Most "Narnian" Cities (crime, taxes, castle)

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Here is the official definition from UrbanDictionary. I coined the modern usage of this term.

Someone with an unrealistic view of their city, bordering such ridiculousness it rivals the fantasy world C.S. Lewis invented in his Narnia book. Usually common among mid-sized cities, especially in the midwest and rust-belt regions. Very popular mentality among so-called "civic boosters", consists of constantly drawing absurd comparisons to New York City or Los Angeles, using off-the-rocker data such as having a X number of coffee shops on one block to justify major-city status.

The new Burger King in Indianapolis sold more whoppers than the one in New York City today! Dude, stop being Narnian.

I'm gonna go ahead and say...there are very few non-Narnian cities in the US. NYC and LA don't need to be Narnian. Same with SF and Seattle, although they are smaller than some of the heavily Narnian Texas cities.

Any place that is just known as a "cool" destination, somewhere people want to brag about that they visited - cannot be Narnian. Using that rationale, Miami and Vegas cannot be Narnian, even if they don't offer as much as bigger cities.

Midwest cities can get very carried away. Some of the stuff you read here, the lengths these posters goto prove "density" makes CS Lewis' Narnia look normal.

Your thoughts?

Wait, I can't find this definition anywhere. Did you just come up with all this on your own and write it to vent off on the Midwest?

If you're so unhappy there - leave. It's no use to crap on everyone else and spout off stuff just because you're not digging the location or what it has to offer.

[RonnieJonez]

Urban Dictionary: ronnie jonez

My list of definitions.

[rogead]

No city meets your definition as well as Seattle does.

[RonnieJonez]

Seattle does have good karate. If you've seen No Retreat, No Surrender that is.

It's still a west-coast city...doesn't have to prove liberalism, gay pride parades, etc. Stuff that Narnian cities spend all day trying to prove.

[RonnieJonez]

The truly Narnian cities, are always trying to prove their need for light rail, although it's non-existent. They'll thing bring up some local data that shows their city is too congested. Constant exaggeration of everything to sound "bigger city", and always finding data to pander to this idea.

Another thing, Narnian cities that are too small to command an IKEA - generally think their city should have one and act surprised it doesn't, lol.

[Thomas R.]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Seattle does have good karate. If you've seen No Retreat, No Surrender that is.

It's still a west-coast city...doesn't have to prove liberalism, gay pride parades, etc. Stuff that Narnian cities spend all day trying to prove.

I thought this was about cities having an unrealistic view of themselves. So why would a liberal coastal city automatically be excluded? Can't liberal coastal places have unrealistic views of themselves?

I guess what you're meaning then is "cities who think they're like liberal coastal cities" or "cities that overestimate their size or progressiveness." A weird term then, but you should have been clearer that's what you wanted. Maybe Lawrence, Kansas or Austin are close. Neither is on a coast, but likes to think themselves as progressive and such.

[cacto]

Originally Posted by Natural510

Funny, I think the exact thing about Phoenix. Seriously.

As far as people here on City Data, I think the boosterism of Cleveland is ridiculous, or maybe it's just because I read the Ohio forums often. It's not as bad of a town as people think, but they seem hell-bent on making any open discussion about any city in the US revolve around Cleveland, and it's a bit sad.

Oh, seriously?
I'm not promoting PHX as desirable, I wish less people would visit it. The OP makes a lot of assumptions about desirability. He's assuming that everyone wants liberal walkability or whatever.I don't care about walkability. I don't want liberal or conservative attitudes defining where I live, there is a medium between the two. He says everyone wishes their city was expensive. Why would you want that?Why make life harder? Anyways, big money makes for phony culture. Anything real in art, culture, and music in America starts with everyday people, many of them in flyover country. Often LA and NYC pick up on trends that have already been going with the rest of the country for a while and spin them as cutting edge and then we're taught that we'd be lost without these large cities which is pure crap.

[davidals]

I think my city is less C. S. Lewis than Jacques Derrida, maybe with a touch a Foucault sneaking in after sundown. So - not Narnian. Post-Narnian maybe, sorta like post-rock.
The hermeneutics of the post-whatever urban landscape has clearly gained complexity over the (roughly) last 72 hours. Somewhere, a metanarrative* is running amok (or at least walking amok), of course in a neo-urbanist enclave. Who woulda thunk it?



*This asterisk symbolizes a footnote. In this case the footnote is a footnote indicating that the footnote contains no additional information.

[RonnieJonez]

Originally Posted by Thomas R.

I thought this was about cities having an unrealistic view of themselves. So why would a liberal coastal city automatically be excluded? Can't liberal coastal places have unrealistic views of themselves?

I guess what you're meaning then is "cities who think they're like liberal coastal cities" or "cities that overestimate their size or progressiveness." A weird term then, but you should have been clearer that's what you wanted. Maybe Lawrence, Kansas or Austin are close. Neither is on a coast, but likes to think themselves as progressive and such.

It's not entirely about trying to prove liberal. A lot of it also comes down to ethnic variety. A Narnian will city brag days upon days that it got a new Thai or French restaurant, especially in local publications. Trader Joe's is basically a nightclub-during-the-day in Narnian cities, lol.

Stuff like that just wouldn't get such mileage in Seattle.

[Thomas R.]

I know this is a bit rude, but I'm starting to think you're either making this up as you go or that you have an axe to grind about a specific place(s) so you're using a term to avoid "naming names."