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What makes a city tough? Talking aggressively? Does that scare people who aren't from the Northeast & Chicago? Does being tough make Northeastern suburbs more prestigious?
I would say it's more of a blue-collar stereotype more than anything else. And of course it's subjective. I would consider Baltimore to be "tougher" than DC. Baltimore is a better setting for a show like "The Wire" than DC, but I agree, "tough" is subjective.
I'd never move back east because of the weather, but I actually might pick the nicer North Shore suburbs like Marblehead and Ipswich. More character than Boston's MetroWest suburbs.
If you were going to pull me out of the city and into the 'burbs, it would be a place like Marblehead that would do it. We just bought here, but we've looked at some places in Marblehead that are on the cusp of our price range. One downside is the relative lack of transit connectivity compared to nearby spots (Salem to North Station is 20-25 minutes by train - M'Head is around an hour and requires a bus to train transfer). Ipswich, Rockport, and Newburyport are a little far from the city, but all have the character I'd look for, and I'd agree, are nicer than the Metrowest 'burbs.
Well for starters he posted simply false claims about sports teams, and Police shows that contradict reality. Baltimore "located in the South" has police shows etc.
So no he posted what makes DC stand out in comparison to NYC/Boston/Philly. Not what makes DC southern. Portland, ME doesn't have more Puerto Ricans than DC, is it Southern? The "Northeast" is more than 4 cities along I-95. Stating Chicago has skyscrapers like the NE means nothing when Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta have skyscrapers and DC doesn't. DC is an outlier because it's the US capital and doesn't follow after any other city, it's a microcosm of America even within it's own metropolitan area or even the CSA. I'm not claiming DC is either one, just a point that Chicago is not a NE city, which strikes a nerve for him to hear that.
Again fact checked.
Chicago isn't a Northeastern city, obviously. It's a Midwestern city. But I'm just pointing out it has more in common with the Big 3 Northestern cities than DC does. As you know, I grew up in Howard County MD, so I'm very familiar with Baltimore and DC. They are not part of the Northeast, and characteristically feel so much different. DC in particular is a major outlier (even more so than Baltimore). It is why it's odd even seeing the DC suburbs listed in this thread.
DC to me would be considered in the Mid Atlantic region.
It definitely is not Northeast.
I know locals from both NOVA and SOMD, in the exurban areas of DC, and they have very distinct southern dialects, less than 30 miles outside DC proper.
DC is not a legacy city, in the fact it was developed much later and no industry other than government really developed there historically.
This is why Chicago, Philadelphia, NYC and Boston all have more similarities in their suburbs than DC does.
With that, DC has grown rapidly and it has a very sizable share of wealth. I am not dismissing that. But it just lacks the character and charm that the other Northeastern Suburbs offer.
The Main Line, is astounding. There is nothing like it in the DC metro. Its history is long and storied. The entire preppy movement can be sourced from The Main Line. I mean have you seen a Philadelphia story with Katherine Hepburn?
DC has nothing like that history, and not just of the buildings itself, but also of its social clubs.
DC really did not come into great growth and prominence until around the year 2000.
DC in the 90s was the murder capital of the world, and its metro was half the size it is today.
I never said such a thing, and have barely been commenting in this thread. You have me confused with another poster. Please don't confuse me with another poster.
Your quote was DC doesn't have suburbs that are "unique towns filled with old world charm, connectivity, history, varying architecture, walk-ability, and of course affluence."
This is your quote. With this being your criteria that you've stated in this thread Alexandria, VA by definition checks all boxes and makes your statement categorically false. Again all I do is jump in when non-factual things are being stated or need to be clarified. I've been to Main Line specifically and it's extremely prestigious, so you're barking up the wrong tree on those thoughts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the resident09
You are correct. My point was fact checking those who said they were non-existent in the DC region.
My bad on the silly part, it was DC Finest, this thread is hard to keep up with...
And your grab of my quote does not capture its entirety. I clearly began that statement with MOST DC burbs lack those characteristics, because they do. I never used a totality (or non-existent) statement to describe the DC burbs. See my original post below...
While many DC burbs are affluent, most are newer and standard car-centric high-end American suburbs.
The Gold Coast and Main Line (and other areas around Boston, New York and Chicago) offer collections of unique towns filled with old world charm, connectivity, history, varying architecture, walk-ability, and of course affluence.
So yea, it was factual, DC does not offer collections of unique towns with those characteristics, its features very few of those, not sure what the issue is..
CT is the most 'prestigious' in my mind. A lot of executives in Manhattan have always taken metro north into the city from CT given it's convenience. NOVA probably embodies the 'new' money ethos the most.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KodeBlue
What makes a city tough? Talking aggressively? Does that scare people who aren't from the Northeast & Chicago? Does being tough make Northeastern suburbs more prestigious?
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,550,614 times
Reputation: 5785
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpomp
My bad on the silly part, it was DC Finest, this thread is hard to keep up with...
And your grab of my quote does not capture its entirety. I clearly began that statement with MOST DC burbs lack those characteristics, because they do. I never used a totality (or non-existent) statement to describe the DC burbs. See my original post below...
While many DC burbs are affluent, most are newer and standard car-centric high-end American suburbs.
The Gold Coast and Main Line (and other areas around Boston, New York and Chicago) offer collections of unique towns filled with old world charm, connectivity, history, varying architecture, walk-ability, and of course affluence.
So yea, it was factual, DC does not offer collections of unique towns with those characteristics, its features very few of those, not sure what the issue is..
But that's still not true that "most are car-centric" suburbs when DC's Metro system is among the most extensive heavy rail systems in the country, and the region also has commuter rail present that runs through it's suburbs.
DC is the 4th most walkable metro area in the nation after NY, Boston, and Denver.
You guys and stating this Sunbelt description for DC isn't sticking. Although I stated upthread it's the DC exurbs more so than it's beltway suburbs where you find more of those "charming" "quaint" towns with more history to them. MD and VA are older than DC itself people did live there you know.
But that's still not true that "most are car-centric" suburbs when DC's Metro system is among the most extensive heavy rail systems in the country and the region also has commuter rail present.
DC is the 4th most walkable metro area in the nation after NY, Boston, and Denver.
You guys and stating this Sunbelt description for DC isn't sticking.
Something worth pointing out about Metro:
It turned both Arlington (which planned for this to happen back in 1961, when Metro was just an idea) and Bethesda into edge cities. Both are dramatically different in built form now because of the rapid transit extensions into them.
But that's still not true that "most are car-centric" suburbs when DC's Metro system is among the most extensive heavy rail systems in the country and the region also has commuter rail present.
DC is the 4th most walkable metro area in the nation after NY, Boston, and Denver.
You guys and stating this Sunbelt description for DC isn't sticking.
DC has a great transit system and of all US metros, it has embraced TOD the most. Which is very modern and positive. Nothing bad to say about it.
Heavy Rail and Commuter Rail are very different. And yield different types of development.
With that DC has an almost nonexistent commuter rail system. While, NYC, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago have the largest commuter rail systems in the USA.
Take a look at a SEPTA map. Philadelphia's commuter rail extends all the way to Newark, Delaware to Trenton, NJ. It is the 3rd largest transit system in the USA, in terms of miles.
Not putting down DC, I am simply stating, commuter rail is older and yielded these suburban villages and towns that offer a great deal of character, while also offering transit access.
You do not get that with WMATA. The silver line is a great development. But it still does not yield the same length and miles that commuter rail offers in legacy metros.
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