Austin vs Charlotte vs Columbus vs Indianapolis vs Sacramento (raise, best, state)
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exactly. Someone who hasn't been to Columbus' urban areas around downtown, in the last few years, doesn't realize how complete the urban fabric of Columbus' central core is.
Columbus' central core liberal, fun, hip, gentrified but still gritty here and there. The central city is progressive and embraces local establishments and culture to the max.
Downtown itself is more of a business district, it's the areas surrounding that are impressive and show how columbus has a independent, fun, hip culture that does differ it from Charlotte or Indy. Those who only see downtown proper don't see this side of columbus.
Economy wise Columbus has fully recovered from the recession and is growing beyond pre recession figures. Austin and Columbus are both the strongest here economically.
I can agree with you but I do disagree with some of your point of view. For one, Charlotte stores actually have a strong economy and is actually the largest out of the group. Also, if your assessment about Columbus holds true, meaning dt is mostly CBD, the same is true of Charlotte. Outside of dt you have NoDa, Southend, and the NC Music Factory. While I will not go to say these areas added mute vibrant than the Short North, I will say they are comparable.
exactly. Someone who hasn't been to Columbus' urban areas around downtown, in the last few years, doesn't realize how complete the urban fabric of Columbus' central core is.
Columbus' central core liberal, fun, hip, gentrified but still gritty here and there. The central city is progressive and embraces local establishments and culture to the max.
Downtown itself is more of a business district, it's the areas surrounding that are impressive and show how columbus has a independent, fun, hip culture that does differ it from Charlotte or Indy. Those who only see downtown proper don't see this side of columbus.
Damn, I sort of agreed with you until the last paragraph.
Quote:
Originally Posted by streetcreed
Economy wise Columbus has fully recovered from the recession and is growing beyond pre recession figures. Austin and Columbus are both the strongest here economically.
1, no city in America has "fully recovered from the recession", as it has just "officially" been called over.
2, Austin? Yes. Columbus? Not so much. As the previous poster said, Charlotte is definitely ahead. Both Charlotte and Austin are within the top 10 of almost every list relevant to jobs/job creations out there. Columbus? No.
exactly. Someone who hasn't been to Columbus' urban areas around downtown, in the last few years, doesn't realize how complete the urban fabric of Columbus' central core is.
Columbus' central core liberal, fun, hip, gentrified but still gritty here and there. The central city is progressive and embraces local establishments and culture to the max.
Downtown itself is more of a business district, it's the areas surrounding that are impressive and show how columbus has a independent, fun, hip culture that does differ it from Charlotte or Indy. Those who only see downtown proper don't see this side of columbus.
Economy wise Columbus has fully recovered from the recession and is growing beyond pre recession figures. Austin and Columbus are both the strongest here economically.
Yes Columbus was nice and u could feel how liberal the place was.. Gays were partying with straight folks everyone was just having a good time .. Race was not a issue there either lots and lots of interracial couples. I enjoyed gallery hop on Saturday also enjoyed the live Raggae bands that played at skullys on Sunday . I also like the fact that after the club there were lots of sidewalk eatery stands that sold gyros pizza hotdogs etc ..Awesome city man
I've been to all five cities a number of times on business, and I'm not sure I'm prepared to rate them. Still, I can provide a few impressions:
Austin: A wonderful place; not particularly urban in the traditional sense, but I wouldn't expect that of a city in Texas. A great, rollicking, wide-open town with lots of great clubs, barbecue, and an excellent arts and music scene. A great image around the country, as some have mentioned, because of Austin City Limits and SXSW and some other headline events. I wonder, however, if it has the economic backbone to really augment the impact of UT and state government... somebody may be able to correct me on this, but it's always been my impression that the city is highly dependent on both.
Charlotte: I like Charlotte a lot, but not for obvious reasons. I like it because you can get a great hamburger or good barbecue after driving out of downtown about ten miles right before hitting a state border. The high-rises in downtown are impressive, but not really representative to me of what the community's all about. I admit that I was a little peeved after Hugh McColl got the better of David Coulter and essentially carpetbagged Bank of America out of San Francisco, very much a superior city (a move that would have had A.P. Giannini rolling over in his grave and looking for a Mossberg), but I don't think that animosity influences my overall judgment that this is not a city that will rise above second-tier status anytime soon. That's not a knock - I like it a lot. I just think it'll be a great secret for those who choose to explore it.
Columbus: Each time I've been to Columbus, I've taken colleagues out to the Short North and we've had great meals. The city doesn't exactly strike me as the most diverse place on Earth, and that may impact its economic future, but it's a friendly, fun place.
Indianapolis: I like this city, too. Every time I go there I drag clients to the St. Elmo Steak House or Harry & Izzy's (owned by the same folks, I believe), and walk them over to Monument Circle. There's still that Carson, Pirie, Scott building over there, last I checked, which is great in itself. The presence of the Colts helps this city's sports landscape significantly and generates economic activity.
Sacramento: I believe this city may not be the current frontrunner (I'd give that to Austin, despite its lack of major-league sports franchises), but it might well be the best bet for the future. You have a lot of people moving out of the Bay Area and the Los Angeles region who don't want to relocate from California but need a cheaper and less stressful option, and a community that's hungry for arts and entertainment and willing to shell out public money to attract well-paying companies and try to keep its only major-league team (despite the recalcitrance of the Maloofs).
I don't like doing rankings, but I'll least put Austin #1 at the moment and Sacramento #2, with no disrespect intended for any of the other cities.
Damn, I sort of agreed with you until the last paragraph.
1, no city in America has "fully recovered from the recession", as it has just "officially" been called over.
2, Austin? Yes. Columbus? Not so much. As the previous poster said, Charlotte is definitely ahead. Both Charlotte and Austin are within the top 10 of almost every list relevant to jobs/job creations out there. Columbus? No.
I've been to all five cities a number of times on business, and I'm not sure I'm prepared to rate them. Still, I can provide a few impressions:
Austin: A wonderful place; not particularly urban in the traditional sense, but I wouldn't expect that of a city in Texas. A great, rollicking, wide-open town with lots of great clubs, barbecue, and an excellent arts and music scene. A great image around the country, as some have mentioned, because of Austin City Limits and SXSW and some other headline events. I wonder, however, if it has the economic backbone to really augment the impact of UT and state government... somebody may be able to correct me on this, but it's always been my impression that the city is highly dependent on both.
Charlotte: I like Charlotte a lot, but not for obvious reasons. I like it because you can get a great hamburger or good barbecue after driving out of downtown about ten miles right before hitting a state border. The high-rises in downtown are impressive, but not really representative to me of what the community's all about. I admit that I was a little peeved after Hugh McColl got the better of David Coulter and essentially carpetbagged Bank of America out of San Francisco, very much a superior city (a move that would have had A.P. Giannini rolling over in his grave and looking for a Mossberg), but I don't think that animosity influences my overall judgment that this is not a city that will rise above second-tier status anytime soon. That's not a knock - I like it a lot. I just think it'll be a great secret for those who choose to explore it.
Columbus: Each time I've been to Columbus, I've taken colleagues out to the Short North and we've had great meals. The city doesn't exactly strike me as the most diverse place on Earth, and that may impact its economic future, but it's a friendly, fun place.
Indianapolis: I like this city, too. Every time I go there I drag clients to the St. Elmo Steak House or Harry & Izzy's (owned by the same folks, I believe), and walk them over to Monument Circle. There's still that Carson, Pirie, Scott building over there, last I checked, which is great in itself. The presence of the Colts helps this city's sports landscape significantly and generates economic activity.
Sacramento: I believe this city may not be the current frontrunner (I'd give that to Austin, despite its lack of major-league sports franchises), but it might well be the best bet for the future. You have a lot of people moving out of the Bay Area and the Los Angeles region who don't want to relocate from California but need a cheaper and less stressful option, and a community that's hungry for arts and entertainment and willing to shell out public money to attract well-paying companies and try to keep its only major-league team (despite the recalcitrance of the Maloofs).
I don't like doing rankings, but I'll least put Austin #1 at the moment and Sacramento #2, with no disrespect intended for any of the other cities.
I don't really get Sacramento. I have never seen or heard anything about it recently, unlike all the others on the list. It just strikes me as very much a 2nd-3rd tier city in California and not much else. All 4 others at least have their names out there making waves.
And your diversity comment about Columbus is strange. It doesn't have the highest white population of the bunch, has the 2nd highest AA populations, is not the lowest in Asians, has the 2nd highest 2 or more race populations, etc. The only group it was low on was Hispanics (5.6%), but it did have one of the fastest rates of growth in the group in that catergory. Same with Asians.
I don't really get Sacramento. I have never seen or heard anything about it recently, unlike all the others on the list. It just strikes me as very much a 2nd-3rd tier city in California and not much else. All 4 others at least have their names out there making waves.
Funny because we never hear about Columbus, OH here on the West Coast. What is Columbus known for anyway? Seems like the step-child to Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Funny because we never hear about Columbus, OH here on the West Coast. What is Columbus known for anyway? Seems like the step-child to Cleveland and Cincinnati.
I'm not surprised, there seems to be many West Coasters oblivious to anything east of the Sierra.
I'm not from the East Coast, either, so no. I don't really like Charlotte, for example. And I hear about other West Coast cities all the time... just not Sacramento. At least not like I do the others in this comparison, anyway. Whatever name it's making for itself, it seems to not be making much nationally.
And let's be honest, it's the smallest city by far of the group, and not the fastest growing, so why would it reach major status before some others in the group, as apparently more people believe? The city proper population is the smallest by far and the metro population is only the largest because it includes several times more land area than the next largest. It has 5x more area than Columbus, for example.
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