About UAB-- I have many friends in this program, so I have a good knowledge of what it's really like. I ranked them first for a variety of reasons. Here they are:
1) Outstanding Chairman: David Chestnut is a truly great chairman. VERY concerned about resident education, and has a LOT of pull within the medical center.
2) Residency Director: Dr. Andrews is simply excellent. Very proactive with respect to making changes to benefit the educational program. Recent changes include outright protection of the regional resident from being pulled into the ORs, thus bettering the regional exposure by a good bit. Great guy, too.
3)Faculty: from everywhere. Most of them truly like to teach. Strong neuroanesthesia faculty, including Susan Black. Six board examiners overall.
4)Great case load. Lots of trauma (believe me). Truly exceptional cardiac (see Al Pacifico and James Kirklin). Tons of transplants -- most in the south (except for Miami, in some fields); 300 kidneys, 100 livers per year, hearts and lungs. Few fellows. Livers are first year cases,and you get paid $50/hour to do them outside the regular workday. Lots of surg onc (Kirby Bland and others). Outstanding OB. Separate Peds hospital, but only one block away from University Hospital. And you deal with really really sick patients--diabetics and vasculopaths galore
5)ICU experience one of the best I saw while interviewing, and I interviewed on both coasts. Autonomy!! Placing Dobhoff tubes under fluoro at the bedside, bronching patients at bedside, etc. Great critical care attendings.
6) Didactics well designed and well implemented. UAB residents smoke the boards.
7)In house moonlighting at $45/hour. Although almost always broken out of a room after 3pm, you're paid extra if you you happen to get stuck. Plus there are designated moonlighting shifts you can sign up for. Not uncommon to make >$50,000/year as a resident. Hours very reasonable overall, especially considering the number of cases residents do.
8)Good residents. Smart, nice.
9)Lots of research, if you want it. It's not stuck in your face, but it's certainly there for the taking. Dept. ranks anywhere from 2nd to 9th in NIH dollars over last 7-8 years.
10)Job network is extensive. I can't speak about the west or north, but the south, Texas, Oklahoma, and midwest are very very well represented. Residents here get multiple outstanding job offers-- trust me, I've talked to them and gotten specifics. Going into academics from here is easily an option; salaries are good for academia, and there is a true commitment to the mentoring/career building of junior faculty by senior faculty.
11) Medical center is fiscally sound, with excellent facilities. Outpatient facility (Kirklin Clinic) without peer, although Duke's outpatient center is close. Multi-hundred million dollar expansion being built as I write this-- 40 new ORs, new ICUs, new(and huge)ER/trauma unit.
12)Anesthesia library (I saw nothing that came close to it) with full time librarian who is VERY helpful.
In other words, I loved the program. Birmingham, despite its image nationwide, is a good place to live. No, it's not San Francisco, but few places are. Low cost of living; pretty, low-mountain countryside; warm weather. And for single guys -- lots of babes (I could go on about the bambinas...but I won't). I could literally have gone anywhere I wanted, but I chose to come here. It's a great place.
They didn't tour us around too much on the interview day. And I would also add cornell to your list if available, I would put them slightly ahead of columbia if NYC is your destination. 
