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I noticed that some cities receive a lot of discussion on here and are more well-liked, while others receive very little. I don’t think it necessarily correlates to the population of each city or region either. Obviously, a website that focuses on discussing cities is going to attract people who in some way have stronger preferences toward certain design ideals.
What cities on City-Data do you think are more preferred on here compared to the views of the general public? What about less preferred? Why? And are there any cities on CD where the favorability has shifted over the years?
I don't know if this is a direct answer to your question, but the biggest problem on this board are posters who want to pop off about a city/state/region who have never actually visited it--or visited one part of a town on a one-day business trip. Then they subscribe to whatever lazy stereotype they have and indulge it on this board.
Likewise, there are those who visit a town as a tourist, do the touristy things, and never bother to think what it might be like as a resident. So their vision is actually far more positive than the underlying reality of earning a living, commuting, or the rest of the blocking and tackling that constitutes having a life.
So I typically don't respond to inquiries about a town unless I've spent significant time there. With the exception of Salt Lake City, Cleveland, and Minneapolis, I've been to every major city in the 48 contiguous states multiple times. Even then, I don't have a full picture of many.
Tier 1: Is it a legacy city?: Yes > Is it growing with white collar jobs, and urban infill? Yes > Highest approval consensus.
"I like tall buildings and elitist institutions, I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s to give my opinion for places I've never been".
Tier 2: Is it a legacy city?: No > Is it growing with white collar jobs and urban infill? Yes > Is it growing at a faster rate than the legacy cities? Yes > Medium level of approval, with mild to moderate condescension from the homers of the above cities.
"I like warmer weather and milder winters, I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s to give my opinion for places I've never been".
Tier 3: Is it a legacy city? Yes > Is it growing with white collar jobs and urban infill? Possibly > Is it still struggling with decline? Possibly >Does it have a stronger urban form than the cities growing faster than the legacy cities? Yes > Less condescension from the tier one homers, more condescension from tier 2 homers.
"My city is performing better than most of the folks on here realize, I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s to give my opinion for places I've never been".
Tier 4: Is it a legacy city? NO > Is it growing with white collar jobs and infill > No > Is it growing faster than legacy cities > Yes. Condescension from Tier 1 and 3 homers. Mixed support from tier 2.
"I like cities that are growing and a little flashy with wealth, I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s to give my opinion for places I've never been".
Wild card: Is the homer representation more tenacious about fighting back stereotypes? Yes > Mixed results from all tiers. Is the homer representation over the top with their defense? Yes > City-data posters will vote against the city in polls just to spite the homers.
The general American public: "I like tall buildings and/or warm weather." "I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s for places I've never been".
Tier 1: Is it a legacy city?: Yes > Is it growing with white collar jobs, and urban infill? Yes > Highest approval consensus.
"I like tall buildings and elitist institutions, I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s to give my opinion for places I've never been".
Tier 2: Is it a legacy city?: No > Is it growing with white collar jobs and urban infill? Yes > Is it growing at a faster rate than the legacy cities? Yes > Medium level of approval, with mild to moderate condescension from the homers of the above cities.
"I like warmer weather and milder winters, I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s to give my opinion for places I've never been".
Tier 3: Is it a legacy city? Yes > Is it growing with white collar jobs and urban infill? Possibly > Is it still struggling with decline? Possibly >Does it have a stronger urban form than the cities growing faster than the legacy cities? Yes > Less condescension from the tier one homers, more condescension from tier 2 homers.
"My city is performing better than most of the folks on here realize, I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s to give my opinion for places I've never been".
Tier 4: Is it a legacy city? NO > Is it growing with white collar jobs and infill > No > Is it growing faster than legacy cities > Yes. Condescension from Tier 1 and 3 homers. Mixed support from tier 2.
"I like cities that are growing and a little flashy with wealth, I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s to give my opinion for places I've never been".
Wild card: Is the homer representation more tenacious about fighting back stereotypes? Yes > Mixed results from all tiers. Is the homer representation over the top with their defense? Yes > City-data posters will vote against the city in polls just to spite the homers.
The general American public: "I like tall buildings and/or warm weather." "I rely heavily on branding from the 1980s, 90s for places I've never been".
The term "legacy city" itself is very much C-D forum branding. Does it occasionally get used in this context in other platforms/publications?....sure. But it is not in the lexicon of about 99% of the general public. Meanwhile it's probably one of the biggest "buzz words" on this forum and one of the most significant "litmus tests" for if a city is "worthy" of discussion.
More favored on CD:
Seattle
San Diego
San Francisco
Austin
MSP
Nashville
Boston
NY
Less favored:
Phoenix
Houston
Jacksonville
OKC
I would add Indianapolis to the "Less favored" list. It's rare that Indy wins a poll when being compared to similar sized cities (or even smaller cities).
I would agree with Jacksonville and OKC though. They also generally aren't well liked on here.
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