States where a smaller city is more impactful(culturally) than their largest city (people, cons)
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Incidentally, did Charleston annex some subdivisions or something, because I didn’t think they were all that close to Columbia and now to see they have passed them?
St. Louis remains the most influential city in MO, in addition to the most economically powerful with the most prestigious universities. If St. Louis killed itself in the 60s, then God only knows why KCMO has failed to catch up to it more than 50 years later.
Indeed it hasn't, but the population growth rate in greater Kansas City has been higher than that of metro St. Louis for a few decades now, and the gap between the two metros is shrinking.
And now that Kansans have jettisoned Gov. Sam Brownback and replaced him with a saner Democrat, maybe the area can get back to the business of expanding rather than cannibalizing its economy.
Incidentally, did Charleston annex some subdivisions or something, because I didn’t think they were all that close to Columbia and now to see they have passed them?
They had been pretty close in population for a little while and yeah, Charleston did annex a lot during Joe Riley's last term in office. There's not much more left for Charleston to annex so it's close to being maxed out whereas there's still a lot of unincorporated territory surrounding Columbia so who knows, they may switch places yet again in the near future. I wouldn't be surprised to see Columbia try and push for a sizable annexation this year, just before next year's Census, so as to officially retain its position as the state's largest city.
As I was going online to find out more about an NPR story about soybeans that originated at Harvest Public Media - a reporting collaborative on food, agriculture and biofuels comprised of 15 public radio stations in the Midwest and Plains states, based at KCUR in Kansas City - I found an item that very vividly illustrates the point about Kansas City (Mo.) being the most influential city in the state next door:
The Kansas News Service, which is being expanded by this grant, is based in Topeka, the state capital, one hour west of Kansas City. But the lead public radio station in the consortium of Kansas public radio stations contributing to the service, and the station that launched the KNS with funding from several Kansas-based foundations and one serving the greater Kansas City area, is KCUR.
It's been based at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (nee University of Kansas City in 1933, it became part of the University of Missouri system in 1961, the same year a new campus was established in suburban St. Louis) ever since it went on the air in 1957.
Kansas' flagship state university has a public radio station too - KANU. It's in Lawrence, halfway between Kansas City and Topeka. And the University of Kansas has a journalism school (named for the state's most famous newspaper editor, William Allen White), while UMKC doesn't (the J-school, the nation's oldest, is on the main Mizzou campus in Columbia). But most of the public media collaborations in Kansas originate at the UMKC-based KCUR.
With that said, not trying to say anybody’s wrong but does a city/state dynamic like this even exist? I guess to me the only example I can think of is Charleston SC.
This was absolutely the case for about 40 yrs until a couple years ago when Nashville overtook Memphis as the state's largest city.
What about Lexington over Louisville? Not sure nationally though Lexington does have UK basketball. But statewide do Lexington/Frankfort have more influence being the capitol and centrally located?
An example I can think of is Oklahoma. Oklahoma City is the biggest city but Tulsa is more well-known for its culture. The University of Tulsa is the best college in the state, the downtown has tons of Art Deco, and the music/arts scene is stronger, with the Brady Arts District and Blue Dome at its core, but also Brookside, the BOK District and the Pearl. The two best art museums in Oklahoma - Gilcrease and Philbrook - are also in Tulsa, because of the old money in the 1920s. Tulsa is also more important for the state's Native American history since the city is in Osage Nation, Creek Nation and Cherokee Nation, and Tulsa is the anchor of Green Country, which also encompasses Choctaw Country.
Oklahoma City is the economic hub of the state, but until the 80s was a cow town. Tulsa was the city of the Oklahoma elite, and you can see this if you go to the older neighborhoods in both cities.
Until 10 years ago, this was mostly right. But times have changed and OKC has done a significant amount to improve in nearly every category it was behind Tulsa in. I’m from Tulsa, but in many ways it doesn’t come close to OKC culturally. OKC has had the benefit of the NBA and multi-billion dollar projects over the past 10 years. Combined with a food scene that blows Tulsa away, a music scene that is equal with the addition of 3 new venues, better nightlife, expanding public transit, and booming historic districts, OKC is starting to pull away in most categories except museums. But even that is shifting with the Oklahoma Contemporary Art Museum and the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum being completed in the next couple of years.
I spent 20+ years in Tulsa, it’s great for what it is. But OKC has the money, the momentum, and the current cultural torch of the state. I don’t see that changing anytime soon, especially with OKC doing a great job of moving away from oil dependence (around 3% of jobs in the city, down from closer to 10% just a couple decades ago).
Indeed it hasn't, but the population growth rate in greater Kansas City has been higher than that of metro St. Louis for a few decades now, and the gap between the two metros is shrinking.
And now that Kansans have jettisoned Gov. Sam Brownback and replaced him with a saner Democrat, maybe the area can get back to the business of expanding rather than cannibalizing its economy.
I'm not certain what the growth rate was in metro KCMO the last few decades, but St. Louis' growth was healthy until this decade. Up until 2010, metro St. Louis had been growing at a rate between 4.5-4.7% per decade over the previous 30 years.
The fact that the estimated growth has slowed to below 1% this decade is likely why the remerging of the city and the county is gaining traction on both sides of the aisle right now. If they're able to remerge the two, meaning the city is no longer fighting places like Clayton, then you'll likely see the metro area's growth be able to correct itself. At least on the MO side of the river anyway. IL has its own problems that neither St. Louis or even Chicago currently has the power to fix.
Richmond is definitely the cultural capital of Virginia. It leads the commonwealth in visual and performing arts, film, cuisine and fashion. It’s also the political capital (of the state, of course NOVA is the political capital of the country) with lobiests and not for profits representing all of virginia’s intersts located here.
Tidewater is second. Williamsburg/Jamestown and Virginia Beach are probably what most people think of when they think of Virginia.
Charlottesville is the literary capital.
Northern Virginia is the brains and economic engine of the commonwealth.
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