Euro-esque U.S. Cities?

[ainulindale]

All the major cities in the Northeast.

[cajun]

All of the oldest cities that were considered large about 300 years ago....NY, Boston, Charleston, New Orleans

That means most of the Northeast, a few coastal cities, and New Orleans are the only ones with large sections of town that look like European cities.

[xav13r]

New Orleans hands down

[Baines]

I agree with many of the others on their choices. Of the areas I've actually visited, I'd choose:

Portland, OR

New Orleans (french Quarter feels like parts of Paris)

DC area: Georgetown

Boston

Savannah

San Francisco (parts)

I think the commonality of these is an urban feel, usually gridded streets, good historic building stock, friendly street environment, diverse street retail mix, and usually few skyscrapers.

[glassandsteel]

Providence. Even newer additions to the city have a European feel, like Waterplace Park.

[mikel]

I've been to Florence, and I've been to Providence. I really cannot think of a single thing which could make people think Providence looks like Florence. Because it's an old New England city, it resembles European cities more than most, like the cobblestone, the canal, the streets, old buildings, hills, etc. But Florence??? This makes no sense. Florence is a very flat city, inland, very dark brown looking, with hills surrounding it. Providence is a port city that really looks more like an English city, if anything. Doesn't resemble Florence or anything Italian at all.

[pompusmaximus]

Pretty much the entire southern portion of the peninsula in Charleston, SC

Savannah, GA (atleast along the river)

Helen, GA (looks like it was taken right out of Germany)

Parts of Boston

Parts of Philadelphia

That's all that I have been to, but I'm sure there are more

[davidals]

I think I might agree on Asheville - parts of it at least.

Howzabout cities like Santa Fe NM, Sitka AK, maybe San Antonio TX - where strong European qualities or elements in their history and founding did not come by way of the 13 colonies, but from somewhere else - this of course would also apply to St. Augustine and New Orleans.

[FromCityToRural]

Chicago and San Francisco are cities that are pretty well defined by their neighborhoods. San Francisco is the more stereotypical European of the two, though, but I think Chicago's tied more strongly to their neighborhoods.

[Choirboy622]

Chicago and San Francisco are cities that are pretty well defined by their neighborhoods. San Francisco is the more stereotypical European of the two, though, but I think Chicago's tied more strongly to their neighborhoods.

[doogur]

Chicago's neighborhoods are still strong because of the ethnic ties which are still strong. I'm not sure that that is so much the case in San Francisco.

[burt]

Boston wins for European look and feel, hands down. Richmond has areas reminiscent of Europe -- namely Shockoe Slip and sections of The Lower Fan District.

[Gard]

The city I grew up in, Lewiston, Maine, has somewhat of a European feel to it. There is a large gray-colored stone Basilica that kind of resembles Chartes Cathedral in France, complete with stained glass windows. While the population is only around 50,000, the city has a compact core and is sparsley populated around the outskirts. There is a Franco-American festival and Mardis Gras. Many kids grow up speaking English and French at home and formal education in French starts in 4th grade at public schools. There are small markets in the neighborhoods. There is also something else I would like to point out that makes cities more like European ones, less chain stores. Many stores in Europe are mom&pop operations. It is something I love about my home town, though it is unfortunately being overrun by Wal-Marts and other things now . Another thing is that most places there when I was a child closed on Sunday, even KMart, which is something that is widely done in Europe and in some countries, required.

I also would imagine that Charlotte would have had a lot of European architecture at one time and its a shame they pretty much destroyed anything of historical value.

[doogur]

Mt. Adams, Cincinnati:

Cincinnati suburb of Mariemont:

Hyde Park Square:

Across the river in Covington, Kentucky:

[Choirboy622]

Admittedly, I have never been in downtown Cincinnati. I have only driven through it on I-75 and/or I-275. I would like to visit it sometime, perhaps this summer.

[doogur]

More pics. Perhaps overkill:

Mariemont Old Town Square. Cincinnati suburb:

Main Strasse Village, Covington, across the river from Cincinnati:

Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati:

Fountain Square, Cincinnati:

Roebling Bridge, Cincinnati (prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge):

[Choirboy622]

More pics. Perhaps overkill...

[doogur]

Nice pics! In Cincy as politically backward as I've heard in recent years?

[MichaelQReilly]

New Haven, CT around Yale has a pretty European feel to it. Also, I'm not sure if its European per se, but Newport, RI is definitely something out of another time.

[lammius]

New Haven is an excellent suggestion.

[Dozer]

More pics. Perhaps overkill:

Mariemont Old Town Square. Cincinnati suburb:

Main Strasse Village, Covington, across the river from Cincinnati:

Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati:

Fountain Square, Cincinnati:

Roebling Bridge, Cincinnati (prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge):

[doogur]

I hate to see Mariemont used as an example, since it's based on the garden city movement that took place at the early part of the century. The garden city movement was inspired in part, as I understand it, by old Western Massachusetts villages, so not only are you giving an example of a "planned" city (not very "European"), but a planned city based on a movement that is rooted in a very "American" style of urban design. Of course, this is not to say the architecture is not European influenced... is most definitely is!

Now, if one is to consider the definition of a "European" city or town as one that is dense and pedestrian-friendly, then I guess this would qualify, but that term "European" really, if I may steal a quote from Family Guy, grinds my gears. I think sometimes we discredit what is truly an American urban style, as relatively uncommon as it may be. Anyone else care to chime in?

P.s. - I explored Mariemont and Cincinnati last fall on a road trip and loved both. Beautiful area.. it doesn't get enough credit.

[Choirboy622]

I seem to recall reading that Eleanor Roosevelt promoted the garden city design concept (or at least something similar) during the Great Depression. I think some of these English-style villages were started with Federal grants.

[Dozer]

Actually, the title of the thread is "Euro-esque" American cities, and on that count, I think Mariemont qualifies. But you are correct in that it is a planned community; however, it is clear that the intent was to build a town with the character of an English village and that the planning itself had its origins on the other side of the pond.

As far as the "garden city movement" goes, the following is an excerpt from Wikipedia. If Wikipedia is correct, it appears the garden city movement is of British origins:

"The garden city movement is an approach to urban planning that was founded in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by greenbelts, and containing carefully balanced areas of residences, industry, and agriculture.

Inspired by the Utopian novel Looking Backward, Howard published To-morrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform in 1898 (reissued in 1902 as Garden Cities of To-morrow), organized the Garden City Association in 1899. Two cities were founded based on Howard's ideas: Letchworth Garden City and Welwyn Garden City, both in England.

Howard's successor as chairman of the Garden City Association was Sir Frederic Osborn, who extended the movement into regional planning. ^[1]

The following is an excerpt of a review of Millard Rogers' book on Mariemont, John Nolen & Mariemont: Building a New Town in Ohio.

"Three very capable people came together to create Mariemont: Mrs. Mary Muhlenberg Emery, a wealthy, progressive-minded Cincinnati philanthropist; her longtime business adviser, Charles S. Livingood (originally a friend of her son's at Harvard University); and John Nolen. Mrs. Emery provided funds for a number of philanthropic endeavors, relying on Livingood to handle the business and administrative sides of these undertakings. What turned out to be her most enduring project was the construction of Mariemont, a model suburban community for moderate-income families. Livingood used his firsthand knowledge of European model towns and his extensive experience managing Mrs. Emery's real estate holdings to work closely and harmoniously with Nolen in developing the town."

Read more comparisons of Mariemont to English garden cities here:

http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/samples/oh/Mariemont.pdf

"Planned communities in England, such as Bournville and Port Sunlight, dealt with similar

topographical considerations. Alexander Harvey, architect of Bournville, said

[doogur]

What Wikipedia fails to mention then is that the novel Looking Backward was written about Utopian Villages that sprung up in Western Massachusetts in the late 1800s. So, if one wants to get really really technical, the garden city movement is based on a New England village design, which was then adapted in England in the aforementioned British novels in Wikipedia. The roots of the garden city movement are not based in England; however, I will concede that the movement itself was founded and developed in England.

I'll relinquish my objection to this one.. you lucky dogs.