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Chattanooga seems similar to Huntsville to me though totally different type economies. To me Chattanooga's downtown didn't seem significantly more lively than Knoxville, obviously Chattanooga has more tourist attractions so that may make the difference but outside of that downtown Knoxville seemed to be a decent size.
Maybe similar to Huntsville in a "strength of economy" category. But downtown Huntsville was quiet as a churchmouse, both times I went--and extremely under served with bars, restaurants and overall activity. I was expecting a lot more downtown.
I visited Huntsville in 2017 and 2019--before the pandemic. I was pleasantly surprised at the luxury level of their mall there on the west part of town though. And it did seem to have a good quality of life--a great city.
But the downtown, for me, and for the size of Huntsville, left a lot to be desired.
Chattanooga, in my opinion, is on a different downtown tier than Huntsville. I'd put downtown Huntsville alongside Augusta, GA or Macon, GA, or Murfreesboro, TN, Roanoke, VA or even Jackson, MS.
Chattanooga is in the same tier as Little Rock, Knoxville, Lexington, Greenville and Savannah. This is my opinion, based on downtown activity, energy and bars/restaurants, etc.
As for Knoxville, yeah, they can mostly hold their own against Chattanooga, but Chattanooga has more tourist traffic downtown, and I like their downtown a bit better overall, than Knoxville.
lol, histrionics? Hating Philly posters? yeah I think you've misread about everything I've stated. Nonetheless, all I've seen is a bunch of people claiming one city "doesn't talk or think about another city", as if that's disqualifies a comparison to being considered a "poor mans" version of another.
Row home dominated urban centers, the two largest in the country. The largest cities in their respective states, founded in colonial period prior to the US existence on major body of water, both originated with strong ethnic White enclaves (although greater numbers in Philly), similar percent share in Catholic to Protestant numbers still today. Two cities both with a "Little Italy/Italian Market" type area, two cities both with strong Black histories and influential African Americans across many points in history. Both cities with numerous significant events in US history taking place in prior colonial periods, (signing of the Declaration of Independence, creation of the Star Spangled Banner). Two of the cheapest "big cities" to find housing on the East Coast still today. Two cities with light-rail/streetcar systems, coupled by having a subway system. Two cities with solidly promising food scenes and often underrated, two solidly blue collar, and known for being "tough nose" Democratic cities, great medical institutions in both, mid-Atlantic weather in both not identical, but very similar.
I haven't even touched on things like the Black accent, club music, or slang terms, of which there are many similarities, neither the bike/moped culture that permeates the mostly Black youth of both places. Sure the cities have their obvious differences, and nuances, as do all city comparison. I really am not even honed in on the actual "similarities" like you guys are, I'm speaking more on the juxtaposition of what the two cities are, and they obviously stand on their own as something unique. But let's cease with the "city X" is being picked on sentiment here.
Now please tell me how that is "hating on Philly", and rather not providing context to why Baltimore can be aligned to be described as a "poor mans" version of Philadelphia? People seem a bit more worried about "oh let me defend my city, so I won't be associated with city Y", rather than actually take the context of the OP, and stay objective. And I definitely wasn't even signaling any individual out, which includes you.
You have a lot of quotes which I never stated, so I am not going to back up things I never said, lol. At the end of the day, people acting as if Baltimore is a mini-Philly is just kind of lazy. Rowhomes (in Philly it's one word, idk about Baltimore) and working class Black people do not mean the two cities are mirror images. Many cities have Italian (or historically Italian areas). Baltimore's is nothing like ours. Ours is highly Mexican and incredibly vibrant. Baltimore's transit system is not a good match to ours, and they don't have trollies.
The differences go on. I already talked about the other parts of town that are dissimilar to Baltimore, but you ignored all of that, so there is no need to repeat myself.
People wanting two rowhome cities to be endlessly similar does not make it so. Stop trying to make Philadelphia-Baltimore happen. It's not going to happen.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by Muinteoir
You have a lot of quotes which I never stated, so I am not going to back up things I never said, lol. At the end of the day, people acting as if Baltimore is a mini-Philly is just kind of lazy. Rowhomes (in Philly it's one word, idk about Baltimore) and working class Black people do not mean the two cities are mirror images. Many cities have Italian (or historically Italian areas). Baltimore's is nothing like ours. Ours is highly Mexican and incredibly vibrant. Baltimore's transit system is not a good match to ours, and they don't have trollies.
The differences go on. I already talked about the other parts of town that are dissimilar to Baltimore, but you ignored all of that, so there is no need to repeat myself.
People wanting two rowhome cities to be endlessly similar does not make it so. Stop trying to make Philadelphia-Baltimore happen. It's not going to happen.
I said a lot more than just row home, even though they're probably the two closest related cities in the US in that category. But it's fine, take from the posts whatever you like.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by KodeBlue
You know me well enough to know I'm not claiming another city. You also know that us Baltimoreans don't even claim the state that we're in. I claim the south because I'm from the south. I not saying that Baltimore is a poor man's Norfolk, I'm saying that if there was a city most similar to Baltimore, it would be Norfolk. Philly and Wilmington are nothing like Baltimore.
You also are from the mid-Atlantic, and Northeast Corridor, in a city where the people, houses, and culture, is by many estimations, a "poor mans Philadelphia".
You know me well enough to know I'm not claiming another city. You also know that us Baltimoreans don't even claim the state that we're in. I claim the south because I'm from the south. I not saying that Baltimore is a poor man's Norfolk, I'm saying that if there was a city most similar to Baltimore, it would be Norfolk. Philly and Wilmington are nothing like Baltimore.
Are they mirror images absolutely not, but are there similarities? Unequivocally. It's not a dig or a boosting of either city. It just is what it is. Cities that a geographically close and were built/established around the same time frame are going to have similarities whether you like it or not..
You also are from the mid-Atlantic, and Northeast Corridor, in a city where the people, houses, and culture, is by many estimations, a "poor mans Philadelphia".
Rowhouses don't make us a poor man's anything. Philly is a poor man's NYC. That's their lane, they embrace that. We're not like them.
You have a lot of quotes which I never stated, so I am not going to back up things I never said, lol. At the end of the day, people acting as if Baltimore is a mini-Philly is just kind of lazy. Rowhomes (in Philly it's one word, idk about Baltimore) and working class Black people do not mean the two cities are mirror images. Many cities have Italian (or historically Italian areas). Baltimore's is nothing like ours. Ours is highly Mexican and incredibly vibrant. Baltimore's transit system is not a good match to ours, and they don't have trollies.
The differences go on. I already talked about the other parts of town that are dissimilar to Baltimore, but you ignored all of that, so there is no need to repeat myself.
People wanting two rowhome cities to be endlessly similar does not make it so. Stop trying to make Philadelphia-Baltimore happen. It's not going to happen.
The poster is trying to play up the connection between Baltimore and Philly because it connects Baltimore (and by extension MD and DC) to the Northeast.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KodeBlue
Rowhouses don't make us a poor man's anything. Philly is a poor man's NYC. That's their lane, they embrace that. We're not like them.
Lol. Great Baltimore is an island floating in the Chesapeake, with 0 connections to anywhere because KodeBlue says so, we hear you, now back to the thread OP.
Lol. Great Baltimore is an island floating in the Chesapeake, with 0 connections to anywhere because KodeBlue says so, we hear you, now back to the thread OP.
We have connections, just not with Philly/Wilmington.
Rowhouses don't make us a poor man's anything. Philly is a poor man's NYC. That's their lane, they embrace that. We're not like them.
Actually, I don't think any city "embraces" being called a poor man's anything. That's why this thread has become pretty toxic. Philadelphia certainly does not feel that way about NYC. Not sure why you went off on a limb there.
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