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Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WestCobb
Definitely. Yes, NYC dominates the East Coast, but there are some heavy hitters there as well. Sure, LA is the biggest city on the West Coast, but the Bay Area is the tech capital of the world. Southeast? Which city dominates there - Houston? Atlanta? Hard to say. And then there's the Midwest where Chicago literally and figuratively towers over all. What other city even comes close?
NYC dominates the East Coast, but the Northeast corridor is more dominant and powerful overall. DC comes in 2nd on the East in most categories, and would fair no less than 2nd if you put it in any region in the country. Philadelphia and Boston both would be strong contenders anywhere in the US also. There is more balance on the East than most people think the cities here are much more autonomous. Honestly in DC for example people here don't feel "dominated" by NYC for any reason.
NYC dominates the East Coast, but the Northeast corridor is more dominant and powerful overall. DC comes in 2nd on the East in most categories, and would fair no less than 2nd if you put it in any region in the country. Philadelphia and Boston both would be strong contenders anywhere in the US also. There is more balance on the East than most people think. Honestly in DC for example people here don't feel "dominated" by NYC for any reason.
makes sense, NYC is obviously the largest but I don't think being in the other large cities anyone feels some huge NYC pull etc. nor would any of the cities in other regions relative to their largest I would think
if anything it would seem like a Denver or SLC or even Seattle may dominate more as there are large centers nearby
even an Atlanta has pother places not far like a Charlotte etc that to me make it large but not dominating etc.
I think the knee-jerk reaction is Chicago, but people forget that the Midwest is like mid-sized city mecca. So many cities around the 2-4 million people range. I mean you have Minneapolis, St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Columbus, Indianapolis, Milwaukee. The East Coast doesn't have as many mid-sized big cities, it has a lot of cities in the 5-6 million range, but they are far fewer. Also the Midwest is so geographically big, I feel that there is a lot more cultural variation between the cities than the East Coast. New York seems to have much more cultural influence on other cities in the region than Chicago does in the Midwest.
*Also I think you are more likely to find people in the Midwest that have never been to Chicago than you are to find people on the East Coast that have never been to New York. A person from Philadelphia or Boston will probably have been to New York multiple times, maybe even multiple times in one year. Outside of Milwaukee, most Midwesterner may have been to Chicago once (if it all).
There was a thread a couple months back interesting. It was recognized how Southern Illinois has a disconnect from Chicago (such a looooong state north to south) less so a disconnect in the central arts but noted the proximity to St Louis has a portion clearly toward it.
But as you read the thread, locals clearly point out the disconnect from the rest of NY state? Its residents feel. A total one that some see surpasses the Chicago to Illinois one. Especially POLITICLLY.
As I noted there.
- Chicagoans look to Wisconsin as its playground over downstate Illinois.
- New Yorkers (of NYC). Also look more to the Jersey Shore and Pocono's of Pa which is even closer for most. Then Upstate NY.
** A major political disconnect and BLAME GAME is prevalent to both. I don't see that more have to visit NYC at least once? Points to a less disconnect???? Most Elementary thru High School kids in Illinois get the School trips to Chicago's great museums. As much as to NYC for its state and region. NYC is a beast. But still many feel no real connections if in different areas of the state as much as those of Illinois.
Some post in that OTHER THREAD there that highlight BOTH REGIONS DISCONNECTS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by drinkthekoolaid
my vote (since I live in upstate NY) is I can't imagine a bigger divide anywhere between conservative people in upstate vs. the uber liberal progressives in the city.
I live in upstate and absolutely loathe downstate. It's the single reason NY has been mired in ridiclious taxes, regulations, fees and crony capitalism. Upstate NY has been suffering from recession for a very long time while we are all expected to bow down and do as the city tells us. I want to leave NY just because the downstate politicians have ruined this beautiful state and made it very difficult to live and operate a business here.
Its terrible.
NY needs to divorce itself and make 2 separate states.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CookieSkoon
All that aside I am also exhausted of being associated with NYC by every person outside of NY I meet when traveling.
That city is a heavy weight and it just crushes any other culture in this state. Outsider perception of NY is painfully flawed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fluffydelusions
I gotta say I've lived in NYC for 12 years and rarely met anyone who went upstate for leisure. Most people I knew went to NJ beaches, Poconos, AC etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PerseusVeil
How would you like us to compare them?
In general, I can tell you that the rest of Illinois sees itself as being divided into 3 overarching regions (northern, central, and southern) rather than Chicagoland and downstate.
There's also not necessarily a lot of solidarity among the rest of the state beyond people complaining about Chicago. No other city in the state really has an image that it's been able to project statewide either. That becomes even more evident when you realize the second most culturally important city to the citizens of Illinois after Chicago is St. Louis, MO. The Illinois portion of metro St. Louis, called the Metro East, is the second largest urban area in the state after Chicagoland. Said urban area is roughly 600k to 700k. It's a rather low bar. It doesn't help that 5 of the state's 10 largest cities not named Chicago are still in Chicagoland.
What's so odd about it? Illinois isn't exactly the most scenic state. It's 75% farmland, in addition to being the second flattest state in the US. There certainly are some stunning and scenic parts of the state, but they're frankly the exception rather than the rule. Additionally, somewhere like the Garden of the Gods is a further drive from Chicago than Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. The scenery in Wisconsin and Michigan is simply closer to Chicago than the furtherest reaches of Illinois. Both states also have lakes, and heading up to a lake town or someone's lake house is a favorite weekend getaway for Chicagoans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KerrTown
Probably Illinois. The people there are at each other's throats. Oddly, Chicagolanders prefer visiting Wisconsin or Michigan/Indiana over Downstate for weekend trips and would only fly to the East or West coasts.
New Yorkers seem to stay amicable with each other. The Upstaters realize that Wall Street "brings home the bacon" that other states wish they could have.
Lets be realistic here. LA, though not as big as NY, is still only 72% of it's urban area and is the densest Urban Area/Metro in the entire nation (Despite people saying it's a "big suburb). LA wouldn't be at all "dwarfed" by NY.
LA can be be (and is) both suburban and dense. LA would not be LA if it were on the East Coast though.
Northeast, Midwest, or the West: Which region is most dominated by a single metropolitan region?
Make a case for which of the three regions are the most dominated by a single metropolitan region with regard to social, political, cultural, economic, historic factors. I wont add any further definitions to the factors, since I want to leave as open to individual interpretation as possible.
Metropolitan region = PCSA, in the context that I'm using it as in this comparison.
So which region is most dominated by a single metropolitan region and what is the metropolitan region that dominates this region in this manner?
Your proposition doesn't exist. I see Chicago is winning but it doesn't dominate the Midwest. It doesn't even exert influence on most of the large cities in the Midwest.
Because Chicago is the legal, financial, research, manufacturing, transportation, and yes, cultural hub/clearinghouse of the Midwest. No disrespect to any of the other cities in the Midwest, but if one of them (with the possible exception of Detroit) and all of their institutions and resources were to vanish from the map, their absence would be felt but the region would soldier on. If Chicago and all of ITS institutions and resources were to vanish from the map, the Midwest would be in deep shi'ite.
New York may dominate the Northeast in terms of financial might and sheer population but DC is more important in legal and power/political prominence and Boston is just as if not more important in academic/intellectual prominence, with Philly not far behind on that front.
There was a thread a couple months back interesting. It was recognized how Southern Illinois has a disconnect from Chicago (such a looooong state north to south) less so a disconnect in the central arts but noted the proximity to St Louis has a portion clearly toward it.
But as you read the thread, locals clearly point out the disconnect from the rest of NY state? Its residents feel. A total one that some see surpasses the Chicago to Illinois one. Especially POLITICLLY.
As I noted there.
- Chicagoans look to Wisconsin as its playground over downstate Illinois.
- New Yorkers (of NYC). Also look more to the Jersey Shore and Pocono's of Pa which is even closer for most. Then Upstate NY.
** A major political disconnect and BLAME GAME is prevalent to both. I don't see that more have to visit NYC at least once? Points to a less disconnect???? Most Elementary thru High School kids in Illinois get the School trips to Chicago's great museums. As much as to NYC for its state and region. NYC is a beast. But still many feel no real connections if in different areas of the state as much as those of Illinois.
Some post in that OTHER THREAD there that highlight BOTH REGIONS DISCONNECTS.
I'm a New Yorker and I don't fully agree about the upstate/downstate divide.
LA can be be (and is) both suburban and dense. LA would not be LA if it were on the East Coast though.
LA is not a dense city
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