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As far as relevance and influence today as far as driving the economy and trends, the Bay Area is probably no lower than 2nd
The Bay Area is 2nd as far as corporate concentration and globally recognized corporate brands.
The Bay Area is 1st(by far) when it comes to annual patents issued.
Billions of people around the world access information and project their lives to the rest of the world on platforms that originate in the Bay.
Billions.
Imagine if suddenly Google, Facebook, YouTube, gmail, Wikipedia, Craigslist, Twitter, LinkedIn all decided to shut down. Imagine if that shutdown were accompanied by Apple and Android wireless operating systems also shut down.
All this talk of Riverside and Philly are cute but neither of those 2 places wield the immense global power that Bay Area companies collectively possess.
New York and DC to me are the only other 2 that could reak that kind of havoc in the world.
Exactly. The Bay Area is the unofficial capital of the internet. In cyberspace, it's the most influential city in the WORLD.
I just have to ask, though, is Houston more influential than the Bay Area? Is Seattle? Is Atlanta? Is Dallas? Boston? Philly? Miami? We still haven't heard from the 6-10 crew yet...
None of them are. I don't see the current top 5 being penetrated by the next 6-10 anytime soon. The Bay Area is SOLID where it's at.
Exactly. The Bay Area is the unofficial capital of the internet. In cyberspace, it's the most influential city in the WORLD.
Well, since the 6-10 crowd obviously isn't posting, I guess I'll play devils advocate (again, I really think that SF is a top 5 city in the United States)
But what about things outside of cyberspace?
It seems that San Francisco can be argued to appeal to a niche group of people. Unlike NYC, LA, or CHI, SF seems to appeal more to a niche crowd to the average American than the all-encompassing nature of the top 3 cities in the United States.
Some could argue that Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, Houston, or Atlanta are even more encompassing than SF.
If you remove Silicon Valley, you can hear arguments for Boston & Houston to be ranked ahead of San Francisco I think...but the Bay Area as a whole (which I believe is how that region should be measured) is definitely Top 5.
This. The differentiation between the SF/OAK and SJ MSAs by the Census Bureau seems to fool some people into believing that the two areas are distinctly separate. There are obvious differences between the primary cities, but it's very much one large, cohesive economically and culturally influential area. Definitely one of the top 5. I consider Boston, Dallas, Houston, etc. to be in the 6-10 crew and as a Boston resident and fan, I have no problem with that.
Well, since the 6-10 crowd obviously isn't posting, I guess I'll play devils advocate (again, I really think that SF is a top 5 city in the United States)
But what about things outside of cyberspace?
It seems that San Francisco can be argued to appeal to a niche group of people. Unlike NYC, LA, or CHI, SF seems to appeal more to a niche crowd to the average American than the all-encompassing nature of the top 3 cities in the United States.
Some could argue that Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, Houston, or Atlanta are even more encompassing than SF.
This makes no sense whatsoever. SF has been a migratory city and a hub of immigration since its founding. In fact, when you look at age, it's the youngest major city in the country...and considering the local phrase that someone born in the city who still lives here is a "unicorn", you can imagine how transient it is. The difference between transiency here and elsewhere, though, is that people fall in love with the city and the general area for the long term. There's not a culture of "putting in your time" before moving to Atlanta or Dallas. People move here, stay in the city as long as they can, then move to an adjacent county so they can still work and use the city.
Considering all of the cultural revolutions of the place, I don't see how you can say that this area doesn't appeal to a broad base of people. The attitude of the Bay Area, and really much of the West, has been entrepreneurial from the get-go. Chicago has a definite Midwest mindset. New York has a work until you burnout mindset, but has been slowly adopting more and more the SF laissez faire culture (whereas SF has been meeting NYC in the middle and becoming a little more intense). DC? Talk about defined!! People come to the Bay Area with an idea and a hope of making something of it. There is a reason this is the innovation hub of the world, and it's not all software/web development. The economy here encompasses a lot. The politics here is local and in your face.
If you had to naively say that there is a definite "niche" of people in SF/Bay Area, what pray tell would you say it is? Both LA and SF are cities where people move to to make their dreams/ideas come true (or at least that's the hope).
Well, since the 6-10 crowd obviously isn't posting, I guess I'll play devils advocate (again, I really think that SF is a top 5 city in the United States)
But what about things outside of cyberspace?
It seems that San Francisco can be argued to appeal to a niche group of people. Unlike NYC, LA, or CHI, SF seems to appeal more to a niche crowd to the average American than the all-encompassing nature of the top 3 cities in the United States.
Some could argue that Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, Houston, or Atlanta are even more encompassing than SF.
The Bay Area/SV is absolutely Top 5. Personally I think how you arrange the Top 5 is up for debate, but NYC, LA, Chicago, SF and DC seem to be pretty much set. I do not see anyone in the 6-10 crowd creeping up there anytime soon. Yes Houston has energy, Atlanta media, Philly pharma and Boston is probably the 2nd most innovative place on the planet after SF, but none of them are on the Bay Area's level.
If you do this by CSA, then I would consider NYC, LA, Chicago, Washington, Boston, and SF (not in that order) to be the most important. I'm just not certain which one I would bump out of the top 5 though.
If you do this by CSA, then I would consider NYC, LA, Chicago, Washington, Boston, and SF (not in that order) to be the most important. I'm just not certain which one I would bump out of the top 5 though.
I agree 100% with that Top 6. Personally I think its clear that Boston ends up on the outside at #6 and I say that as a resident who thinks fondly of the city in general.
I agree 100% with that Top 6. Personally I think its clear that Boston ends up on the outside at #6 and I say that as a resident who thinks fondly of the city in general.
I'll take you word for it as a resident.
As someone who's in the middle of the country though, I'll say that it was hard for me to pick because the cities differ in the type of influence that they have. Looking at Washington, SF, and Boston, Washington has the federal government, SF is the epicenter of tech field right now, and Boston would be the intellectual capital that also has a large tech field itself.
I agree 100% with that Top 6. Personally I think its clear that Boston ends up on the outside at #6 and I say that as a resident who thinks fondly of the city in general.
Put me in this category too. Boston definitely falls outside of the top 5 when it comes to CSA.
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