Top Underrated Cities

[samsonyuen]

I'd say Charlotte is overrated, but that's me. I think outside of these forums, Midwestern cities are particularly underrated, and Sunbelt cities overrated.

[ironchapman]

Chattanooga always seemed to have the feel of a college town to me.

[sleepy]

I'd have to say Charlotte, some people don't realize how great it is.

Jacksonville and Memphis ae pretty noce too, but they need some work on construction, etc.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No doubt there are dozens of underrated cities, but I'll just stick to what I know.

Memphis seems to always be characterized as some decayed, decrepit city. In fact, though, the town has been in the forefront of downtown residential development, stretching back at least to 1990. Its population grew at the national average, while it also added 100,000 jobs, throughout the 90's.

And outside of downtown, Memphis has a vibrant old urban core that's larger than most cities in the south. Of course, it has problems like any large city.

[NorthStar]

On a national level, Minneapolis-St. Paul are very underrated. Many people don't realize how many international corporations are located here such as Cargill, 3M, Imation, General Mills, Ecolab, etc..

[ironchapman]

Minneapolis-St. Paul is a great city.

Have they ever thought of merging like Winston-Salem did?

Interesting trivia- Budapest in Eurpoe was formed the same way.

Just a thought.

[Clobber]

Minneapolis-St. Paul is a great city.

Have they ever thought of merging like Winston-Salem did?

Interesting trivia- Budapest in Eurpoe was formed the same way.

Just a thought.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Which way is that? Merging? I'm not familiar with Budapest.

I don't think anyone thinks poorly of MSP. I don't think MSP is underrated at all. It has an excellent reputation nationally. IMO, this thread is for truly underrated cities. I wouldn't put MSP in that category, at least not in front of some 20 or 30 other cities.

Great city. Reputation matches its quality, more or less. Not underrated to the degree of gritty cities in the midwest, rustbelt, and south.

[ironchapman]

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. It was formed by two towns on either side of the Danube River called-get this-Buda and Pest.

[Garris]

Minneapolis-St. Paul is a great city.

Have they ever thought of merging like Winston-Salem did?

Interesting trivia- Budapest in Eurpoe was formed the same way.

Just a thought.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wouldn't say MSP is underrated... I think it's known as hot and up-and-coming large metro...

Merging really wouldn't be in the two cities best interest. They aren't right across from one another, but more like a 10-20 minute (depending upon traffic) highway ride from one another, connected by a vast suburb between them. They have a very different feel and different characteristics. They are best left separate.

- Garris

Providence, RI

[ironchapman]

Personally, I don't really care what happens, it was just a thought.

The only reason it even came into my head was the fact that I saw on a map that both cities bordered each other.

Like I said above, I really could care less about it.

[pwright1]

Definately Portland Oregon. Beautiful city with a lively downtown, very clean and walkable, great neighborhoods, beautiful natural beauty, year around outdoor activities, many great restaurants. The biggest surprise of any north american city I've visited.

[Twin Cities]

I wouldn't say MSP is underrated...  I think it's known as hot and up-and-coming large metro...

Merging really wouldn't be in the two cities best interest.  They aren't right across from one another, but more like a 10-20 minute (depending upon traffic) highway ride from one another, connected by a vast suburb between them.  They have a very different feel and different characteristics.  They are best left separate.

- Garris

Providence, RI

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL! What are you talking about? Minneapolis and St. Paul are connected except for the areas separated by the Mississippi River. One can literally walk east or west, across Emerald St. and be in either city. The two downtown areas are roughly 11 miles apart.

The Prospect Park neighborhood of Minneapolis is linked with St. Paul. For outsiders driving east through this neighborhood, they wouldn't even know when they've entered the Merriam Park neighborhood of St. Paul.

http://www.pperr.org/area/tower-hill.html

[Loughlin]

Providence,RI it is very nice, has great resturaunts and a gorgeous skyline, not to mention it has tons of activitys and thngs to do, i think the reason why it dosnt get respect is because its right between historic Boston and Gigantic New York.(oh yeah it is also very dence with 180K in just 18SM, and Family guy takes place in metro Providence )

[A2]

disagree. I have lived in Philly and a lot of other Metro's in the South (I was born in Birmingham, which btw is also an awesome southern metro). Charlotte is a very modern, cosmopolitan and lively city. The only other cities that I have witnessed grow so fast in such a short period of time is Atlanta. The only complaint I have is the lack of historical architecture in the center city. The city itself is around 2 million metro and gets confused with Charleston, SC and Charlottesville, WV all the time in the national spotlight. This is really hard to believe considering that it is the largest finance city outside of NYC. (this includes LA, Chicago, San Fran, Miami and Atlanta) If any city is underrated, it has to be Charlotte. I can't believe to this day that the media still does not understand where Charlotte is at. Outside of bankking and Finance it has the 6th largest distribution center of any metro in the US. It has the 5th larges urban region in the us. Why even still does Charlotte get confused with other cities. This is the true defintion of underrated. B)

[sleepy]

LOL!

[NorthStar]

This is really hard to believe considering that it is the largest finance city outside of NYC. (this includes LA, Chicago, San Fran, Miami and Atlanta) If any city is underrated, it has to be Charlotte. I can't believe to this day that the media still does not understand where Charlotte is at. Outside of bankking and Finance it has the 6th largest distribution center of any metro in the US. It has the 5th larges urban region in the us. Why even still does Charlotte get confused with other cities. This is the true defintion of underrated. B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No offense, but you need to stop going to your local chamber of commerce for information. Charlotte may be second to NYC in total bank assets, but the city is not second in the finance industry.

Also, you claim the city is the fifth largest urban region in the US. What was the radius used to come to this conclusion? One would think the largest urban regions in the US include

New York, NY

Los Angeles, CA

Chicago, IL

Houston, TX

Philadelphia, PA

Washington D.C.

San Francisco

San Diego, CA

Detroit, MI

Dallas, TX

And in regards to largest distribution centers, I would need to find a credible source other than some random magazine.

[Loughlin]

So A219724? you are taiking about finances and other thing the average joe just dosnt care about, i mean look at Hartford a very important city when it comes to Insurance. But does anyone care about Hartford? No offcourse nobody cares about hartford, because theres no reason to go to hartford except for buisness maybe, and charlotte (like hartford) has not presented a reason for the average joe to want to go there, when they do and still nobody listens then complain.

[paperback]

I can't believe to this day that the media still does not understand where Charlotte is at. Outside of bankking and Finance it has the 6th largest distribution center of any metro in the US. It has the 5th larges urban region in the us. Why even still does Charlotte get confused with other cities. This is the true defintion of underrated. B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ten largest metro areas/urban regions of the united states. search anywhere. (any results will either show this same list or something extremely similar, depending on the year). i got this from here. random source, i know. i believe charlotte is around the 32nd, or in that ballpark,definitely not the 5th.

1. New York City. 21,199,865

2. Los Angeles. 16,373,645

3. Chicago. 9,157,540

4. Washington/Baltimore. 7,608,070

5. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose. 7,039,362

6. Philadelphia. 6,188,463

7. Boston. 5,819,100

8. Detroit. 5,456,428

9. Dallas/Ft. Worth. 5,221,801

10. Houston. 4,669,571

[hudkina]

Charlotte barely makes the top 50 urban areas let alone the top five.

Urban Areas:

1. New York - 17,799,861

2. Los Angeles - 11,789,487

3. Chicago - 8,307,904

4. Philadelphia - 5,149,079

5. Miami - 4,919,036

6. Dallas - 4,145,659

7. Boston - 4,032,484

8. Washington - 3,933,920

9. Detroit - 3,903,377

10. Houston - 3,822,509

11. Atlanta - 3,499,840

12. San Francisco - 2,995,769

13. Phoenix - 2,907,049

14. Seattle - 2,712,205

15. San Diego - 2,674,436

16. Minneapolis - 2,388,593

17. St. Louis - 2,077,662

18. Baltimore - 2,076,354

19. Tampa - 2,062,339

20. Denver - 1,984,887

21. Cleveland - 1,786,647

22. Pittsburgh - 1,753,136

23. Portland - 1,583,138

24. San Jose - 1,538,312

25. San Bernardino - 1,506,816

26. Cincinnati - 1,503,262

27. Norfolk - 1,394,439

28. Sacramento - 1,393,498

29. Kansas City - 1,361,744

30. San Antonio - 1,327,554

31. Las Vegas - 1,314,357

32. Milwaukee - 1,308,913

33. Indianapolis - 1,218,919

34. Providence - 1,174,548

35. Orlando - 1,157,431

36. Columbus - 1,133,193

37. New Orleans - 1,009,283

38. Buffalo - 976,703

39. Memphis - 972,091

40. Austin - 901,920

41. Bridgeport - 888,890

42. Salt Lake City - 887,650

43. Jacksonville - 882,295

44. Louisville - 882,295

45. Hartford - 851,535

46. Richmond - 818,836

47. Charlotte - 758,927

48. Nashville - 749,935

49. Oklahoma City - 747,003

50. Tucson - 720,425

[sleepy]

Actually, in terms of the Rand McNally Business Atlas, I believe Charlotte's ranking in the Major Trading Area categories is in fact in the top ten in population.

That business atlas is pretty credible, at least in the sense that it's widely used. The Federal Reserve and courts have used it when looking into the competiveness aspect of bank mergers for example.

[hudkina]

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which breaks down the nation into Economic Areas, Charlotte is barely in the top 30 for population.

1. New York - 22,796,238

2. Los Angeles - 18,995,839

3. Chicago - 10,253,534

4. San Francisco - 9,363,943

5. Washington - 8,716,924

6. Boston - 8,166,437

7. Dallas - 7,146,674

8. Detroit - 7,039,577

9. Philadelphia - 6,822,054

10. Atlanta - 6,593,628

11. Houston - 5,966,671

12. Miami - 5,911,414

13. Minneapolis - 5,044,864

14. Cleveland - 4,688,387

15. Seattle - 4323,260

16. Phoenix - 4,123,916

17. Orlando - 3,935,078

18. Denver - 3,718,640

19. St. Louis - 3,310,838

20. Indianapolis - 3,235,469

21. Pittsburgh - 2,952,925

22. San Diego - 2,918,829

23. Portland - 2,861,951

24. Raleigh - 2,851,971

25. Sacramento - 2,560,791

26. Columbus - 2,533,716

27. Tampa - 2,531,185

28. Charlotte - 2,527,765

29. Nashville - 2,527,298

30. Kansas City - 2,492,552

[NorthStar]

Actually, in terms of the Rand McNally Business Atlas, I believe Charlotte's ranking in the Major Trading Area categories is in fact in the top ten in population.

That business atlas is pretty credible, at least in the sense that it's widely used.  The Federal Reserve and courts have used it when looking into the competiveness aspect of bank mergers for example.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Charlotte's Chamber of Commerce doesn't mention that it's the Charlotte-Greensboro-Greenville-Raleigh area that ranks 6th. The area ranks ahead of Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston-Providence, Philadelphia, Washington-Baltimore, Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul. All these cities, however, have a larger GMP than the 6th major trading area, which is kinda odd.

[Garris]

LOL!

[AmericanUrbanDesigner]

Don't forget that Charlotte's "Major Trading Area" includes upstate South Carolina (Greenville-Spartanburg) and Greensboro-Winston. Neverthless, it doesn't diminish the claim (in my mind) when one considers that the total square miles of the area is smaller than a lot of the other cities in the top 20 or so.

The point should be that Charlotte (and North Carolina as a whole) deserve to be proud of how far they've come since the start of the 20th century. Not necessary more proud than other regions, but a justified pride nonetheless.

Let's not forget (see a 1970's National Geographic spread on Atlanta, GA for example...talk about boosterism(!!!) when the Atlanta, GA region was about the same size as Charlotte's is now). To berate Charlotte (or North Carolina) for boosterism is childish. Boosterism is how the best cities grow into great cities. If there weren't great things happening in Charlotte today I'd agree with the Charlotte bashers out there.

The fact is, if one insists that Charlotte is a small city, then Charlotte is quite incredible.

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

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

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?

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

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

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

If Charlotte is, as you insist, a small city, then guess what? It blows all other "small" cities out of the water.

[paperback]

hey man, i was just correcting him on saying that charlotte is the 5th largest "urban area" in the US.

and all those things are awesome, good for charlotte.

[AmericanUrbanDesigner]

hey man, i was just correcting him on saying that charlotte is the 5th largest "urban area" in the US.

and all those things are awesome, good for charlotte.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Frankly, he was repeating a claim (made by the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce) that Charlotte is the 5th largest urban "region" (as opposed to "area" as defined by the Census Bureau which includes only "contiguous" settlement...which, since the 1940's has NOTHING to do with "urbanity" and is more commonly referred to as SPRAWL...). Rather, urban "region" is the descriptive term used by marketing and economic planners to describe regions of the country that derive their economies and markets from one or more centers. In this case, Charlotte (Raleigh, Greensboro, Greenville-Spartanburg) is very much the 5th largest urban "region" in the US.

It should be noted that locations like an Atlanta, Minneapolis, Denver, or Salt Lake City are relatively isolated and so overwhelming dominate their "regions" that they are considered singularly, as opposed to places like a Charlotte...or a New York, LA, Miami, Boston, or Dallas. These "regions" are within close proximity to other, but not huge, "centers" of economic power. These multi-nodal centers include other cities of singular importance, but together create a much larger whole.

For example, Stamford and Newark plus New York; Providence and Worcester plus Boston; Fort Worth and Arlington plus Dallas; Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach plus Miami; Raleigh and Greensboro plus Charlotte, and so on...together create a much larger, interdependent, whole. Therefore, the authors of these claims are very much correct.