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I know I probably sound like a broken record (sorry), but Houston is so underrated for this. Most people have no idea, or dismiss it for being in Texas.
- Houston is one of only a few US cities with permanent year-round companies in all four disciplines of the performing arts -- ballet, opera, symphony and theater.
- The city's theater district ranks 2nd in size (after that of NYC).
- It has the 4th largest museum district in the country, with nearly 20 museums within walking distance.
- Ranks 3rd in fine arts museum space.
- Ranks 3rd in number of working artists.
- Home of the Art Car parade movement.
- Houses the only intact Byzantine frescoes in the Western Hemisphere.
- Houses the most visited health museum in the country, and one of the most visited natural science museums.
- Houston Grand Opera is the only opera company in the world with Grammy, Tony and Emmy awards.
The only category that could use some improvement? Local music. Note I said local... we get plenty of great touring bands. This recent one made world record for most number of cameras used, and will be their new live DVD (I was there, it rocked!)
If anything Milwaukee and St. Louis are underrated. Charlotte is okay, but has a way to go and it lacks a music scene. Raleigh with all its publicity is somewhat overrated as the city and its surroundings leave much to be desired. BTW, it's obvious you have some weird obsession with Chicago.
St. Louis the St. Louis art/music scene is about what you would expect in a midwestern city. A few "interesting ideas" but most of it is about 5 years behind of what's going on on the coasts, especially in Graphic Design.
The Hip Hop / urban scene appears to be pretty vibrant, but that is not really my taste in music and the neighborhoods where it is happening are not friendly to outsiders.
Theatre people are irritating no matter where you are. Its a good thing there is NOT a large mime population in Saint Louis.
I would say that with the exception of New Orleans and Miami, the southern and southwestern cities are all underrated by many people on this forum. A lot of people on here simply refuse to believe that culture exists in the south, which is pretty ridiculous.
I'd also say Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo are very underrated. A lot of people on here seem to forget that despite the problems these cities face, there actually are a lot of cultural amenities in these cities, especially Cleveland.
I'd say San Francisco and Chicago are often overrated by certain people on this forum. They both definitely have incredible cultural scenes, but I think some people on here overrate both their cultural significance over each other and other cities such as Boston and DC. In my opinion, they are pretty much all on the same level.
LA is underrated. Because it may not be as urban as NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco, some people on here forget that the city actually has a great cultural scene.
Cities such as St. Louis, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Rochester, and sometimes even Chicago are underrated because some people on here can't grasp the idea of culture thriving in these former rust belt cities.
New York is overrated by some. There are some on here that seem to believe that it is the end all, be all of culture in America. It may be one of the world's cultural hubs, but it is not the only place in America where you can find world class cultural amenities.
Philadelphia and Baltimore are definitely underrated, since they tend to be overshadowed by DC, Boston, and NYC.
My question is exactly what do people use to distinguish what makes one cities culture better than another city.
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