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Cities like Minneapolis? Obviously you've never been to MPLS. Last time I checked downtown Minneapolis had a larger residential population, more shopping options (i.e. Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Target, Saks, Banana Republic, Cole Haan, Brooks Brothers, Talbots, Barnes & Noble, etc..), more than enough restaurants, three major league sports stadiums, great cultural amenities, plenty of green space, and very bike friendly.
People on the coasts just think the whole Midwest sucks. I will agree that Miami should be ahead of Louisville, but Minneapolis is really nice.
My list based on vibrancy, density, architecture, and urban living: (not in perfect order)
1. Downtown Manhattan (NYC)
2. Midtown Manhattan (NYC)
3. Chicago
4. Philadelphia
5. Boston
6. Washington DC
7. Baltimore
8. San Francisco
9. St. Louis
10. Seattle
11. Pittsburgh
12. Cincinnati
13. Milwaukee
14. Cleveland
15. Charleston, SC
16. Fort Worth
17. Buffalo
18. Detroit
19. Austin
20. Indianapolis
21. San Diego
22. Portland, OR
23. Providence
24. Minneapolis
25. Richmond
Wow! I live in downtown Minneapolis. I guess I'll need to go to Providence or Buffalo for some vibrancy and real urban living!
Wow! I live in downtown Minneapolis. I guess I'll need to go to Providence or Buffalo for some vibrancy and real urban living!
Have you been to Baltimore, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Charleston, Fort Worth, Buffalo, Detroit, Austin, Indianapolis, or Providence? I've been to 10 of the 12 and downtown Minneapolis ranks above them. I'm willing to bet it tops Buffalo and Providence as well.
Some of these cities do have nice downtown areas, but they don't rank above Minneapolis. Denver should have been on that list too.
Have you been to Baltimore, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Charleston, Fort Worth, Buffalo, Detroit, Austin, Indianapolis, or Providence? I've been to 10 of the 12 and downtown Minneapolis ranks above them. I'm willing to bet it tops Buffalo and Providence as well.
Some of these cities do have nice downtown areas, but they don't rank above Minneapolis. Denver should have been on that list too.
I agree totally. The only one I haven't been to is Charleston, and I suspect that shouldn't even be on the list. Once you get past the half-dozen or so most obvious downtown experiences, you have another ten or twelve which are fairly comparable. Minneapolis is clearly in that latter group. Many of the listed cities have downtowns which are a level below.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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My Austin, TX friend tells me there is nothing to do in DT Dallas, but with all of the growth going on in the area and the congestion and commute times that come with it, I wouldn't be surprised if DT Dallas saw a remarkable resurgence. It's up to the city to determine how they vision their future DT. Lots of fun to be a part of if you are from Dallas!!
04-30-2010, 03:18 AM
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"First tier" I love the downtowns of these cities
1. New York City, New York
2. San Francisco, California
3. Chicago, Illinois
4. Washington D.C.
5. Seattle, Washington (Its great how awesome the downtown is in Boston and in Seattle compared to their population being 10th-15th out of all American cities(500,000-600,000)and being this high up on the list. To give a point of reference, both of these cities have similar populations as Jacksonville, Florida and Fresno, California. Also, their downtowns are much better than cities with much bigger populations such as San Antonio Texas(1.3 million people) and Phoenix, Arizona(1.6 million). I think both of these cities are good role models for places with relatively smaller populations compared to other places.
6. Boston, Massachusetts
"Second tier" I like the downtowns of these cities
7. San Diego, California Very close to being in first tier.
8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9. Denver, Colorado
10. Portland, Oregon
11. Minneapolis, Minnesota
12. Los Angeles, California(Its not good that Los Angeles has the second biggest population for all American cities but downtown is this far down on this list)
12. Miami, Florida
13. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
14. Honolulu, Hawaii
"Third tier" The downtowns of these cities are ok
15. Houston, Texas
16. Austin, Texas
17. Atlanta, Georgia
18. Dallas, Texas
19. New Orleans, Louisiana
20. Saint Louis, Missouri
21. Charlotte, North Carolina
"Fourth tier" The downtowns of these cities are less than ok but still ok enough to be 22nd-25th
22. Baltimore, Maryland
23. Phoenix,Arizona(Its not good that Phoenix has 3rd-5th highest population out of all American cities and its this far down on the list. Similar to Los Angeles.
24. Las Vegas, Nevada
25. San Antonio, Texas
I only included cities with 300,000 or more people. There are plenty of cities and towns with smaller populations with great downtowns, but its not for this list.
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NaturalUrbanBalence
"First tier" I love the downtowns of these cities
1. New York City
2. San Francisco
3. Chicago
4. Washington D.C.
5. Boston
6. Seattle (Its great how awesome the downtown is in Boston and in Seattle compared to their population being 10th-15th out of all American cities(500,000-600,000)and being this high up on the list. To give a point of reference, both of these cities have similar populations as Jacksonville, Florida and Fresno, California. Also, their downtowns are much better than cities with much bigger populations such as San Antonio Texas(1.3 million people) and Phoenix, Arizona(1.6 million). I think both of these cities are good role models for places with relatively smaller populations compared to other places.
7. Philadelphia
"Second tier" I like the downtowns of these cities
8. San Diego Very close to being in first tier but not quite
9. Denver
10. Portland, Oregon
11. Minneapolis, Minnesota
12. Los Angeles, California(Its not good that Los Angeles has the second biggest population for all American cities but downtown is this far down on this list)
12. Houston, Texas
13. Miami, Florida
14. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15. Honolulu, Hawaii
"Third tier" The downtowns of these cities are ok
16. Austin, Texas
17. Atlanta, Georgia
18. Dallas, Texas
19. New Orleans, Louisiana
20. Saint Louis, Missouri
21. Charlotte, North Carolina
"Fourth tier" The downtowns of these cities are less than ok but still ok enough to be 22nd-25th
22. Baltimore, Maryland
23. Phoenix,Arizona(Its not good that Phoenix has 3rd-5th highest population out of all American cities and its this far down on the list. Similar to Los Angeles.
24. Las Vegas, Nevada
25. San Antonio, Texas
Houston has started revitalizing their downtown. You should see all of their projects, more shopping venues, night clubs, bars, restaurants, condos, libraries, grocery stores. They're starting to bring some heat back into downtown, I hope they're successful!
""First tier" I love the downtowns of these cities
1. New York City
2. San Francisco
3. Chicago
4. Washington D.C.
5. Boston
6. Seattle (Its great how awesome the downtown is in Boston and in Seattle compared to their population being 10th-15th out of all American cities(500,000-600,000)and being this high up on the list. To give a point of reference, both of these cities have similar populations as Jacksonville, Florida and Fresno, California. Also, their downtowns are much better than cities with much bigger populations such as San Antonio Texas(1.3 million people) and Phoenix, Arizona(1.6 million). I think both of these cities are good role models for places with relatively smaller populations compared to other places.
7. Philadelphia
"Second tier" I like the downtowns of these cities
8. San Diego Very close to being in first tier but not quite
9. Denver
10. Portland, Oregon
11. Minneapolis, Minnesota
12. Los Angeles, California(Its not good that Los Angeles has the second biggest population for all American cities but downtown is this far down on this list)
12. Houston, Texas
13. Miami, Florida
14. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15. Honolulu, Hawaii
"Third tier" The downtowns of these cities are ok
16. Austin, Texas
17. Atlanta, Georgia
18. Dallas, Texas
19. New Orleans, Louisiana
20. Saint Louis, Missouri
21. Charlotte, North Carolina
"Fourth tier" The downtowns of these cities are less than ok but still ok enough to be 22nd-25th
22. Baltimore, Maryland
23. Phoenix,Arizona(Its not good that Phoenix has 3rd-5th highest population out of all American cities and its this far down on the list. Similar to Los Angeles.
24. Las Vegas, Nevada
25. San Antonio, Texas"
-naturalwhudevadafuk
Aight granola cornball.
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