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The numbers here look pretty out of date acutally, in 2011 Sydney had 1.6 Million foreign Born Residents and Melbourne 1.2 Million. Dont know about the rest of the cities?
And just because a place sprawls, doesn't mean it's not a city.
Okay, I was using the term loosely. Of course it's a CITY, but it's not a very walkable one overall. It is in some places, but not as much as some other places.
Quote:
LA's got multiple downtowns; DTLA, K-town, Hollywood, West Hollywood, BH/Century City, Santa Monica, Westwood, etc etc etc are all CBD's. I won't argue that LA sprawls, but all that sprawl is totally filled-in and in many areas is quite dense.
Mmmm, I wouldn't call them downtowns, but they're centers of activity for particular areas because the area most would consider "downtown" is too far away from certain areas. I'm aware of all of this, but the centers of the city are not exactly "sewn" together well. There's a lot of gaps of residential sprawl (mainly, but not all) between a lot of these areas.
In that case, Chicago and NYC have tons of downtowns too.
Quote:
Eh, I don't really have anything against either place, but I chose to live in LA over NYC and, well, basically everywhere else in the US (it's not like I don't have a choice), so I don't really think of it as a situation in which I "at least" have anything. I don't feel as though I've lost anything living in the second-largest city in the US.
I don't have anything against LA. I still like the city in parts and most of my family lives there still. I used to want to live there, but not really anymore. I'm more of a European style of urbanization person now. Hell, I want to live in Istanbul. Talk about crowded. NYC has nothing on it in a lot of places.
It really depends on where you live there though. I do know there's a metro system, which is a lot bigger than outsiders think. I think they have a ways to improve it though, but at least they've made efforts to improve upon their public transit.
And outside of this...LA is a very international city. VERY. As OyCrumbler mentioned though, it might not be centered as much as some other cities outside a few areas, but there are many foreign born people there, 1 generations, multi national corporations, etc.
The numbers here look pretty out of date acutally, in 2011 Sydney had 1.6 Million foreign Born Residents and Melbourne 1.2 Million. Dont know about the rest of the cities?
They likely are a few years off, if we can compile a list of more recent numbers we should change the wiki and reference the new numbers.
I see folks on this thread like to make sweeping statements about LA, SF Bay, Chicago, and DC. IMO all four are international cities but obviously not on the level of NYC. The OP mentioned seeing international tourists in NYC but a lack of them in the rest of the US, while true, it's not a strong argument by itself. IMO an international city will have international level of business, air routes/destinations, languages spoken, international tourism, diversity, foreign born, and foreign investment. Other things like name recognition and entertainment are important too.
Here are some stats on the international front for US cities, I am not saying there are no international cities outside of the US but I will later make my own top 10 list. Right now I want to draw a picture of international cities inside the US.
Places with above 1M foreign born residents
NYC 5,911,993
LA 5,530,944
SF Bay Area 2,218,512
Miami 2,167,215
Chicago 1,677,303
DC 1,489,700
Houston 1,338,570
Dallas 1,145,585
Boston 1,089,950
Places below 1M foreign born residents
Atlanta 752,426
Seattle 632,036
Philadelphia 617,803
Number of FT Global 500 Companies, 2012
New York 38
San Francisco 18
Houston 13
Chicago 12
Boston 8
Los Angeles 7
Atlanta 4
Dallas 4
Philadelphia 3
Miami 2
Total Market Capitalization of Ft Global 500 Companies, 2012
New York $2.534 Trillion
San Francisco $1.855 Trillion
Dallas $661.380 Billion
Chicago $540.873 Billion
Houston $499.075 Billion
Atlanta $341.683 Billion
Los Angeles $314.726 Billion
Boston $274.530 Billion
Philadelphia $155.406 Billion
Miami $50.324 Billion
GDP
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA $1.463 T
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA CSA $902.8B
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA $587.1B
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA $569.5B
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA $553.6B
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-RI-NH CSA $446.5B
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX CSA $420.4B
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX CSA $405B
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA $372.9B
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA $290.7B
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA CSA $265.6B
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA $260B
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI CSA $232.3B
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI CSA $216.2B
Cities with more than 1M international tourists
New York 9,285,000
LA 3,653,000
Miami 2,956,000
San Francisco 2,872,000
Las Vegas 2,788,000 [tied]
Orlando 2,788,000 [tied]
DC 1,812,000
Honolulu 1,785,000
Boston 1,311,000
Chicago 1,199,000
Cities below 1M international tourists
San Diego 753,000
Philadelphia 613,000
Houston 586,000
Atlanta 586,000
Seattle 474,000
Dallas 418,000
San Jose 362,000
Foreign Flag carriers above 10
NYC 50, LA 42, Chicago 27, San Francisco 26, DC 25, Boston 16, Houston 13, Miami 13, Dallas 11, Atlanta 10.
LOL Philly has 2.....
2012 top 50 global brands
"The cities measured in each wave include: http://www.gfkamerica.com/imperia/md...ndshexagon.jpg North America: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver
Western Europe: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Geneva, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, The Hague, Vienna
Central/Eastern Europe: Budapest, Istanbul, Moscow, Prague, Warsaw
Asia Pacific: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo
Latin America: Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro
Middle East/Africa: Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Johannesburg" http://www.gfkamerica.com/imperia/md...ndshexagon.jpg
Service to inhabitable continents via direct air route (cities with 4 or more continents of service)
Houston (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
Dallas (DFW) (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia)
Atlanta (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
New York (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
Los Angeles (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia)
San Francisco (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia)
Boston (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
DC (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
By Top 11 Metro Regions Percentage of residents who speak a language other than English
1) Miami Area: 51.3%
2) Los Angeles CSA: 50.2%
3) SF Bay Area CSA: 40.9%
4) Houston CSA: 37.0%
5) New York CSA: 36.8%
6) Dallas-Fort Worth CSA: 28.9%
7) Chicago CSA: 28.6%
8) Washington-Baltimore CSA: 21.2%
9) Boston CSA: 21.1%
10) Atlanta CSA: 17.5%
11) Philadelphia CSA: 15.4%
Number of residents who speak a language other than English
1) Los Angeles CSA: 8,469,729
2) New York CSA: 7,664,457
3) Bay Area CSA: 2,902,720
4) Miami MSA: 2,740,101
5) Chicago CSA: 2,596,795
6) Houston CSA: 2,111,268
7) Dallas-Fort Worth CSA: 1,839,833
8) Washington-Baltimore CSA: 1,723,360
9) Boston CSA: 1,516,743
10) Philadelphia CSA: 947,509
11) Atlanta CSA: 931,638
NYC 130 international destinations (LGA, JFK, EWR)- Dublin, Moscow, Mexico City, Cancun, Boryspil, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Toronto, Beijing, Madrid, Paris, Delhi, Milan, Rome, Tokyo, Barbados, Barcelona, Bermuda, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Caracas, London, Manchester, Port-au-Prince, Rio de Janeiro, St. Kilts, St. Maarten, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, Sao Paulo, Zurich, Havana (charter), San Jose (Costa Rica), Montreal, Lagos, Seoul, Vienna, Bogata, MedellÃn, Georgetown, Grenada, Port of Spain, Kingston, Montego Bay, Tobago, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Grand Caymon, Osaka, Taipei, Shanghai, Panama City, Abuja, Accra, Amsterdam, Antigua, Aruba, Dakar, Frankfurt, Monrovia, Punta Cana, Venice, Athens, Copenhagen, Istanbul, Malaga, Nice, Pisa, KeflavÃk, Prague, Valencia, Stockholm, Quebec City, Cairo, Tel-Aviv, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Helsinki, Cartagena, Liberia, Kuwait, Lima, Santiago, Guayaquil, Warsaw, Munich, Naples, Palmero, Karachi, Lahore, Sydney, Doha, Casa Blanca, Amman, Jeddah, Riyadh, Singapore, Johannesburg, Geneva, San Salvador, San Pedro Sula, Tashkent, Riga, Marsielles, Ottawa, Calgary, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Oslo, Mont-Tremblant, Lisbon, Porto, Aguadilla, Belfast, Curaçao, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guatemala City, Hamburg, Nassau, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Stuttgart, Acapulco, Belize City, Bonaire, Cozumel, and Roatán.
Miami 103 international destinations (MIA and FLL)- Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, San Salvador, Halifax, Quebec City, Port-au-Prince, Bogota, Nassau, Port of Spain, Kingston, Montego Bay, Frankfurt, Havana (charter), Cancun, Santo Domingo, Aguadilla, Armenia (Colombia), Aruba, Cartagena, Guatemala City, Lima, Managua, Medellin, Panama City, St. Maarten, San Jose (Costa Rica), San Pedro Sula, San Salvador (Bahamas), Santiago de los Caballeros, Mexico City, Punta Cana, Andros Town, Governor's Harbour, Great Exuma Island, Marsh Harbour, New Bight, North Eleuthera, South Bimini, Treasure Cay, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Merida, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Pointe-à -Pitre, Paris, Milan, Rome, Antigua, Aruba, Asunción, Barbados, Barcelona, Belize City, Belo Horizonte, Bermuda, Brasilia, Cali, Caracas, Curaçao, Grand Caymon, Grenada, Guayaquil, La Paz, Liberia, Madrid, Manaus, Maracaibo, Montevideo, Port of Spain, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Quito, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Roatan, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Salvador da Bahia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Viru Viru, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Tegucigalpa, George Town, North Eleuthera, Camagüey (charter), Cienfuegos (charter), HolguÃn (charter), Santiago de Cuba (charter), Barranquilla, Amsterdam, Barcelona (Venezuela), London, Cayman Brac, Naples, Cap Haitien, Bonaire, Maracaibo, Paramaribo, Zurich, Prague, and Lisbon.
DC 49 international destinations (BWI, DCA, IAD)- Madrid, Moscow, Mexico City, Paris, Tokyo, Vienna, Bogota, La Paz, London, Grand Caymon, Panama City, Cancun, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Abu Dhabi, ReykjavÃk-KeflavÃk, Amsterdam, Seoul, Frankfurt, Toronto, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Copenhagen, Dakar, Johannesburg, San Salvador, Istanbul, Aruba, Bahrain, Beijing, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Kuwait, Manchester, Munich, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Salvador, Sao Paulo, Zurich, Montego Bay, Punta Cana, Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal, and Bermuda.
Boston 27 international destinations (BOS and PVD)- Dublin, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, Paris, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Bermuda, Cancun, Madrid, ReykjavÃk-KeflavÃk, Tokyo, Aruba, Montego Bay, Nassau, St. Maarten, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, Frankfurt, Munich, Terceira, Zurich, Pria, Punta Cana, and Providenciales.
Seattle 23 international destinations (SEA)- Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo, Sitka, Edmonton, Kelowna, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Osaka, Beijing, Paris, Taipei, Dubai, and ReykjavÃk-KeflavÃk.
Minneapolis 23 international destinations (MSP)- Toronto, London, Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Cancun, Zihuatanejo, Grand Caymon, Liberia, Mazatlan, Montego Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, San Jose del Cabo, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, ReykjavÃk-KeflavÃk, Cozumel, Huatulco, and St. Maarten.
Undoubtedly international level on all fronts
NYC and LA
International level
Chicago, San Francisco, DC
Close to reaching international level and has decent international qualities
Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami
With this post I have covered the foreign born population, air routes, foreign business, global placement on economy/GDP, market demand by continent, global name recognition, foreign tourism, foreign languages spoken, the worlds most powerful corporate centers, etc.
I see folks on this thread like to make sweeping statements about LA, SF Bay, Chicago, and DC. IMO all four are international cities but obviously not on the level of NYC. The OP mentioned seeing international tourists in NYC but a lack of them in the rest of the US, while true, it's not a strong argument by itself. IMO an international city will have international level of business, air routes/destinations, languages spoken, international tourism, diversity, foreign born, and foreign investment. Other things like name recognition and entertainment are important too.
Here are some stats on the international front for US cities, I am not saying there are no international cities outside of the US but I will later make my own top 10 list. Right now I want to draw a picture of international cities inside the US.
Places with above 1M foreign born residents
NYC 5,911,993
LA 5,530,944
SF Bay Area 2,218,512
Miami 2,167,215
Chicago 1,677,303
DC 1,489,700
Houston 1,338,570
Dallas 1,145,585
Boston 1,089,950
Places below 1M foreign born residents
Atlanta 752,426
Seattle 632,036
Philadelphia 617,803
Number of FT Global 500 Companies, 2012
New York 38
San Francisco 18
Houston 13
Chicago 12
Boston 8
Los Angeles 7
Atlanta 4
Dallas 4
Philadelphia 3
Miami 2
Total Market Capitalization of Ft Global 500 Companies, 2012
New York $2.534 Trillion
San Francisco $1.855 Trillion
Dallas $661.380 Billion
Chicago $540.873 Billion
Houston $499.075 Billion
Atlanta $341.683 Billion
Los Angeles $314.726 Billion
Boston $274.530 Billion
Philadelphia $155.406 Billion
Miami $50.324 Billion
GDP
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA $1.463 T
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA CSA $902.8B
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA $587.1B
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA $569.5B
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA $553.6B
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-RI-NH CSA $446.5B
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX CSA $420.4B
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX CSA $405B
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA $372.9B
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA $290.7B
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA CSA $265.6B
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA $260B
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI CSA $232.3B
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI CSA $216.2B
Cities with more than 1M international tourists
New York 9,285,000
LA 3,653,000
Miami 2,956,000
San Francisco 2,872,000
Las Vegas 2,788,000 [tied]
Orlando 2,788,000 [tied]
DC 1,812,000
Honolulu 1,785,000
Boston 1,311,000
Chicago 1,199,000
Cities below 1M international tourists
San Diego 753,000
Philadelphia 613,000
Houston 586,000
Atlanta 586,000
Seattle 474,000
Dallas 418,000
San Jose 362,000
Foreign Flag carriers above 10
NYC 50, LA 42, Chicago 27, San Francisco 26, DC 25, Boston 16, Houston 13, Miami 13, Dallas 11, Atlanta 10.
LOL Philly has 2.....
2012 top 50 global brands
"The cities measured in each wave include:
http://www.gfkamerica.com/imperia/md...ndshexagon.jpg North America: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver
Western Europe: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Geneva, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, The Hague, Vienna
Central/Eastern Europe: Budapest, Istanbul, Moscow, Prague, Warsaw
Asia Pacific: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo
Latin America: Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro
Middle East/Africa: Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, Johannesburg" http://www.gfkamerica.com/imperia/md...ndshexagon.jpg
Service to inhabitable continents via direct air route (cities with 4 or more continents of service)
Houston (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
Dallas (DFW) (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia)
Atlanta (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
New York (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
Los Angeles (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia)
San Francisco (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia)
Boston (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
DC (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa)
By Top 11 Metro Regions Percentage of residents who speak a language other than English
1) Miami Area: 51.3%
2) Los Angeles CSA: 50.2%
3) SF Bay Area CSA: 40.9%
4) Houston CSA: 37.0%
5) New York CSA: 36.8%
6) Dallas-Fort Worth CSA: 28.9%
7) Chicago CSA: 28.6%
8) Washington-Baltimore CSA: 21.2%
9) Boston CSA: 21.1%
10) Atlanta CSA: 17.5%
11) Philadelphia CSA: 15.4%
Number of residents who speak a language other than English
1) Los Angeles CSA: 8,469,729
2) New York CSA: 7,664,457
3) Bay Area CSA: 2,902,720
4) Miami MSA: 2,740,101
5) Chicago CSA: 2,596,795
6) Houston CSA: 2,111,268
7) Dallas-Fort Worth CSA: 1,839,833
8) Washington-Baltimore CSA: 1,723,360
9) Boston CSA: 1,516,743
10) Philadelphia CSA: 947,509
11) Atlanta CSA: 931,638
NYC 130 international destinations (LGA, JFK, EWR)- Dublin, Moscow, Mexico City, Cancun, Boryspil, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Toronto, Beijing, Madrid, Paris, Delhi, Milan, Rome, Tokyo, Barbados, Barcelona, Bermuda, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Caracas, London, Manchester, Port-au-Prince, Rio de Janeiro, St. Kilts, St. Maarten, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, Sao Paulo, Zurich, Havana (charter), San Jose (Costa Rica), Montreal, Lagos, Seoul, Vienna, Bogata, MedellÃn, Georgetown, Grenada, Port of Spain, Kingston, Montego Bay, Tobago, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Grand Caymon, Osaka, Taipei, Shanghai, Panama City, Abuja, Accra, Amsterdam, Antigua, Aruba, Dakar, Frankfurt, Monrovia, Punta Cana, Venice, Athens, Copenhagen, Istanbul, Malaga, Nice, Pisa, KeflavÃk, Prague, Valencia, Stockholm, Quebec City, Cairo, Tel-Aviv, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Helsinki, Cartagena, Liberia, Kuwait, Lima, Santiago, Guayaquil, Warsaw, Munich, Naples, Palmero, Karachi, Lahore, Sydney, Doha, Casa Blanca, Amman, Jeddah, Riyadh, Singapore, Johannesburg, Geneva, San Salvador, San Pedro Sula, Tashkent, Riga, Marsielles, Ottawa, Calgary, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Oslo, Mont-Tremblant, Lisbon, Porto, Aguadilla, Belfast, Curaçao, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guatemala City, Hamburg, Nassau, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Stuttgart, Acapulco, Belize City, Bonaire, Cozumel, and Roatán.
Miami 103 international destinations (MIA and FLL)- Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, San Salvador, Halifax, Quebec City, Port-au-Prince, Bogota, Nassau, Port of Spain, Kingston, Montego Bay, Frankfurt, Havana (charter), Cancun, Santo Domingo, Aguadilla, Armenia (Colombia), Aruba, Cartagena, Guatemala City, Lima, Managua, Medellin, Panama City, St. Maarten, San Jose (Costa Rica), San Pedro Sula, San Salvador (Bahamas), Santiago de los Caballeros, Mexico City, Punta Cana, Andros Town, Governor's Harbour, Great Exuma Island, Marsh Harbour, New Bight, North Eleuthera, South Bimini, Treasure Cay, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Merida, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Pointe-à -Pitre, Paris, Milan, Rome, Antigua, Aruba, Asunción, Barbados, Barcelona, Belize City, Belo Horizonte, Bermuda, Brasilia, Cali, Caracas, Curaçao, Grand Caymon, Grenada, Guayaquil, La Paz, Liberia, Madrid, Manaus, Maracaibo, Montevideo, Port of Spain, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Quito, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Roatan, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Salvador da Bahia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Viru Viru, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Tegucigalpa, George Town, North Eleuthera, Camagüey (charter), Cienfuegos (charter), HolguÃn (charter), Santiago de Cuba (charter), Barranquilla, Amsterdam, Barcelona (Venezuela), London, Cayman Brac, Naples, Cap Haitien, Bonaire, Maracaibo, Paramaribo, Zurich, Prague, and Lisbon.
DC 49 international destinations (BWI, DCA, IAD)- Madrid, Moscow, Mexico City, Paris, Tokyo, Vienna, Bogota, La Paz, London, Grand Caymon, Panama City, Cancun, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Abu Dhabi, ReykjavÃk-KeflavÃk, Amsterdam, Seoul, Frankfurt, Toronto, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Copenhagen, Dakar, Johannesburg, San Salvador, Istanbul, Aruba, Bahrain, Beijing, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Kuwait, Manchester, Munich, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Salvador, Sao Paulo, Zurich, Montego Bay, Punta Cana, Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal, and Bermuda.
Boston 27 international destinations (BOS and PVD)- Dublin, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, Paris, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Bermuda, Cancun, Madrid, ReykjavÃk-KeflavÃk, Tokyo, Aruba, Montego Bay, Nassau, St. Maarten, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, Frankfurt, Munich, Terceira, Zurich, Pria, Punta Cana, and Providenciales.
Seattle 23 international destinations (SEA)- Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo, Sitka, Edmonton, Kelowna, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Osaka, Beijing, Paris, Taipei, Dubai, and ReykjavÃk-KeflavÃk.
Minneapolis 23 international destinations (MSP)- Toronto, London, Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Cancun, Zihuatanejo, Grand Caymon, Liberia, Mazatlan, Montego Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, San Jose del Cabo, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, ReykjavÃk-KeflavÃk, Cozumel, Huatulco, and St. Maarten.
Undoubtedly international level on all fronts
NYC and LA
International level
Chicago, San Francisco, DC
Close to reaching international level and has decent international qualities
Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami
With this post I have covered the foreign born population, air routes, foreign business, global placement on economy/GDP, market demand by continent, global name recognition, foreign tourism, foreign languages spoken, the worlds most powerful corporate centers, etc.
Some things to look out for in those stats are what percentage of those foreign-born or foreign-derived headquarters are from Hispano-phone Latin America which is very homogenous in some aspects. Another is the measure of GDP as nominal amounts versus purchasing power parity which is a lot harder to determine, but in many ways much more relevant. In both cases, the US probably should have NYC, LA, the Bay Area, and Chicago on top ten with a possibility of DC when political power is factored in.
Throughout all of the criteria, the same US cities repeat themselves. NYC, LA, Chicago, SF Bay, DC <----- clear cut top 5 in the US IMO, then Houston, Miami, Boston, and Dallas as the only other cities that qualify on majority of the metrics presented IMO obviously they have decent international power but are more US centers compared to the top 5 IMO. Atlanta is surging but is far behind the other 9, and Philly/Detroit are just an American city with very few international things going for them. Seattle is surging but it will be long before it's at that level IMO.
Throughout all of the criteria, the same US cities repeat themselves. NYC, LA, Chicago, SF Bay, DC <----- clear cut top 5 in the US IMO, then Houston, Miami, Boston, and Dallas as the only other cities that qualify on majority of the metrics presented IMO obviously they have decent international power but are more US centers compared to the top 5 IMO. Atlanta is surging but is far behind the other 9, and Philly/Detroit are just an American city with very few international things going for them. Seattle is surging but it will be long before it's at that level IMO.
You'll have to clarify what "Wouldn't that depend on the city?" since that's vague as all the metrics listed would depend on the cities and it'd be hard to imagine what isn't.
I never said there's anything wrong with a large Hispanic population and I grew up with a large Hispanic population in Southern California while learning Spanish through inevitable osmosis. There is something to be said, however, for the large diversity in the world outside of Latin America which is arguably much more homogenous in some respects than other parts of the world (a shared Spanish or Iberian language with Portuguese being one of those aspects). I believe along with NYC, LA, the Bay Area, and Chicago and possibly DC there are many international placements within the top 10. Paris and London are easy placements in that regard and after with those come the contentious placements of Toronto, Moscow, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Miami, Boston, Houston, Dubai (and a few other CGG cities since they have such huge non-native populations which can never get residency), Amsterdam, Brussels, Melbourne, Montreal and a few others which have an arguable case. If you weight heavily on non-international enclaves and/or multinational corporations then you throw in Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, Shanghai, Beijing and Mumbai. The only large abnormalities out of these would be if you're arguing ethnic enclaves and foreign-born population by per capita measurements no matter how small the absolute number might be and that takes precedent over any other metrics.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 01-09-2013 at 01:04 AM..
You'll have to clarify what "Wouldn't that depend on the city?" since that's vague as all the metrics listed would depend on the cities and it'd be hard to imagine what isn't.
I never said there's anything wrong with a large Hispanic population and I grew up with a large Hispanic population in Southern California while learning Spanish through inevitable osmosis. There is something to be said, however, for the large diversity in the world outside of Latin America which is arguably much more homogenous in some respects than other parts of the world (a shared Spanish or Iberian language with Portuguese being one of those aspects). I believe after NYC, LA, the Bay Area, and Chicago and possibly DC the international are placements within the top 10. Paris and London are easy placements in that regard and after that comes the contentious placements of Toronto, Moscow, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Miami, Boston, Houston, Dubai (and a few other CGG cities since they have such huge non-native populations which can never get residency), Amsterdam, Brussels, Melbourne, Montreal and a few others which have an arguable case. If you weight heavily on non-international enclaves and/or multinational corporations then you throw in Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, Shanghai, Beijing and Mumbai. The only large abnormalities out of these would be if you're arguing ethnic enclaves and foreign-born population by per capita measurements no matter how small the absolute number might be and that takes precedent over any other metrics.
I obviously agree with everything you said.
TBH, I cant put together a top 10 list, it would look biased to have 5 US cities in it and if we had to trim the fat then DC has to go but barely out of the top 10 IMO. Your list is very good I would add Berlin, Cape Town/Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Dallas (---> especially because you have Houston and Boston, I consider Houston/Boston/Dallas are the tres international amigos), and maybe Bangkok, Rio, and Panama City.
NYC, Paris, London, LA, Toronto, Chicago, SF Bay all make my top 10 most international but after that I am confused where else to add IMO.
TBH, I cant put together a top 10 list, it would look biased to have 5 US cities in it and if we had to trim the fat then DC has to go but barely out of the top 10 IMO. Your list is very good I would add Berlin, Cape Town/Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Dallas (---> especially because you have Houston and Boston, I consider Houston/Boston/Dallas are the tres international amigos), and maybe Bangkok, Rio, and Panama City.
NYC, Paris, London, LA, Toronto, Chicago, SF Bay all make my top 10 most international but after that I am confused where else to add IMO.
Again, what about Brussels? Brussels is an obvious choice, it should easily make the top 10 way before LA, Toronto, Chicago and San Francisco. I don't understand why so many people here ignore it. Like I said, almost 70% of the population in Brussels is of foreign origin; about half of these are from Europe and half from non-Western countries so it is truly international, unlike many other cities that have a 'foreign' population mostly coming from one or two countries (e.g. Mexicans in the US). It also has a lot of political influence as the de facto capital of the EU and hosting the headquarters of NATO.
It's hard to compile a list of the 10 most international cities because everyone has different criteria and priorities for what makes a city "international", and I'm not familiar with the international component of every city around the world. If I had to give my own impression though, it would be something like this:
1. NYC
2. London
3. Brussels
4. Paris
5. Hong Kong
6. Los Angeles
7. Sydney
8. Randstad (conurbation of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and surrounding towns)
9. Bay Area (conurbation of San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and surrounding towns)
10. Toronto
- Chicago
^ The criteria I took into account were population (> 1 million), proportion and composition of people of foreign origin, social/economic/political/legislative influence on the international stage and number of international tourists.
Again, what about Brussels? Brussels is an obvious choice, it should easily make the top 10 way before LA, Toronto, Chicago and San Francisco. I don't understand why so many people here ignore it. Like I said, almost 70% of the population in Brussels is of foreign origin; about half of these are from Europe and half from non-Western countries so it is truly international, unlike many other cities that have a 'foreign' population mostly coming from one or two countries (e.g. Mexicans in the US). It also has a lot of political influence as the de facto capital of the EU and hosting the headquarters of NATO.
It's hard to compile a list of the 10 most international cities because everyone has different criteria and priorities for what makes a city "international", and I'm not familiar with the international component of every city around the world. If I had to give my own impression though, it would be something like this:
1. NYC
2. London
3. Brussels
4. Paris
5. Hong Kong
6. Los Angeles
7. Sydney
8. Randstad (conurbation of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and surrounding towns)
9. Bay Area (conurbation of San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and surrounding towns)
10. Toronto
- Chicago
^ The criteria I took into account were population (> 1 million), proportion and composition of people of foreign origin, social/economic/political/legislative influence on the international stage and number of international tourists.
Brussels and the Randstad are good contenders. A bit smaller than most of the others mentioned, but points taken. Hong Kong has the issue that it's by and large ethnically and culturally Chinese. You're also missing out on some of the cities of the Gulf Coast countries which have massive ethnic populations by percentage and from many different parts of the world. In regards to how truly international the US is, keep in mind that people from Mexico makes up less than a third of the foreign-born population and overall migration to the US is massive. Mexico is definitely the single largest contributor, but it's a massive overstatement to say most immigration to the US is through Mexico. Plus, when we are talking about cities/metros, Mexicans form large majorities pretty much only in the southwest United States and even then there's often still very large percentages of migrants from elsewhere (such as in Los Angeles).
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Brussels is an obvious choice, it should easily make the top 10 way before LA, Toronto, Chicago and San Francisco. I don't understand why so many people here ignore it. Like I said, almost 70% of the population in Brussels is of foreign origin; about half of these are from Europe and half from non-Western countries so it is truly international, unlike many other cities that have a 'foreign' population mostly coming from one or two countries (e.g. Mexicans in the US). It also has a lot of political influence as the de facto capital of the EU and hosting the headquarters of NATO. 
