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The site, looking south, in rural Limestone County where the Toyota-Mazda plant will be built. (Courtesy of Marty Sellers/sellersphoto.com)

Alabama cheered - as it should have -- when Toyota-Mazda chose to bring its 4,000 jobs to Huntsville.

It was a coronation of sorts.

Hail to the king!

Because it's clear now. No excuses or debates. Huntsville is economic development royalty, Alabama's head that wears the crown.

Boy, do those jewels sparkle. Toyota-Mazda. Remington, Polaris, GE Aviation, Blue Origin, Aerojet and the FBI.

Everything shimmers in the Tennessee Valley, and the rest of us are just out here arguing over ... coal.

Mobile has had its share of economic wins - with help from the state - but it's dull next to Huntsville. And Birmingham. Oh, Birmingham. The biggest economic development news out of that area last week was that Sam's Club in Irondale is closing.

Oof.

Ain't that a sign of these times? Birmingham has been Alabama's largest city for as long as anybody alive's been alive. But it has been obvious that Huntsville is poised to pass Birmingham and Montgomery in the next five years. It just passed Mobile.

Birmingham eases its pain by arguing its metro will always be the largest, and sits on its fat haunches doing next to nothing.

But never has it been clearer.

It wasn't this clear when former Gov. Bob Riley came to Birmingham and scolded the metro for never being able to get along.

It wasn't this clear when RSA chief David Bronner - who helped change the Mobile skyline - explained his frustration with the Birmingham area by saying "You're always going to function piecemeal, as opposed to a united force, because you're not united."

Huntsville is the king. Long live the king. And everybody else is a pretender.

The Huntsville City Council committed a stunning $320 million in incentives to lure Toyota-Mazda to the region. It's a ridiculous and impressive amount of local promise; almost as much as the state's ante. And it spoke in one, loud voice.

While Birmingham argued over building a sports stadium, like it has for a quarter century.

Jesters and fools.

Birmingham tells itself all is well because young people bike around downtown, because you can get pork belly on anything these days. But almost half of Birmingham's new jobs were in the restaurant business in 2015-2016, according to data released last year. While Huntsville builds industry.

It's a castle built on sand.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin had his first state of the city address this week. He called it the "state of the community" as a bone to the notion that the metro is interdependent. Or perhaps just codependent.

He acknowledged the need for the business community to help government develop the workforce if the region is going to compete for jobs.

But he didn't go far enough. Birmingham and its business alliance and all its recruiters haven't gone far enough for years.

The "Magic City" isn't even in the running for these projects. Job growth in the largest metro is flat and every time Huntsville or Mobile gets an economic development win the business powers in Birmingham just sit on their comfortable bums, thank the heavens for UAB and write off their failures as a lack of available land.

Even though the industries that built Birmingham - U.S. Steel and Drummond and more - own more land than god if they were willing to deal with it.

The state of our state is clear.

Huntsville is king, Mobile perhaps the queen. But Birmingham - as long as it fights itself for the amusement of all who jeer - is still just a joker.

So bow down, Birmingham -- and all who depend on it. Or do something about it.