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.
Example: I hear people say that about Atlanta. How is it overrated? Who overrates it?
Is it because people have high expectations and have a warped view of a city. Once they move to the city they get slapped with a reality check?!
I hear it about Atlanta, NYC and Chicago the most.
What's overrated about a city and how do they become overrated?
"overrated" is a pretty subjective term. it all depends on the individual
places like new york and california are overrated TO ME simply because they're always touted as places that have everything, but they don't have everything i want. to someone else they might be the perfect places, though
A city can become overrated when a significant number of folks make overblown assertions about its importance in several respects that can't be backed up by facts - especially in relation to other cities.
"overrated" is a pretty subjective term. it all depends on the individual
places like new york and california are overrated TO ME simply because they're always touted as places that have everything, but they don't have everything i want. to someone else they might be the perfect places, though
I agree. "Overrated" is a matter of personal opinion. I think that what qualifies as overrated in someone's opinion is when that person does not agree with the majority. For example, someone who doesn't like the movie Avatar might consider that movie to be overrated because of how popular it is, and the majority would like that movie. When it comes to places, I also agree about NY and CA because those places are popular, but I don't care for either of them, not for living in anyways.
I'd be inclined to agree that what is considered "overrated" is subjective and dependent on the perspective of the person who makes that assertion.
To me, a city would be "overrated" if certain aspects of the city that are touted can be overblown and do not live up to the perceived hype.
For example, I live in Atlanta, one of the so-called "overrated" cities on this board. While I think certain aspects of the city can be overrated, no I don't think the city overall is overrated. YMMV of course. I think that one of the reasons why I can't say that ATL overall is "overrated" is because before moving here, I learned to accept and respect Atlanta for what it is rather than lament on what Atlanta doesn't. I knew that this city wasn't a southeastern version of NYC, I knew that nightlife wasn't what it used to be, I didn't compare ATL nightlife to NYC/MIA nightlife, etc.
Even for our much-touted status as being so-called "black Mecca," I knew that success wasn't just going to fall on my lap the minute I moved here just because Im a black man, there are people here with problems and issues just like any other city, and there are other cities where blacks are successful and thriving.
Again, YMMV as a person. I lived in Florida for years, and I personally found certain aspects of the area I lived in to be "overrated" due to the expectations and perceptions I had of the city I moved to before I actually relocated there. While I enjoyed the winters, I hated the summers and thunderstorms, so I constantly found myself wondering why people there raved about the weather. Listening to the Midwesterners and Northeasterners perspectives on that issue really helped me put things into perspective. Because I lived in Mississippi and Southern California previously, they understood my perspective on why I wasn't as crazy about Florida's weather. Again, YMMV.
When I think of an overrated city on this message board I look to SF.
Some of the claims I have heard about SF and the greater bay area:
The bay area has the best weather
The bay area invented all slang in hip hop
the bay area invented hip hop
sf is the most open minded
sf is the most diverse
all fashion trends started in the bay
all music trends started in the bay
sf has the best row houses
sf has the best public transit
sf has the best sports
even in cases where the bay clearly is not the best at something (ie when they are comparing themselves to new york, chicago, and la) they try to say they are the second best
"is sf a mini manhattan"
"is brooklyn like oakland"
"sf is the 2nd most dense city" (technically it is not, that would be somewhere in new jersey i believe)
"sf is as vibrant as chicago and philly"
and of course, if you do not agree with any of these or in fact, do not like sf, it is because you are a "hater"
Dont get me wrong, I LOVE SF and the bay. Die hard Giants fan here. I love the city /metro and the amenities it offers. The bay area has a certian Je ne sais quoi about it, that simply can not be found in any other metro in the US.
But it is dreadfully overhyped and played out, by many so called "natives" and transplants alike.
When I think of an overrated city on this message board I look to SF.
Some of the claims I have heard about SF and the greater bay area:
The bay area has the best weather The bay area invented all slang in hip hop
the bay area invented hip hop
sf is the most open minded
sf is the most diverse all fashion trends started in the bay
all music trends started in the bay
sf has the best row houses
sf has the best public transit
sf has the best sports
even in cases where the bay clearly is not the best at something (ie when they are comparing themselves to new york, chicago, and la) they try to say they are the second best
"is sf a mini manhattan"
"is brooklyn like oakland"
"sf is the 2nd most dense city" (technically it is not, that would be somewhere in new jersey i believe)
"sf is as vibrant as chicago and philly"
and of course, if you do not agree with any of these or in fact, do not like sf, it is because you are a "hater"
Dont get me wrong, I LOVE SF and the bay. Die hard Giants fan here. I love the city /metro and the amenities it offers. The bay area has a certian Je ne sais quoi about it, that simply can not be found in any other metro in the US.
But it is dreadfully overhyped and played out, by many so called "natives" and transplants alike.
I respect your opinion here and agree with some of what you have to say. But where have you ever heard anyone say any of the bolded above? No one in their right mind would make any of those egregious claims, and the rest of the Bay Area posters on C-D would shoot down such nonsense. Or at least in the absolute form that you have worded them. Did you honestly read some people claiming the Bay to have invented hip hop and all fashion trends? If you're just exaggerating then I get where you're coming from, but if you're not I would seriously like to see who said any of that lol.
I respect your opinion here and agree with some of what you have to say. But where have you ever heard anyone say any of the bolded above? No one in their right mind would make any of those egregious claims, and the rest of the Bay Area posters on C-D would shoot down such nonsense. Or at least in the absolute form that you have worded them. Did you honestly read some people claiming the Bay to have invented hip hop and all fashion trends? If you're just exaggerating then I get where you're coming from, but if you're not I would seriously like to see who said any of that lol.
Agreed. And some of what he says comes down to pure opinion and is exercised by EVERY city on CD.
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.
