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I believe FiveThirtyEight recently ran a little statistical game on this and came to the conclusion that New Haven-Milford, CT was the most "average" city in America based on age, educational attainment, and race and ethnicity - this was followed by Tampa at #2 and Hartford at #3. They also calculated that the metro that was most like 1950's America was Ogden-Clearfield, UT and the state which was most representative of America was Illinois.
Dallas. It has everything. Dense urban core, strip mall suburbia, a Main St, local pride, bars and pubs, colleges, greenspace, transit but also a bunch of freeways, windy roads and a grid, a variety of buildings, hoods, culdesacs, McMansions, bunch of chains but also local places, a lake, weather, variety of different people, 4 seasons, etc.
Yeah it has no beach or mountains but most Americans dont live right on the lake or up in the mountains abyway.
NY and LA are very unique in how theyre built and molded. So is Chicago. But i feel there are quite a few mini-Dallas' around. Even the shape of Dallas has that radius shape that has become pretty common across the country.
Plus I personally think its dumb, but the Cowboys have been nicknamed "Americas team." As dumb as that is, it fits more imo than if it was the Nola Saints or NY Giants or Miami Dolphins.
I believe FiveThirtyEight recently ran a little statistical game on this and came to the conclusion that New Haven-Milford, CT was the most "average" city in America based on age, educational attainment, and race and ethnicity - this was followed by Tampa at #2 and Hartford at #3. They also calculated that the metro that was most like 1950's America was Ogden-Clearfield, UT and the state which was most representative of America was Illinois.
It's a fun little read if you've got 2-3 minutes
Wow...my picks earlier in the thread, Chicago and Philadelphia, are in the top 10!
I would say Kansas City. It's near the center of the country. Liberal city, conservative suburbs. Crossroads of north, south, east, and west. It's seriously all-American, including immigration. 400 people were recently naturalized from 71 different countries. In Kansas City. That's a lot of countries when you think about it. Even though the numbers overall don't compare to larger cities, it's still a very diverse immigration profile.
My first thought was Dallas. The US loves its cars, it's spaces, but wants its sports and bars too. Driving is way more of a thing in Dallas - and what's more American than a car?
Indianapolis and Columbus also come to mind. These are real cities, but full of sprawl where people have their lawns, 2-3 car garages, and drive to work.
Overall moderate but one of the most politically divided cities in the nation.
A big city with a rural vibe
Cost of living is a bit on the high side but not too high
Large rich and poor divide
Relatively mild climate but with many microclimates in the immediate area (snowy weather in the Sierra Nevadas, coastal climate if you go an hour west to toe coastline.)
The more typical American city even today? Is still a:
- city that controlled more of its growth with some zoning
- a more one core centric city
- fully paves with FULL curbing its streets. ALL of them.
Other Texas cities probably would represent a more typical "Best City that sums up America of today" then Houston or even a Dallas.
Lol. Really? You really don't know Texas then. I can't think of any other city in Texas that is a shining example of great planning. San Antonio? Sprawl. Austin? Sprawl. Fort Worth? Sprawl. If anything, Dallas is the least likely to expand and probably has the toughest zoning of them all.
Where's this magical place in Texas you're talking about?
Overall moderate but one of the most politically divided cities in the nation.
A big city with a rural vibe
Cost of living is a bit on the high side but not too high
Large rich and poor divide
Relatively mild climate but with many microclimates in the immediate area (snowy weather in the Sierra Nevadas, coastal climate if you go an hour west to toe coastline.)
Sacramento does feel more "American" than the rest of California...reminds me of Jacksonville( in the sense that it is located in a state with a large spanish population but that doesn't feel spanish)
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