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Yeah, I would go with either Charlotte or Atlanta. Granted, one of the big things I take into account when I look at the natural beauty of a city is, what does it have within 2-3 hours? None of them rank poorly here, it is all just preference. While Atlanta is known as the "City in a Forest", I believe all of these cities are in the Top 10 among major US cities when it comes to tree canopy other than perhaps Austin, but I am not sure.
Austin has Lake Travis, Hamilton Pool, Hill Country/Enchanted Rock, and Balcones Canyonlands. Within the city itself, it has Lady Bird Lake, and Barton Springs Pool. Despite having some hills though, Hill Country is not quite as topographically dynamic as the places surrounding the other spots on this list. Also, it is not as lush/forested as the others, though preferring more of a dry or green landscape is somewhat subjective, and the fact that Austin has lush/dry places nearby can work in it's favor. Another point to Austin is that it has the closest access to a major body of water (it's close, but Austin is closer to Padre Island National Seashore/Gulf of Mexico than Charlotte is to it's closest beach). Therefore, I think the case can be made that Austin wins for water recreation.
Nashville is not weak here, but I don't perceive it as well as Charlotte or Atlanta in this regard. It has some topography, similar to Austin (and also to a place like Buffalo or Cleveland) immediately around it, but it doesn't have as much as
Charlotte/Atlanta do. However, it does have the Cumberland River running right through downtown, the Priest Reservoir, and the start of the Natchez Trace Parkway right next door. In addition, it is only a little over an hour from Mammoth Cave, and is a little over an hour from a plurality of the best waterfalls in the Southern US (Fall Creek, Cummins, Burgess, etc.). Most significantly, it is about a 2 hour drive from Chattanooga (and less importantly, 3 hrs. from the Mighty Mississippi). However, it does get some points taken off, due to the fact that it is further from the higher, climate adjusting mountains of the Smokies/Central Appalachia than is Charlotte and Atlanta (around 4 hrs. from the GSMNP entrance). Also, it is the furthest of the 4 from a major body of water, as it is about 6.5 hrs. from both the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Michigan.
Charlotte, I would rank a close 2nd here. Charlotte takes one penalty because it's city park/trail system is not as well developed as some of the others listed here. However, it has both Lake Wylie and Lake Norman, perfect for water recreation, within the metro area. Also, it has Crowder's Mountain State Park, which has several excellent trails, especially Kings Pinnacle, which is a 1,000 ft. high Monadnock with a gorgeous sheer edge view. It is a little over 3 hrs. from here to the beaches near Charleston, SC, but the real gem here is it's proximity to the mountains. It might even be the best major city east of the Rocky Mountains for proximity to high mountains, dueling for that title with Atlanta, Boston, and DC (though I think it would win out over the NE cities,and possibly due to the traffic they would encounter getting out compared with Charlotte). From DT Charlotte, it's a little over 2 hrs. to Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the Eastern US, and there are mountains even closer than that. As a bonus, the swampland of Congaree National Park is only about 90 minutes from Charlotte also.
However, I would still give the nod to Atlanta. Within the city, it has an awesome and established park system that is only getting better. There are multiple summits with over 800 ft. of prominence within the metro area. There are also several man made lakes, and a national river recreation area, plus waterfalls, and other geology. From DT Atlanta, one can reach the start point of the Appalachian Trail and the highest waterfall in the east in a little over an hour, and 4,000 ft. peaks/1,000 ft. canyons within 2 hrs. The Ocean is less than 4 hrs. away and the Gulf is less than 5, as is the Okefenokee Swamp at about that distance.
So, my final ranking is:
1. Atlanta
2. Charlotte
3. Nashville
4. Austin
though, I could certainly go either way on some of these, and it is quite subjective.
Funny how different the opinions are... I think Charlotte is a pretty ugly city. And Austin only looks good from the west side. Nice to see the opinions tho.
Hmm. As someone who lives in Atlanta I wouldn't describe the city as being "beautiful" unless you are a fan of 12 lane highways and strip malls. Atlanta doesn't really have those qualities associated with more photogenic cities that have rivers, lakes, beaches, or mountains. Charlotte is basically just a smaller version of Atlanta. So that leaves Austin and Nashville. I have never been to Austin, but from the pics I have seen it looks nice and artsy. Good vibes, nice music and distinct culture, separate from the rest of Texas. But I would have to vote for Nashville. Nice river front, background gives way to mountain views, plus the unique culture of Nashville would put it over the top for me. Nice food also.
So I would rank them:
Nashville
Austin
Charlotte
Atlanta.
Atlanta has:
Stone Mountain
Piedmont Park
Botanical Gardens
Charlotte has:
Lake Norman
Carrigan Farms Rock Quarry:
Crowders Mountain(like 30 minutes)
Not saying you wrong about your ranking, just saying don't sleep on the scenic things they offer.
Funny how different the opinions are... I think Charlotte is a pretty ugly city. And Austin only looks good from the west side. Nice to see the opinions tho.
Ugly? How? If it ain't your cup of tea then it ain't your cup of tea, but don't see how it's ugly.
Funny how different the opinions are... I think Charlotte is a pretty ugly city. And Austin only looks good from the west side. Nice to see the opinions tho.
I've heard Charlotte called a lot of things but ugly hasn't been among them. It doesn't have a dynamic geographic setting but it's pretty nice with the extensive tree canopy and lakes/the Catawba River. In terms of the built environment, it's a pretty clean place and even its rough neighborhoods look pretty tame compared to those of other cities.
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