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Second Tier:
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Washington DC
As things stand now, the 1st breakdown is the more accurate one. However, DC has become a strong contender for second tier based on its CSA population and GDP, high recent growth and global political influence.
I agree, I do think Washington DC in reality should have a tier of it's own after the 3 largest cities and away from the other cities in America. In my personal opinion it is one of the top 4 most important cities, the other three being the other stars of this thread.
I agree, but I think by the end of this decade we'll be seeing a difference in that set. Two of them are taking great advantage of the economic potential right now, I believe one of them have reached the peak of their growth and will be growing in a more sustainable rate now and improving upon infrastructure.
I think we'll be seeing a major difference between those three now, 2 of them will still be more similar since being in the same state will cause similarities.
2014, we'll be seeing one of them take an opportunity with Panama Canal expansion and increasing port activity. So it's all up in the air right now.
Any one of those can dramatically change, but I'm holding my bet that two will pull away from one. (economically at least)
Lol, it's more fun to talk about cities with someone who knows which ones you mean without having to say the names... those three names pop up and hijack a lot of threads these days- so I just wanted to keep it up with this. I know you know which ones I am talking about!
While I see continued growth and economic power, The one thing that is rarely discussed is the lack of prowess and anchor in the region which we will not mention. In the corporate corriders this place is still at times laughed at and described as cheap service labor lacking power. I know you may disagree but it is a growth of middle managment and chemical logistics. Not a place where policy and strategy are being employed. It is still to much the puppet for me to currently see the prominance of other places.
People sitting in cubes writing code, determining logisitics of flow, or servicing the money flow of other places is not the driver. It is still too much an economy of cheap labor. As harsh as that sounds anyone who has been close to the board room, policy makers, or influential wealth will understand. This is not upper middle or lower wealthy I am discussing, I could be wrong but this clarity to me has actually become more pronounced to me over time. And this comes from my own personal exposure coupled with some street smarts learned along the way, I do not come from the elite background, but the money flow is still the money flow. The brains of the operation always let the labor take their cut, and they think they are rich while the strategist quietly counts the money...
Last edited by kidphilly; 07-26-2010 at 09:52 PM..
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
10,138 posts, read 16,041,021 times
Reputation: 4047
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer
As things stand now, the 1st breakdown is the more accurate one. However, DC has become a strong contender for second tier based on its CSA population and GDP, high recent growth and global political influence.
I believe Washington DC will get there within this decade. It is one of the faster growing metropolitan areas. It will be a very prosperous city, and will become the definition of a leader city, IMHO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kidphilly
While I see continued growth and economic power, The one thing that is rarely discussed is the lack of prowess and anchor in the region which we will not mention. In the corporate corriders this place is still at times laughed at and described as cheap service labor lacking power. I know you may disagree but it is a growth of middle managment and chemical logistics. Not a place where policy and strategy are being employed. It is still to much the puppet for me to currently see the prominance of other places.
People sitting in cubes writing code, determining logisitics of flow, or servicing the money flow of other places is not the driver. It is still too much an economy of cheap labor. As harsh as that sounds anyone who has been close to the board room, policy makers, or influential wealth will understand. This is not upper middle or lower wealthy I am discussing, I could be wrong but this clarity to me has actually become more pronounced to me over time. And this comes from my own personal exposure coupled with some street smarts learned along the way, I do not come from the elite background, but the money flow is still the money flow. The brains of the operation always let the labor take their cut, and they think they are rich while the strategist quietly counts the money...
I'm actually still a college student. Plus not majoring in business at all. Just want to be done and be a lawyer with an engineering degree for back up.
To me like most, cities are a place to live, work, play. I normally don't think of them as a strategic point at all- I think of them in the sense that which one will get me the furthest in life and for what it's worth how fast.
I can understand your opinion, as it comes from your background, there isn't really anything to disagree with there, we may never have the same career background altogether. But from a standpoint, I do see a lot of potential of what I can do there, cities to me are generally more than a beach or some kayak parade. They are a place of opportunity, weather not an issue, natural disasters- whatever it takes it's life, no fear with it, job opportunities- maybe a large one.
I have always visualized myself practicing law in either Chicago, New York City, or Boston regardless of how much I hate Boston. Something I can always put forth for my career.
When being brought up, everytime I as to even thought of myself as having more or having it better off than anyone around me, my parents would always remind me of the reality of life, how things can change at any given point and not to laugh and mock others of where they come from, or what their background is, to respect their judgement, that is what I try my best to do. I don't view things in the same way from any given point. Being born here in Chicago, and having the background from Singapore/India, seeing as how my grandfather was one of those people that might have contributed to the background you described with engineering in New York City when he immigrated here long back, I can relate to it to the people who do want to push forth the life.
No city in this country was built upon elitists and established prime work, they all went through the same phases, I do not see any one way of life as inferior or superior. I have lived in a city called Patna, India (city similar in population size to Houston) for a short time after I turned 5 where I did schooling there to get ahead of the game. Those same working class people and seeing them around me, no matter how much more you had, money or the lifestyle, you can't really get away from people like that there. In America every city has a sizable population in poverty zone, everyone in this country is given the same opportunities to reach a place. My grandfather did after graduating from IIT in India, my father born in New York City did as well. The main reason he picked Houston over San Jose, California for relocation those many years ago was because Houston had the opportunity to advance- much further than San Jose can ever offer. It's true you can make your living in any city you want in this great country. But it's also true that some do shine more than others in a certain period of time. Right now it's those cities time.
I never imagined myself to even think of a place to put it down for what it had, I had always believed every city in this country to have a piece of variable that can come together for the overall spectrum of the entire nation, no less no more.
From an Asian point of view, I have enjoyed what I have had, no complaints, and will forth reach my goal, it's unbelievable simple in this country. To make a living, the opportunities here are often overlooked by the same people who live here. You work hard, you get what you need to get going, and you set it forth and set your life up for what you visualized it. I have lived in Singapore, as Utopian as that country/city sounds, it's not, not everyone can advance to the same opportunities. India is far from that, caste system still in play, people are often treated as scrap there, I have seen it happen, coming from a well established family my parents always instilled the idea of being humble of what you do have.
Regardless of what anyone says, when they say "I don't care", they really do, everyone does care what others think of them, and how they are viewed, it sits on the subconsciousness of the mind and will feed into it.
Progressive living varies in each city, I give them all props for what they are, not what they are not. Thus much of my insight on this sight does come to an annoyance for myself on what I take in and what others do say, in general- I probably shouldn't but I do literally laugh at those who are too uneducated to know progressivism when they make comments like "granola eating hippie all over the Golden Gate Bridge or Hilly Billy driving up interstate 10 near the Alamo" I do understand we are all entitled to our own opinions.
Kidphilly, I respect your opinion often at times, much times we may not agree but it is respected (always have always will), want you to know that.
However, some people here and I am sorry to say are flat out retards, and as harsh as it may sound, some of them will never make it into the real world and will always be of mediocre status at everything they do- surely and purely laughable at every cause for what they have come to be, narrow minded and uneducated.
I say that from an outsiders point of view, because the way you describe a region, many around the world have come to think of our entire country that same way.
The most powerful country in the world shouldn't be having the tensions it does and being the riddle of jokes as much as it is and should rightfully be respected.
Each has their own way of viewing and respecting things, coming from a business standpoint or coming from a travelers standpoint and everything in between.
This is the way I view everything I do in interaction with the country and the world.
I value what I have, and want to take advantage of it. I see the whole country as my home not just Chicago, Austin, or where ever, beauty of this country is you can live where you choose too. In India, it's one country but every state there has tensions culturally to the point of where if you move from say Bihar to Kerela, you will be treated as an entire outcast because you come from a different background maybe religiously, or culturally.
I laugh at those mocking any part of our country, and that is what brings me to how I try to be "fair" of everything. I hate Boston to my guts because of my terrible experience there, but I respect those that live there the hard working people that built it. It is that respect that I can have for Boston.
This is one of my more serious posts, I often at times treat this site as a joke just to relieve the tension in a thread or two, but this in fighting and all these views, really makes the entire country step a foot step back when people like that exist.
My rant is long, it maybe boring, and it may give some here some mixed feelings, some people will definitely hate it, some will not understand, so I am just going to leave it as this and not go any further from it, done deal.
1. NYC & LA (I always thought that they were seperate but equal)
2. Chicago (Big and Important, but just cant hang with the first 2)
3. DC Philly, Boston, Atlanta etc....
4. Baltimore, St. Louis, Charlotte... etc....
5.raleigh, richmond, norfolk, buffalo,...etc...
I have a hard time understanding how one would rank LA in the same tier with NY and then leave Chicago out. How is LA that much more important than Chicago? IHO Chicago and LA are far more similar ranking wise than NY and LA.
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
10,138 posts, read 16,041,021 times
Reputation: 4047
Quote:
Originally Posted by WDCJoe
I have a hard time understanding how one would rank LA in the same tier with NY and then leave Chicago out. How is LA that much more important than Chicago? IHO Chicago and LA are far more similar ranking wise than NY and LA.
I don't agree with him either but I see his logic.
The layout for Los Angeles and New York City are different, you have the spread out city living and the condensed city living. Chicago has the ill fate of being smaller than New York City and the same layout, thus that means that the people who don't like the method of lifestyle in New York City/Chicago will prefer Los Angeles's layout.
Most people see that as something New York City lacks, which makes it appear that Los Angeles is equal to it, when in reality it's rankings are at the same tier as Chicago's.
New York City is a monster in every way, besides spread out living. But people have to understand when a metropolitan area like New York City has 1.2 trillion economy and 8.3 million people, and the gap between it and the next largest city is huge...
New York City, IMHO is a whole tier above Chicago & Los Angeles.
Chicago offers the lifestyle Los Angeles does not have, Los Angeles offers the lifestyle Chicago does not have and for that matter even the one New York City doesn't have. I think it would be an insult for New York City to have any second in the USA in the same tier as it. It really deserves that tier by itself. Los Angeles may be more important than Chicago slightly, but it's closer to Chicago's level and Chicago's tier than it is to New York City, IMHO.
I see why he said it, and I can see where he got that idea from, I don't agree with it. But that's why I created this thread to see how others view these four cities.
I'll have to say that L.A. is Tier 1 just because every American city (even stereotypical urban New York!) has copied its freeway (or tollway)-fueled suburban sprawl model for the late 20th Century.
Tier 2 is the urban downtowns of Chicago and New York.
Washington D.C. didn't ask for all this importance since it an artificial city like Brasilia almost 200 years later--built for one reason: to house the Federal government.
Tier 3 is the up-and-coming cities of Houston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
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