Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Good thread. It depends, like anything else, on the criteria you set.
For the massive metros (NYC, Chicago and LA), the most "unique" would be NYC. There's really no other city in the US like it. Chicago is like NYC in its built urban environment, but much smaller and with less history. LA is unique in its own way for "large" metros, but there are many other metros that share the same dynamics (sprawl, car orientation, growth in early 1900s, i.e., Houston, Phoenix).
Large/Mid-sized... probably Boston because it is eternally linked, more than any other city, to its own history-- and that it's tied to the old world. Philadelphia and Baltimore share some of the same traits.
Seattle, Portland and San Francisco share similarities. Of these, San Francisco is the most unique because of its typography and importance to the West Coast and its direct lean to Asia.
Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte... not so much.
Detroirt, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee... not so much.
New Orleans stands out, as does St. Louis (French culture, initial gateway west, but has lost its differentiation.
Smaller cities... Savannah, Charleston, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Madison, Ann Arbor have some unique characteristics.
Orlando and Las Vegas are unique. I will leave it at that.
Whoa, now wait a minute. If you can't distinguish the different between Miami and Houston,Dallas, and ATL than you need to get educated. Houston lacks zoning and has a bland skyline, Miami is more caribbean, Atlanta has the southern feel with it's unique skyline. Dallas....has the reunion tower??
Miami Beach. Where else do you have a city dominated by Art Deco architecture?
Asheville has an amazing stock of art deco architecture, second only to Miami Beach in the South. Tulsa surprisingly has one of the largest concentrations of art deco structures in the U.S.
How is Raleigh unique? I couldn't tell that place apart from most suburbs I've been to. It was probably one of the most homogeneous places I've ever been to.
North Carolina's state capital, the homogeneous suburb of Raleigh...
Some unique downtown Raleigh - every city has something interesting to offer, but you have to look past your preconceived images of that city:
Downtown Raleigh 011 on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidnc82/496678086/ - broken link) centennial mall on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/auntnanny/35336143/ - broken link)
Downtown Raleigh on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/auntnanny/195828096/ - broken link) Raleigh Convention Center on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/2834629881/ - broken link)
Medical Building (Shaw University) on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/preservation_nc/1582111341/in/set-72157602442350781/ - broken link) Estey Hall (Shaw University) on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/preservation_nc/1582110863/ - broken link)
Theatre in the park on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/twbuckner/2338765880/in/set-72157594272812786/ - broken link) The Creamery on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Historic Oakwood, Downtown Raleigh on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/flowerspride/3336285261/ - broken link) Love the colors! on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30632183@N08/3315698718/ - broken link)
on Flickr - Photo Sharing! hillsborough silhouettes on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pochacco20/94414675/ - broken link)
Raleigh Auditorium on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26087841@N02/3206071746/ - broken link) City Market Building on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30632183@N08/3314867319/ - broken link)
Raleigh doesn't look any different than other smaller cities in the country, based on those pictures.
Ya know...you could never post another word on this site and we would all already know your opinion.
1. The photos show some unique structures and places in Raleigh...every city has them. If you say those photos don't look any different from other cities, then no city looks any different.
2. Raleigh wouldn't be considered a "smaller city" with a population of 400,000 and in the top 50 U.S. cities.
Some of those pictures, while nice, aren't unique. There are also large parts of Raleigh that are very new and bland suburban in nature.
Okay, show me some photos from other cities that look like those...if they aren't unique, they must have a match somewhere else.
What city DOESN'T have large areas that are bland and suburban? They all do...even the most urban of urban cities.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
