South's Best Skyline?

[RiversideGator]

While it appears Houston has more density (I have never been there), Atlanta has better looking signature buildings. This is why I vote for Atlanta. Of course Atlanta has no proper planning and the buildings dont relate to each other, but they are the best looking.

[Spades]

one of my favorite pics of DT Houston.

another one

I like this one as well with the MMP being so close.

[miamistreets]

Ofcourse I picked Miami. Why wouldnt I ?

[Charles Pearson]

I would have to contend for Houston as ur best big city with a skyline. Medium size city would either be B'ham or Tulsa. I'll do the big city skyline poll first.

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Miami rules...but Houston here looks almost as dense as New York and Hong Kong. So it wins my 1st runner up after MIAMI.

[NorthStar]

Miami

Houston

Atlanta

Dallas

[MikesLogic]

Houston

Miami

Atlanta

Dallas

Charlotte

[Urban Catalyst]

I voted for Miami, because the skyline along with Biscayne Bay make a magnificant sight.  And there's like 30 new towers planned or under construction!

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more like 140

[depechecureguyorl]

Talk about a LIMITED list! C'mon! TWO choices for Houston? Atlanta & Miami also have "Uptowns", why not add them? I chose "Other", because Charlotte has the best looking skyline in the South. A city's downtown with the most potential? Orlando.

[ironchapman]

Atlanta...beautiful buildings, even if it's not that dense.

[Rural King]

I actually like New Orleans probably best, followed by Memphis, then Houston, Dallas, and Nashville rounding out my top five. Of course these are based on my own personal preferences (at this moment).

I totally disregarded the options list.

[dgreen]

Houston and Miami are top 2 IMO.

[Mr.Marc]

Houston and Miami are top 2 IMO.

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What does IMO stand for?

[dgreen]

What does IMO stand for?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In my opinion.

[EvanK]

I'm late to this thread but dayuuuuuum this photo rawks!

[M. Brown]

Gotta go with Houston. Great skyline and the place is just MASSIVE. It goes on forever and there highrises all over the place it seems. This might be against urban enthusiast edikit(spelling) but I love massive freeways and Houston has massive highways and massive highway interchanges. I know that has nothing to do with the skyline but I still think the skyline is number 1 in the south.

[NCB]

Houston hands down..its so dense and the buildings really mix in well with each other

Miami follows in a very close 2nd, the buildings look great and the beach and water just add to the beauty

Atlanta has some very nice buildings but there are to many open spaces in the skyline

New Orleans wins for the best mid size city, followed by nashville and jacksonville

[NCB]

how do you post pictures from a website??

[Exile]

I'd have to say agree that Atl edges Houston. Better rooftop architecture overcomes the density issue. There can also be the argument to split Atl downtown (which is dense) from Midtown (which is strung out along Peachtree), esp since the density in midtown seems to be forming around Atlantic center, which is a "fur piece" from downtown.

Sleeper skyline is Memphis's. It doesn't present particularly well at a distance from most angles, the only really signature recent building is the Morgan Keegan bldg, and the tallest building (UP Bank) is pretty ugly. But when you're actually in it walking the streets, you see a whole lot of really wonderful old buildings, including a scaled down copy of the Woolworth Bldg., and the currently empty Sterick bldg which, despite it's not very appealing tan and rust color, has literally hundreds of terra-cotta designs all over it, basically one per window. It really is impressive. And still in pretty good shape (apparently) on the outside. If they're able to reclaim most or all of those buildings for office or condos, it'll be really nice.

[sleepy]

I think the best view of Memphis' skyline is coming over the Hernando DeSoto bridge. It looks antique and downtown looks to stretch up and down the river for a couple miles.

[SouthernBoy]

I think it is Atlanta al the way. The lack of density is OK with me because the young

( compared to most other large southern cities ) Atlanta sky,ine has a lot of room to build more, and better skyscrapers.

MY FIRST POST

[fromdust]

i'll say okc for best mid-sized city, thats just bias talking, though. since its not on the list i vote for houston.

[fre305]

i agree with those who find houston's skyline uninspiring and unremarkable.

while the buildings are impressive in size and scope, no building really stands out and it looks more like your generic big city skyline.

my vote goes to miami for the interesting buildings and beautiful waterfront. with 140 new buildings proposed or in construction (with a large amount of 50+ floor well-designed/sexy towers within downtown and brickell), miami has the most exciting skyline and will look far more dense than houston in a few years.

atlanta comes in a close second, with significant buildings that capture the feel of a southern city without feeling generic. atlanta's BOA is a gem.

[ariesjow]

Houston, Atlanta, and Dallas all have very impressive modern skylines. But, as far as the South's large metros are concerned, I'm increasingly drawn to the oceanfront goodness of the Miami skyline. When it comes to a good mix of great skyscrapers and natural setting, Miami's waterfront really leaves the bigs of the Southeast and Texas at a disadvantage. Houston would be my runner-up with it's amazing collection of towers.

The South's mid-sized cities is a tough call with a handful of towns standing out for various reasons. First off, there's scant mention of picturesque Tampa in this thread. That's one skyline that's really blossoming under our noses. Once Trump Tower is done, it'll possibly get my nod. The stellar height and architecture of Charlotte's skyline in undeniable but it's such a relatively recent boomtown that it hasn't quite filled in yet. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the rich histories of New Orleans and Memphis give those towns really nice density but they currently lag a little behind when it comes to fresh and exciting new towers. I think the Memphis skyline especially would benefit from a few taller, eye-popping towers. Jacksonville stands out to me because of it's gorgeous waterfront setting (and the underrated beauty of Modis) but it could use a little more balance. The addition of a couple of 500 ft. further away from Modis and BoA in the CBD would remedy this.

Balance is an area where Nashville's skyline particularly excels. Nashville would probably be my homer pick for best mid-sized Southern skyline as I grew up there. It lacks Charlotte's height, the density of NO or Memphis, and Tampa or Jax's beautiful natural setting - but Music City's skylines remarkable fluidity is perhaps slightly underappreciated. Batman (BellSouth) sits on a downslope providing a clean and even main skyline once combined with Suntrust and L&C in the middle of the CBD and Snodgrass on the opposite side. The skyline's balance is further aided by a good distribution of towers a little shorter than the tallest four. Nashville's main CBD is quite compacted but the lengthy mini-skyline of West End really provides a beautiful and denser look and feel to the overall skyline from some areas of the city. I found a few good pics surfing the net.

View from Vanderbilt University area

View coming from sort of northeast

Looking down West End Avenue to Batman

Another view from the Vandy/West End area

Some of the skyline from Centennial Park and the Parthenon

Night skyline from south. I wish it was lit up just a bit more.

I also found a cool aerial view from the east side of town across the Cumberland River. It shows just how far West End extends outward away from downtown. It's no New Orleans, Memphis, or even Richmond as far as density is concerned but I think West End really adds a nice flair to the skyline. Hopefully, the West End Summitt will get underway eventually and the West End skyline will have more height. I think this aerial also shows some areas that need improvement. It would be nice if the east bank of the Cumberland was more filled in around the stadium instead or the acres of parking lots.

[qwertycc]

I think the best view of Memphis' skyline is coming over the Hernando DeSoto bridge.  It looks antique and downtown looks to stretch up and down the river for a couple miles.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

definitely--and The Pyramid to the left crossing the bridge helps the otherwise rather weak skyline to be unique and eye-catching. And at night, seeing the lights reflecting off the Mighty Mississippi is a beautiful sight.

Of course it doesn't hurt that the view from the I-40 bridge arises after the Eastern Arkansas flatlands where there is basically nothing but rice and soybean fields for miles and miles.

[depechecureguyorl]

I orginially voted "Other" for Charlotte, but now that I think about it, Miami's skyline is much more impressive. Especially at night. And yes, they have huge expansion plans for their downtown and if all those proposed buildings in Miami come to fruition, then Miami's skyline could easily rival LA and Chicago's!

I think Tampa is very under-represented in this forum. They have a very impressive skyline and their buildings, while a little slim on the architechtural side, are still quite eye-catching.

I'll still always have a bias to my hometown of Orlando, but I have to admit, our downtown is still maturing and it'll be a while before we can compete w/Miami & Atlanta!

Tampa

Orlando