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Which of these cities is more culturally similar to Cleveland: Pittsburgh or Chicago? I am going to lean Chicago, but I’d like to hear some informed opinions.
Cleveland has a closer relationship with Pittsburgh. They're not far apart so there are plenty of connections between them, and there's also the Browns-Steelers football rivalry and steel legacies.
But if we're being completely honest, then Cleveland probably has more in common with Chicago, but obviously on a smaller scale. All of the Great Lakes cities are fairly similar, whether it's Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, or Buffalo.
(Cleveland's closest peers are Buffalo, Milwaukee, and Detroit, IMO.)
It seems like the bulk of Chicagoland's heavy industry lies on the periphery of the city, and Northern Indiana. Cleveland and Pittsburgh have these superfund brownfield sites dead in the middle of their cities.
From a demographic perspective:
Cleveland has a lot of Puerto Ricans and black folks, like Chicago. A lot of white folks in Cleveland are Italian, versus Chicago being heavily Polish, and Pittsburgh...not too familiar with their demographics.
I’ve done more thinking on this comparison since last posting. I am familiar with both cities and I also have felt that this comparison is such a tricky and conflicting one. I am going to err on the side of Chicago still, and I’ll tell you why: the geological features and the skyline/architecture. In my opinion, having been to Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the same day the two cities seem to have more in common with each other than either has with Cleveland or Chicago. I take note of specific examples where neighborhoods in Cleveland and Chicago have similar cut-through alleyways in their suburbs that I have not seen the same type of in Pittsburgh nor in Baltimore. And the Wrigley Building is a dead ringer for Terminal Tower and vice versa. Same builder, as well.
Cleveland and Pittsburgh share a common experience of the "Rust Bowl" and subsequent de-industrialization; Chicago--not so much.
Also, Cleveland isn't as strong a "hub city" as Chicago, Boston or Philadelpha -- it has very little mass transit, which makes it more similar to Detroit, Columbus, or indianapolis. (Pittsbugh, which is more of a "conglomerate" of individual communities once built around one local heavy industry, has its own unique ("yinzer"(?) ) culture).
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 08-17-2021 at 09:28 AM..
Cleveland and Pittsburgh share a common experience of the "Rust Bowl" and subsequent de-industrialization; Chicago--not so much.
Also, Cleveland isn't as strong a "hub city" as Chicago, Boston or Philadelpha -- it has very little mass transit, which makes it more similar to Detroit, Columbus, or indianapolis. (Pittsbugh, which is more of a "conglomerate" of individual communities once built around one local heavy industry, has its own unique ("yinzer"(?) ) culture).
Huh, I mean it’s not an amazing system but unlike Detroit, Indianapolis, and Columbus, Cleveland has a subway system. Pittsburgh also has one. That small subway system alone puts Cleveland in a different tier in terms of mass transit compared to other cities in the region.
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) culture).
