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None of these cities have rich history though because at the poster mentioned below most of these were nothing but a dot on the map until well after the civil war.
That's the point of the thread. Even though they're not "rich" in history these cities do have history. Just not as rich as legacy cities that we all know of. Out of the ones listed which ones meet as many criteria's as possible to be ranked fairly.
I guess that's the whole point of this thread though, a deep delve into the obscure...
Right you are
But in a sense, also, that reference point I would respectfully disagree on. Even the very newest cities have some level of history, human development to them, a story worth telling. My opinion at least.
I picked Jacksonville. It has a traditional city set up, with being a port, and at crossroads of railroads (CSX is HQd there). I also would echo the sentiment of another poster mentioning that St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach can be accessed within the metro area, as well as the fact that Savannah is a day trip, and Charleston is a longer day trip.
I like hitting cemeteries (if I get a chance at least) when visiting cities, or at least reading about them.
Evergreen Cemetery is probably the most historically interesting one in the state, connected with a major city.
It also has a deep/old history. Kingsley Plantation in Jax itself dates back to 1797. Going even further back, there's the location at least, of Fort Caroline. It dates to 1564, and there's the interesting connection of Pedro Menendez de Aviles brutally defeating Jean Ribault and his French soldiers that were previously in the area. This is likely part of why Florida was kept by Spain, and not France, or another nation, until 1821, and perhaps why Spain had more success colonizing the new world in general for such a long time as this was a critical location.
There's also a significant music/film history there, with Jacksonville being perhaps one of the most important cities for southern rock, and the precursor to Hollywood with a massive silent film industry.
It's interesting that it hasn't taken off, and become bigger than it has (it is significantly smaller than and overshadowed by the other three big FL cities, and the gap between Jacksonville, and Tampa/Orlando has significantly widened I think the past 3 decades.
I picked Jacksonville. It has a traditional city set up, with being a port, and at crossroads of railroads (CSX is HQd there). I also would echo the sentiment of another poster mentioning that St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach can be accessed within the metro area, as well as the fact that Savannah is a day trip, and Charleston is a longer day trip.
I like hitting cemeteries (if I get a chance at least) when visiting cities, or at least reading about them.
Evergreen Cemetery is probably the most historically interesting one in the state, connected with a major city.
It also has a deep/old history. Kingsley Plantation in Jax itself dates back to 1797. Going even further back, there's the location at least, of Fort Caroline. It dates to 1564, and there's the interesting connection of Pedro Menendez de Aviles brutally defeating Jean Ribault and his French soldiers that were previously in the area. This is likely part of why Florida was kept by Spain, and not France, or another nation, until 1821, and perhaps why Spain had more success colonizing the new world in general for such a long time as this was a critical location.
There's also a significant music/film history there, with Jacksonville being perhaps one of the most important cities for southern rock, and the precursor to Hollywood with a massive silent film industry.
Jacksonville would certainly be near the top of the list for me. Probably Top 3 along with Houston and Nashville. I ended up voting Houston though mostly because of the Battle of San Jacinto site. It's really just personal preference though, as I find Texas history fascinating and am particularly interested in the Texas War for Independence.
Of course having St. Augustine just down the road gives Jacksonville a really unfair advantage...
As a side note, the Jacksonville area has a Civil War battlefield in nearby Olustee which was the most significant Civil War battle to take place in the state of Florida.
I think Ybor City in Tampa perhaps has a strong case to being one of the most, if not the most intact historical area in any of these cities listed, in terms of architecture and how it is kept much of it's original flair.
https://www.google.com/maps/@27.9617...7i16384!8i8192 (This second image I think is especially compelling. Left to right, you have Vincente Ybor's original cigar factory (now unfortunately owned by Scientology instead of being a mixed use space), the oldest building in Ybor (El Pasaje), and the Circulo Cubano (Cuban Club), where Marti was almost assassinated.
It's worth noting that Columbia is the world's largest Spanish restaurant, as well as being the oldest of it's kind in FL. That's not just a gimmick either, as it's important to remember that in the first 13 years Ybor was present, Cuba literally WAS Spain.
If you take into account all the factors in the o.p there's no way the Miami metro doesn't rank first.
Criteria can be the following:
-Notable/Sophisticated Historic Structures
-Historic Districts/Neighborhoods Streetscape/Aesthetic
-Authenticity/Vibe (Old World-ness, etc.)
-Notable/Influential Residents
-Global Influence
-Historic Events and Societies/Museums/Engagement
-Quirk/Miscellaneous Factors
I can definitely see a strong case for Miami, new as it is, it can't be ignored and certainly has a history and influence perhaps greater than at least a number of these. In some ways, it is the most distinctive one of this group.
Charlotte certainly wouldn't be confused as a place that makes a major priority of preserving history. On the same token though, this is really neat, and something that I very much have high on my priority list for next time I happen to be passing through.
Durham is technically not a part of the Raleigh MSA. However, I think that it gives Raleigh as a region significant points in this regard, at least from an aesthetic standpoint, Duke University, Brightleaf Square/Downtown, and the American Tobacco Campus, are all stunning/impressive, and I think make Durham, perhaps along with Galveston, the strongest secondary cities in the metro at elevating the overall region.
I noticed that San Antonio is not on the list.
I guess it is just for American history.
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