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Man, Richmond can't even compare to Knoxville in the sports area, much less Nashville. And you're correct we couldn't support a pro team because we have a 100k football stadium we pack every saturday. Then it's off to Nashville on Sundays to see the Titans. Richmond plays some good hoops. But it's a blip on the map to SEC sports. Vandy might not be the strongest in all sports, but a large portion of Nashville supports the Vols. And you can't underestimate the power of the SEC in all sports. Nashville has 2 pro teams along with direct access to the best college football, best college baseball, and one of the best college basketball conferences in the country. I'm not sure how one could even imagine comparing the two cities in that category.
As for music, let's not even go there. In fact it would be easier for you to simply name some folks who are from Richmond in that category. Nashville has historically produced talented musicians. Not just country musicians. Nice try.
Look, Richmond is a nice town... A real nice town. And in your eyes it's obviously better than Nashville, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But In reality Nashville trumps Richmond with a great deal of ease. The scary thing is, Nashville is no where near what it's gonna be years down the road.
I'll take the easy route here in the interest of time and piggyback on this response with a slightly different objective. Ditto the response to Richmond claiming a powerhouse of some sort in basketball vs. Memphis. The state of the art FedEx forum is home to the NBA Memphis Grizzlies who are headed back to the playoffs again, as well as the NCAA top ten attended U of M Tigers. Between the two on a given back to back game day or 24 hour period you could have 37,000 paid basketball butts in the seats. That will never be a scenario in Richmond, (nor in Nashville for that matter for the forseeable future).
When I lived in Richmond years ago we had a AAA baseball team in a pretty decent sleek ballpark, but that fell by the wayside and now they have something in a lower division called "Flying Squirrels"?! This is their only claim to pro sports as far as I know. The World Champion Cardinal organization's AAA team plays in Memphis's Autozone Park, the top of the line park in the nation, patterned somewhat after Camden Yards with the largest Jumbotron screen short of MLB. You may not want to bring sports venues and teams up as an important part of a city comparison in Richmond; I understand.
As to the music picture, a current genre popularized currently in a certain city is not as important to overall influence which shapes a culture historically as the birth of whole music types, such as Rock n Roll in general, Rythm & Blues, Soul, with the spin offs of Rap & Hiphop, etc. That being the case, what could be more impactful than a city which is acknowledged as "The Home Of The Blues, and The Birthplace Of Rock n Roll"? Richmond has never played in that league.
Less importantly, styles of cuisine generated from certain cities ten to define them along with other attributes. Memphis's name is undeniably tied to the finest smoked Barbeque, drawing hungry fans internationally. Even though I enjoyed Chinese cuisine, Chesapeake seafood, and a couple of other ethnic styles in Richmond more than in Memphis, that reputation for one famous food is not there.
Educationally, you can't beat UVA for in state students in particular. It's the best value in the nation as far as I know, but as good as VCU is, it doesn't top Vanderbilt and I would venture to say rivals The University Of Memphis and other state colleges. U of M for instance has various chairs of excellence, a world renown archeology department, and multiple award winning graduate programs of different types. U. of R. is good, but not on the level of Memphis's Rhodes College in most disciplines, so there's no clear educational advantage within these cities IMO.
Parkways & expressways hold an advantage in Richmond as I've mentioned before. I hope you enjoy them, since I've spent a great deal in tolls over several years helping to pay for them!
I've been to Richmond a few times, and lived in Nashville for 7 months. Personally, I think Nashville is fantastic. It's easy to get around and really accessible (though I didn't work conventional hours, so I'm not familiar with its rush hour which I hear is bad). People are so freaking friendly too. Probably my favorite thing.
Also, the neighborhood of East Nashville is laid back and really artsy with some really cool local spots. The houses are every color of the rainbow. I like Richmond a lot but I think Nashville has more goin' on if you're young and want a slightly more energized vibe.
Riding the coat tails of another city does what? Discredits your entire argument as to what your city's status is. I'm in Knoxville and I can be in Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville in 3 hours. Birmingham and Cincinatti in 4. So I guess that makes Knoxville a better town than Nashville, Memphis, and Richmond? I think not. It's still just a small college town (Knoxville). But I hope you see what I'm getting at.
You sure you're not getting Deeman804 and murksiderock mixed up?
I'll take the easy route here in the interest of time and piggyback on this response with a slightly different objective. Ditto the response to Richmond claiming a powerhouse of some sort in basketball vs. Memphis. The state of the art FedEx forum is home to the NBA Memphis Grizzlies who are headed back to the playoffs again, as well as the NCAA top ten attended U of M Tigers. Between the two on a given back to back game day or 24 hour period you could have 37,000 paid basketball butts in the seats. That will never be a scenario in Richmond, (nor in Nashville for that matter for the forseeable future).
When I lived in Richmond years ago we had a AAA baseball team in a pretty decent sleek ballpark, but that fell by the wayside and now they have something in a lower division called "Flying Squirrels"?! This is their only claim to pro sports as far as I know. The World Champion Cardinal organization's AAA team plays in Memphis's Autozone Park, the top of the line park in the nation, patterned somewhat after Camden Yards with the largest Jumbotron screen short of MLB. You may not want to bring sports venues and teams up as an important part of a city comparison in Richmond; I understand.
As to the music picture, a current genre popularized currently in a certain city is not as important to overall influence which shapes a culture historically as the birth of whole music types, such as Rock n Roll in general, Rythm & Blues, Soul, with the spin offs of Rap & Hiphop, etc. That being the case, what could be more impactful than a city which is acknowledged as "The Home Of The Blues, and The Birthplace Of Rock n Roll"? Richmond has never played in that league.
Less importantly, styles of cuisine generated from certain cities ten to define them along with other attributes. Memphis's name is undeniably tied to the finest smoked Barbeque, drawing hungry fans internationally. Even though I enjoyed Chinese cuisine, Chesapeake seafood, and a couple of other ethnic styles in Richmond more than in Memphis, that reputation for one famous food is not there.
Educationally, you can't beat UVA for in state students in particular. It's the best value in the nation as far as I know, but as good as VCU is, it doesn't top Vanderbilt and I would venture to say rivals The University Of Memphis and other state colleges. U of M for instance has various chairs of excellence, a world renown archeology department, and multiple award winning graduate programs of different types. U. of R. is good, but not on the level of Memphis's Rhodes College in most disciplines, so there's no clear educational advantage within these cities IMO.
Parkways & expressways hold an advantage in Richmond as I've mentioned before. I hope you enjoy them, since I've spent a great deal in tolls over several years helping to pay for them!
Don't they have an upper tier law school in Memphis as well? IMO, Richmond can't compare to Memphis or Nashville.
Don't they have an upper tier law school in Memphis as well? IMO, Richmond can't compare to Memphis or Nashville.
Economically I think Richmond can. Nashville and Memphis have higher GDPs (Memphis only barely), but Richmond has the lowest unemployment rate, the most F500 companies, and the highest per capita income of the bunch. Culturally, I think Memphis and Nashville have the upper hand, largely due to musical legacies (and higher ed in Nashville) although Richmond's greater historic importance is certainly not to be ignored. I think Richmond makes the most of its location along a river from a recreational standpoint. All in all, I think these cities make for a decent three-way comparison, although I put Nashville in a half-tier higher than Richmond and Memphis due to size.
Economically I think Richmond can. Nashville and Memphis have higher GDPs (Memphis only barely), but Richmond has the lowest unemployment rate, the most F500 companies, and the highest per capita income of the bunch. Culturally, I think Memphis and Nashville have the upper hand, largely due to musical legacies (and higher ed in Nashville) although Richmond's greater historic importance is certainly not to be ignored. I think Richmond makes the most of its location along a river from a recreational standpoint. All in all, I think these cities make for a decent three-way comparison, although I put Nashville in a half-tier higher than Richmond and Memphis due to size.
Strong points. I never really look at the job thing, because with my backgroun I can basically get a job anywhere I go. Not bragging, because the job thing is an important factor for most.
Richmond for me i love dense historic neighborhoods and the proximity of RVA's location.
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