Top Underrated Cities

[hudkina]

I find it hilarious that you even think that the 11 million people that make up pretty much all of North Carolina and the northern portion of South Carolina are somehow interconnected economically. That's like saying all of Florida is one giant metro. Or Detroit to Pittsburgh is one giant Metro. Or Milwaukee to Grand Rapids is one giant metro. Or Seattle to Portland, or San Francisco to San Diego. and so on and so on.

Just because there are a lot of cities that are within several hours of Charlotte doesn't mean they have anything to do with Charlotte. And Rand-McNally is just one source. I think I'd put more faith in the BEA and the Census Bureau.

Now, I'm not saying that Charlotte isn't a great little city, and yes, it has done a lot of great things for a city its size, but no, Charlotte is not a "city" of 11 million people, and no it's not the 5th most important city in the nation. Charlotte is just a medium-small city surrounded by a bunch of other medium-small cities that is doing a damn-good job of projecting itself out to the world.

It's always great to dream big, but remember to stay tethered to the ground.

[AmericanUrbanDesigner]

I find it hilarious that you even think that the 11 million people that make up pretty much all of North Carolina and the northern portion of South Carolina are somehow interconnected economically.  That's like saying all of Florida is one giant metro.  Or Detroit to Pittsburgh is one giant Metro.  Or Milwaukee to Grand Rapids is one giant metro.  Or Seattle to Portland, or San Francisco to San Diego.  and so on and so on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First of all, it's not 11 million people and it doesn't comprise "pretty much all of North Carolina" (are you familiar with maps?). The portion of North Carolina that's included in the numbers does not include large portions of the eastern and western parts of the state. The point you were trying to debunk remains valid (from the perspective of marketers and for the purposes of economic planning).

It doesn't make it "more" or "less" right than any other sorts of numbers...like the ones you used to show "urban areas". It's your opinion that "urban area" is a more valid indication of the size of a city. It's my opinion that "urban area" for cities that have grown mostly since the 1940's is an indication of sprawl.

In any case, you still haven't shown how Charlotte is NOT an "underrated" city; "underrated" cities is the theme of the thread.

[hudkina]

My point was never to show that Charlotte is underrated or overrated. I don't even think it is overrated. At least not in the sense of what it truly is. And what Charlotte truly is is a city of about 600,000 people in an urban area of about 850,000 people in a metro of about 1.5 million people, and yes even a CSA of about 2 million people. But that's as high as even the loosest population figures for Charlotte go.

Sure it has several large cities within several hours of it. But those cities are not Charlotte, and they have little to nothing to do with Charlotte.

It doesn't matter that Rand-McNally drew up these lines. They mean absolutely nothing when we are talking about underrated cities. We are afterall, talking about cities, right?

Maybe if the topic was "Underrated Major Trading Areas, as defined by Rand-McNally" I'd have no problem with you saying the Major Trading Area that Charlotte resides in is underrated.

[Twin Cities]

For example, Hudkina, how many cities in your list of largest "urban areas" have a light rail line under construction?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A lot already have light rail or some other form of mass transit.

How many other cities larger than Charlotte on that list have two major league sports teams?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All, but Portland, Raleigh, Sacramento, Columbus, and Orlando. The rest have two or more.

How many of them have in their downtowns homes to the headquarters of the country's 2nd and 4th largest banks or 2nd largest utilites corporation?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Most have one or more Fortune 500 headquarters or some other major employer located in their downtown area. They don't have the 2nd and 4th largets banks in the country, but who cares?

How many of those "urban areas" have a new university for 10,000 students being built in their downtowns?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL! How many of the cities listed have had a university in their downtown area for several years?

How many of them have at least 2, 50+ - story condo projects coming under construction?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

More than you think.

How many contribute more, per capita, to "The Arts"?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL! More per capita. A lot of the cities listed support the arts much more than Charlotte does and I know a lot have much better art scenes.

So, I guess it's pretty obvious that Charlotte isn't underrated at all. The city still has some catching up to do in comparison to a lot of the cities listed.

[leets]

Buffalo is definately underrated and very missunderstood

BUFFALO

BUFFALO

[Unifour]

This post degenerated into one of the ugliest sounding forums I've ever read. The data you all used to try to knock Charlotte back into the backwater south was not the correct data... Everything claim he made about Charlotte's "urban region," distribution area are, in fact, true. It is NOT talking about MSA population. Charlotte's new Combined Metro is above 2,000,000. Comparable to Denver, San Diego, and St. Louis or Kansas City. It is not a "small" city. The city of Charlotte covers 250 square miles, it is much bigger than most other cities that are regarded as "big." The city of Charlotte's population is at or near 600,000, and is growing at breakneck pace, much faster than most other inner cities. Mecklenburg County is almost entirely built out and has just topped 800,000 in population, making it a large county. It is projected to reach 1,000,000 within 5 to 10 years. And it is in fact the U.S.'s second largest financial center, according to every source. Only New York has more money changing hands in it than Charlotte. Sorry if you guys don't like the data, but it's still true. Charlotte remains one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and is actually accelerating in growth. Lot's of car's packed with belongings and U-haul's with New York, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania tags pass me when I go down there. It has lot's that people are coming for.

[Hisma]

I think orlando is very underrated as a CITY. Of course it gets much publicity for it's attractions... but any time you mention orlando as an actual city, it's disregarded as a "tourist town". While generally it's true, it has a vibrant core that's growing at an astounding pace.

One thing I know, is most urban enthusiasts outside of Florida HATE orlando, especially those in established northeastern cities.

[Unifour]

I think you are right about Orlando Hisma. People think the only thing Orlando has to offer is Disney World, but Disney World doesn't even lie within Orlando. Many don't realize just how fast southern cities are growing. At first it was mostly suburban, but now they are "maturing." Gentrification is occuring, people are moving downtown, more urban characteristics are taking hold in most of them. Orlando has a HOT job market all on its own, and is a very upwardly mobile city. Disney World close by has aided tourism and does contribute to the area's fame, but that isn't all there is to it. Cities in North Carolina are having a hard time overcoming the "rural backwater" type image so we can relate somewhat.

[ironchapman]

I agree about Southern cities maturing, Unifour.

Nicely put response.

[Unifour]

I agree that Charlotte is underrated, but I will also say that Baltimore, Md and Louisville Ky are pretty underrated as well. Baltimore is a GORGEOUS city on the bay and it reeks with historical ambiance. The old buildings and the sailboats and ships in the harbor contrast nicely with the newer high rises, and the harbor area is very nice. Louisville is bigger than most realize, and it recently consolidated with Jefferson County and it is now larger than a LOT of so called bigger cities. Plus, it has the world famous Kentucky Derby, and it is a river town, which seems to add something to a town. Both deserve much more respect than what they get B)

[hudkina]

The data you all used to try to knock Charlotte back into the backwater south was not the correct data...

What data is incorrect? And who said anything about knocking Charlotte into any supposed backwater south? I think Charlotte is a nice city with a nice modern skyline and deserves to be ranked alongside comparable metros. However, comparable metros are not Dallas or Atlanta or St. Louis. Charlotte is and should be compared to cities like Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee. It may have gotten a later start than those three, but it has matured to a similar level. However, you're jumping the gun when you think it's reached the level of Atlanta, Dallas, or Minneapolis. It's got a long way to go before it can reach the level those cities have attained. I'm not saying Charlotte won't reach such levels, and I do believe it is currently on track to reach the level of those three cities, but its not there yet.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

I agree with you that Charlotte should not in anyway attempt to compare itself with Dalllas, Atlanta, or Minneapolis, but on the subject of moving up to the level of Milwaukee, Indy, and Cincinnati it may be on the same level. The subjectiveness of this is astounding, its like trying to put a numerical value on art, its all personal opinion.

[cheeriokid61]

Would you please stop bickering about Charlotte? We have got the point. It's growing very quickly and is becoming very important. We keep getting one or two good posts about OTHER underrated cities, and somebody responds to something 10 posts ago, and it's a sudden war again.

Underrated City #1: Charlotte, North Carolina

Now let's move on FOR GOOD and find out more great underrated cities.

[Unifour]

Would you please stop bickering about Charlotte? We have got the point.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow, that was sorta rude. First bad experience here

I was defending data that was posted correctly. Several posts described "urban region" as one cities' developed land area population, and that is not what it is. All cities have "urban regions" that are combined with other areas that are associated or dependent on it, including New York, etc.. No one is suggesting that Charlotte compares with New York, Chicago, L.A., Atlanta, etc...

[rusthebuss]

I think Norfolk is very underrated or any Va city at that matter!

[rusthebuss]

This post degenerated into one of the ugliest sounding forums I've ever read. The data you all used to try to knock Charlotte back into the backwater south was not the correct data... Everything claim he made about Charlotte's "urban region," distribution area are, in fact, true. It is NOT talking about MSA population. Charlotte's new Combined Metro is above 2,000,000. Comparable to Denver, San Diego, and St. Louis or Kansas City. It is not a "small" city. The city of Charlotte covers 250 square miles, it is much bigger than most other cities that are regarded as "big." The city of Charlotte's population is at or near 600,000, and is growing at breakneck pace, much faster than most other inner cities. Mecklenburg County is almost entirely built out and has just topped 800,000 in population, making it a large county. It is projected to reach 1,000,000 within 5 to 10 years. And it is in fact the U.S.'s second largest financial center, according to every source. Only New York has more money changing hands in it than Charlotte. Sorry if you guys don't like the data, but it's still true. Charlotte remains one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and is actually accelerating in growth. Lot's of car's packed with belongings and U-haul's with New York, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania tags pass me when I go down there. It has lot's that people are coming for.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Last time I checked Phoenix is the largest growing city in the country.

[MJLO]

Well technically Vegas is exponetially, but by People count, Pheonix pretty much blows the other fast growing cities out of the water, in Five years metro pheonix will have Eclipsed, some of the longest standing, and most respected metro areas in the country.

Phoenix, now that's a city thats seems rather underated on this site. you dont hear much said about it that's for sure.

[ironchapman]

Well technically Vegas is exponetially, but by People count, Pheonix pretty much blows the other fast growing cities out of the water, in Five years metro pheonix will have Eclipsed,  some of the longest standing, and most respected metro areas in the country. 

Phoenix,  now that's a city thats seems rather underated on this site.  you dont hear much said about it that's for sure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very True MJLO. Phoenix is booming like nothing I've seen before.

[M2L4K6]

i was born in saint louis your right about the bad reputation it gets. it is such a cool city and is actually a HUGE place

[UCLABoy2004]

I think the most underrated City is Honolulu. Many people don't know how dense and urban the city really is. People are expecting paradise with a small population but when they get there its skyscraper city with backed-up traffic for miles. Look on skyscraper sites like Emporis.com, it ranks #4 as the city with the most number of skyscrapers in the U.S. beaten only by New York, Chicago, & Los Angeles. If you rank it by floors

Points per Building

12..19 floors = 1 point

20..29 floors = 5 points

30..39 floors = 25 points

40..49 floors = 50 points

50..59 floors = 100 points

60..69 floors = 200 points

70..79 floors = 300 points

80..89 floors = 400 points

90..99 floors = 500 points

100+ floors = 600 points

It is still #4 but Houston becomes #3 instead of Los Angeles.

[GA native_CFT]

I would have to say Atlanta. Many southern cities see Atlanta as an example of what they don't want to be as they grow. But while Atlanta has its problems, its still an exciting bustling city with a distinct urban feel, a hint of southern charm, and a rapidly growing metro area full of cozy southern towns. The urban core is also gaining in population too !

[cheeriokid61]

I wouldn't consider Atlanta to be underrated. It is a very nice large city, and everyone knows that. It's just that most people who live in slightly smaller cities, like Nashville, don't want to live in a large city.

[sleepy]

i was born in saint louis your right about the bad reputation it gets. it is such a cool city and is actually a HUGE place

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think St. Louis has such a bad reputation. If you live there, most of its negative reputation probably comes from those who live in suburban St. Louis, rather than nationally.

Overall, while St. Louis has some really bad areas, it also equally has some of the greatest old intact urban neighborhoods and architecture in the country.

[Skippy7572]

Minneapolis!!! way under rated

[ZachariahDaMan]

I would have to say Detroit is a really underrated city. A lot of people think it's just some ghetto city that has abandoned buildings. They have been making and maintaining nice parks and are demolishing or starting to use buildings again.