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The Bay is hurt by being in a state that is a tier above other states. LA's CSA is more than twice as large as The Bay's. That kind of size disparity is hard to overcome. LA would have to be a backwater with relatively little commerce, entertainment or culture to give the Bay the nod. LA is none of these things. For the state of California, LA is the first city.
This is an extremely diplomatic way of saying San Francisco really isnt "second" to Los Angeles as far as primacy in California, and I tend to agree.
Yes, Los Angeles is far larger with 18 million people.
Yes, Los Angeles has a $1 Trillion economy.
Yes, Los Angeles is one of the most powerful media capitals in the world.
Yes on all counts.
But the Bay Area is the undisputed tech capital of the world.
And San Francisco is one of the most important financial centers in the world.
And like Los Angeles, San Francisco is a major international destination that has its own reputation and image around the world.
So it might not be as cut and dry as some might think.
I think those things make it cut-and-dry; it just so happens that the second-largest city/region in the state is also very high profile, just not quite at the level of the Alpha city.
I think those things make it cut-and-dry; it just so happens that the second-largest city/region in the state is also very high profile, just not quite at the level of the Alpha city.
I agree. LA is definitely number one in California.
I think those things make it cut-and-dry; it just so happens that the second-largest city/region in the state is also very high profile, just not quite at the level of the Alpha city.
Also, Los Angeles' primacy literally ends north of the Kern county line.
So that leaves 100,000 sq miles and 15 Million Californians who inequivocally refer to San Francisco as "The City"...
So while I appreciate largely uninformed, out-of-state guessing, really, for California, it's not cut and dry.
I wasn't using "Alpha city" in a technical, GaWC sense, but in the sense of being top dog in the state. That's clearly Los Angeles and it's pretty cut and dried; the difference is that they are two very powerful cities in their own right but one still comes out ahead; there's nothing "uninformed" about that, nor is it guesswork. Me not living in California also has nothing to do with it.
Umm San Francisco cannot be #2 at anything, at the very least we are tied for #1. Even as far as the nation is concerned, NYC may be bigger but per capita we are richer with more gazllionaires per capita, and wayyy prettier! Get it straight bro!
Umm San Francisco cannot be #2 at anything, at the very least we are tied for #1. Get it straight bro!
Umm sorry bro, but LA is bigger, richer, more productive, and more famous than San Francisco. Not knocking on SF, it's a world class city, but LA is just even more so of one.
San Francisco would be #1 in 48 states. It just happens to be one of the two states that has a city that is above it.
What about Illinois?
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