Cities ranked by REDDIT members (population, Atlanta, highest, Boston)

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by costellopresley82

I can understand the tiers, yeah.

Nashville has a pop culture-oriented brand and benefits from tourism in a way that most of the other cities lack. In other words, it's a desirable city for young people to live in and visit at the same time.

I view Columbus and Indianapolis in the same tier. Both are Midwestern cities that never relied on heavy industry. Therefore, they're white collar areas and don't have to deal with "Rust Belt" reputations, while Columbus benefits from a major university to boot.

Raleigh is a booming tech city with great jobs (nearby RTP) and there are a handful of top notch universities in the area. It attracts lots of young people akin to Nashville or Austin but doesn't have the tourism. As a result, Raleigh isn't a great city to visit, but it's a fantastic city to live in. Downtown Raleigh used to be small and sleepy but it's getting better, too.

Richmond is underrated. It might not be a tech city like Raleigh or as famous as Nashville, but it has a stable economy, an arts scene, and historic neighborhoods. I can understand the Louisville comparisons, but Richmond is more akin to a smaller D.C. IMO. It has an East Coast feel that Louisville doesn't have.

Cincinnati and Cleveland are also underrated, IMO. Cincinnati in particular is actually very pretty, surrounded by hills and located along the Ohio River.

Architecturally Richmond is more east coast but size, urban, culture, food, arts....all is identical to Louisville...even some of the crime, race divisions, and grit...similar...both cities have urban cores as impressive as any major SE city , with less skyscrapers of course. Louisville is about the coolest city you don't know about.

I still find RDU way overrated but it's ok. Going on the reddit ranking RDU is clearly popular with the young and that goes without saying with RTP and all the top 50 colleges.

[costellopresley82]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

Architecturally Richmond is more east coast but size, urban, culture, food, arts....all is identical to Louisville...even some of the crime, race divisions, and grit...similar...both cities have urban cores as impressive as any major SE city , with less skyscrapers of course. Louisville is about the coolest city you don't know about.

I still find RDU way overrated but it's ok. Going on the reddit ranking RDU is clearly popular with the young and that goes without saying with RTP and all the top 50 colleges.

Yeah, I can see that. Louisville is kind of like Richmond's sibling on the other side of the Appalachians. The way Richmond is influenced by the mid-Atlantic region, Louisville is influenced by the Midwest. But both cities are still southern overall.

What makes Raleigh slightly overrated is the nonstop suburban sprawl. There are very few neighborhoods in the Triangle that are walkable and dense, you have to drive to most places. However, the healthy economy, low crime rates, and decent weather makes Raleigh a desirable city for young people.

If we're talking overrated vs underrated southern cities, I'd put in a good argument for Winston-Salem being underrated. It has a lot of good ingredients, especially for young people. Close to the mountains/hiking spots, centrally located within North Carolina (less than two hours from Charlotte and Raleigh), historic sites such as Old Salem and Reynolda, a handful of colleges (Wake Forest, W-S State) and a fairly large downtown for a smaller city. The only problem is that Winston lacks the jobs that the Triangle and Charlotte have.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by costellopresley82

Yeah, I can see that. Louisville is kind of like Richmond's sibling on the other side of the Appalachians. The way Richmond is influenced by the mid-Atlantic region, Louisville is influenced by the Midwest. But both cities are still southern overall.

What makes Raleigh slightly overrated is the nonstop suburban sprawl. There are very few neighborhoods in the Triangle that are walkable and dense, you have to drive to most places. However, the healthy economy, low crime rates, and decent weather makes Raleigh a desirable city for young people.

If we're talking overrated vs underrated southern cities, I'd put in a good argument for Winston-Salem being underrated. It has a lot of good ingredients, especially for young people. Close to the mountains/hiking spots, centrally located within North Carolina (less than two hours from Charlotte and Raleigh), historic sites such as Old Salem and Reynolda, a handful of colleges (Wake Forest, W-S State) and a fairly large downtown for a smaller city. The only problem is that Winston lacks the jobs that the Triangle and Charlotte have.

It's interesting you hear more about Asheville than Winston-Salem. I have only been twice....a bit lacking in excitement especially as far as urbanity but certainly not a bad area! Lots of potential.

[costellopresley82]

Originally Posted by Peter1948

It's interesting you hear more about Asheville than Winston-Salem. I have only been twice....a bit lacking in excitement especially as far as urbanity but certainly not a bad area! Lots of potential.

Asheville is far more famous for tourism. It's in the mountains, with Biltmore and lots of breweries, etc. It's a better place to visit than live in, though. I'd rather live in Winston.

[norcal2k19]

Originally Posted by costellopresley82

Yeah, I can see that. Louisville is kind of like Richmond's sibling on the other side of the Appalachians. The way Richmond is influenced by the mid-Atlantic region, Louisville is influenced by the Midwest. But both cities are still southern overall.

What makes Raleigh slightly overrated is the nonstop suburban sprawl. There are very few neighborhoods in the Triangle that are walkable and dense, you have to drive to most places. However, the healthy economy, low crime rates, and decent weather makes Raleigh a desirable city for young people.

If we're talking overrated vs underrated southern cities, I'd put in a good argument for Winston-Salem being underrated. It has a lot of good ingredients, especially for young people. Close to the mountains/hiking spots, centrally located within North Carolina (less than two hours from Charlotte and Raleigh), historic sites such as Old Salem and Reynolda, a handful of colleges (Wake Forest, W-S State) and a fairly large downtown for a smaller city. The only problem is that Winston lacks the jobs that the Triangle and Charlotte have.

Winston-Salem is definitely underrated. There's a strong arts community there that surprises a lot of folks...in a good way. Also, the city is working on trying to attract remote workers.

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by norcal2k19

Winston-Salem is definitely underrated. There's a strong arts community there that surprises a lot of folks...in a good way. Also, the city is working on trying to attract remote workers.

Ive spent ample time in Winston. It has a bigger city feel for sure. Definitely punches above its weight downtown with a great arts scene and a booming restaurant scene. Food is always good n Winston.

Where it lacks, and a lot of people see this .. is right outside the 8x8 city block and Old Salem, the city dies off a bit. Whereas in Raleigh the urbanity and quality sprawl (If that is even a thing...) continues for a while and the development is newer, larger and more pristine. Winston area feels blah. Even Greensboro has the FIsher Park, Irving Park, Latham Park, Friendly Acres, Lake Brandt and Green Valley/Guilford Hills which threads nicely to Downtown. Winston needs to develop and refine its neighborhoods that surround downtown a bit more.

While it has a great first impression, I find Winston's depth to be shallow. Although its a very progressive city in terms of development and im sure this issue will be resolved in years to come with the pipeline of activity underway right now. As Greensboro and Winston grow, im sure WS will be put right back on the map.

[Ant131531]

Cities with a lot of young, white, liberal males are going to be the cities with the most members per capita...like Austin. That's Reddit's main demographic.

[costellopresley82]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Ive spent ample time in Winston. It has a bigger city feel for sure. Definitely punches above its weight downtown with a great arts scene and a booming restaurant scene. Food is always good n Winston.

Where it lacks, and a lot of people see this .. is right outside the 8x8 city block and Old Salem, the city dies off a bit. Whereas in Raleigh the urbanity and quality sprawl (If that is even a thing...) continues for a while and the development is newer, larger and more pristine. Winston area feels blah. Even Greensboro has the FIsher Park, Irving Park, Latham Park, Friendly Acres, Lake Brandt and Green Valley/Guilford Hills which threads nicely to Downtown. Winston needs to develop and refine its neighborhoods that surround downtown a bit more.

While it has a great first impression, I find Winston's depth to be shallow. Although its a very progressive city in terms of development and im sure this issue will be resolved in years to come with the pipeline of activity underway right now. As Greensboro and Winston grow, im sure WS will be put right back on the map.

The exception is the area around Reynolda and Wake Forest, which is pretty nice. Otherwise, I can see totally see that. Lots of suburbs that look straight out of the 70s. Hopefully these neighborhoods can be spruced up akin to downtown Winston.

[RaleighSentinel]

In addition to Raleigh’s 91k, there is a broader Triangle sub with almost 49k, a Durham Bullcity sub with about 29k and a Chapel Hill one with ~9k. Cary, a “town” of almost 175k people, which is disproportionately represented on the local CD boards, comes in at a measly sub of 4K or so…

[g500]

USA Cities by Reddit Followers (list may be omitting some). I compiled this by hand.

1. NYC 595,607
2. Los Angeles 539,255
3. Boston 485,423
4. Seattle 427,964
5. Chicago 426,025
6. Atlanta 400,017
7. Philadelphia 384,718
8. San Francisco 329,164
9. Houston 306,105
10. Austin 290,174
11. Dallas 287,481
12. Denver 267,450
13. Portland 264,205
14. Washington, D.C. 260,768
15. San Diego 258,003

Phoenix 222,123
Miami 168,695
Nashville 167,441
Pittsburgh 153,830
Minneapolis 152,809
Charlotte 144,827
Orlando 143,848
Detroit 140,075
Columbus 134,129
San Antonio 133,854
Tampa 132,350
Salt Lake City 131,589
San Jose 130,529
Fort Worth 128,094
Sacramento 126,065
Baltimore 120,437
St. Louis 119,965
Raleigh 118,146
Kansas City 115,760
Long Beach 114,846
Rva (Richmond) 109,401
Cleveland 107,327
Berkeley, CA 105,286
New Orleans 102,985
Boulder 101,729
Cincinnati 100,026
Indianapolis 99,289
Las Vegas 92,031
Tacoma 82,657
Denton, TX 77,429
Madison 75,044
Plano 75,036
Grand Rapids 74,116
Milwaukee 74,072
Oakland 73,769
Fort Lauderdale 73,367
Buffalo 72,070
Birmingham, AL 70,232
Louisville 66,928
Scottsdale, AZ 66916
Colorado Springs 65,870
Tucson 62,360
St. Petersburg, FL 61,394
Jacksonville 59,935
Chattanooga 57,366
Memphis 56,728
Ann Arbor 55,974
Omaha 55,319
Huntsville 54,343
Rochester 52,569
Tempe 52,319
Knoxville 51,951
Albuquerque 50,479
Asheville 48,892
El Paso 48,730
Tulsa 48,329
Okc (Oklahoma City) 47,555
Vancouver, WA 47,262
Wichita 46,259
Santa Cruz 44,408
Eugene 44,092
Charleston, SC 42,437
Jersey City 42,271
Reno 42,156
Boise 40,645
Fort Collins 39,361
Spokane 38,778
Dayton 37,748
Greenville, SC 37,255
Bellingham 36,461
The Woodlands 36,176
Lexington, KY 34,766
Fresno 33,707
Albany 33,552
Des Moines 33,011
Lancaster, PA 32,325
Akron 32,143
Springfield, MO 31,142
Providence 30,496
Baton Rouge 30,247
Norfolk 29,793
Syracuse 29,093
Savannah 29,045
Arlington, TX 28,202
Burlington, VT 28,042
Charlottesville 28,011
Fayetteville, AR 27,810
New Haven 27,647
Gnv (Gainesville, FL) 26,880
Gso (Greensboro, NC) 26,777
Sarasota 26,626
Bloomington, IN 26,404
San Marcos 26,380
Pensacola 25,668
Wilmington, NC 25,642
Lincoln, NE 25,447
Olympia 25,183
Lehighvalley (Allentown, PA) 25,056
Lansing 24,738
Salem, OR 24,668
Round Rock 23,226
Bakersfield 23,214
Anchorage 23,054
Ogden 22,992
Lawrence 22,964
Riverside 22,922
Santa Barbara 22,533
Little Rock 22,164
Pasadena 22,049
Portland, ME 21,103
Frisco 20,883
Tallahassee 20,645
Iowa City 20,309
Tuscaloosa 20,009
Bend, OR 19,783
Boerne 19,218
Fort Wayne 19,153
Murfreesboro 19,021
Modesto 18,942
Irvine 18,554
Winston-Salem 18,324
Norman 18,057
Lubbock 17,816
Las Cruces 17,347
Ithaca 17,294
Overland Park 17,234
Duluth 17,170
Galveston 17,107
Fargo 17,051
Fort Myers 16,840
Augusta, GA 16,800
Stockton 16,544
Cedar Rapids 15,955
Santa Fe 15,923
Burbank 15,099
St. Augustine 15,052
Frederick 15,029
Sioux Falls 14,996
Toledo 14,858
Worcester 14,507
Pueblo 13,210
Bozeman 13,130
Missoula 13,071
Quadcities (Davenport, IA) 12,987
Binghamton 12,849
Columbia, SC 12,736
Visalia 12,704
Myrtle Beach 12,661
Corpus Christi 12,622
Shreveport 12,505
Temecula 12,490
Flagstaff 12,413
Roanoke 12,161
TricitiesWA (Kennewick, WA) 12,118
Waco 11,937
Mesa 11,835
Peoria, IL 11,415
Elk Grove 11,498
Cambridge, MA 11,330
Bellevue 11,287
Brownsville 10,853
Evansville 10,845
Green Bay packers 10,778
Rockford 10,658
Flint 10,411
South Bend 10,212
Medford, OR 10,200
Tyler 10,007
Daytona Beach 10,002
Lafayette 9,953
Clarksville 9,782
Columbus, GA 9,758
Laredo 9,686
Mobile 9,461
Erie 9,401
Fremont 9,338
McKinney 9,239
Santa Monica 9,214
Everett 9,200
Amarillo 9,064
College Station 8,968
Jackson, ME 8,898
Durham 8,867
Scranton 8,804
Macon 8,768
Montgomery 8,684
Port St. Lucie 8,422
Youngstown 8,162
Biloxi 8,083
Annapolis 8,058
Rochester, MN 8,046
Branson, MO 7,908
Bradenton, FL 7,799
Kenosha 7,735
Cape Coral 7,697
Springfield, IL 7,411
Topeka 7,312
Beaumont, TX 7,288
Ventura, CA 7,218
Provo, UT 7,172
Saginaw, MI 7,125
Hartford, CT 7,119
Fairbanks, AK 7,114
Harrisburg, PA 7,030
Carson City, NV 6,785
Billings, MT 6,734
Melbourne, FL 6,553
Palm Springs, CA 6,143
Utica, NY 5,428
Appleton, WI 4,776
Champaign, IL 4,385
Canton, OH 4,257
Cheyenne, WY 3,994
Sioux City, IA 3,948
Springfield, MA 3,511
Huntington, WV 3,399
Charleston, WV 3,286
Manchester, NH 3,294
Pocatello, ID 2,943
Bremerton, WA 2,644
Bismarck, ND 2,480
Hagerstown, MD 2,267