Austin vs Pittsburgh vs Denver vs Nashville (live, best, cost)
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.
All are great cities; Nashville is a cool city, but its not in the same league as Denver and Pittsburgh though. Austin is close to Nashville's size, but can punch above its weight.
All are great cities; Nashville is a cool city, but its not in the same league as Denver and Pittsburgh though. Austin is close to Nashville's size, but can punch above its weight.
I like Austin the best out of all these cities but I am moving to Nashville and I love that place. Everyone's opinions and tastes are different. Like the Dude said Thats like your opinion MAN lol
Nashville is "Music City," and Austin is well-known for its music festivals. Pittsburgh has an underrated film industry and an underrated music festival (VIA). Denver is the only major city within 500 miles, so it's bound to be the entertainment destination for a thinly-populated region of the country.
Austin and Denver have been "cool" cities for a long time, and Pittsburgh and Nashville have only recently been paid much attention to, so the cost of everything in Austin and Denver is higher than it is in Pittsburgh and Nashville.
If you like new houses, Pittsburgh is the odd city out here. With that said, Pittsburgh is made of bricks and has lots of rowhouses, while the other three cities are overrun with McMansions.
SUBURBS: Denver, Nashville, Austin, Pittsburgh
Denver's western suburbs extend into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and Nashville has some wealthy suburbs where lots of musicians live. Austin only has a couple of notable suburbs. Many of Pittsburgh's "suburbs" are actually dying former company towns in the river valleys, though it does have some nice streetcar suburbs too.
FOOD: Nashville, Austin, Pittsburgh, Denver
Nashville has authentic BBQ and Southern-style food, and Austin has authentic BBQ and Mexican food. Pittsburgh has authentic ethnic European food. Denver has authentic Mexican food.
WEATHER: Denver, Austin, Nashville, Pittsburgh
That's how most people would rate it anyway, even though Pittsburgh is the least prone to extreme weather and natural disasters. Denver deals with blizzards, tornadoes, hail and extreme temperature swings. Austin and Nashville deal with tornadoes and extreme heat. Pittsburgh deals with blizzards and floods, plus clouds in the colder months. ZOMG TEH CLOWDZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
SHOPPING: Denver, Nashville, Austin, Pittsburgh
Denver is the wealthiest of the four cities, so it's bound to have the best shopping. It's pretty much a wash between the other three, though Pittsburgh is relatively new to upscale shopping.
Pittsburgh is actually located in a scenic area, as opposed to near it. Austin has some scenic areas near the west end of the city, but north, south and east are nothing special. Denver has a nice backdrop, but the city itself and most of its suburbs are located on a flat, bland steppe. Nashville has underrated scenery, but it doesn't quite compare to the other three.
GROWTH: Denver, Austin, Nashville, Pittsburgh
As I said before, Denver and Austin have been "cool" cities for a long time, so their reputation will make people want to move there. Nashville has an improving reputation as well. All three of them are growing "Sun Belt" cities. What's happening in Pittsburgh is more along the lines of molting than anything. As the city becomes younger and more vibrant, it's shedding much of its older population in the process, which means that absolute growth is effectively zero despite the improving economy and quality of life.
As I said before, Denver is the only major city within 500 miles, which lends it extra gravity and importance for its size. Pittsburgh fell on hard times late in the 20th Century, but it still has tremendous economic and cultural attributes, and has carved out a relatively large area of influence for a Northeastern city. Austin will continue to grow, but it will always be overshadowed by Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth. Nashville will continue to grow, but it will be overshadowed by Atlanta and the emerging Piedmont megalopolis.
JOBS: Denver, Austin, Nashville, Pittsburgh
This is simply a quantitative analysis. Pittsburgh is a slower-growth city than the other three. With that said, I believe there needs to be more qualitative analysis of employment opportunities, because even though Pittsburgh has been growing jobs more slowly than the other three, its incomes have been growing very briskly since 2000, which means that the jobs that are being created must be good jobs.
Somehow I'm getting the image of a game called "Hipster Twister". Paint a pie chart on the floor with section for the various cities. Portland needs to be included of course. A large lazy susan in the middle on which the hipster balances. A good spin and the Hipster points to their new home. :-)
At the present moment these cities all have a lot in common with their hipster cultures. My advice is to base your choice on climate or proximity to friends/family.
Somehow I'm getting the image of a game called "Hipster Twister". Paint a pie chart on the floor with section for the various cities. Portland needs to be included of course. A large lazy susan in the middle on which the hipster balances. A good spin and the Hipster points to their new home. :-)
At the present moment these cities all have a lot in common with their hipster cultures. My advice is to base your choice on climate or proximity to friends/family.
If you're adding Portland (OR) to that wheel, then you should also add Minneapolis. Then the wheel is complete for small to mid-size cities that are highly attractive for the 'Hipster' crowd. Oakland deserves an honorable mention, but usually it isn't considered its own entity as much as it is part of a bigger one (The Bay area).
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.
