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Here's the order I'd put them in:
1. NYC (I think this one's pretty obvious infact I think it's up there with London for the most important city in the world. Financial capital of the world basically)
2. Washington DC (Only ranked so highly because it's the nation's capital)
3. Philadelphia (Lots of history and probably the best local cuisine of any city in the country; cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, and who can forget Wawa hoagies. I only put it ahead of Boston because of its much larger size and population. Gets overlooked though and has an inferiority complex because of its location between NYC and DC but still manages to have its own identity).
4. Boston (Also lots of history and the cultural capital of New England. Most sports crazed town in the whole country and the higher education capital of the world. Global city when it comes to technology, bioengineering, education, medicine, science. Too isolated to be in anyone else's shadow. This city really has its own identity).
5. Baltimore (In DC's shadow and doesn't really have its own identity at all. Only things worth seeing here are the Aquarium and Fort McHenry and the Aquarium is very overrated. The whole city isn't safe including the Inner Harbor these days).
This list is definitely up for debate so let me know what you think the order is.
Here's what I think the next 5 most important cities in the Northeast are that round out the top 10. I'm just posting this for sh!ts and giggles:
6. Providence, RI
7. New Haven, CT
8. Hartford, CT
9. Newark, NJ
10. Wilmington, DE
Last edited by yankeesfan27; 09-04-2015 at 10:28 PM..
Reason: I wanted to make changes
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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You're gonna get flamed for your Baltimore comment. The Charm City DEFINITELY has its own identity, culture and even accent. I agree with your rankings (though you'll also catch reasonable debate for your Philly/Boston ranking) but Baltimore is VERY distinct.
You're gonna get flamed for your Baltimore comment. The Charm City DEFINITELY has its own identity, culture and even accent. I agree with your rankings (though you'll also catch reasonable debate for your Philly/Boston ranking) but Baltimore is VERY distinct.
I agree posts like those is what you get when people don't know much about a place.
Boston is the most sports crazed city in the country?
I think the Celtics and Bruins need to show they can sell out games without the help of a championship first.
Philadelphia has one championship since 1983 and their attendance numbers are better than Boston's.
People get a little overzealous because Boston teams win a lot, and it may be one of the most annoying things on here.
The Red Sox are the only Boston team that sells out win or lose. The Patriots would have half the fanbase if it weren't for Brady and Belichick and the Celtics and Bruins didn't sell out just before they own titles in 2008 and 2011.
Buffalo and Philadelphia (among others) sell out win or lose, and have 1 combined title between both of them in the last 32 years.
I would put Boston over Philly. I didn't look up figures, but my sense is that it's wealthier and leads in education. I'd rather live in Philly though.
Baltimore certainly has a unique identity. That's why I live here. It's a fascinating mix of Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian culture that has developed independent of DC or Philadelphia. Baltimore has its own accent, it's own cuisine, it's own colloquial idiosyncrasies. I would say that it's identity is more unique than DC even, which is a melting pot of people from all over the country. However, this thread is about power, and I would agree that DC saps power from Baltimore, hence me putting it behind Pittsburgh, Rochester, and Buffalo (albeit just barely behind the later).
Rochester and Buffalo are almost interchangeable as they're almost identical is size and have similar problems. However, I think that Rochester's stronger economy (it's the only metro in Upstate New York not losing population), old money, and cultural institutions give it an edge over Buffalo's international location. I'd still prefer to live in Buffalo because I think it's more fun and has more character.
Hartford is an oddball. I don't see it's MSA as being particularly in important in the region; I'd place it above Providence, Syracuse, and New Haven, but below the other cities in the top ten. However, Hartford's CSA includes Springfield, Amherst, Northampton, and Holyoke in Massachusetts. If you include those other cities, Harford's prominence would be much higher in the list. Likely between Pittsburgh and Rochester.
Ranked by MSA
1- NYC
2- DC
3- Boston
4- Philly
5- Pittsburgh
6- Rochester
7- Buffalo-Niagara Falls
8- Baltimore
9- Albany-Troy-Schenectady
10-Hartford
Last edited by Dawn.Davenport; 09-07-2015 at 06:44 PM..
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