Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know some of us come across as arrogant (because I am one of them) but I hate it when some forum members try to down play DC, especially when they are from Boston. Not to say Boston is a bad place because it's not. In fact, it's a cool city but sometimes you have to let people know what's up.
If the Federal Government and DC are not synonymous, then LA and Entertainment Industry aren't either. Neither is New York and Wall Street. You can't disconnect the two.
The disconnect comes from the fact that government officials in Washington are voted into office by all of us. They work for all of us. They represent all of us.
Yeaaaah but you seem to be missing a key point because they are also located in DC, so that kind of makes your argument moot. FYI - The U.S. Capitol where they vote on legislation is also in DC.
Yeaaaah but you seem to be missing a key point because they are also located in DC, so that kind of makes your argument moot. FYI - The U.S. Capitol where they vote on legislation is also in DC.
I agree with the other poster. Of course the Federal workers are in DC, it's where their jobs are. D.C. -- as far as any opinions on how "important" it is vis a vis other U.S. cities -- is an extreme outlier. Of course it's the most important city in the World because it's the physical seat of power for the leaders of the most powerful country on the planet. While this is a bit of a stretch, if you move the U.S. capital to Hays, Kansas, and the legislators and support move to central Kansas, then guess what? Hays, Kansas becomes the most important city in the world politically.
It's impossible to remove the political from D.C., like removing the hole from the doughnut... but if you normalize it, it's roughly the 5-6 (or likely lower) most critical city / MSA in the U.S.
But you can't, so I'll say, politically D.C., is tops. But it is beholden to the rest of the U.S. as a center of their/our government. If you normalize and accept that statement, D.C. is a second-tier (though top) city.
speaking of doughnuts, my argument above was circular. It is also pretty much dead on.
and btw -- The Smithsonian, National Gallery, Capital, and myriad cultural treasures in D.C. would not have been developed (at least to existing scope), had it not been for tax dollars and the fact that they're part of the U.S. capital. The Field Museum was built by and for Chicagoans, MOMA and MET: NYC, Phil. Museum of Art: Philadelphia, and so on. Now, D.C. is a wonderful city, so they would have developed a great art museum (et al, and so on), but it would not have nbeen the National Gallery because they would not have the taxes and political backing to fund it. IMHO, the Smithsonian is more of a U.S. insitution than it is a D.C., institution.
if you normalize it, it's roughly the 5-6 (or likely lower) most critical city / MSA in the U.S.
But you can't, so I'll say, politically D.C., is tops. But it is beholden to the rest of the U.S. as a center of their/our government.
I'm not certain I follow the logic here. True, the elected officials are voted into office by the American public, but that doesn't impact the fact that on a day-to-day basis some of the most important decisions in the country, and the world, are made here, and the circle of influence that comes with such power is substantial.
I have, however, always maintained that when discussing things like "most important city" DC really should come with an asterisk. In some respects, it is the most important city in the country, simply because of the people who are here and what they do. But that is strictly from the perspective of political power and all that it represents, which is a substantially different beast from being an economic power. And although DC's economy is diversifying substantially more than a lot of people give it credit for, absent the political power DC is most certainly not a top-tier city on par with the likes of NYC and LA.
I'm not certain I follow the logic here. True, the elected officials are voted into office by the American public, but that doesn't impact the fact that on a day-to-day basis some of the most important decisions in the country, and the world, are made here, and the circle of influence that comes with such power is substantial.
I have, however, always maintained that when discussing things like "most important city" DC really should come with an asterisk. In some respects, it is the most important city in the country, simply because of the people who are here and what they do. But that is strictly from the perspective of political power and all that it represents, which is a substantially different beast from being an economic power. And although DC's economy is diversifying substantially more than a lot of people give it credit for, absent the political power DC is most certainly not a top-tier city on par with the likes of NYC and LA.
In truth, the argument I'm making requires that you have to "normalize" the outlier of DC being a one-of-a-kind city due to its political situation.
D.C. people think everybody is just in love with their area... sorry, but you're wrong. I couldn't care less about your old white men, monoliths, and otherwise unremarkable "hoods."
I would perhaps like it more if I didn't have so many people babble on about the town and how important it is, and how their friend drives around a congressman I don't care about.
Now, New York... there's a big deal. LA... what a beautiful area. Chicago... impressive skyline.
DC: well.. it's the capital, I guess.
What an overrated city that I might even like if it wasn't so overrated. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice town... just not anything near the center of the universe as some would like to believe. The government makes the town, and it's there because we put it there. It doesn't have the soul of an organic city - sorry.
I have visited DC twice in the past 5 years and IMO I must say it is a pretty unremarkable city for being the Capitol of the greatest country on earth.
I have to honestly say that the decisions, good or bad, that come from my own state Capitol (Sacramento) affect me more in my daily life than that of DC. I think the same could be said of any resident of their respective states. We are a republic where our own states have their own constitutions and can set their own laws as long as it doesn't conflict with the US constitution, which isn't a DC exclusive thing.
^^^^^^Right! And going back to my first point. If North Korea lobs a nuke at California, keep waiting for a response from hillbilly Sacramento.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
