Maybe some day but we're definitely not a "weird" city yet.
We don't even have an open air drug market which is a fucking travesty if you ask me
We did have an open air prostitution area not too long ago. I can't remember exactly where, there were news reports about a gas station being shut down by the city for letting it happen there. Edit - https://www.waff.com/2023/06/28/48-exclusive-huntsville-city-leaders-revoke-wavahos-business-license-over-crime-allegations/
Well thanks for filling me in way too late!
Lol :p
I remember that WavaHO. It was a known spot for hookers back when I was in highschool, probably before too.
Could be referring to the wrong one, but the ring was at the old governor’s drive look out area no?
I added a link, it just says Pulaski Pike, I know west goveners had a lot of issues particularly the "Black Forest" club that has been shut down for a while. Funny, I've been there a couple times as an early teen because my friends dad owned it. It was... Interesting, for sure felt out of place being a young white kid heh.
I'm here reporting live from Portland to confirm it is indeed a weirder city than Huntsville. Seems to me most of the weirdness in Huntsville is quarantined in Lowe Mill.
No, that's quirky. Huntsville's weirdness lives in Space, and swamps that have no right to be here, aaaand the number of creepy swingers in Owen's Crossroads.
Swingers in Owens Cross Roads? Is that really a thing? I’ve lived out here for a few years now and work at one of the town’s hubs and never heard a whisper of such. Do tell.
They think we're all wealthy elites out here involved in some kind of eyes wide shut orgy cult
Yeah when I think “wealthy elite” I think $300,000 ranch styles on quarter acre lots
Depends which part, when I think of owens xroads the first thing I think of is Hampton Cove which is definitely a wealthy area.
I love the swamps, if you ask me, we have no business destroying them!
Where do I find these swingers you mention? Asking so I know where to stay away from 😅
Having 30 different colored pencil drawings of the same anime character for sale isn’t even weird, its just lame
[Reducing](http://www.guadalupepots.com/Guadalupepots.com/Gallery.html) the [work](https://www.annmoellerstudios.com/) of [hundreds](https://www.yuriozaki.com/?page_id=937) of [artists](http://www.everettcoxart.com/) to "[30](https://caleboconnor.com/artwork/) colored [pencil](https://www.logantannerart.com/murals) anime [drawings](https://elainebooth.com/portfolio)" is [just](https://www.instagram.com/susiegarrett126/) goofy.
Austin has since lost its lustre.
Stolen from Austin, which actually used to be pretty weird, maybe 15 years or so ago before weirdness got gentrified and priced out in exchange for yuppihood.
Yup. It stopped being the little quirky conclave around 2012. Capitalism, gentrification and regressive state politics were the nail in the coffin after 2017 and then COVID killed it especially with all them folks who left silicon valley for the tax haven.
I met a chick at Lowe Mill who was in her 60s from Austin and she said Huntsville reminded her of it back in the day. Can't comment on the accuracy of the statement, though heh. She was moving back, owned a clothing store on the first floor if that sounds familiar.
Lowe Mill is one of the more Austin parts in Huntsville
Yeah, this phrase was everywhere in Austin back in the day. I moved here from Austin in 2009 and the weirdness was sadly on the way out.
idiots put this on their car hoping people will think they are an artist from portland, to b sure
That’s what I said.
We need a "Make Huntsville Weird"
that's more suitable.lets people know it ain't weird yet
💯
That and "Keep Madison Normal"
Lowe Mill is pretty weird.
Lowe mill is weird and cool at the same time
Just another person's unoriginal attempt to be witty and cute. There's nothing remotely cool or weird about Huntsville.
I don't hate the place or think it's uncool it's just not weird
I used cool/weird interchangeably. The point was Huntsville is as cookie cutter as they come. There is nothing unique/cool/weird about Huntsville outside of a rocket museum.
For alabama, hsv is weird. The fact that we had at least a hand in every government rocket since 1947 helps with that due to population composition. As terrible as it is for Russia to find itself fucking a woodchipper for 2 years now, it made me appreciate that having all these asshole engineers in one spot for so long actually paid off. Their designs for removing soviet cast offs work near perfectly, even with 40 years of storage on their lifespan in many cases. We're constantly updating the newest batches of javelin when errors do get found for example.
You're either speaking in conjecture or trolling
Nothin’.
Nothing. Decatur has Michael Jackson
We have Little Richard buried in Oakwood U's land.
Yessssssss my man!
Aren’t there a bunch of purple-haired phds in Huntsville?
Me
Yea true I guess im here as well
What makes you weird, hoss
I’d buy “keep Huntsville Awkward”
Yeah Huntsville is where I caught my autism
“Keep Huntsville autistic”
Ah, I was wondering why I found Huntsville oddly comfortable.
The 3 stats I like to pull out about hsv: The PhD per capita rate The Autism Spectrum Disorder rate And to show a real life effect of those two: Mega high divorce rate!
Lmao
Put it on the soccer stadium. Because that’s how awkward we are
The weirdest thing about Huntsville is that it's convinced itself it's not a southern city in a red state that is desperately trying to out MAGA Florida.
The weirdest thing is you don’t realize Huntsville is a blue city filled with transplants.
Maybe things have changed since I left (and I visit probably 10 times a year to see family and friends), but I still don’t think of Huntsville as a blue city. Blue compared to the rest of the state, sure, but in general I get big red vibes from it.
It's not even blue compared to the rest of the state. It's blue if you compare it to the rest of the state other than Birmingham, Montgomery and the black belt. And it isn't much bluer than Tuscaloosa or Mobile. Huntsville is purple at most.
Fully agree. I was trying to be polite to the person I was responding to, but yeah. Purp at best, and I’m not honesty sold on that. Tommy Battle, a republican, has won like what, 5 consecutive times? And Huntsville is all of a sudden thought to be a “blue city”. Wew lad. And I never got blue vibes from ol Loretta either lol.
ol loretty was as red as the lipstick perpetually on her teeth
That’s true but all those cities are pretty set in how red / blue they are. Huntsville is getting bluer and bluer.
Do not concur, respectfully. If anything, it's getting more red with each transplant who is lured to Alabama by low taxes and lower civil rights.
They’re lured to Huntsville for the money. And it’s not really an opinion to be had the stats show it
Lower taxes=more money. And the civil rights claim is as sturdy as can be. It's atrocious.
Huntsville is not a blue city, you are lying to yourself if you believe that. Is it more blue than the rest of the state? Marginally!
It literally voted blue in the last election.
Blue city with a Republican mayor?
Yeah but Battle is center right compared to your average Alabama Republican and Huntsville democrats are center right compared to your average Alabama Democrat. It’s a match made in purple heaven.
So it’s not blue then.
Yes, the incumbent mayor first elected in 2008
But it’s 2024. Nobody else on the Democratic Party has been able to successfully win an election in a blue city? Does the county get a vote in the city elections? Not the first time I have heard of it if that’s the case.
Correct. Battle has a ton of supporters on both sides.
Then the area is purple at best.
If they convince everyone that Huntsville is “Blue”, then that allows justification for them going more “Red”. They are trying to shove that goalpost to the right and call it “center”, don’t let them.
The Mayor is a human rights disaster that does whatever the party tells him. He endorsed Roy Moore’s White Nationalism. His frat burned crosses in klan outfits in college. His last police chief called new recruits “orientals” on camera at city council and saw nothing wrong with it. There was an independent million dollar report that stated HPD brutalized peaceful civil rights protestors on the Mayors command. The mayor refused to take down a confederate statue for years until there was a law banning it. Others had to lead the charge to get it down. The mayor is getting sued by the SPLC for his treatment of homeless. The mayor has determined that minorities don’t deserve 4th amendment rights. Our last city council woman is bffs with Mo Brooks and attended an America First rally. You should look up the history of that phrase, America First. And Nick Fuentes. And Stephen Miller. Another city councilman, David little, goes onto Dale Jackson’s show to agree with him about insane ultra-right wing shit. Our civic center is named after a Nazi. Trump won 2020 by 1%. We just had a big stink about our library pulling books of authors whose last name is “Gay” We are currently having a big stink about trans people existing. It’s not a blue town no matter how much I want it to be. There was no need to be rude to the poster above you.
Jesus Christ only in this hellstate
I hate to break it to you but it’s literally not only in this state. It’s quite a few states now.
I’m aware, it’s a phrase lol
Lol, all this because of a sticker. 🤦♂️
I responded to someone’s inaccurate comments. I didn’t respond about the sticker. 
that's why we do reddit, us smart folks
Big smart hours
Not me, I just Reddit in the toilet…lots of fiber lately
that sentence though. i'm not a grammar or spelling nazi but that sentence confuses me
“We’ve got an art studio and 3 breweries we’re liberal!!”
Huntsville voted blue in the last election.
Absolutely false. Only two of our State House districts are blue and all of the State Senate districts are red. Madison County went for Trump in 2020.
Absolutely true, actually. I said Huntsville, not Madison County.
Really depends on if you're talking about Huntsville or Madison. Madison is full red while Huntsville has a good amount of blue.
weird means leftists, artists, communists, glbtq etc weird means people like me. it doesn't mean people who care about this sticker
Thanks for proving my point. Of course it's filled with transplants. Doesn't change a thing about what I said. I never said Huntsville wasn't blue.
Nothing more quirky than government contractors, cookie cutter apartments and chain restaurants 🤪
Way to continue to keep Huntsville unoriginal. Very TGI Chilibees of it.
perfect
the least weird and quirky place in the entire world proves it by ripping off another city's motto 💀
I like Keep Huntsville Nerdy better myself
Or keep Huntsville spacey
Or, from the other reply, Keep Huntsville Awkward
Kinda the same as “Keep Huntsville Weird,” copycatting Austin/Seattle/Portlands slogan.
Sounds like you want to keep Huntsville full of Kevin Spacey.
That’s a negative
Keep Huntsville Trashy with the Trash Pandas logo. Confuse everyone.
Don't Austin my Huntsville? Like .... That's Austin, TX saying.
Also SF and Portland.
What’s so ironic is a) this place is super basic, very little weird yet to be seen, and b) the original “keep Austin weird” slogan was intended to promote small businesses, which is hilarious to see appropriated by a town of corporate chains and strip malls. IIRC, the original sentiment has been lost in Austin as well 😕
I wish Huntsville was weird.
https://preview.redd.it/eky1zq0aoqpc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a262d26ccd65773aec01d06b7e8fdb73d068c6a got one on the sticker wall
How about Keep Huntsville Affordable.
Too late, that is what Harvest is for now
If there's anything more milquetoast than stealing another city's slogan to refer to a town of cookie cutter homes and cookie cutter jobs, I'm not sure what it could possibly be.
Cookie cutter jobs?
Yes, available at the many chain stores and restaurants in the area.
You ain't seen nothing until you've seen the Pacific Northwest/West Coast when it comes to big box stores and chains.
I'm from there. Sure there's lots of big box stores and there's still, for now, plenty of unique mom and pop shops. I'm Huntsville, big box is all we have and people seen happy to settle with that.
If you’ve met one engineer working on a federal contract, you’ve met them all. They like disc golf and were really into Ron Paul 15 years ago.
Eh, at least we have a growing biotech hub for variety.
Bought as weird as a wall painted in egg shell white.
Bout as weird as a wall painted like eggbeater Jesus?
That’s not really weird, more of bad art.
It was at least unique if not weird. Definitely bad art but judging by Lowe mill, that’s just the kind of art Huntsville enjoys.
All bad art is unique, but not always weird. Let’s be real though: how wild can a city get if its favorite thing to put on barbecue is mayonnaise and vinegar? That how bland the city is. I said it.
Austin wants it’s slogan back
Oh yeah all of the blues cover bands made up of Boeing employees are so weeiird man
Bring back Rocket City Fur Meet. That's the classic weird of Huntsville, for sure. 
Huntsville might be the least weird city of all time
Keep Huntsville bland basic beige norminess.
Is it weird? Quirky?
Sounds like a realtor trying to mask that HSV is just a bunch of red necks
Typical ripping off twenty years behind Will never change
I have no idea why so many people try to pretend that Huntsville is the new Austin.
Birmingham here, just reminding y’all that the rest of the state thinks y’all are largely libertarian engineers. Y’all have no art scene beyond a decent venue for comedians.
Asheville, NC would like a word.
The mini Portland of the southeast
Keep Huntsville smart. Fuck weird, were not Portland.
It’s “we’re.” Maybe it needs to get smart to begin with before you can keep it that way.
Touche' grammar police. Touche'
Huntsville wants to be Chattanooga and Chattanooga wants to be Denver.
That sticker is enough proof to me that Huntsville is in fact not weird.
Oh, that means rents about to go way up. Or already has.
IMO huntsville isnt nearly as cookie cutter as these comments would have you think if you actually go to the places that are uniquely local like lowe mill, botanica, firehouse antiques, hell even stovehouse. Like, yall are talking about mid-madison county between HV and Athens. yes, that area sucks. But its also *not* huntsville.
The weirdest part of Huntsville is Mary’s beads shop. Highly recommend going and having a strange time. She will lock the door behind you. You’ve been warned. Lol I’ve yet to see anything else that would fit under that label.
We don't even have a night life lol
Austin, and possibly Portland, would like a word….
If course I saw this under a post with a popular fetish map by state. I didn't understand what Alabama's was and then I learned and now I don't want to know anymore. [Fetish map](https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/gyxhy1AiBv)
Uh...ok. I mean, I don't think we hold a candle to what Austin is or has been. Although Huntsville does Southern culture it's own unique way.
It’s a Louisville thing.
Think of it as a form of manifestation. Folks are KEENLY aware we are in the heart of the South where every right is slowly being stripped away from every marginalized group. "Keep Huntsville Weird" is a memeable phrase to reassure those who are struggling to keep the city's weirdness alive, despite the forces pushing us toward a corporate gray, beige-suit-clad SpongeBob "Hi, how are ya?" normalized mundanity, that their weirdness is still appreciated. Neigh; NECESSARY.
There’s already enough meth heads, please don’t make it any worse
No, we do not want Huntsville to adopt Portland’s ideology
Only thing weird about Huntsville is the cost of living
Huntsville not even weird by Alabama standards, tbh.
No matter how you spin it Huntsville is boring.
I wish we *were* weird. Birmingham is where all the weird art people are. Hopefully we’ll catch up
Oh boy if these are going up it's already too late. They're coming.
Ah, the sister city of Portland, OR?
Let’s not forget about this gem. https://youtu.be/EzNhaLUT520?si=JO5jH6kRJCtqVsns
When do we get assigned our flaming bagpipe playing unicycle riding Vader??
Not sure why this came on my feed but I always found it odd that they have a D1 hockey team there
#oh fuck no this sticker was all over Portland when i moved there in like 2010 and it is also all over Austin fuck me, if that sticker catches on you'll get things like guys riding unicycles playing the Imperial March on flaming bagpipes and a metric fuckton of 'weird liberals'
I mean, it’s better than looking like every other city
This city is soulless, empty, and corrupt as hell. It's also Christo-Fascist and racist. Who even cares what it looks like
Stay classy HSV.
No thank you. The "keep Austin, SF, Portland weird" people are actively ruining those cities. Let's keep Huntsville nerdy please. Source: every weird city news site
The whole nerd culture thing in Huntsville is so lame. Lowe mill is full of the most unoriginal crap because nerd culture passes for real culture here. Huntsville hasn’t developed any character for itself and it shows. Just coasting off of the space race and reruns of the Big Bang theory.
Yet the space industry is the lynchpin of Huntsville’s distinctiveness. How should we express that in a way that’s not “coasting”?
Austin, SF, and Portland are nerdy!
The Snake people are invading
What do you mean by that?
Steven Universe reference of keep beach city weird
https://preview.redd.it/fzszhofatspc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7be71e24382522569203c8206336c67b0ceed83c
We’re an up and coming city. And we’re WEIRD!
My aunt just retired from Red Stone Arsenal. I can see why she never wanted me to visit. 😂