what cities do the best/worst job at selling themselves (best cities, neighborhoods)

[AK123]

I assume this means cities that seem to have the best / worst PR (meaning it doesn't necessarily reflect reality)... for me these immediately come to mind...

Best at PR:
L.A.
NYC
Miami
Seattle
Austin
San Diego

Worst at PR:
Houston
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
... and maybe a few others in this list.

[lakal]

Originally Posted by krock1dk

As much as I hate admit it, my hometown of Indianapolis. Some people call it Naptown or a Brickyard in a Cornfield or India-no-place, and dont know anything about it. Indy is often under-rated because it has a hard time marketing itself outside the Indy 500. Many people think its just a Midwest city in "fly over territory", in the middle of a cornfield, that has nothing to offer. But this isnt true. It is a much better place to visit or live than many people would believe. Its a great place to raise a family, has a growing population, a number of cool museums, the downtown core is lively, it is the home to the NCAA, has 2 pro sports teams, and will be the home to the Super Bowl in 2012. But its hard to market yourself when you are a Midwest city in the middle of nothing. You cant fault Indy for that.

The Twin Cities are even more isolated, and they've done a pretty good job on marketing themselves as a culturally happening place. I still think that they're underrated, though.

[skinem]

Yakima, WA. Actually, a beautiful area--has suffered a poor reputation for years and has gotten worse as crime increases.
For a while years and years ago, it billed itself as "Yakima, the Palm Springs of Washington"...which, of course, if you've ever been to Palm Springs is absolutely hilarious. Of course, the settings are similar, but the towns themselves...no. There's even been signs that for years stood at the edge of town with that slogan on them.

Of course, that has led wags over the years to refer to Palm Springs as the Yakima of California...

Yakima actually has some pretty attractive features, but it's not sold well.

[noland123]

Miami does well to sell itself as it shows its skyline and beautiful beaches along with palm trees and beautiful women.

[SouthmoreAve]

Houston can easily be nominated for worst major city in selling themselves.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

Atlanta and Charlotte are pretty boosterish, so I think they belong near the top.

Atlanta did an excellent job at selling itself to the IOC...

Most cities try very hard to create a positive image. Some have a harder time than others.

[UrbanLover]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Houston easily is the worst.

Why do you say that?

I like Houston.

[wpmeads]

Originally Posted by UrbanLover

Why do you say that?

I like Houston.

Oh no Houston is a great city, but it would probably rank dead last in PR. Most people that visit Houston hate it because they hangout in all the spots that everyone in Houston knows are probably the most boring places in the city. The only people who seem enjoy visiting Houston are the ones who have friends here that know where to go in the city. There's a lot of cool place just not very famous. That's why most Houstonians consider Houston very bad at selling itself.

On the other hand, I think Austin needs to win a PR award. It seems like the city just came out of no where and is now arguably the most popular city in Texas.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by wpmeads

Oh no Houston is a great city, but it would probably rank dead last in PR. Most people that visit Houston hate it because they hangout in all the spots that everyone in Houston knows are probably the most boring places in the city. The only people who seem enjoy visiting Houston are the ones who have friends here that know where to go in the city. There's a lot of cool place just not very famous. That's why most Houstonians consider Houston very bad at selling itself.

On the other hand, I think Austin needs to win a PR award. It seems like the city just came out of no where and is now arguably the most popular city in Texas.

Exactly...it's not about whether you "like" the city - it's about which cities are good/bad at PR.

[wpmeads]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Exactly...it's not about whether you "like" the city - it's about which cities are good/bad at PR.

A lot of people don't know many of the great things Houston has to offer and dismiss it as boring. That was my point. When a city as a whole does a poor job showing the world its good qualities, that is a city that is very bad at selling itself.