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I was in Michigan last week for work traveling between Detroit, Flint, and Grand Rapids and it got me thinking. Are there other examples of states with cities that are so completely opposite of each other in their culture and trajectory?
Going from the eastern side of Michigan in the Detroit area to the Western side with Grand Rapids almost feels like you're in different states. While I recognize that Detroit's region pretty much dwarfs Grand Rapids, I am always struck by how much more prosperous Grand Rapids feels in comparison. The residents of the the cities seem to be ambivalent to each other. Metro Detroiters don't seem to have an opinion of Grand Rapids, and quite a few people in Western Michigan that I met had never been to the Detroit area. It's as if they are in these bubbles and don't interact with each other. This was surprising to me. Being from Chicago downstate residents always seem very disconnected from the city, but they all still tend to have pretty strong opinions about it.
I often wonder what the difference was between the two sides of Michigan where Detroit's region peaked in population in the 70's, while Grand Rapids doubled in population during that time. They were both manufacturing cities. Why did one perform so much better than the rest of the cities in the state.
It also got me wondering if there are other examples in other states like this where it feels like you might be in another state all together.
Big states like Florida and Texas definitely have cities that are quite different from each other and feel like they should be different states.
Miami is unlike anywhere else in Florida - Jacksonville being the most different from it of Florida's major cities.
San Antonio and El Paso are also quite different from Dallas and Houston. Austin is its own thing.
As for my own state, Huntsville is a bit of an anomaly among Alabama's major cities as it's the most white collar and is the only one that has consistently grown over the past several decades - it still feels like Alabama though.
I was in Michigan last week for work traveling between Detroit, Flint, and Grand Rapids and it got me thinking. Are there other examples of states with cities that are so completely opposite of each other in their culture and trajectory?
Going from the eastern side of Michigan in the Detroit area to the Western side with Grand Rapids almost feels like you're in different states. While I recognize that Detroit's region pretty much dwarfs Grand Rapids, I am always struck by how much more prosperous Grand Rapids feels in comparison. The residents of the the cities seem to be ambivalent to each other. Metro Detroiters don't seem to have an opinion of Grand Rapids, and quite a few people in Western Michigan that I met had never been to the Detroit area. It's as if they are in these bubbles and don't interact with each other. This was surprising to me. Being from Chicago downstate residents always seem very disconnected from the city, but they all still tend to have pretty strong opinions about it.
I often wonder what the difference was between the two sides of Michigan where Detroit's region peaked in population in the 70's, while Grand Rapids doubled in population during that time. They were both manufacturing cities. Why did one perform so much better than the rest of the cities in the state.
It also got me wondering if there are other examples in other states like this where it feels like you might be in another state all together.
Memphis and Nashville?
Cleveland and Columbus?
Are there others?
Grand Rapids did actually double its land area via annexation. Columbus too is mostly very suburban territory. Although these could all be good examples from a cultural perspective.
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Originally Posted by EscAlaMike
Big states like Florida and Texas definitely have cities that are quite different from each other and feel like they should be different states.
Miami is unlike anywhere else in Florida - Jacksonville being the most different from it of Florida's major cities.
San Antonio and El Paso are also quite different from Dallas and Houston. Austin is its own thing.
As for my own state, Huntsville is a bit of an anomaly among Alabama's major cities as it's the most white collar and is the only one that has consistently grown over the past several decades - it still feels like Alabama though.
Huntsville and Birmingham are like a tale of two cities. Huntsville's key to success is its ability to attract and retain high paying jobs which Birmingham hasnt been as successful with.
To me, Birmingham is like the Pittsburgh of the south in the sense that its so insular. It doesnt attract growth from outside the region and the demographics have been stagnant for years.
Huntsville and Birmingham are like a tale of two cities. Huntsville's key to success is its ability to attract and retain high paying jobs which Birmingham hasnt been as successful with.
To me, Birmingham is like the Pittsburgh of the south in the sense that its so insular. It doesnt attract growth from outside the region and the demographics have been stagnant for years.
Eh, while Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are unique, I would not say they are completely different. Both historically have a large immigrant population, architecturally are quite similar and have that Pennsylvania flair culture of a little softness but attitude mixed in one.
Seems like most states have pretty different 1st/2nd place cities. What are the most similar pairs? (that aren't in the same MSA/CSA?)
Des Moines/Cedar Rapids might be one, and Portland/Eugene.
Las Vegas/Reno is probably in the top 10 most similar, but they're still pretty different. The casinos, and nightlife in general, actually aren't that big a deal in Reno. It's an outdoorsy Mountain West city with some of that rough, tattooed biker vibe still hanging on. The urban planning is also pretty different, the core neighborhoods of Reno are significantly denser and more walkable than anything in Vegas (it is an older city). Natural landscape is different too, Reno doesn't have cacti or palms, and the mountains are much closer and more dramatic-looking, frequently ice-covered.
Seems like most states have pretty different 1st/2nd place cities. What are the most similar pairs? (that aren't in the same MSA/CSA?)
Des Moines/Cedar Rapids might be one, and Portland/Eugene.
Las Vegas/Reno is probably in the top 10 most similar, but they're still pretty different. The casinos, and nightlife in general, actually aren't that big a deal in Reno. It's an outdoorsy Mountain West city with some of that rough, tattooed biker vibe still hanging on. The urban planning is also pretty different, the core neighborhoods of Reno are significantly denser and more walkable than anything in Vegas (it is an older city). Natural landscape is different too, Reno doesn't have cacti or palms, and the mountains are much closer and more dramatic-looking, frequently ice-covered.
Des Moines and Cedar Rapids are fairly similar, but Cedar Rapids has a much more pronounced blue collar quality, and is in an obvious smaller tier of city in terms of amenities as Des Moines.
Des Moines' closest peers are Omaha, Lincoln, and Wichita. If you consider that the Omaha metro extends into Iowa, you could place them among the most similar metros in the same state.
Grand Rapids did actually double its land area via annexation. Columbus too is mostly very suburban territory. Although these could all be good examples from a cultural perspective.
Grand Rapids last annexed land during the 1950s when it annexed the western portion of Paris township. It went from 24sq mi to 44 sq mi. After that all of the townships surrounding the city incorporated by the early 60s to avoid annexation. Columbus went from 39sq mi in 1950 to over 219sq mi by 2010. Columbus is a good example of annexation, I'd argue Grand Rapids is not.
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