Montgomery, AL – A wide-ranging study conducted by researchers at Alabama State University shows great disparities in the quality of life in different areas of Alabama.
In the study by ASU's Center for Leadership and Public Policy, researchers studied poverty, health care, crime, education and other quality-of-life issues in all 67 counties.
The executive director of the center, Thomas Vocino, said the study found a ``strong relationship'' between the quality of education and whether that county has a vibrant economy.
The study found the highest quality of life in suburban Birmingham's Shelby County, followed by Madison and Baldwin counties. The lowest quality of life was in Greene and Wilcox counties in Alabama's economically depressed Black Belt region.
The study found that Shelby County also had the state's strongest economy.
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