Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello All, how many of us have been to a City or State that you have never been to just to find out the place was no where near what you thought. Most of our Thinking Comes from Stereo Types we here from others when a mass Majority of the Time we have no Clue until we visit. Some places get's it worse than others but here's a few for you. You may have some as well.
Nashville, Tennessee- Thought would be a Country town all about country music. Ended up being a Sprawling Huge Metro full of Diversity.
San Francisco, California- Thought would be nice, warm and sunny weather wise in the Summer. Ended up being very Cool, had to wear a jacket in July. Very Cloudy, foggy overcast.
Miami, Florida - Thought would be all about paradise and beaches, more Mid sized to Large by population figures. Ended up being this Huge Dense Metropolis full Skyscrapers being thrown up. Beautiful Place full of Color but doesn't feel it belongs to the rest of the United States.
Louisville, Kentucky - I thought would be a small racist Town. Turned out to be a Large Diverse City with Tons of Interesting things to see and do. Feels like a Dense, Urban up North to Midwest City in certain part of the City. Love the bridges and Urban Feel Crossing the Ohio river from the Indiana Suburbs. Doesn't feel like what you think when you think of Kentucky.
Gary, IN- Don't know what I thought??? lol, Stand alone Town where the Jackson's were from. Ended up being the Slums located in Chicago's Suburban South East Corner. Rough, Rough place... Another Camden, NJ to me.
Dallas, Texas -- Thought it was all country music, rodeos, and cowboys, with a vibrant Downtown. Complete opposite when I arrived. Not very Texan. Very diverse. The stereotype is reserved mostly for Fort Worth, primarily the Stockyards (touristy).
Austin, Texas -- Thought it was all hippies, Willie Nelson, college students, and the smell of weed everywhere. Not so much when I visited, except for the college students. A mix mash of Anywhere USA hipsters, college students, yuccies, and yuppies. Not as laid back in terms of appearance as I was lead to believe. A lot of people focused on their appearance and physique (aka Dallas). A lot of trendy clubs attempting to be Vegas.
Nashville, TN -- Thought it was a very small/insular city, but was surprised at how modern the skyline was and how big it felt. I could tell there was a lot of growth occurring. My uber driver filled me in on how it was becoming a destination city. I had no clue...
San Antonio, TX -- Thought the air would be relatively dry and the surrounding scenery a bit dry and desert-like. I don't know why I thought it would be more like El Paso. This was way before I moved to Texas... Complete opposite when I visited. Luscious hill country nearby, but also felt a lot more humid than Dallas, almost like Houston.
My hometown: NYC. It's mostly small working class neighborhoods made up of regular people trying to survive in a place that gets more expensive every minute.
Charleston, IL
I was expecting to be a compact, hipster-looking college town with a laid-back "come as you are" vibe. Comparable to a miniaturized Madison, WI. Instead, I found myself in an intimidating, forlorn, tired-looking place. Full of trashy liquor stores, fast food chains, abandoned rail lines, boarded-up windows, parking lots, and cliquey dive bars. Not friendly at all. Like something straight out of the movie "Straw Dogs" (2011 ver.) or an isolated Fundie colony.
Oklahoma City is also not very far off from its stereotype. It's a little greener than most expect it to be but for the most part it lives up to the image that most people have about it.
I think cities that are the most different from their stereotypes have to be places in the Midwest like Kansas City, Des Moines, Omaha, Indianapolis, and Louisville. Those places are virtually nothing like a lot of people imagine them. I would also add Tulsa to the list.
Macon Georgia, definitely not what people expect it to be. Most think of it as a country small town before visiting. It is more of a Mid sized Urban, Hood Ghetto City. Ton's of Blight, Air pollution and Gang Violence used to plague the city especially on the Cities south and west sides but has improved in recent years. Major redevelopment projects including Tons of City lofts have been constructed and being constructed which is a good thing. Tons of old Historic Homes and history in districts close to Downtown as well.
Charleston, IL
I was expecting to be a compact, hipster-looking college town with a laid-back "come as you are" vibe. Comparable to a miniaturized Madison, WI. Instead, I found myself in an intimidating, forlorn, tired-looking place. Full of trashy liquor stores, fast food chains, abandoned rail lines, boarded-up windows, parking lots, and cliquey dive bars. Not friendly at all. Like something straight out of the movie "Straw Dogs" (2011 ver.) or an isolated Fundie colony.
Lol, who outside of the few that still care about EIU concern themselves with stereotyping Charleston, IL? The place is a dive, though.
I expected Vegas to be a sort of smoky, Rat Pack, tawdry city and instead I found it to be surprisingly clean, glitzy, and fun -and not smoky!
I expected Memphis to be cleaner than it was. I also thought Beale Street would be a bigger deal. Memphis was definitely a downer for me.
Colorado Springs was a lot more straight laced and conservative than I had pictured in my mind.
I was very pleasantly surprised by Dayton, Ohio. It was a lot less industrialized and a lot cleaner and prettier than I had pictured in my mind. In fact, I am very positively impressed by Ohio in general and it's cities in particular.
I was very underwhelmed by Boston. Yes, it has interesting history but it was so dirty and so loud and so crowded that I was shocked. I've been to plenty of very large, busy cities - they don't have to be as dirty and chaotic as Boston struck me.
Speaking of huge but very clean cities - I know this is across the pond but I couldn't believe how beautiful and clean London is. I love that city.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
