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I know people think Austin is overrated and overhyped and all that, but facts are facts and Austin's rapid ascent over the past 20-30 years or so simply can't be denied.
Austin is only overrated in the sense of people clamoring for it as a Top 20 city. It definitely has a significant profile and its ascension is why it gets the burn that it does...
Can't that be a somewhat arbitrary standard though, depending on the city? Some places that are technically suburbs operate more as an urban neighborhood within the city, are more urban than some places within the primary city, and are connected to the primary city via ra transit (e.g., downtown Silver Spring, downtown Decatur).
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Great point on the university presence though, although I think it's easily notable that Dallas' higher ed infrastructure is greater than Miami's. I actually don't find Miami and Dallas interchangeable at all but regardless, I definitely agree there isn't any great margin between the two...
Miami can be hard to categorize or rank because unlike other internationally important cities in the U.S., Miami isn't quite as important domestically given its size (its relative geographical isolation being a big reason for that). I think this is demonstrated by the fact that it has a lot fewer F500 headquarters (eight) than peer metros but has dozens of domestic corporate Latin American headquarters and U.S. headquarters of Latin American firms. Also it doesn't really excel domestically in any particular economic sector. At the same time, its size and international significance clearly make it a major player, so all of this combined gets it ranked a bit lower than its size/GDP would suggest. Dallas is a different beast altogether.
Austin is only overrated in the sense of people clamoring for it as a Top 20 city. It definitely has a significant profile and its ascension is why it gets the burn that it does...
Agreed; some people even seem threatened by Austin's rapid rise. Although that kind of breakneck growth comes with its own set of drawbacks, what it has been able to do and the way the city leveraged its assets to do it is nothing short of impressive in my book, and I consider it to be a shining example of a true 21st century city. I also think that Austin has what it takes to muscle its way into the top 20 one day, maybe even within the next 20 years.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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particularly banks--Miami does have the 2nd largest concentration of international banks, behind only NYC.
I agree, it can be hard to categorize. Small business dominates here, rather than US corporate Fortune 500 presence. Not really a surprise given its minority majority status (nearly 70% Latino), which favors/leans heavily towards entrepreneurial and small business ownership.
Miami can be hard to categorize or rank because unlike other internationally important cities in the U.S., Miami isn't quite as important domestically given its size (its relative geographical isolation being a big reason for that). I think this is demonstrated by the fact that it has a lot fewer F500 headquarters (eight) than peer metros but has dozens of domestic corporate Latin American headquarters and U.S. headquarters of Latin American firms.
Last edited by elchevere; 04-25-2020 at 10:27 AM..
Agreed; some people even seem threatened by Austin's rapid rise. Although that kind of breakneck growth comes with its own set of drawbacks, what it has been able to do and the way the city leveraged its assets to do it is nothing short of impressive in my book, and I consider it to be a shining example of a true 21st century city. I also think that Austin has what it takes to muscle its way into the top 20 one day, maybe even within the next 20 years.
I don't think people seem threatened by its rise. The city still lacks infrastructure to support the growth and blacks continue to move out farther due to the rising cost of living. It is not a top 20 city, and won't be for a while.
They are, just as many are threatened by the rise of your own city.
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The city still lacks infrastructure to support the growth and blacks continue to move out farther due to the rising cost of living.
Austin is just one of many booming cities where this is the case. Austin deliberately failed to invest in infrastructure in the hopes that it would deter growth but people kept moving there anyway which demonstrates its desirability. Now it has no choice but to beef up the infrastructure since folks are gonna relocate there regardless.
And gentrification is happening everywhere. Sad to say but I don't know of one city whose success has been contingent on stopping or reversing gentrification.
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It is not a top 20 city, and won't be for a while.
Not sure what you mean by "a while," but I can definitely see it getting there within 20 years. Its growth rate has been insane for the past couple of years and it will emerge from this COVID-19 crisis as one of the more resilient cities due to its economic underpinnings. Everything points to Austin heading towards top 20 status within our lifetimes. Folks' dislike of the city has no bearing on reality.
I don't think people are giving San Diego enough credit on here. I personally would place it above Minneapolis and Denver. Maybe even Detroit and Phoenix. It's not a big city vibe, but it packs a punch.
San Diego flies under the radar for most Americans. But ultimately, that is just due to lack of awareness and outdated perceptions as a "beach town" or "military town".
The binational region has nearly 5.5 million residents and San Diego has at least 3-4 industries of global relevance (defense, telecommunications, biotech/life sciences, trade). It also wouldn't surprise me if San Diego-Tijuana had more manufacturing output than these other regions. https://www.sandiego.gov/economic-de...o/maquiladoras
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And what it lacks in its downtown, it makes up for in neighborhoods/ districts all across the city. And the downtown is functional/ interesting too.
IMO under rated.
What is San Diego lacking in its downtown relative to these other options? In general, I find the other cities' downtowns to be more lacking, although Denver is pretty much on-par. Downtown Phoenix looks like DTSD 40-50 years ago.
The answer to where would you rather live would seem to be Miami on its surface, but the actual data supports more people choose Dallas. I think most people make informed decisions on where to live, they don't look at it in a vacuum of only warm weather and on the water, all the other characteristics and variables count, too...
I'm certainly not ignorant of the fact that many people would move to Miami if they wanted to, or if they could, but would more people really move to Miami than Dallas? Personally, Miami wouldn't even be the Florida city I'd choose first, add in the fact that since I don't move anywhere to go live in the suburbs (I enjoy city life), the fact that the city of Miami has the most rapidly declining black population in the country is alarming and enough to stay away. This is what happened to San Francisco and I have no desire to live in a city that is pushing black people out, and I have no desire to live in any city's suburbs...
Great point on the university presence though, although I think it's easily notable that Dallas' higher ed infrastructure is greater than Miami's. I actually don't find Miami and Dallas interchangeable at all but regardless, I definitely agree there isn't any great margin between the two...
I don't think Miami is trying to push black people out. The city is gentrifying and what is left of the black neighborhoods are mostly lower income hence you now have developers buying into areas like Overtown & Liberty City and they are driving prices up.
It's quite interesting to see what has been going on in Miami because in the 80's & 90's it was one of the Top 5 poorest cities in the country. Now it's not even in the Top 25.
San Diego flies under the radar for most Americans. But ultimately, that is just due to lack of awareness and outdated perceptions as a "beach town" or "military town".
The binational region has nearly 5.5 million residents and San Diego has at least 3-4 industries of global relevance (defense, telecommunications, biotech/life sciences, trade). It also wouldn't surprise me if San Diego-Tijuana had more manufacturing output than these other regions. https://www.sandiego.gov/economic-de...o/maquiladoras
What is San Diego lacking in its downtown relative to these other options? In general, I find the other cities' downtowns to be more lacking, although Denver is pretty much on-par. Downtown Phoenix looks like DTSD 40-50 years ago.
I don't think its downtown is lacking. It's just smallish. I guess not really compared to MSP and Denver..
But everything you said is on point, totally agree.
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