Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh, which city is more nationally renowned? (best, state, place)
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Both of these cities are fairly similar, as they're not far apart and have industrial legacies.
For example:
Cleveland - Rockefeller, Standard Oil, historically a steel and manufacturing center
Pittsburgh - Carnegie, Mellon, U.S. Steel, historically a steel and manufacturing center
Cleveland - Located along Lake Erie, roughly halfway between New York and Chicago
Pittsburgh - Located where the Allegheny and Monongahela form the Ohio River
Cleveland - Browns (AFC North), Cavaliers (legacy of LeBron James), big on sports
Pittsburgh - Steelers (AFC North), Penguins (Sidney Crosby), also big on sports
In addition, both cities have similar sizes, although I suppose Cleveland was bigger during the height of the Gilded Age (first half of the 20th century).
If you had to pick the one that was more nationally renowned, which would you pick? I'm referring to which city is more famous on a national (or international) scale.
Internationally, for cities outside the top 10-15 (or 6), it might come down to sports championships and movies, for the few who've heard of either. I was going to say the Stillers, but the Cavs were more recent and basketball is a more international sport. But the superbowl is big, and Pittsburgh has a legacy brand...
Nationally, probably Pittsburgh. Sports are still the main thing. Legacy...
Neither is terribly visible in movies, but Cleveland has some TV shows.
On a broad national level, both cities are probably seen as equivalent to each other, i.e. old rust belt cities in middle America with passionate sports fans.
Pittsburgh has somewhat of a cult following among city / urbanist geeks and has a generally strong reputation among people that have visited over the last decade or are affiliated with it in some way. Cleveland has a decent reputation among this crowd, but not quite as strong as Pittsburgh.
Internationally, for cities outside the top 10-15 (or 6), it might come down to sports championships and movies, for the few who've heard of either. I was going to say the Stillers, but the Cavs were more recent and basketball is a more international sport. But the superbowl is big, and Pittsburgh has a legacy brand...
Nationally, probably Pittsburgh. Sports are still the main thing. Legacy...
Neither is terribly visible in movies, but Cleveland has some TV shows.
Pittsburgh also has TV shows, and is much more prominently featured in films than Cleveland:
Also, to answer OP, Pittsburgh takes this by a narrow margin, having hit metrics in per capita wealth during its boom periods only exceeded by NYC and Chicago.
Today, both cities continue to lose population while having exponentially more to offer than a lot of the cities that are gaining population.
Pittsburgh's TV and movie connection is interesting. But how much of that really portrays the city? Or is it like Vancouver, whose shows are typically non-location-specific or set elsewhere? By contrast, Cleveland has gotten tons of branding from its TV shows.
Pittsburgh's TV and movie connection is interesting. But how much of that really portrays the city? Or is it like Vancouver, whose shows are typically non-location-specific or set elsewhere? By contrast, Cleveland has gotten tons of branding from its TV shows.
its true that Cleveland has a bigger pop culture brand. It has a self deprecating brand of being a humble, miserable place when it really is like a top 10 city with a Great Lake.
Pittsburgh films like The Next Three Days went relatively deep into Pittsburgh locales and culture, while Jack Reacher never even really mentioned Pittsburgh but it had some of the best location shots of it of any movie made there.
Flashdance isn't a great film, but its a great Pittsburgh film. It shows it for exactly what it was at the time.
its true that Cleveland has a bigger pop culture brand. It has a self deprecating brand of being a humble, miserable place when it really is like a top 10 city with a Great Lake.
Pittsburgh films like The Next Three Days went relatively deep into Pittsburgh locales and culture, while Jack Reacher never even really mentioned Pittsburgh but it had some of the best location shots of it of any movie made there.
Flashdance isn't a great film, but its a great Pittsburgh film. It shows it for exactly what it was at the time.
It's also funny that The Deer Hunter was largely filmed in Cleveland yet set in the Pittsburgh area. The entire area has a similar feel, with Youngstown right in the middle being the heart of the "Rust Belt," so to speak.
Pittsburgh has a strong edge as a city with a more defined-in-the-public-eye identity. Cleveland blurs with other Great Lake-fronting cities. There is no metro equivalent to Pittsburgh; it's weirder, and therefore more memorable.
Pittsburgh has a strong edge as a city with a more defined-in-the-public-eye identity. Cleveland blurs with other Great Lake-fronting cities. There is no metro equivalent to Pittsburgh; it's weirder, and therefore more memorable.
Gotta agree with this. Also, Ohio just generally seems to fade into the background among the states while Pennsylvania is associated with the 13 colonies, the revolution, etc. That alone just gives a bit of an edge to Pittsburgh, I think.
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