Why is Boston not mentioned more when people talk about great cities in the US (Orleans: low crime, neighborhoods)

[Ilovethecommunity]

Everybody wants to talk about Chicago, New York, or LA.

In my opinion, Boston is just as good. It has a very low crime rate and downtown is beautiful.

[Cliff Clavin]

Boston just isn't a top tier/alpha city, and probably never will be. It's fair to say it's a 2nd tier city, with the likes of SF, Philadelphia and Houston.

[snatale1]

Boston is a very small city compared to Chicago, NY or LA. The "City" (downtown) is even smaller and 90% of Boston is regular neighborhoods like any other town. I'm born and raised there and love where I'm from but it really doesn't compare to the others...Except filthy NY, much better than them!

[lrfox]

Yeah... It's simply not on the same tier as the big three. NYC, LA, and Chicago are far larger and more influential than Boston. Boston is much more in line with cities like Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, etc. And frankly, I think it gets plenty of press and exposure nationally and internationally. Go anywhere in the world and most people will know of Boston.

[Dport7674]

For it's size and level of influence, you could argue that Boston gets more than it's share of attention/mentions.

It's like New Orleans and maybe Seattle, people who have never even been to Boston like it and think it's cool....Which it is.

[lucas9]

LOL, who talks about Chicago?

NYC of course. LA, sure. I hear people talk about Boston just as much as they do Chicago. The only thing anyone says about Chicago these days how its population is declining and how high the crime is.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by lucas9

LOL, who talks about Chicago?

NYC of course. LA, sure. I hear people talk about Boston just as much as they do Chicago. The only thing anyone says about Chicago these days how its population is declining and how high the crime is.

Chicago still has the fourth highest GDP on Earth. It's the third biggest economy in the U.S. (behind NYC and LA) and its GDP is bigger than Boston's by more than $200 Billion. Even with a population decline, Chicago (and its metro area which is growing) is still a hell of a lot larger than Boston. Internationally, Chicago is more well known than Boston and rightfully so.

[dragonborn]

I don't know why not. As a European, Boston is favourite American city. It's not too big, not too small. It's one of the few American cities that have a proper city centre and street life. I love the architecture and the blend of old and new.

[lucas9]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Chicago still has the fourth highest GDP on Earth. It's the third biggest economy in the U.S. (behind NYC and LA) and its GDP is bigger than Boston's by more than $200 Billion. Even with a population decline, Chicago (and its metro area which is growing) is still a hell of a lot larger than Boston. Internationally, Chicago is more well known than Boston and rightfully so.

I don't know about that last part. If Chicago is more popular globally, it should receive more international visitors but it doesn't.

Most visited cities by overall overseas travelers 2010

1. New York City 8,462,000
2. Los Angeles 3,348,000
3. Miami 3,111,000
4. Orlando 2,715,000
5. San Francisco 2,636,000
6. Las Vegas 2,245,000
7. Washington DC 1,740,000
8. Honolulu 1,634,000
9. Boston 1,186,000
10. Chicago 1,134,000

[dragonborn]

Originally Posted by snatale1

Boston is a very small city compared to Chicago, NY or LA. The "City" (downtown) is even smaller and 90% of Boston is regular neighborhoods like any other town. I'm born and raised there and love where I'm from but it really doesn't compare to the others...Except filthy NY, much better than them!

5th largest CSA in the country, one of the oldest and most important cities in the country and statistically, one of the safest. The extensive public transport here is only really rivalled by New York, Chicago and maybe DC. I've been to LA and aside from the Hollywood appeal, the downtown is largely dead compared to Boston's. LA seemed like nothing but sprawl, like many other American cities. With sprawl, size becomes irrelevant, whereas Boston has character and charm. Add to that, Boston's skyline is one of the most attractive in the country, partly because of its blend of old and new.