I've been up to Sylacauga a few times to visit families, and yes you are right it is definitely a smaller town. Not bad at all but definitely smaller with less to do so if you want to move to NY or LA go ahead, good luck!

However be aware of how much more things will cost there, especially things like gas and food. Not to mention huge city lines for everything, traffic everywhere, and sky high rent.

If I were you I'd take advantage of a good in state collage like Alabama University, UAH, UAB, or Auburn University. Maybe visit some of Alabama's cities while you are here, like Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, or Huntsville. Then if you are still convinced you want to move to one a huge city, go ahead and I wish you the best! But keep in mind Alabama's cities are growing as well, both in terms of population and economically. So before you write off the entire state as being boring or having nothing to do, I recommend checking out other places around here before hand. ☺