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.
I considered Nwk, but my hunch was that it isn't quite as distinctive or regarded within its region, as FW and Oakland are in theirs. That said I do view these secondary cities with their own MDs, on individual merit...
Years ago on here I asked how Nwk was regarded compared to Bmore and Pgh by Northeasterners and the responses were quite venomous, that its seen as being lesser in stature. Regionally it kinda fits, perceptively, between Buff/Pvd, and Bmore/Pgh, but i don't think the general outlook on it is high enough that people think it warrants Top 20 consideration. Anecdotally from living in the Northeast, I'd say that fits how I heard people talk about Nwk when it was subject of discussion.....not really considerable for this level of cities...
Just for me personally, it isn't difficult to look at a SJ, FW, Oak, FtL, or Nwk as being part of the larger region as well as sizable cities with their own unique spheres of influence, within the larger region. I really don't know why other people find that difficult to perceive lol...
Newark really didn't have the opportunity to develop as a large city in the same way as most other places since the behemoth that is NYC has always massively overshadowed every other city in its vicinity. But still it has historically been the largest city in a very important East Coast state and while I certainly wouldn't consider it a top 20 city either, I think top 30 is reasonable.
I: NY, LA, Chi
II: DC, SF
III: Boston, Hou, Atl, Philly, Dallas, Sea, Mia
IV: MSP, Det, Denver, Phx, SD
V: Clt, Bmore, Atx, Pdx, StL, Pgh, TB, SJ
Pretty good. Though I think DC can make an argument for 3. I think the Ohio cities kind of take away from each other, but for a small state, they certainly have three really cool cities.
I considered Nwk, but my hunch was that it isn't quite as distinctive or regarded within its region, as FW and Oakland are in theirs. That said I do view these secondary cities with their own MDs, on individual merit...
Years ago on here I asked how Nwk was regarded compared to Bmore and Pgh by Northeasterners and the responses were quite venomous, that its seen as being lesser in stature. Regionally it kinda fits, perceptively, between Buff/Pvd, and Bmore/Pgh, but i don't think the general outlook on it is high enough that people think it warrants Top 20 consideration. Anecdotally from living in the Northeast, I'd say that fits how I heard people talk about Nwk when it was subject of discussion.....not really considerable for this level of cities...
Just for me personally, it isn't difficult to look at a SJ, FW, Oak, FtL, or Nwk as being part of the larger region as well as sizable cities with their own unique spheres of influence, within the larger region. I really don't know why other people find that difficult to perceive lol...
Now that I've had several chances to see Newark for myself up close, I've moved to the camp that says the city gets a bum rap.
It may have a downtown that's less than sparkling, but it has plenty of life in it, and new restaurants are opening to join that Whole Foods — not to mention local entrepreneurs opening interesting local shops like the art gallery I visited last year. (I've now been to the Newark branch of Syracuse's (and New York State's) best Q joint, Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, twice; it's just a few blocks from Newark Penn Station.)
It doesn't have fabulous wealth, but its lower-income neighborhoods, or at least the ones I saw, look a helluva lot better than many of Philadelphia's. Bloomfield Avenue, which runs through a heavily Hispanic area, seemed to me to pulse with life in a way 52d Street doesn't but Broad/Erie/Germantown might. And it does have some nice neighborhoods — through my reporter friend who lived in Bloomfield for about two years before decamping for Memphis, then Louisville, I got to meet a fellow KC native who lives in one of those neighborhoods.
It has a performing arts center, two busy railroad stations, a sports arena (that I think is home to the New Jersey Devils of the NHL — I'll forgive North Jersey's principal city for expropriating a figure from Pinelands lore here), a minor league ballpark (Camden's got razed, for purposes of comparison) and a major (and committed to the city's future) corporate citizen in the largest private company based there, the Prudential Insurance Company of America. And it has its own light metro, the Newark City Subway, a Depression-era project that got extended to the performing-arts center (as a surface LRT line) a few years back.
I've been to several cities in far, far worse shape than Newark. I don't understand why people dump on it so.
It doesn't have fabulous wealth, but its lower-income neighborhoods, or at least the ones I saw, look a helluva lot better than many of Philadelphia's. Bloomfield Avenue, which runs through a heavily Hispanic area, seemed to me to pulse with life in a way 52d Street doesn't but Broad/Erie/Germantown might.
The Ironbound is one of the coolest neighborhoods I've ever been to.
The Ironbound is one of the coolest neighborhoods I've ever been to.
Forgot about the Portuguese neighborhood right on the other side of Penn Station from downtown. Some friends of mine and I landed in an ethnic festival there on one visit two years ago.
Where’s Vegas? And what’s the argument for putting Ft. Worth ahead of Orlando?
IMO, Vegas is too focused on entertainment/tourism--they don't have a true big city downtown either, like other cities of their population level.
Fort Worth, I think I was including in the DFW metroplex. Also, Orlando's economy may not be as strong as it was due to COVID-19. Orlando is such a tourist-dependent city, like Vegas. But more diverse than Vegas, industry wise.
Nashville doesn't even belong on this poll much less leading it lol.
i think nashville benefits a bit from recency bias here... it's one of a handful of darling high-growth cities over the past decade or so that has raised its national perception dramatically, so it probably "feels" more important at the moment than maybe it is.
Nashville doesn't even belong on this poll much less leading it lol.
Vegas really doesn't belong in a third-place tie with Kansas City. Unlike Orlando, which has something going on besides tourism, tourism and the casinos are all Vegas has.
Vegas really doesn't belong in a third-place tie with Kansas City. Unlike Orlando, which has something going on besides tourism, tourism and the casinos are all Vegas has.
What does Orlando have that Vegas doesn't? If you mean that Orlando is also a huge convention center, then so is Vegas (Orlando is #1, Vegas is #3).
I really feel like Vegas is being massively overlooked in these threads. It may indeed be a one or two trick pony, but what a pony! Not only as the "Entertainment Capital of the World" but also as a huge event center. You hear all the time that this or that convention or sports event or tournament of some kind is being held in Vegas (much more so than Orlando, in fact). People recognize and come to Vegas from all over the world. Folks have been dissecting various metrics of importance on these threads, but there is also a lot to be said about being "on the radar". And very few cities are more on the radar of national consciousness than Vegas.
Vegas really doesn't belong in a third-place tie with Kansas City. Unlike Orlando, which has something going on besides tourism, tourism and the casinos are all Vegas has.
Ask people from outside the US to name 5 US cities and your most common answers will be New York, LA, Washington, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Orlando would not be mentioned.
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.
