America's cultural exporter and heavyweight in the 21st Century? (Excluding New York and Los Angeles) (cities, buildings)

[Tom Lennox 70]

Bentonville, Arkansas is the home of Walmart, the largest company in the world and its certainly had an outsized influence on the world.

Culturally, outside of Hollywood, Nashville is probably the most important city in terms of music and pop culture.

[908Boi]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

Bentonville, Arkansas is the home of Walmart, the largest company in the world and its certainly had an outsized influence on the world.

Culturally, outside of Hollywood, Nashville is probably the most important city in terms of music and pop culture.

Not over New York or Atlanta. You can even argue Miami.

[masssachoicetts]

Music and Pop Culture Nashville is like 6 or 7.

[Zambon]

Miami, hands down. No other city comes close. Places like NY and San Francisco are no longer setting trends in Europe and Asia like they once were. Answers like DC or Nashville are way to American-centric, and not realistic. No one outside of North America is getting cultural influence from Nashville, and DC never had any cultural influence, only political. Miami is the USA's gateway to South America and the Caribbean though. It projects a distinctly Miami version of Latin culture to our south.

[the resident09]

Originally Posted by Zambon

Miami, hands down. No other city comes close. Places like NY and San Francisco are no longer setting trends in Europe and Asia like they once were. Answers like DC or Nashville are way to American-centric, and not realistic. No one outside of North America is getting cultural influence from Nashville, and DC never had any cultural influence, only political. Miami is the USA's gateway to South America and the Caribbean though. It projects a distinctly Miami version of Latin culture to our south.

I agree that it's Miami right in line after NYC/LA, but take a look at what the OP is asking. While Miami makes a great case for top 3 in things like setting trends in music, fashion etc. There are other factors where it comes after cities like DC or SF and rightfully so.

- Iconic structures or landmarks (easily identifiable and recognizable due to immense exposure both nationwide and worldwide)

- Performing arts such as theater shows, symphony operas, other musical contributions (having great systems in place that showcase the sophistication and cultural prowess of the city)

- Cultural institutions such as museums, public libraries, art galleries, cultural centers (institutions that showcase great cutural exhibits and mark the diversity and depth of culture the city has)

- Political ideology (political ideas that have become popular the world on over)

DC also has practically ALL the embassies and consulates, and more global political influence than any city in the nation, with NYC being the lone competitor.

[Guineas]

Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc

There really are just a handful of US cities in this category.

NYC
LA
San Francisco
Washington DC
Chicago

lesser scale but influential
Philadelphia
Seattle
Boston
Miami

Agree with this list.

[dtran103]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

I'm the worst gay and barely understand fashion, but Miami is not sorta considered the capital of Latin America for no reason. There's no doubt in my mind that Miami has the possibility of setting trends for South American and Caribbean populations living in the US. Miami fashion week exists. The elite of South America party, vacation, and shop in Miami. Miami has one of the most well-known upscale nightlife scenes in the country, if not the world.

Miami is fashionable, but not fashion or trendsetting. It has the third most important fashion week in the US. But the reality is that runways are just reinterpretating trends that are already taken up on the street.

The only trend I can remember that didn’t come out of LA or NYC, is SF, a somewhat unfashionable city, but they started the proliferation of tech bro fashion trends such as the nerdy hoodie and the patagonia tech vest that stretched from SF all the way to Wall Street.

[elchevere]

Agreed—Panama hats, bright pastel colors, and/or guayabera shirts won’t cut it in cold weather and many other cities and it’s ashame Gianni Versace was gunned down in front of his Miami Beach mansion still in his prime, though the modeling agencies and many high end fashion brand boutiques found in but a few—not dozen(s)—of other US cities have all set up shop in Miami given that many residents and foreign buying visitors (who take their fashion purchases back home with them) take pride in their dress and appearance….I’m kinda glad we have a minimal tech bro dress style and ungroomed grunge presence for the most part here (Wynwood an exception), to be honest.

If I were pressed to answer what does Miami export, it’s an exotic image/lifestyle and the feeling of visiting (and living in) a foreign city under the protectorate of the United States.

Originally Posted by dtran103

Miami is fashionable, but not fashion or trendsetting. It has the third most important fashion week in the US. But the reality is that runways are just reinterpretating trends that are already taken up on the street.

The only trend I can remember that didn’t come out of LA or NYC, is SF, a somewhat unfashionable city, but they started the proliferation of tech bro fashion trends such as the nerdy hoodie and the patagonia tech vest that stretched from SF all the way to Wall Street.

[NigerianNightmare]

Originally Posted by Justabystander

Nah, many cities have cultural reach. Chicago firms such as Skidmore and Jeannie Gang are leaving architectural legacies in the 21st century around the world that will last and have a greater impact than any rap or hip hop artist from Atlanta or Miami, such as in Dubai.

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Boston firms who put out Moderna vaccines have a greater international and cultural impact as well.

NYC and LA will always influence culture by their sheer size and artistic importance.

Atlanta and Miami's cultural legacies are superficial, at best.

Again, did they build their reputations post-2000? As much as I think it’s important for products of a region to represent that region. I think Vaccines do not represent Boston in anyway. Ask the average person where Apple, Moderna and The Migos are from. At best you’ll see someone mention their from America. Vaccines aren’t an unnecessary commodity.

Not a single Museum outside of NYC, LA or Europe/Asia is popular enough to be considered famous. The exception is some museums in D.C but most of those were just as popular in the 90s or earlier. When talking cultural export, what is the international audience taking from America…

Atlanta, Miami and SF are the only cities not named NYC or LA that’s actually providing a larger than life recognizable product.

Miami Beach is easily the number 1, destination for college students well into the 2000s and a whole list of South Florida influencers (I do not mean IG models but actual cultural influencers), musicians etcetera has made their mark on the world. Despacito was written in Miami for example.

[NigerianNightmare]

Originally Posted by the resident09

I agree that it's Miami right in line after NYC/LA, but take a look at what the OP is asking. While Miami makes a great case for top 3 in things like setting trends in music, fashion etc. There are other factors where it comes after cities like DC or SF and rightfully so.

- Iconic structures or landmarks (easily identifiable and recognizable due to immense exposure both nationwide and worldwide)

- Performing arts such as theater shows, symphony operas, other musical contributions (having great systems in place that showcase the sophistication and cultural prowess of the city)

- Cultural institutions such as museums, public libraries, art galleries, cultural centers (institutions that showcase great cutural exhibits and mark the diversity and depth of culture the city has)

- Political ideology (political ideas that have become popular the world on over)

DC also has practically ALL the embassies and consulates, and more global political influence than any city in the nation, with NYC being the lone competitor.

Almost non of that has any cultural influence in the 21st century. Look at the number of people who have listened to the Migos music from outside the U.S and compare it to the number of international visitors to the Smithsonian…

I love museums as much as the next person. London’s one of my favorite cities just for that but if we are talking exporting cultural influence. This ain’t the Chicago World Fair. Modern museums largely do nothing of that sort. Like what’s one thing American museums started post-2000 that’s extremely copied or replicated or has some outwards influence on society…