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I don’t know that I’d put Richmond at the top (I would put it near the top though). Here’s why...
Richmond is the creative and political capital of one of the most educated (5th) and wealthy (7th) states in the country. Leisure time and disposable income are key to intellectual pursuits.
There is a large research university (32k students) and medical school in the center of he city. The art school is the number 1 public university art school in the country (4th when you throw in private). It’s huge and attracts visual artist, dancers, thespians and musicians from around the world. There’s a large seminary that attracts theologians.
There’s a very healthy museum culture (VMFA is the premier art museum in the South) along with historic sites and more places on the national register of historic places than any other city on this list. Virginia was one of the most significant states in the history of this continent and the state archives and libraries attract curious people and researchers (in the way that Austin, people love studying Texas, probably does). One of the largest and best attended folk festivals is set in Richmond. Historic preservation is big in Richmond (colonial, Federal, antebellum,Victorian) and that attracts a certain kind of person (like Savana and Charleston).
Large corporations located here recruit the best talent from around the world too (Altria, Capital One, the Federal Reserve, 4th district court of appeals...).
The landscape attracts crunchy outdoors types who champion environmental preservation and activism.
Larger cities of course have all of these things but what makes Richmond feel a bit different is that it is a small metro with these assets. Creative and intellectual types aren’t drastically outnumbered by worker bees.
Last edited by spencer114; 08-07-2019 at 08:29 AM..
Let's not say Atlanta is underrated anymore. Texas cities are undervoted here
At this point, Austin is in third place and the top contender in Texas when it comes to the subject at hand IMO. Why do you think Houston and Dallas are "undervoted"?
Let's not say Atlanta is underrated anymore. Texas cities are undervoted here
On City Data it would appear Atlanta is significantly overrated. I understand why people think Austin is so intellectual and creative. But I don't understand what Austin has that DFW or Houston does not, or how Atlanta has this in spades but the two big Texas metros do not.
On City Data it would appear Atlanta is significantly overrated. I understand why people think Austin is so intellectual and creative. But I don't understand what Austin has that DFW or Houston does not, or how Atlanta has this in spades but the two big Texas metros do not.
Huntsville, AL. More PhDs per capita than any other city in the US.
Has a high number of Phds because of the defense & aerospace industry that has attracted people from across the country. It's such a small sample size with an economy concentrated in one industry that skews the numbers to make Huntsville seem like it would be a sophisticated place. The native population of Huntsville however is just as country, and backwards as anyplace in the South. When Golden Corral first opened up in Huntsville people were camping outside in the cold that morning to be first in line. Hardly what I think as a sophisticated place.
I'd say it's between Atlanta, Dallas, Austin and Raleigh...
The problem with Dallas, I just don't see it as an artsy creative place, intellectual yes but not creative and probably the highest amount of college educated working professionals of all these cities by far. Everything about Dallas is about being practical. I'd still put it in the top 4 though. My list would be something like this. I see Richmond is pretty high on this list for a lot of people, I don't know enough about Richmond to accurately judge it, it's the city on this list i've spent the least amount of time in. Nashville would probably be in my top 5 too.
Most intellectually rigorous and highly ranked university - Rice - of any university in any of the cities listed - unless you give Duke to Raleigh. Largest and most varied museum district of these cities plus NASA and one of the largest, if not the largest medical center in the U.S. By far the best fine arts scene - legacy and living. The MFAH, the Menil collection, the Rothko chapel are all institutions with global reach and import. The De Menils were arguably the most important arts patrons, not called Guggenheim of the twentieth century. Houston is an international fine arts destination in a way all the other cities on this list are not, with the exception of some events in Miami. Probably also the best performing arts city and definitely the best live theater city on this list - homegrown and repertory. The intellectual/creative scene in Houston is not massive, but that is true for most places. Pound for pound for elite intellectual and cultural institutions and the kind of activities they enable, Houston is superior to any city on this list. Also the most diverse, cosmopolitan, and best food city on this list, which helps.
I would rank 'em
1.Houston
2. Atlanta - though for black cultural and intellectual life Atlanta would be 1
And then three is up for grabs depending on how you weight criteria. I can see plausible cases for third for the Research Triangle, but not for Raleigh on its own, Dallas, though the truly world class art institutions are in Fort Worth, Miami - overall an anti-intellectual culture, but a major fine arts scene and a truly terrific ballet company, Austin, though the museums are mostly mediocre, New Orleans which has great legacy institutions and a unique artistic culture...
But Houston and Atlanta are in a different league to the rest, and Houston edges Atlanta.
Most intellectually rigorous and highly ranked university - Rice - of any university in any of the cities listed - unless you give Duke to Raleigh. Largest and most varied museum district of these cities plus NASA and one of the largest, if not the largest medical center in the U.S. By far the best fine arts scene - legacy and living. The MFAH, the Menil collection, the Rothko chapel are all institutions with global reach and import. The De Menils were arguably the most important arts patrons, not called Guggenheim of the twentieth century. Houston is an international fine arts destination in a way all the other cities on this list are not, with the exception of some events in Miami. Probably also the best performing arts city and definitely the best live theater city on this list - homegrown and repertory. The intellectual/creative scene in Houston is not massive, but that is true for most places. Pound for pound for elite intellectual and cultural institutions and the kind of activities they enable, Houston is superior to any city on this list. Also the most diverse, cosmopolitan, and best food city on this list, which helps.
I would rank 'em
1.Houston
2. Atlanta - though for black cultural and intellectual life Atlanta would be 1
And then three is up for grabs depending on how you weight criteria. I can see plausible cases for third for the Research Triangle, but not for Raleigh on its own, Dallas, though the truly world class art institutions are in Fort Worth, Miami - overall an anti-intellectual culture, but a major fine arts scene and a truly terrific ballet company, Austin, though the museums are mostly mediocre, New Orleans which has great legacy institutions and a unique artistic culture...
But Houston and Atlanta are in a different league to the rest, and Houston edges Atlanta.
Not to say that Houston doesn't pack a cultural punch, but its also arguably the more blue collar cities of the bunch.
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