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D.C. is easily the most European style city. It was modeled after European cities and Paris was its muse.
Boston is similar in that it has history and it was not planned in any sort of way, but other than that, it lacks the culture and art the European cities bring.
Anyone saying these midsized midwest cities have never been to the great European cities. LOL. Yes, St. Paul is SOOO much like Paris. And Kansas? Really? Come on people.
Anyone saying these midsized midwest cities have never been to the great European cities. LOL. Yes, St. Paul is SOOO much like Paris. And Kansas? Really? Come on people.
Ya know France and Britain are not the only countries in Europe, St Paul is closer to Central Europe( Germany, Austria)
and other cities are European like
Providence, Rhode Island http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.823605...5.75,,0,-16.31
D.C. is easily the most European style city. It was modeled after European cities and Paris was its muse.
I don't know that I would say "easily." DC certainly has its European inspirations, and its grand boulevards, circles and squares are meant to evoke Paris and similar western European cities. And a few areas do a reasonable impression.
But there are other American cities that do as well. I mentioned Boston's North End neighborhood and San Fran's waterfront as a couple of examples. Parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn have a bit of western European feel to them; ditto Center City Philadelphia.
I didn't say Saint Paul was like Paris, I said the way the Cathedral sits over the city is very reminiscent of European cities with height restrictions and said Saint Paul is a river city like Paris or London. There is more to Europe than Paris or London!! Saint Paul is very much like smaller sized European cities in Scandinavia. Paris, NYC London Tokyo all in a league of their own IMO just due to their size.
Everytime we have this poll we always come up with these cities:
Boston
New York
D.C.
New Orleans
Charleston
San Francisco
Santa Fe
Portand
But the thing is, ALL THESE CITIES are quintessential American.
I worked in Boston for 20 years and lived in Quincy. I also visited New Orleans. I wouldn't compare either with European cities. However, Boston is a great town especially for the young (up to 28 years old). The stylish part of the town is a small area. The rest is suburban sprawl. After business hours, only tourists and university students you find in Boston.
If you plan to move to Boston, you will have excellent culture centers such as theatres, museums, parks, shops and my favors the cafes.
I have lived in Portland a long time and have traveled quite a bit, including Europe. It would be difficult to say any American city is European-like in the sense of architecture, history etc. because of the time differential. However in the sense of European "feel" Portland is probably stronger in European character than most American cities. A lot of this has to do with the downtown block layout which is very small in scale. Also Portland has preserved much of it architecture from the past, giving it a sense of "time", compared to say Phoenix. Portland was also an early leader on mass transit development like light rail and streetcars, which reflect an European attitude....most American cities continue to focus on the automobile and the urban sprawl it encourages. This will not be sustainable...
D.C. is easily the most European style city. It was modeled after European cities and Paris was its muse.
Boston is similar in that it has history and it was not planned in any sort of way, but other than that, it lacks the culture and art the European cities bring.
This is a hard question. Honestly I don't feel like there is any city in the US that is completely European like. But if we were asking "which city in North America is most European" the winner would clearly be Montreal or Quebec City.
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