City in USA most like Los Angeles? (homes, neighborhood)
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I see more similarities with the neighborhoods listed and I have actually lived in both metros—though what some would consider the more “glam” areas of both which is why I see things in common (yet acknowledge differences also exist).
Santa Monica / SoBe: 3rd Street Promenade : Lincoln Road Mall; Palisades Park : South Pointe Park; both have Beach strands, piers (though Santa Monica’s noticeably larger), trendy upscale areas (Montana Ave : South of Fifth) and sketchier areas. Definite differences as well as you highlighted. Also, FYI, South Beach is a tad more American / Euro mix than the more heavily Latin focused mainland and Venice Beach is the more appropriate comparison to Hollywood, FL IMHO..
Pasadena / Coral Gables: classic Langham Huntington Hotel / Biltmore Hotels and adjoining established wealthy neighborhoods in both.
Century City / Brickell: office/financial areas, Century City Mall : Brickell City Centre (same way I see similarities with NYC’s Battery Park)….sure, Brickell has a bay that CC doesn’t.
Agree with the topography (though, Houston has even less in common given an absence of the ocean/beach culture at its doorstep) and different Latin composition. You will run in predominantly Spanish in a couple of LA neighborhoods but LA definitely has a more American feel than Miami. Houston definitely has a larger Asian population but so does San Francisco (where I also lived) which does not have much in common either with LA outside of topography.
LA and Miami both have some glam about them that other cities don't but in my opinion even those things are different. In LA I felt like "glam" side was more laid back and chill. Miami felt way more flashier and see and be seen. I also got the impression that the haves and have nots in Miami are a lot more noticeable than in LA which adds to a difference in overall culture of both cities. LA is more expensive but Miami has the higher income disparity and you can definitely tell. I consider myself a pretty fashionable guy as far as streetwear "urban" gear. Not really heavy into expensive glam designer wear but still fashionable. Felt like I stood out more in most places I went to in Miami. Either it was too glam or really poverty stricken. Some " middle class" areas but I felt like fashionably and socially I fit way more in with LA than I did with Miami.
As far as the topography, yes I wasn't saying Houston looks closer to what LA looks like than Miami. I was only saying ethnically Houston is closer to LA than Miami is too LA. And when I compared Houston and LA I was speaking on their ethnic/racial diversity kind of mirroring each other more than Miami. I mean Houston's Hispanic population looks more identical to LA's than SF. Plus their both car centric and sprawling comparedto LA and SF. But I'm not saying Houston is similar to LA. It's not. Just stating imo those factors give both cities a completely different feel and vibe from one another.
LA and Miami both have some glam about them that other cities don't but in my opinion even those things are different. In LA I felt like "glam" side was more laid back and chill. Miami felt way more flashier and see and be seen. I also got the impression that the haves and have nots in Miami are a lot more noticeable than in LA which adds to a difference in overall culture of both cities. LA is more expensive but Miami has the higher income disparity and you can definitely tell. I consider myself a pretty fashionable guy as far as streetwear "urban" gear. Not really heavy into expensive glam designer wear but still fashionable. Felt like I stood out more in most places I went to in Miami. Either it was too glam or really poverty stricken. Some " middle class" areas but I felt like fashionably and socially I fit way more in with LA than I did with Miami.
As far as the topography, yes I wasn't saying Houston looks closer to what LA looks like than Miami. I was only saying ethnically Houston is closer to LA than Miami is too LA. And when I compared Houston and LA I was speaking on their ethnic/racial diversity kind of mirroring each other more than Miami. I mean Houston's Hispanic population looks more identical to LA's than SF. Plus their both car centric and sprawling comparedto LA and SF. But I'm not saying Houston is similar to LA. It's not. Just stating imo those factors give both cities a completely different feel and vibe from one another.
Miami does not have an equivalent of skid row that close to the core so I'm not sure I agree.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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I agree there are differences re: glam but I differ with your perspective. I found Angelenos were more braggadocious and willing to attach price tags to things to let you know what they paid than Miamians. Heck, women are known to come right out and tell you if you don’t make $xxx/year they can’t see you no more and/or come right out and ask what car you drive on the first date. I find the “flashiest” ones in Miami are more likely to be visiting tourists who rent a Lamborghini or yacht for 3 hours. I find it less pretentious here from locals, but that’s my experience. The only thing approaching that is on the lower end of the disparity scale in Miami—they find the $ to pay for an exhaust system for their Chevy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redlionjr
LA and Miami both have some glam about them that other cities don't but in my opinion even those things are different. In LA I felt like "glam" side was more laid back and chill. Miami felt way more flashier and see and be seen. I also got the impression that the haves and have nots in Miami are a lot more noticeable than in LA which adds to a difference in overall culture of both cities. LA is more expensive but Miami has the higher income disparity and you can definitely tell. I consider myself a pretty fashionable guy as far as streetwear "urban" gear. Not really heavy into expensive glam designer wear but still fashionable. Felt like I stood out more in most places I went to in Miami. Either it was too glam or really poverty stricken. Some " middle class" areas but I felt like fashionably and socially I fit way more in with LA than I did with Miami.
As far as the topography, yes I wasn't saying Houston looks closer to what LA looks like than Miami. I was only saying ethnically Houston is closer to LA than Miami is too LA. And when I compared Houston and LA I was speaking on their ethnic/racial diversity kind of mirroring each other more than Miami. I mean Houston's Hispanic population looks more identical to LA's than SF. Plus their both car centric and sprawling comparedto LA and SF. But I'm not saying Houston is similar to LA. It's not. Just stating imo those factors give both cities a completely different feel and vibe from one another.
Last edited by elchevere; 04-11-2022 at 10:13 AM..
I notice people are bringing up specific things here. if this is the criteria, there’s no LA and if there is it exists in California. To replicate LA, you have to take the most LA-like aspects individually out of Houston, Miami and Phoenix (still wouldn’t be replicated) but it would be most like LA. Which is most like LA depends on what you’re looking into. Then sprinkle some NYC. And add some SF. And take away unlike things.
The question here is which is most like LA. not which is exactly like LA
Miami does not have an equivalent of skid row that close to the core so I'm not sure I agree.
By all metrics Miami does have a higher income disparity than LA though. Has one of the highest income disparities in the country. I'm speaking on working class people. People with an income not the homeless. Homeless and regular citizens with an income are 2 completely different things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elchevere
I agree there are differences re: glam but I differ with your perspective. I found Angelenos were more braggadocious and willing to attach price tags to things to let you know what they paid than Miamians. Heck, women are known to come right out and tell you if you don’t make $xxx/year they can’t see you no more and/or come right out and ask what car you drive on the first date. I find the “flashiest” ones in Miami are more likely to be visiting tourists who rent a Lamborghini or yacht for 3 hours. I find it less pretentious here from locals, but that’s my experience. The only thing approaching that is on the lower end of the disparity scale in Miami—they find the $ to pay for an exhaust system for their Chevy.
Hey I won't minimize your experience. To be fair where I stayed in both cities and how I navigated in both probably had a lot to do with my perspective on both. In LA we booked a hotel in the Valley and just drove to all the popular spots. Walked around the spots we put on our itinerary and that was pretty much the basis of our LA trip. I'm not a glam guy so I avoided most glam tourist spots. With the exception of Rodeo Drive every other area was my kind of vibe. In Miami we stayed with my cousin. He lived in a high-rise off Biscayne Bay. We were in the thick of affluent high class people. And we didn't rent a car so we walked to a couple of areas outside the High-Rise and took ubers/lyfts to Miami Beach and a few other places. Maybe if we had more control of the trip and rented a car I would have a different impression of Miami.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag
I notice people are bringing up specific things here. if this is the criteria, there’s no LA and if there is it exists in California. To replicate LA, you have to take the most LA-like aspects individually out of Houston, Miami and Phoenix (still wouldn’t be replicated) but it would be most like LA. Which is most like LA depends on what you’re looking into. Then sprinkle some NYC. And add some SF. And take away unlike things.
The question here is which is most like LA. not which is exactly like LA
Me personally I feel like LA and Miami are so distinct in their own rights that I can't see how one is more like the other even in those regards.
Houston and LA are very culturally similar, Mexican Americans (middle class, lower middle class) tend to be more down to earth, they lean politically to the left. Mexican food varies to some extent, but the Californian Mexican food tastes better.
A good number of whites in LA have Texan and Oklahoman roots; due to the drought, and the Dust Bowl of a few generation back.
Asians are well represented in Houston and LA, I've noticed that most restaurants and shops in Houston's Chinatown have nothing but Guatemalans and Salvadoreans working for them.
Hispanics in Houston and LA by the second generation speak mostly English with little Spanish. The Hispanics from both cities tend to jell easily. since they are so similar.
Miami on the other hand is really another country, it probably more similar to New York or the Bronx.
Haven’t gone through each page to read all comments.
I’m originally from LA, very familiar with Miami and now I’m living in Houston, I have to agree with whoever said Houston and Miami share quite a lot of similarities as LA. Between the two I’d say Houston. Both LA and Houston have very strong Mexican presence & influence; both LA and Houston, due to lack of zoning, can look chaotic and messy (although in my eyes the characteristic appears to be almost endearing and juxtaposition, I personally don’t dislike the “sprawling” of the Sunbelt cities. To me both Houston & LA have personality and warmth from its residents.)
Both LA and Houston have messy traffic, robust food scene, very strong Asian communities, ethnic diversity, never ending suburbs (I feel more so in LA than in Houston, could be that we mostly hung out on the Westside of Houston whereas LA doesn’t seem to be have a core like Houston’s inner loop.) and high discrepancy in daily temperature. (Both could have up to 30 degrees discrepancy from morning to noon.)-I can see why some said Miami is similar to LA, but I’ve always found there’s some significant element of sleaze and hedonists in Miami’s appeal, whereas in LA yes it could be very superficial and new-age woo woo (depends on the types and neighborhoods/suburbs.) but the one in LA is a tad more discreet and behind the closed door.
I love LA and I love Houston. Miami, like the majority of Florida, is visually pretty and “resort-y”, but it’s more a beautiful vocation spot than somewhere you call home.
Ps. Edited: San Diego is nothing like LA, other than both being a coastal California cities.
San Francisco is nothing like LA, San Francisco and Lisbon have similar vibes; Austin with its hills and narrow streets in Downtown reminds me of San Francisco. Lastly I don’t think Vegas looks or feels like LA at all.
Last edited by Blair_de_la_paix; 04-11-2022 at 07:41 PM..
The more I think about it, the more LA seems like the most unique city in the world. What else is like it? A city of that size having a joke of downtown like LA. Not really super dense anywhere but so consistently not spread out over so a huge area that it is the densest metro in America, despite NYC having a place like Manhattan. A gorgeous yet killer smog making sunsets and sunrises just incredible. And it really is the biggest suburb the world has ever seen. My question is what place in America (outside of SoCal, lets say) that is most similar to it?
I just have nothing. Dallas/Fort Worth maybe? Long Island? South Florida?
LA has a lot of dense, urban areas, in a way that you just don't find in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix or really any other sunbelt city. LA is so much more crowded than those places it can't compare. I'd honestly say the Miami metropolitan area is the closest because it also has a mix of dense urban areas and feels crowded but also sprawls endlessly, and has beaches and a sunny climate.
How the heck is Austin slept on? It gets the most media representation in Texas
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