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This is meant to be a lighthearted thread: Which city do you find to be the most "complete"? Obviously this is subjective, but for me; for a city to be complete, it has to have the follwing:
Dense Urban Core
Extensive Public Transportation
High End Shopping Street - Nationally known stores that are local is a plus too
Local food scene (you automatically think of city when type of food is mentioned)
Recognizable from a single photo (standard city shot)
Local Sports Scene
Good ratio of locals/transplants
Strong ties to the past, but progressive as well
Storied ethnic neighborhoods
City Nickname
Several famous streets known simply by their name
Museums
I am sure others will come up with some good ideas for what makes a city complete as well. I am leaving New York off for obvious reasons, but I think Chicago, LA, SF, Philly, Boston, DC are all cities that have some or all of the qualities to be "complete". This is not a discussion for Metro areas, I am talking city limits only.
In my opinion, Chicago is the only city that meets all of my qualities, and what I would consider the only truly complete city in the Countryoutside of New York. Others have most of the other traits, but fall short on others. Philly and Boston would be my next closest.
If you moved Chicago to the coast, it would probably be the most complete city in this country, imo. It has great transit. A large, diverse population. Good ethnic food. Good sports. Great high end shopping. A nice, dense urban core.
If you moved Chicago to the coast, it would probably be the most complete city in this country, imo. It has great transit. A large, diverse population. Good ethnic food. Good sports. Great high end shopping. A nice, dense urban core.
What would you consider to be the most complete city in the country (outside of New York)?
DC and SF may be moreso than Philly and Boston on all the criteria. Chicago probably meets the most the best
LA is a wild card in too many ways
If I had to rank
Dense Urban Core - Chicago, SF/Philly, Boston, DC, LA (more than just residential ppsm)
Extensive Public Transportation - Chicago, DC, Boston, Philly, SF, LA
High End Shopping Street - Nationally known stores that are local is a plus too Chicago, SF/Boston, Philly, LA, DC
Local food scene (you automatically think of city when type of food is mentioned) Philly, Boston, Chicago, SF, LA, DC
Recognizable from a single photo (standard city shot) DC (Monuments Capital etc.), Chicago, SF, Philly, LA, Boston
Local Sports Scene - Philly/Boston/Chicago, SF, LA, DC
Good ratio of locals/transplants SF, LA, DC, Boston, Philly
Strong ties to the past, but progressive as well Boston, Philly/SF (pick the pasdt or progressive as more important), Chciago, LA, DC
Storied ethnic neighborhoods Philly, Boston, SF, Chicago, LA, DC
City Nickname Philly/LA, Boston, SF/DC
Several famous streets known simply by their name DC (PA Ave has to count for something),Chicago, LA, SF/Boston/Philly
Museums DC, Chicago, Boston/LA/Phily/SF
All do pretty well on most - maybe the best set of complete cities after NYC
What would you consider to be the most complete city in the country (outside of New York)?
Chicago. Even though it's not on the ocean, it's still a complete city. If it were on the ocean, it would be the most complete city in this country, imo.
Chicago. Even though it's not on the ocean, it's still a complete city. If it were on the ocean, it would be the most complete city in this country, imo.
I know this is all hypothetical, but Chicago would not be what it is without it's current location. Also, The Lake Michigan setting is better than anything that could be provided on the ocean IMO. You really cant have a city built on the open ocean like you can on Lake Michigan.
High End Shopping Street - Nationally known stores that are local is a plus too
Chicago, Boston, LA, SF, Philly, DC
Local food scene (you automatically think of city when type of food is mentioned)
LA, Chicago, SF, Boston, Philly, DC
Recognizable from a single photo (standard city shot)
SF, LA, Chicago, DC, Boston, Philly
Local Sports Scene
Chicago, Philly, Boston, LA, DC, SF (have no idea on this)
Good ratio of locals/transplants
Philly, Chicago, SF, Boston, LA, DC
Strong ties to the past, but progressive as well
Chicago, Philly, Boston, SF, LA, DC
Storied ethnic neighborhoods
Boston, Chicago, Philly, LA, DC, SF
City Nickname
LA, Philly, DC, Boston, Chicago, SF
Several famous streets known simply by their name
LA, Chicago, DC, Boston, SF, Philly
Museums
DC, Chicago, LA, Boston, SF, Philly
By going strictly by city limits, LA and Boston are definitely the most hampered as they lose places that are basically intertwined into the city (Santa Monica, Somerville, Cambridge, West Hollywood, East LA, Brookline, Beverly Hills). For example, LA was #1 for my high-end shopping until I remembered Rodeo Dr. is not in LA.
Overall I guess Chicago but these are all pretty complete cities.
DC and SF may be moreso than Philly and Boston on all the criteria. Chicago probably meets the most the best
LA is a wild card in too many ways
If I had to rank
Dense Urban Core - Chicago, SF/Philly, Boston, DC, LA (more than just residential ppsm)
Extensive Public Transportation - Chicago, DC, Boston, Philly, SF, LA
High End Shopping Street - Nationally known stores that are local is a plus too Chicago, SF/Boston, Philly, LA, DC
Local food scene (you automatically think of city when type of food is mentioned) Philly, Boston, Chicago, SF, LA, DC
Recognizable from a single photo (standard city shot) DC (Monuments Capital etc.), Chicago, SF, Philly, LA, Boston
Local Sports Scene - Philly/Boston/Chicago, SF, LA, DC
Good ratio of locals/transplants SF, LA, DC, Boston, Philly
Strong ties to the past, but progressive as well Boston, Philly/SF (pick the pasdt or progressive as more important), Chciago, LA, DC
Storied ethnic neighborhoods Philly, Boston, SF, Chicago, LA, DC
City Nickname Philly/LA, Boston, SF/DC
Several famous streets known simply by their name DC (PA Ave has to count for something),Chicago, LA, SF, Boston
Museums DC, Chicago, Boston/LA/Phily/SF
All do pretty well on most - maybe the best set of complete cities after NYC
Generally agree with your list except on the following:
I found SF to be mostly transplants, Philly/Boston/Chicago have more ideal ration in my opinion (I probably didn't explain that criteria well enough).
City Nickname - The Windy City!
Local food scene - I can't think of a single reason Boston should be higher than Chicago
Generally agree with your list except on the following:
I found SF to be mostly transplants, Philly/Boston/Chicago have more ideal ration in my opinion (I probably didn't explain that criteria well enough).
City Nickname - The Windy City!
Local food scene - I can't think of a single reason Boston should be higher than Chicago
Fair enough (Forgot Chicago on the ratio to me would be very similar to Philly however ranked)
On nickname, if Philly is a nickname it is what it is, if not Windy City and Bean town jump to mind most
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