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.
How exactly are all of you defining "grit" Because some of these cities simply don't have it.
From your list:
Seattle 6
Atlanta 7
Washington, DC 3
Chicago 1
SF 10
Boston 5
Minneapolis 4
LA 9
Houston 8
St. Louis 2
SF? LA? HOUSTON? Not gritty places. Dont kid yourself, its just not there. Sure there is some grit if you know where to look but you have to be joking if you think they "outgrit" the rust belt. If you want to talk grit, you are going to need to include more cities from the midwest. Southern cities, west coast cities (barring Seattle) simply just do not have grit. They are too new, and not dense, and there arent many abandoned places around.
Cities with the most "grit" IMHO looks SOMETHING like this...
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Philadelphia
4. Pittsburgh
5. Chicago
6. DC
7. etc etc...
How exactly are all of you defining "grit" Because some of these cities simply don't have it.
From your list:
Seattle 6
Atlanta 7
Washington, DC 3
Chicago 1
SF 10
Boston 5
Minneapolis 4
LA 9
Houston 8
St. Louis 2
SF? LA? HOUSTON? Not gritty places. Dont kid yourself, its just not there. Sure there is some grit if you know where to look but you have to be joking if you think they "outgrit" the rust belt. If you want to talk grit, you are going to need to include more cities from the midwest. Southern cities, west coast cities (barring Seattle) simply just do not have grit. They are too new, and not dense, and there arent many abandoned places around.
Cities with the most "grit" IMHO looks SOMETHING like this...
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Philadelphia
4. Pittsburgh
5. Chicago
6. DC
7. etc etc...
IMHO
(and I am a big fant of grit hehe)
If you think SF has no grit you've never been period.
How exactly are all of you defining "grit" Because some of these cities simply don't have it.
From your list:
Seattle 6
Atlanta 7
Washington, DC 3
Chicago 1
SF 10
Boston 5
Minneapolis 4
LA 9
Houston 8
St. Louis 2
SF? LA? HOUSTON? Not gritty places. Dont kid yourself, its just not there. Sure there is some grit if you know where to look but you have to be joking if you think they "outgrit" the rust belt. If you want to talk grit, you are going to need to include more cities from the midwest. Southern cities, west coast cities (barring Seattle) simply just do not have grit. They are too new, and not dense, and there arent many abandoned places around.
with the most "grit" IMHO looks SOMETHING like this...
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Philadelphia
4. Pittsburgh
5. Chicago
6. DC
7. etc etc...
IMHO
(and I am a big fant of grit hehe)
st. louis and baltimore definitely belong on that list.
San Fransisco has a lot more grit than people realize. I would say that many of the upscale areas there retain an old-school grit factor that the nice areas of Chicago lack. That's not to say SF is grittier than Chicago overall, but much of Chicago's grit is in areas that are not upmarket.
I'd agree with that. Neighborhoods in Chicago with lots of problems/crime/etc. have a LOT of grit, but the more stable and wealthy an area of the city is, they go all out removing the grit. Wash everything down, clean out every bit of trash possible, avoid any and all graffiti. I was on the northwest side of the city last weekend around Montrose and Pulaski and it was like mayberry with all the houses all tidy, every yard was clean and landscaped. Not even a wealthy area, very middle class. It reminded me of that old school 1950's where people make sure their property and neighborhood look as desirable as possible.
It's a very polar place. 60% is as grit free as humanly possible, the other 40% it grit heaven.
I'm mostly talking residential of course, the industrial areas in the city are for the most part grit grit grit.
I was in San Fran a month ago though, and noticed even the high-end areas were ok with having some grit and not caring.
I'd agree with that. Neighborhoods in Chicago with lots of problems/crime/etc. have a LOT of grit, but the more stable and wealthy an area of the city is, they go all out removing the grit. Wash everything down, clean out every bit of trash possible, avoid any and all graffiti. I was on the northwest side of the city last weekend around Montrose and Pulaski and it was like mayberry with all the houses all tidy, every yard was clean and landscaped. Not even a wealthy area, very middle class. It reminded me of that old school 1950's where people make sure their property and neighborhood look as desirable as possible.
It's a very polar place. 60% is as grit free as humanly possible, the other 40% it grit heaven.
I'm mostly talking residential of course, the industrial areas in the city are for the most part grit grit grit.
I was in San Fran a month ago though, and noticed even the high-end areas were ok with having some grit and not caring.
Yeah, I can think of dozens of suburbs that look more "gritty" than the NW side
SF? LA? HOUSTON? Not gritty places. Dont kid yourself, its just not there. Sure there is some grit if you know where to look but you have to be joking if you think they "outgrit" the rust belt. If you want to talk grit, you are going to need to include more cities from the midwest. Southern cities, west coast cities (barring Seattle) simply just do not have grit. They are too new, and not dense, and there arent many abandoned places around.
Maybe we have different definitions of "grit," but have you ever been to the Tenderloin, Civic Center, Mission District, Hunter's Point, etc? You don't have to know where to look, it's right there in your face. A tourist stepping off BART at Powell will walk headlong into it in the first 5 minutes in the city. Haight-Ashbury is super touristy, but it's also fairly gritty. You're right about Oakland, but come on. You're the one who is kidding himself if you don't think SF has grit.
How exactly are all of you defining "grit" Because some of these cities simply don't have it.
From your list:
Seattle 6
Atlanta 7
Washington, DC 3
Chicago 1
SF 10
Boston 5
Minneapolis 4
LA 9
Houston 8
St. Louis 2
SF? LA? HOUSTON? Not gritty places. Dont kid yourself, its just not there. Sure there is some grit if you know where to look but you have to be joking if you think they "outgrit" the rust belt. If you want to talk grit, you are going to need to include more cities from the midwest. Southern cities, west coast cities (barring Seattle) simply just do not have grit. They are too new, and not dense, and there arent many abandoned places around.
Am I to assume you've never been to Houston?? That statements leads me to believe so. Houston is very gritty; it's one of the reasons why the city has a known reputation for being ugly.
Maybe we have different definitions of "grit," but have you ever been to the Tenderloin, Civic Center, Mission District, Hunter's Point, etc? You don't have to know where to look, it's right there in your face. A tourist stepping off BART at Powell will walk headlong into it in the first 5 minutes in the city. Haight-Ashbury is super touristy, but it's also fairly gritty. You're right about Oakland, but come on. You're the one who is kidding himself if you don't think SF has grit.
I already agreed with you that SF has grit! Yeesh! I lived in the Mission. But, that is an incredibly small section of grit in a city of only 800,000 and it pales in comparison to levels of grit in those "has been" industrial centers of the US. Sunshine and brightly painted moldings are just not exactly my definition of grit, no matter the occupant.
If you disagree, fine, but wow this forum is so attacking! I am already regretting signing up. Just trying to voice an opinion.
Also, in response to blkgiraffe, you are right! Never been to Houston. Seems like I did make a generalization. However, I would be surprised if I saw more grit than a post-industrial wasteland strip of a rust-belt city, but you make a good point.
I already agreed with you that SF has grit! Yeesh! I lived in the Mission. But, that is an incredibly small section of grit in a city of only 800,000 and it pales in comparison to levels of grit in those "has been" industrial centers of the US. Sunshine and brightly painted moldings are just not exactly my definition of grit, no matter the occupant.
If you disagree, fine, but wow this forum is so attacking! I am already regretting signing up. Just trying to voice an opinion.
Also, in response to blkgiraffe, you are right! Never been to Houston. Seems like I did make a generalization. However, I would be surprised if I saw more grit than a post-industrial wasteland strip of a rust-belt city, but you make a good point.
Not a generalization, just an assertion that wasn't correct.
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.
Yeesh! I lived in the Mission. But, that is an incredibly small section of grit in a city of only 800,000 and it pales in comparison to levels of grit in those "has been" industrial centers of the US. Sunshine and brightly painted moldings are just not exactly my definition of grit, no matter the occupant. 
