Chicago more like 3 biggest East Coast cities OR 3 biggest Midwest cities (Aurora: homes, neighborhoods)

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by BigLake

Agree. Maybe a little bit of Detroit too.

Maybe Detroit in 1950, but definitely not now. Suburban Detroit maybe a bit more, but even then there are a lot of recognizable differences. If Milwaukee ever evolves into a larger city I suspect it'll be very similar to Chicago minus the history. It's still likely the closest match, but there are elements of Chicago that are quite similar to New York and Philly. Overall though I would say Chicago has its own identity and is not an exact replica of anywhere in the U.S./world. Toronto may come close...

[bellhead]

Detroit and Cleveland are the closest cities to Chicago in culture and population. If you go back to post WWII then it's even more noticeable than today. Cincinnati was also until WWI.

I base a lot of this off of immigration and culture.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by bellhead

Detroit and Cleveland are the closest cities to Chicago in culture and population. If you go back to post WWII then it's even more noticeable than today. Cincinnati was also until WWI.

I base a lot of this off of immigration and culture.

Cincinnati is the Midwestern equivalent of Pittsburgh

[EddieOlSkool]

Guys, of course the Great Lake cities win out 100% of the time since they are pretty much smaller scale Chicagos.

But, the discussion deliberately takes then out of context because it makes the poll too easy.

[bellhead]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

Cincinnati is the Midwestern equivalent of Pittsburgh

Wikipedia sums up my argument very good about how Cincinnati and Chicago compare.



In the early 19th century, Cincinnati was an American boomtown in the heart of the country; it rivaled the larger coastal cities in size and wealth. Throughout much of the 19th century, it was listed among the top 10 U.S. cities by population, surpassed only by New Orleans and the older, established settlements of the Eastern Seaboard; at one point holding the position of America's sixth-largest city for a period spanning consecutive census reports from 1840 until 1860.



It was by far the largest city in the west. Because it is the first major American city founded after the American Revolution as well as the first major inland city in the country, Cincinnati is sometimes thought of as the first purely "American" city.[10]




Cincinnati developed with less European immigration or influence than eastern cities attracted in the same period; however, it received a significant number of German immigrants, who founded many of the city's cultural institutions. By the end of the 19th century, with the shift from steamboats to railroads drawing off freight shipping, trade patterns had altered and Cincinnati's growth slowed considerably. The city was surpassed in population by other inland cities, particularly Chicago, which developed based on commodity exploitation and the railroads, and St. Louis, for decades after the Civil War the gateway to westward migration.

[jeremyw90]

Just want to mention that when you said the 3 biggest east coast cities, you forgot DC. DC metro is far larger than Boston metro and also has a larger city population. DC also just passed Philly this year to become the 2nd largest east coast metro area at 6.1 million people. Throw Baltimore in the mix, and you're looking at 9 million people.

IMO, DC feels like the 2nd city on the east coast economically, culturally, and in built environment, with Boston coming in at 3rd. DC feels like a massively growing, very wealthy, very international area. It also has extremely nice, densely developed suburbs, many of which, like Arlington, Tysons, Bethesda/ Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, can go up against smaller cities on their own.

I've lived in all of them, so I think this is a fairly objective viewpoint.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by jeremyw90

Just want to mention that when you said the 3 biggest east coast cities, you forgot DC. DC metro is far larger than Boston metro and also has a larger city population. DC also just passed Philly this year to become the 2nd largest east coast metro area at 6.1 million people. Throw Baltimore in the mix, and you're looking at 9 million people.

IMO, DC feels like the 2nd city on the east coast economically, culturally, and in built environment, with Boston coming in at 3rd. DC feels like a massively growing, very wealthy, very international area. It also has extremely nice, densely developed suburbs, many of which, like Arlington, Tysons, Bethesda/ Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, can go up against smaller cities on their own.

I've lived in all of them, so I think this is a fairly objective viewpoint.

I don't think the DC, on the ground, feels bigger or more vibrant than or "major" than Philadelphia. I also much prefer Philadelphia's mainline suburbs to any of the DC suburbs. Parts of Alexandria, closer to old town are nice. The more urban parts of Arlington are generic anywheresville, but they still compare favorably to Chevy Chase, Bethesda and Silver Spring. Those places are nice, only because they're nearly universally affluent. And, no, they cannot go up against smaller cities on their own, because they do not exist on their own. They exist solely because of their proximity to our nations capital.

[EddieOlSkool]

Originally Posted by jeremyw90

Just want to mention that when you said the 3 biggest east coast cities, you forgot DC. DC metro is far larger than Boston metro and also has a larger city population. DC also just passed Philly this year to become the 2nd largest east coast metro area at 6.1 million people. Throw Baltimore in the mix, and you're looking at 9 million people.

IMO, DC feels like the 2nd city on the east coast economically, culturally, and in built environment, with Boston coming in at 3rd. DC feels like a massively growing, very wealthy, very international area. It also has extremely nice, densely developed suburbs, many of which, like Arlington, Tysons, Bethesda/ Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, can go up against smaller cities on their own.

I've lived in all of them, so I think this is a fairly objective viewpoint.

I didn't "forget" DC like I didn't forget Detroit or Cleveland. I guess when I said East Coast I meant Northeast, not Bos-Wash. I understand DC can be an "honorary" Northeast city due to its position in the corridor, but for the sake of this, Baltimore and DC aren't part of the discussion.

[jeremyw90]

Originally Posted by EddieOlSkool

I didn't "forget" DC like I didn't forget Detroit or Cleveland. I guess when I said East Coast I meant Northeast, not Bos-Wash. I understand DC can be an "honorary" Northeast city due to its position in the corridor, but for the sake of this, Baltimore and DC aren't part of the discussion.

You said 3 biggest east coast cities, not NE. With that strict definition, Philly isn't a NE city either, as its mid Atlantic along with Bmore n D.C.

That's totally picking hairs. D.C. is a 2 hour drive from Philly, 4 from NYC and 7 from Boston. It's all one region.

[jeremyw90]

Originally Posted by gladhands

I don't think the DC, on the ground, feels bigger or more vibrant than or "major" than Philadelphia. I also much prefer Philadelphia's mainline suburbs to any of the DC suburbs. Parts of Alexandria, closer to old town are nice. The more urban parts of Arlington are generic anywheresville, but they still compare favorably to Chevy Chase, Bethesda and Silver Spring. Those places are nice, only because they're nearly universally affluent. And, no, they cannot go up against smaller cities on their own, because they do not exist on their own. They exist solely because of their proximity to our nations capital.

I'm sorry, I disagree. I think DC feels like a more major, developed and dense city than Philly in every way. No offense, but Philly feels kinda old and trashy. Lotsa extreme poverty in Philly that you can definitely feel. Also, most folks in Philly are from some part of PA. It's not a draw for transplants, and as such feels a little provincial. That said, I actually really like Philly.

Philly burbs, while quaint, are for the most part segregated, with a majority White population. D.C. burbs on the other hand feel huge, bustling and new, and are very international.

Finally, DC continues to draw the best and brightest Blacks from the diaspora. It's a great environment for Black achievement, networking and wealth. Sadly, relatively unique in America.