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Old 10-03-2009, 06:49 PM
 
Location: Dayton, OH/Portland, OR
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What are the bar/pub demographics in your city? Mostly men? 50-50? Young or old? Do singles go out by themselves or does everyone go out in pairs or groups of friends?

The two places I have lived most recently can't be any more opposite. In Portland, OR, people (women included) go out to bars by themselves and it isn't considered weird. Bars tend to be about 50-50 men & women (if not more women than men). And there are a range of ages, including many young people.

In Dayton, OH, hardly anyone (especially women) go out by themselves. Bar-goers tend to be majority men, and most of them are older (like 40-50+). Even the "after work" crowd tends to be this way.

I've been told it's a West vs. Midwest culture thing.

So what types of people frequent the bars where you live?
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Old 10-03-2009, 07:29 PM
 
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Here most of the bar-goers tend to be college-aged and young professional types... 21-35 I would say. Male and Female. Except for the 'niche' bars....like gay bars and such...they attract older crowds. But thats just a generalization. There are some bars where you pretty much wont see anyone under the age of 40 and some bars were you will see people from 18-78...

Then again, my perception of the demographics could be highly biased. I go to the bars I go to because my friends do. My friends go to the bars they go to because their friends do. You see what I mean? Birds of a feather flock together, as they say...
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Old 10-03-2009, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Mequon, WI
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Now where I live and the city of M'waukee are two different things so here is my assessment of Milwaukee.

A ton of neighborhood corner bars, lot's of college bars since Milwaukee ranking 6th among U.S. and Canadian cities in number of college students per 100 residents. A lot of clubs and upscale lounges have recently popped up in recent years and some ethnic bars as well(mostly euro bars). Where I live a lot of gay bars, sports bars and some neighborhood taps!

When it comes to Beer and drinking no better place than the Brew City.

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Old 10-03-2009, 08:52 PM
 
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^where do I get that hoody?!?!
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Old 10-03-2009, 10:06 PM
 
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I don't think it's a West vs. Midwest culture thing, although since I've never been to Dayton, maybe it is a Dayton vs Portland thing. I've lived in the Midwest (MN), east coast (mid-Atlantic area, mostly), and in both LA and SF. Granted, I don't get out to bars very often now (we have a toddler, and babysitters are expensive), but every place I've lived (or visited) has had a wide range of bars, and the demographics varied dramatically by specific venue. Some have a wide range of people, some are mostly hipsters, are mostly old guys, are mostly 20-something office workers, are mostly college students, are gay/lesbian, are trendy, are upscale, are dive bars, are neighborhood places, etc. etc. I haven't noticed any significant bar culture difference as a whole (maybe some variation in the specific types of bars that are most popular, although even that varies heavily by neighborhood), with the main regional difference being the types of beer available on tap.

Even in the one smaller place I've lived (pop. 13,000) there was a variety in bar types, and each had their own crowd. The only place where I've experienced only one real single bar culture was a very small town, and that was just because they had three bars and they all seemed pretty much the same. We're just visitors, not locals, but even for those I'm assuming (although could be wrong) that the customer demographics varies by time of day. They also seemed to have very few young people, but am assuming that's because of town demographics; without many jobs many young people had to move elsewhere for work.

In general it's seemed like the neighborhood bars skew towards older and more men, but they also tend to be hipster magnets and that helps give them some added age diversity.
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Old 10-03-2009, 10:08 PM
 
Location: New York
11,327 posts, read 20,247,246 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Milwaukee City View Post
Now where I live and the city of M'waukee are two different things so here is my assessment of Milwaukee.

A ton of neighborhood corner bars, lot's of college bars since Milwaukee ranking 6th among U.S. and Canadian cities in number of college students per 100 residents. A lot of clubs and upscale lounges have recently popped up in recent years and some ethnic bars as well(mostly euro bars). Where I live a lot of gay bars, sports bars and some neighborhood taps!

When it comes to Beer and drinking no better place than the Brew City.
Now that's ridiculous lol.

I bet they sell that in Ireland too lol.
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Old 10-03-2009, 11:54 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia,New Jersey, NYC!
6,963 posts, read 20,460,959 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 540_804 View Post
^where do I get that hoody?!?!
no sh#$ that hoodie is sick!


YouTube - EPMD Feat. K-Solo & Redman - The Head Banger
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Old 10-04-2009, 01:05 PM
 
6,615 posts, read 16,492,621 times
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No, definitely not West/Midwest. Here in the Twin Cities you can find dive bars full of old working class guys, college type bars with males/females, cocktail lounge-type places where you'll find middle aged white collar types, upscale hipster bars, bars catering to LBGT, VVFW bars, etc., etc. One of my favorite mixes is in the tavern closest to my house. It definitely reflects the neighborhood: 3 colleges close by, a Ford truck assembly plant down the street, and middle/upper middle home owners. You'll find people from all these groups there.

I believe a city's bar scene is an expression of the city's demographics, income levels, racial mix, religion, ethnic heritage, etc.
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Old 06-21-2010, 10:28 PM
 
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Any clue on a website that will give general information on what a successful bar requires for demographics surrounding it or how many homes a bar typically services?
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Old 06-22-2010, 09:53 AM
 
Location: New York City
4,035 posts, read 10,256,094 times
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Urban bar culture has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. I would argue that we've finally gotten over Prohibition. Up until the 70s, nearly all bars were dive bars catering to working class men. Bars were dark places with few windows and had a louche and seedy air. Upper middle class people drank at home or at private clubs.

In the 80s, gay men made it fashionable for upper middle class professionals to drink in public for the first time since Prohibition. The trend really took off in the 90s and the architecture of the urban bar changed. Window were opened up and tables were put on the street. The drinks changed as well and cocktails like the martini made a resurgence.

Today a hip urban neighborhood (in cities like New York, DC or San Francisco) is largely defined by its bar scene. If you ask recent college grads where they want to live, a city with a good bar scene is usually high on the list. It's not because they're going out and getting wasted all the time, but a convivial bar scene add to their quality of life.

I live in the East Village of Manhattan, arguably the world capital of the urban bar scene. The trend here is ever increasing specialization: bars are known for serving a certain type of wine, or sake, or scotch, or rye whiskey, or Belgian beer, or German beer, etc.
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