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They are always compared but are quite different. Savannah, Charleston and Wilmington are English Colonial cities. More clean cut and aristocratic.
New Orleans (along with Mobile and Galveston) is a French/Spanish Colonial city and is known for being traditionally more laissez faire. Its an uglier, dirtier and more raucous town. Its also much more of a melting pot of many different cultures and ethnicities.
They are always compared but are quite different. Savannah, Charleston and Wilmington are English Colonial cities. More clean cut and aristocratic.
New Orleans (along with Mobile and Galveston) is a French/Spanish Colonial city and is known for being traditionally more laissez faire. Its an uglier, dirtier and more raucous town. Its also much more of a melting pot of many different cultures and ethnicities.
Savannah is a little more laissez faire than Charleston and Wilmington, but not as much as NOLA. I think it might have something to do with Georgia's origins as a penal colony.
NOLA is a relatively big, cosmopolitan city. The other cities listed are essentially small towns, and not really comparable. It's like comparing NOLA to NYC or something.
Also, just my opinion, but I find Charleston to be extremely overrated, and don't "get it". It's very sleepy, stuffy, outrageously expensive, filled with rich old conservatives, and the historic area is quite small. It's like a theme park for country club senior citizens from southern exurbs.
Savannah I really like, is very charming, and has a huge historic area.
2013 City Population Estimate:
New Orleans: 378,715
Charleston: 127,999
Savannah: 142,772
2013 Metropolitan Statistical Areas:
New Orleans: 1.2 million
Charleston: 664,000
Savannah: 366,000
All of these cities are comparable. New Orleans is definitely not New York, and it never will be. Charleston is growing the fastest and is none of the archaic stereotyped assumptions you laid out.
That's a HUGE exaggeration. If NOLA is a relatively big city, then the others would be midsized cities. NOLA's metro is less than twice the size of Charleston's; that's not a huge gap.
Wow, could your perceptions be any more outdated and stereotypical? The old blue blood native Charleston crew is pretty much a minority these days (although they still retain their influence); a lot of those expensive homes on the peninsula actually belong to Northerners. Charleston is actually getting a bit "Yankeefied" these days, both in the city and the 'burbs and I wouldn't be surprised if it's home to the most native Northerners of all the cities in this line-up. Outside of the historic homes downtown, Charleston isn't "outrageously expensive." Where are you getting that from???? And the city is actually left-leaning; when the state put the gay marriage ban referendum on the ballot a a couple of years ago, the majority of citizens in the city of Charleston voted against it. So yeah, I think you need to get caught up to speed about what Charleston is like in the 21st century.
People like Charleston because it's beautiful, historic, artsy, has ocean vistas, beaches, a great downtown retail scene, an excellent foodie culture, and lots to see and do for its size. As a metro, it's one of the nation's fastest-growing, has strong job growth, a well-rounded economy, and desirable suburbs with good schools. If you put a big premium on getting drunk in the streets every night, then no, it won't be your cup of tea; in that respect, it's like most cities in the country. But there are plenty of reasons why people enjoy visiting and as the fastest-growing metro of this bunch, more people find it desirable as a place to live as well.
Coming from one of my favorite posters on this site, the bolded portion of this quote really disappointed me. You typically never fail in displaying a certain amount of real knowledge beyond erroneous stereotypes and exhausting cliches. So for you to imply that New Orleans is a place where people "get drunk in the streets every night" is...well, again, disappointing.
Great information about Charleston though. I've never been.
Last edited by Chilly Gentilly; 09-21-2014 at 06:03 PM..
That's a HUGE exaggeration. If NOLA is a relatively big city, then the others would be midsized cities. NOLA's metro is less than twice the size of Charleston's; that's not a huge gap.
I think it's very accurate, and I'm obviously not talking about population. NOLA is much more urban and citylike than Houston; doesn't mean that Houston isn't many times bigger.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
Wow, could your perceptions be any more outdated and stereotypical? The old blue blood native Charleston crew is pretty much a minority these days (although they still retain their influence); a lot of those expensive homes on the peninsula actually belong to Northerners.
Huh? I didn't write any of this.
I wrote that Charleston feels like a retirement community for Southern Republicans. That would be basically the opposite of "blue-bloods". The old southern aristocracy crowd has absolutely nothing to do with the exurban Applebees tea party set.
Charleston was not a retirement community for Southern Republicans until very recently in its history (like last 10-15 years). It now feels like a theme park for old grumpy people with money, rather than the traditional local Charleston feel of class. It was, until very recently, a diverse and affordable place, filled with locals. Now it's an extension of Hilton Head.
New Orleans: 378,715
Charleston: 127,999
Savannah: 142,772
2013 Metropolitan Statistical Areas:
New Orleans: 1.2 million
Charleston: 664,000
Savannah: 366,000
All of these cities are comparable. New Orleans is definitely not New York, and it never will be. Charleston is growing the fastest and is none of the archaic stereotyped assumptions you laid out.
Maybe you should re-read my thread, because you failed to understand anything in the thread.
First, I said NOLA is nothing like NYC or any big city, and second, I never referred to population, at all. You completely missed the point.
Coming from one of my favorite posters on this site, the bolded portion of this quote really disappointed me. You typically never fail in displaying a certain amount of real knowledge beyond erroneous stereotypes and exhausting cliches. So for you to imply that New Orleans is a place where people "get drunk in the streets every night" is...well, again, disappointing.
Great information about Charleston though. I've never been.
I admit my statement was a bit hyperbolic, but it served a purpose.
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