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You couldn’t make it the top 12 to include Honolulu? That gets my vote.
Boston
Sacramento
Atlanta
Denver
Phoenix
Austin
Nashville
Indianapolis
Columbus
Oklahoma City
I’ve never been to OKC so maybe I’d put it higher than last? Haven’t been to Austin either, but I’ll go off what several friends told me about it to put it in the middle? I highly doubt I’d put it in my top 4.
Although it's not among the ten largest, I'd certainly rank Honolulu above many of these cities (I'd slot it between Denver and Austin). Providence would be between Nashville and Indy, while Salt Lake City would slide in around the Indy/Columbus level. St. Paul is also overlooked as well; it's half of the Twin Cities and has many of the big city amenities found in some of the cities listed here as well.
Yeah, it's kind of a shame that some of these places didn't make the list. For me, I'd rank Salt Lake City in second place, just below Nashville. It's a clean, safe, prosperous city with gorgeous natural scenery. I've heard that the winter inversion can be a pain (never been there when one was occurring, so I don't know first-hand) but otherwise I think I'd be very happy there. I'd put Providence somewhere in the middle of the list. It may not be the greatest city ever, but it's a nice place. As a place to visit, Honolulu would easily top the list for me. But as a place to live, I'd put it near the bottom. Just don't want to be so isolated from the rest of civilization. St. Paul does not appeal to me.
1. Austin
2. Oklahoma City
3. Atlanta
4. Nashville
5. Denver
6. Boston
7. Columbus
8. Indianapolis
(gap)
9. Phoenix
10. Sacramento
I'm kinda surprised I'm not more interested in Boston, it just feels like I've absorbed a lot about the city already through this forum and people I know who have lived there (and I went there on a family trip once). But OKC and Nashville I know almost nothing about.
As for my lower tier: I've been to Sac a few times, there's nothing really wrong with it but it feels very generic and identity-less, moreso than even Columbus or Indy. I'm actually putting Phoenix above Sac, just because Phoenix is at least clearly trying to become more urban and upzone the neighborhoods around the downtown. I don't get that vibe in Sac, it seems like they just have downtown and Midtown and they're pretty much fine with that. It seems like most of the development is happing in the eastern suburbs, more and more Targets and Chipotles being thunked down in the Sierra foothills.
I am surprised the opinions on Sac on this thread are so polarized, everyone either agrees with me or is describing it as one of the nation's most underrated cities.
1. Austin
2. Oklahoma City
3. Atlanta
4. Nashville
5. Denver
6. Boston
7. Columbus
8. Indianapolis
(gap)
9. Phoenix
10. Sacramento
I'm kinda surprised I'm not more interested in Boston, it just feels like I've absorbed a lot about the city already through this forum and people I know who have lived there (and I went there on a family trip once). But OKC and Nashville I know almost nothing about.
As for my lower tier: I've been to Sac a few times, there's nothing really wrong with it but it feels very generic and identity-less, moreso than even Columbus or Indy. I'm actually putting Phoenix above Sac, just because Phoenix is at least clearly trying to become more urban and upzone the neighborhoods around the downtown. I don't get that vibe in Sac, it seems like they just have downtown and Midtown and they're pretty much fine with that. It seems like most of the development is happing in the eastern suburbs, more and more Targets and Chipotles being thunked down in the Sierra foothills.
I am surprised the opinions on Sac on this thread are so polarized, everyone either agrees with me or is describing it as one of the nation's most underrated cities.
FWIW Austin is great but I'd definitely recommend visiting Boston over Austin! Austin's strength is that is has great people that are smart and educated but also relaxed and fun-loving. There are a lot of social activities: live music, festivals, sporting events, etc. The nightlife hits like a city 2-3x larger.
As a tourist though, there is way more to see in Boston! No question about that. It's a great city that is very historic, charming, urban, and walkable.
AUS and ATL are debatable for me.. ..I like both for different reasons.. ..but OKC???
Believe it or not, some of us actually would prefer a conservative (or at least less liberal) city. Couple that with some attractive areas, some interesting sites, and a basically clean, safe city, and Oklahoma City looks pretty good.
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