Best Downtowns Among Smaller Cities (compare, market, size, neighborhood)
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Most college towns have nice downtown areas (Ithaca, Burlington, Bozeman, Ann Arbor).
Frederick MD
Lancaster PA
Asheville NC
Worcester MA
^Agree with this. College towns, or just dormitory college life in general, seem to be a lot of people's first experience with a truly walkable area and lifestyle.
I hadn't street viewed Lake Charles much, myself. Maybe I will take a look at its downtown, per seeing your comment as I'm a tad curious about the potential you mean. With Lake Charles attracting some casinos to open up, you think they'd try to use that tax revenue to spruce up and promote their downtown area?
They are using tax revenues to revamp their downtown. Not just from the casinos, LC has some of the biggest plants in the country as well. but it’s a slow process. They had some momentum a few years back but different things caused the momentum to slow a tad bit (downturn in oil industry, HURRICANE LAURA & DELTA). Part of this is also a cultural thing. The only downtown bar/club in Lake Charles that locals actually frequent is OBs. Panorama later opened and had a lot of momentum. It got destroyed by Laura & Delta and hasn’t opened back up yet, but I’m sure once it does it’ll get that right back. The restaurant Tia Juanita’s has been a local gem and vastly improved the area as well.
However, those aren’t even the reason I give Lake Charles that kind of potential. Positioned next to the lake and with a decent boardwalk, this is where I see the potential. Were the casinos to be built om the downtown boardwalk, that alone would lift the potential, but instead the casinos built their own boardwalk in a newer part of town. It’s nice itself, but it’s away from downtown. And being a small town with huge casinos, it’s kind of hard to take their attraction elsewhere.
In normal times and in the same line of cities in the second post, Syracuse(particularly the Armory Square district and couple districts to a lesser degree) have continued to improve. Armory Square | Downtown Syracuse, New York
Harrisburg is pretty good and could be even better.
Bentonville/Fayetteville, AR
Knoxville, TN
Huntsville, AL
Chattanooga, TN
Springfield, MO
Tallahassee, FL
Here's my take on these--
6 Huntsville, AL - has a lot of potential, and some cool spots opening here and there, but was way too quiet and not many options when I visited in 2018.
5 Bentonville/Fayetteville, AR - Growing and turning into a better destination. Has a ways to go though.
4 Tallahassee, FL - Good options and overall good level of activity with foot traffic. Growing and will get better.
3 Springfield, MO - Good tourist options downtown and some great restaurant choices too.
2 Knoxville, TN - Most dense of these cities and feels the largest downtown. The old city is cool and hip, and market square is bustling.
1 Chattanooga, TN - Tons of options for tourists, locals, families, hipsters, and those just looking to hang. A great downtown getting better.
Last edited by jjbradleynyc; 04-06-2021 at 09:17 AM..
Lancaster, Pennsylvania downtown is very very nice.
When people go there... most are blown away how sophisticated, historic, clean and vibrant it is.
It honestly looks like something from the West Village in NYC or Old City in Philadelphia or Beacon Hill in Boston...
definitely; it seems like a micro-Philly to me mostly, but I can see a resemblance to Beacon Hill too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
In normal times and in the same line of cities in the second post, Syracuse(particularly the Armory Square district and couple districts to a lesser degree) have continued to improve. Armory Square | Downtown Syracuse, New York
Harrisburg is pretty good and could be even better.
Armory square is nice, but the rest of the Syracuse downtown needs some TLC. the bones are there though. Speaking of NY cities, Rochester and Buffalo have some decent downtowns; Buffalo has the new canal side district, the downtown is getting some attention and Rochester has some nice development along the river/falls/gorge and is removing a part of their highway that used to circle the city like a moat.
Harrisburg is nice (much smaller and walkable than Syracuse/Rochester or Buffalo) but also could use some more love. It has a ton of potential with how the residential is woven into the downtown the way it is, as well as the fact it's the state capital. Also the river is beautiful; I can't believe there's no highway destroying it. Another thing I like about Harrisburg and Lancaster for that matter, is that it's on the Amtrak keystone line that quickly connects them to Philly and NYC. This line is one of the faster Amtrak routes since it's electrified (125 mph top speed I think, but I would imagine it could do the same as the NEC). They also managed not to tear down their beautiful train stations.
Also, being from Philly I love public markets, and both Lancaster and Harrisburg have them. I think the one in Lancaster is the oldest in the country.
Last edited by skintreesnail; 04-06-2021 at 09:47 AM..
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