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Well to give examples, I know people in DC that have never left southeast.
Theres people in Baltimore that never leave their neighborhood, or go any further than a mile or two. In New Orleans, you got folks that never left their ward, in ATL, people who never left their zone. NYC, well this doesn't really count since each borough is like its own city and all, but still given all the public transportation and infrastructure up there you still got folks that seem to never leave their neighborhood. Like some people in Far Rock don't be venturing out like that although the "A" train takes them to the rest of the city.
I don't think what you describe is a "small town mindset." That's more just people who never leave their neighborhoods. Big city residents with a small town mindset make me think of Fort Worth--a city of 700,000+ that has a general culture indicative of a much smaller city in my opinion (that's not a dig at Fort Worth--it's a really great city).
Most big cities, with the exception of the really big ones (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, etc.) have a small-town mentality, because most big cities are actually a conglomerate of a bunch of little bedroom communities, towns, and suburbs. There are neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens where people will rarely step outside of their neighborhood--ever--let alone outside of their borough. So that mentality exists even in the biggest city in America.
That said, Denver, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and San Antonio are a little more friendly, staid, easy-going, quiet, and laid-back than similarly-sized cities.
I've heard Portland called a big city with small town charm, though I would not say that the residents are anything close to rural in their mindset.
Most big cities, with the exception of the really big ones (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, etc.) have a small-town mentality, because most big cities are actually a conglomerate of a bunch of little bedroom communities, towns, and suburbs. There are neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens where people will rarely step outside of their neighborhood--ever--let alone outside of their borough. So that mentality exists even in the biggest city in America.
That said, Denver, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and San Antonio are a little more friendly, staid, easy-going, quiet, and laid-back than similarly-sized cities.
I've heard Portland called a big city with small town charm, though I would not say that the residents are anything close to rural in their mindset.
Most big cities, with the exception of the really big ones (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, etc.) have a small-town mentality, because most big cities are actually a conglomerate of a bunch of little bedroom communities, towns, and suburbs. There are neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens where people will rarely step outside of their neighborhood--ever--let alone outside of their borough. So that mentality exists even in the biggest city in America.
That said, Denver, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and San Antonio are a little more friendly, staid, easy-going, quiet, and laid-back than similarly-sized cities.
I've heard Portland called a big city with small town charm, though I would not say that the residents are anything close to rural in their mindset.
The metropolitan areas of even the "really" big cities are still mostly a conglomerate of a bunch of little bedroom communities, towns, and suburbs that have more in common with the characteristics of those cities you mentioned (Denver, STL, Cincy, and San Antone) particularly when you compare the medium big city with the really large one.
As far as the city propers themselves, San Francisco is an exception from those other three, because SF has a small city limits that has a similar urban density and vibe through the whole place, but the other three are large enough, to have significant areas within the city limits that have that "small town in the big city feel" (especially both LA and Chicago more so than NYC).
For NYC, I would expect Staten Island and outer Queens to be the areas that would have somewhat of a small town feel.
San Antonio. And that's one of the things I really love about San Antonio. Unlike the other major cities in Texas (Houston, Dallas, Austin), SA doesn't strive to become more fast-paced, corporate, and "new urban". Which isn't to say that it's some hick town either. In it's core it feels like a city (albeit a sunbelt city), with what is probably the most vibrant downtown in the state... but with a more friendly, down to Earth, laid back vibe than it's other Texas peers. It has a much stronger sense of it's history, and does a much better job of preserving and renovating it's older neighborhoods, rather than the mass-gentrification that is so prevalent in Houston and Dallas (and to a lesser degree, Austin).
Fort Worth is another good example, but I haven't spent anywhere near as much time there as I have in SA.
Last edited by Bobloblawslawblog; 11-20-2014 at 07:12 PM..
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