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Washington, D.C = underrated....ppl think D.C is all about govt, politics, and the whitehouse....D.C culture runs deep and has deep roots....ppl dont know about go-go music, the fashion trends, the lingo, redskins nation, the carry- outs ....the AA history of D.C .....
I would say that with the exception of New Orleans and Miami, the southern and southwestern cities are all underrated by many people on this forum. A lot of people on here simply refuse to believe that culture exists in the south, which is pretty ridiculous.
I would never argue that Southern cities are without any culture. When used in the broadest sense, “culture” exists everywhere. As I perceive the term to be used here, it means things such as museums, theaters, orchestras, art galleries, opera, ballet, film festivals, etc. I may well be using the term more narrowly than others… if so, my apologies.
To be sure, all big cities possess these amenities. The question is whether they exist in a given city at an extraordinarily high level of professionalism. Having a couple of good…but not great museums and a second-tier symphony orchestra does not make a city a cultural destination.
I would argue that if you look south of St Louis and west of Minneapolis, you really only have three cities with a highly developed art/culture scene: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Atlanta and Dallas are big cities, but are, at best, on a par with a host of smaller Eastern and Midwestern cities. Seattle, San Diego, and Denver have adequate cultural scenes, but can’t compete with similarly-sized cities to the east of them. Phoenix and Miami, from my experiences, are close to be being cultural wastelands.
I’m really not down on the Sunbelt or the West. I think much of it has to do with the fact that most Southern and Western cities are relatively new. The great cities of the East and Midwest have had a lot longer to develop a cultural profile. The art organizations in those cities have typically been around much longer. This means deeper community roots, better national and international connections, and larger financial endowments. Many of the cities of the South (and the West) have a lot going for them; I just think that art and culture typically aren’t among them.
Fort Worth is actually a very underrated city for culture, at least in Texas. The city has world renowned art museums, a number of live theatre venues, a bustling restaurant scene, excellent architecture in the central city, and a growing artist community.
Houston is highly overrated--by Houstonians! They brag about their theater district as being "second only to NYC" but if you read the fine print, the houston theater district is 2nd in number of theaters in one compact area, very few theaters exist outside of a 6 block area. Many other cities have far more reputable theaters, just not in one area (San Diego comes to mind, for example).
pretty broad category, but i would say just for starters; los angeles, washington dc, cleveland, miami, houston and nashville are underrated for some of the things you mention. Too many people think la only has hollywood for example. Another city might be memphis.
Washington, D.C = underrated....ppl think D.C is all about govt, politics, and the whitehouse....D.C culture runs deep and has deep roots....ppl dont know about go-go music, the fashion trends, the lingo, redskins nation, the carry- outs ....the AA history of D.C .....
Underrated World-Class Cultural Institutions
Minneapolis
Houston
Cleveland
Not Exactly World-Class But Surprisingly Underrated Nonetheless
Winnipeg
Milwaukee
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
Aptly Rated
New York
Chicago
Washington DC
Montreal
Toronto
San Francisco
Philadelphia
Overrated
Portland, OR
Not Sure
Atlanta
Boston
Dallas
LA
Vancouver
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boredatwork
