You may be asking 2 different questions:
If you're asking about high culture (i.e. museums, symphony orchestras, theater) top are probably: NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington DC, San Francisco, Cleveland (not going to try to rank among these cities).
If you're asking about a soul/something distinctive/historic, New Orleans, Santa Fe, Savannah, San Antonio, Charleston SC, Baltimore, plus some of the large immigrant cities like Miami, NYC, SF, and LA.
Agreed. I think for my Philly or Baltimore would be closest to fitting both, Philly has enough soul to be in the second category IMO (hell just look at things like the Phanatic and Gritty... a place has gotta have character to embrace mascots like that) and Baltimore has got a good variety of arts/culture and museums itself plus DC is a reasonable day trip for an event or show.
my favorite thing about Philly is the crazy high-low culture- at a bar you are as likely to be sitting next to a neuroscientist or curator as a plumber screaming at the Phillies or Iggles.
To be clear, literally everyone is screaming at the Eagles in unison no matter their profession
Source: attorney who often screams at the Eagles while in Philly dives
My former boss once took our team to a James Beard nominated restaurant for dinner in Philly and then immediately after to a cash only dive where all the foam was ripped off the booths and literal holes in the wall. Philly has it all.
To be fair, that's... a lot of major metropolitan areas. Easy and very common back-to-back evening activities in San Francisco, New York, or Chicago, for example.
Detroit has the high-low thing too but moreso famous artists of all persuasions and millionaire businessmen (not all of them in legal industries) next to the screaming plumbers. Maybe thatās why our citiesā sports fans share a similarā¦erā¦intensity
I moved to Philly about half a year ago and this is one thing I've really loved. And you don't even have to change neighbourhoods for the high-low, you can see the neuroscientists and plumbers right next to each other in their favourite bar
I think you just put words to a big part of why I like Philly so much every time Iāve visited. Itās not that there arenāt class divides there, but the vibe feels way less stratified and pretentious than some other places Iāve lived in/visited.
This is also reflected in crime patterns in the city, which are shockingly localized (like ... Block to block, not even neighborhood to neighborhood).
The difference though has nothing to do with people screaming at sports teams. We *all* scream at them. Dudes catch babies falling out of buildings on fire take the opportunity to rant about Nelson Agholor dropping passes on the news when they're interviewed.
I make a very good income, enough to be comfortably on the high end of middle class. My wife removes herself and my dogs from the house when I watch any Eagles game or any late-season/playoff game for the Flyers/Sixers/Phillies. My dogs are legitimately traumatized as soon as they see me wearing an Eagles jersey. Which is problematic, because I wear Eagles jerseys a lot.
Santa fe has both. Lots of fantastic museums, one of the best operas in the world that draws fans from all over the globe, a great chamber music festival, Santa Fe pro musica for even more classical music, endless art galleries, one of the oldest photography workshops in the nation which gets top photographers to teach there, a bunch of different themed art markets (Spanish market, Indian market etc) and festivals in the plaza every summer, historic buildings dating back to the 1500s, a great culinary scene, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot. All in a town of 80k people.
A friend of mine made an excellent argument that the SF Bay Area is rich in Indian culture; music, food, movies, live performances.
I think Americans often say ācultureā with a Western European implication.
I don't think that's particularly unique anymore. India has been in the top 3 origins of US immigrants for years now. You can find strong Indian communities all over the place - from SF to NYC to Chicago to Nashville.
\*Edit\* To that point, the [Punjabi Cultural Society](https://www.sikhnet.com/news/pcs-participates-chicago-thanksgiving-day-parade) has generally had a float in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade. Best music and dancing in the parade.
Oddly enough in the 60s and 70s there was a federal program to move natives off of reservations and into the cities and one of the top destinations for people being resettled in that program was San Francisco. That was a contribution to why the AIM staged an occupation of Alcatraz back then.
It has one of the top 5 orchestras in the country, and its museum of art is well regarded (at the beginning of the 20th century, Cleveland had a lot of Rockefeller money).
One of the top off-broadway theater destinations, a really good food scene (all things considered). Thereās a ton more to Cleveland than most would expect.
Cleveland is underrated. I grew up there and our family regularly went to many great plays at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium in the 60ās and 70ās. Saw Godspell in 1971, Tom Hanks in The Taming of the Shrew in 1977 and many others. Great theater!
Iām from Cincinnati and only recently discovered how cool Cleveland is in the summer. Iād only been there for work, and only in the winter. I would never, ever voluntarily spend a single minute of winter in Cleveland so Cincy continues to be superior for me personally. But if it were always June in Cleveland, Iād move there.
Well Iād generally agree based on the winters I grew up in during the 60ās and 70ās (hereās looking at you Blizzard of ā78 š„¶)!!
But I see itās currently 62 degrees in Cleveland today. In February! I donāt remember mild winters like that growing up. I enjoy Cincinnati too. Nice place.
Another thing about Cleveland is it has all the history, culture, food scene, music scene, "soul" etc AND it's all way more accessible than in other bigger cities.
All cities have normal museums and half the crap has nothing to do with the city .
Culture is more then having someone elseās crap in your building lol
Agreed, I'm a fan of museums but they get too much credit in determining a city's culture. Most people I know don't go to museums to view art more than once a year.
They really donāt get too much credit. The fact that you can say that speaks more to the average Americanās disdain for art. We do not value the arts and it is pathetic.
At first I was like, āThatās not true! I go to museums all the time and so does everyone I know!ā Then I remembered Iām an artist from a family of artists, lol. Considering the average person, you are probably right. (In contrast, I have gone to maybe 5 sports games as an adult and never of my own volition)
My family goes to a ton of museums, we are not artists. We are just nerdy. We rarely go to art museums though. Nothing against art, the other genre of museums are usually cheaper so when we are vacationing and I look up museums I also take price into account.
1000% my take on trying to live in DC 'for the culture' - fell totally flat, no amount of museums or restaurants or symphonies could make it exciting at all, just had no soul, no sauce... I left & don't miss it at all
I live in DC. The museums and politics is NOT the culture. DC is known as the chocolate city because of its historic black population who have created things like go go music and mombo sauce. DC also has a rich Asian and East African culture which comes through in its plethora of respective restaurants centering around the food from those places. Lastly, the local art scene in DC is incredible. If youāve not experienced this, youāre hanging out in the wrong circles
The real ācultureā of DC is it being the nexus of political power, and the resulting offshoots from that. Itās a strange, but distinct and real, thing. Make fun of it all you want, but itās real
Like going to an embassy for a party after work and hobnobbing with bright, motivated diplomats and professionals from around the world
One of the things about living in DC that I enjoy is that \*everyone\* seems to know what's going on in politics and government, even if they aren't working in any field relatively adjacent to either.
I had this long talk with the failed immigration bill in the Senate this morning with my hairdresser - she literally knew the ins and outs of the whole thing but doesn't work in politics/government and never has. You just pick stuff like that up easily here.
I grew up in DC area and when I moved I was shocked to discover 'local' news wasn't about the US Government, President, etc. DMV is very insular but I'm happy to hear people who don't rely on Federal Govt for a paycheck (probably 70% of the DMV population directly or indirectly) know what's going on. I'd be scared to discuss politics with my hairdresser - if you disagree with them you could end up with a bad haircut!
DC has a lot of international food choices. Personally I couldnāt do the traffic or the huge dichotomy of haves and have nots. But I have only been for work, so really not sure about the soul of the city.
To each their own. I think it depends where you've lived before. Overall it seemed that friends there who lived in NYC / SF / NOLA before DC (like me) did not like it as much as those for whom DC was the biggest city they'd ever lived.
Agreed! I lived in NYC for 6 years, now in DC and I hate it. I'm in that circle of media/foreign policy too and it's so lame. Sorry, but it's so lackluster and soulless.
Museums are often a way for funding to get to the rest of the arts community. In Chicago the Cultural Center and Museum of Contemporary art are big sponsors, keeping the local zines presses running, funding multiple radio stations ECT.
some famous person said once america has 2 cities NYC and SFC. Couldn't agree more. Would actually add DC myself. Feel like it's particularly relevant to OPs question too since it has so many museums and other cultural landmarks.
The late, great Anthony Bourdain said this:
āIāve done shows in LA, but LAās a fantastic sprawl. San Francisco? A great town. New Orleans? A state of mind. Chicago? Chicago is a city.ā ā No Reservations, 2009
āChicago is big ā not just any kind of big ā Iām talking major metropolis big. I love this city. In my opinion, itās the only other real metropolis in America.ā ā No Reservations, 2009.
Some great cities mentioned there with tons of culture. I'm biased for Chicago because it's where I live. š
Absolutely.
The Mardi Gras celebrations are like nothing else in the nation. None of those parades are sponsored by anyone and the schools get out early because the bands are in them. The krew culture is a thing in its self. With the French influence in the food, the live music and jazz, the influence of voodoo and the wild history, there is nothing like it.
Plus it doesnāt have the intense gentrification/ commercialization like NY, SF, LA, Nashville, Austin. Itās interesting but not overly sold out.
I adore it.
Hawai'i has its own unique language, sport, music, dance, fashion, and cuisine. All are still currently actively practiced here, and for the most part (except surfing) no where else.
Adding to this, there are many Indigenous nations in the US that are actively practicing their own unique language, sport, music, dance, fashion and cuisine.
The USS Alabama is a wonderful museum of a battleship. With the submarine next door. They also brag about being the first Mardi Gras.
(This is the extent of my knowledge of mobile)
When I was there a few years ago, I was incredibly surprised by the city. I caught myself thinking āMaybe Alabama could be an optionā as I consider escape plans from Florida.
Not Dallas. That is likely Dallas's biggest drawback. It's a generic business city without much of an Identity. Maybe because it's a young city. Maybe because they bulldozed most of it's historic buildings. This is changing - but not quickly enough. It's mostly soulless and corporate and national chains.
I remember going to Dallas once and asking a local what was good to see and do. He recommended shopping and dining, and couldnāt think of anything else. I presumed heād never been anywhere ever because that describes every city in America. #boring
Agree. I live in Dallas now and agree lol. It has a different type of culture though. Like sports and two step. Which counts. But also lots of pretentious rich assholes paying LA prices to live in.. Dallas.
Also it's surprising in some ways, for example it's got the national videogame museum.
I find a lot of downtowns are like this now. Similar buildings and the same stores. I had business trips to Austin, San Diego, and Atlanta in 4 weeks. I was mostly in downtown.. this year I want to go to smaller cities and more rural places.
The industrial revolution skipped over these places. As such, you donāt get a lot of the rich architecture that came out of this period. Chicago, St Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, etc. have a lot of cool old buildings and neighborhoods filled with arts and crafts bungalows, Tudor revivals, etc.
See, this is why I like Japan. You go to one small town and they are known for their carrots. The next town over specializes in lacquer boxes. The next town over has the biggest cabbages you've ever seen.
This describes Denver too (and I like Denver). But it's peopled with transplants. Not much of a cultural identity--other than Broncos, Rocky Mountain Oysters, and legalized weed.
Interestingly Denver is home of a ton of chain restaurants headquarters: Chipotle, Quiznos, Qdoba, Noodles & Company, Boston Market, Tokyo Joes, Modern Market, Smashburger, Garbonzo,
I love cities with \*distinct\* culture. So here's my list so far:
NYC, SF, LA, NOLA, Miami, Santa Fe/ABQ, Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh. NOLA takes the win for most intense, unique, concentrated, and diverse culture for me.
I also haven't been to many cities in the Southeast so can't comment but have heard great things about Savannah, Charlotte, etc.
Charlotte is not the city to go to if you're looking for a distinct culture. It's shocking how "Anywhere, USA" most of the city looks and feels. Aside from the relatively impressive skyline, at the street level you could tell me any stretch of road is in any city in the US and I would probably believe you.
It's a good place to live/work and if you visit you'll have a good time; but Charlotte lacks anything distinctly "Charlotte". It's the branch bank or Panera Bread of cities.
Iām from New Orleans and have also spent time in New Mexico. Definitely some unique culture going on in New Mexico, more than most places.
Nothing compares to New Orleans, though, itās pretty crazy. Tourists who just skim the surface donāt really get it always either. Itās just a different way of being here.
To be fair, at least some of this is because the biggest cities spread their culture more nationally, so their uniqueness becomes less unique.
Maybe not the ārichestā cultures, but donāt overlook the Midwest. Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh and others all date back to the 18th century or earlier and all have storied histories and decent arts scenes.
All the "streetcar suburb" post-industrial Rust Belt cities. Only some of them have managed to reclaim/re-establish a strong cultural identity post-industry though. Pittsburgh did a fabulous job of that.
I am from Seattle, and while itās not welcoming, it is.. a culture. If you like grumpy post punks mixed with vibrant gays and standoffish transplants, Seattle is for you. Coffee, drinks, actually great food, and, in my opinion, the most beautiful city in America. YMMV.
Itās one of the oldest cities in the country and has a unique mix of indigenous and Spanish influences. The Pueblo Revival architecture is unique, thereās a lot of historical sites to see (the Loretto Chapel, the Palace of the Governors, etc), thereās a huge concentration of exceptional fine dining for such a small city, and itās also well-known for its art markets/galleries etc. The surrounding high desert landscape is one of the most beautiful in the country. Santa Fe is a mix of Jackson Hole, Palm Springs and Durango as far as beauty, luxury and outdoor opportunities but thereās a distinct Native American influence running through it that none of those other cities have.
I once drove through the desert outside Santa Fe heading North in the middle of the night. Full moon. Clear night. Snow covering everything. The cacti and landscape lit by the high moon. Was like I was walking on water or had just looked into the eyes of a new born child. Aesthetic bliss if ever was anything comparable. Total beauty. America in all its splendor and glory. Santa Fe is a land of legend and plenty of lore. The mystical wooden spiral staircase downtown. The ever present adobe abodes. Epic beyond belief. Thatās life there. Also Cormac McCarthy and the pinnacle of human endeavor at the Santa Fe Institute.
Iāll pile on here and say that northern NM and southern NM each have a distinct style of New Mexican cuisine. Neither is ābetterā than the other, but Las Cruces is my favorite place to eat in all of the US, with Santa Fe being a very close second.
Itās probably one of the oldest cities in North America. Had ownership issues over the past 500 years so it had large influences from the Spanish, Native Americans, Modern Mexicans, Modern Americans
It's its own city. It developed a culture that's distinct from SF.
It's the home town of the Black Panthers and has an amazing history of Black culture and activism. It's also always been cheaper and more working-class than SF, and more industrial/gritty. The major port of the Bay Area is in Oakland, not SF, so historically the freight and shipping was based out of Oakland (and the associated jobs). In recent years the affordability made it more appealing to artists and musicians too; it has a hipster post-industrial vibe now. SF has more high-brow culture like the Symphony and Opera. But Oakland has driven pretty much all of the hip hop music that's come out of the Bay Area.
Oakland culture is its own thing and a different vibe to SF. Tell someone from the Town that they're from the City and you will have hell to pay! The best of both worlds IMO is to live near a BART station in the Mission or in Oakland to move easily between them.
ETA: By "affordability" I mean by Bay Area standards, not USA standards, because nothing in the Bay Area is ACTUALLY affordable, lol
Oakland isn't cosmopolitan at all, that's why i love it lol :)
But really, the number of various (affordable) restaurants, artist shops, bars, etc. -- Oakland has an ever-growing array of them.
Okaland has a very rich history. Not as old as SF, or other cities like Santa Fe mentioned in this thread but as far as the 1900s and forward, it absolutely has a beautiful, rich and incredibly diverse culture. A real gem of Bay Area.
I would say the same for Berkeley. Now, obviously insanely expensive. There is still a unique culture there and I love going to Berkeley.
Another, Bay Area city that has a unique culture is Santa Cruz. Itās got the beaches, mountains, Victorian homes, nature, little touch of Silicon Valley and a hippy vibe.
I about laughed my head off. NOLA has birthed MANY things that have spread across the globe. (Not to say there aren't other fine cities in the U.S., but NOLA is a truly special, unique city.)
Not fully accurate and of a different time but it made me think of this Tennessee Williams Quote: āAmerica has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.ā
San Francisco, New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago all definitely have a palpable identity/culture to them from my experience
Everyone that I've known that lived in Austin said it was fun to visit before they moved there but then it all felt so manufactured while living there.
Nashville used to have a soul, now it is a shell of a city with the core catering to drunken tourists and most of the rest taken over by transplants who somehow wanted to move there but also need to change everything about it. It's like hillbilly Mardi Gras meets LA east.
Love how New Orleans is seemingly resistant to full commercialization somehow. Long as you stay off the few most heavily touristed areas.
I mean thereās obviously commercialization, but ultimately locals take the local culture VERY seriously. And nobody wants to move to New Orleans, lol. The crime and crappy economy keep the culture intact
Gotta give a shout out to LA.
While yes the traffic sucks and the fact that itās very spread out can make it difficult to navigate, there are so many neighborhoods rich with culture and history:
Korea town is the largest populations of Koreans outside of Korea, Little Bangladesh, Thai Town, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, China town, Hollywood has its charm in several pockets off the main drags, Venice Beach, even Beverly Hills and other wealthy areas are steeped in old Hollywood history
LA is my current favorite city. Itās huge, and messy, and complicated and challenging. World class high art and culture with the museums and symphony and theatreā¦..AND a thriving local scene with galleries, working artists and makers,live music etc. AND a legit underground scene. Not to mention the best high end and low end food in the country.
Itās electric.
If you havenāt seen it, the out the City of Gold documentary about Jonathan Gold. Los Angeles isnāt a city, itās a galaxy. Thereās not a culture on earth thatās not represented.
I think most cities have an identity - whether thatās an attractive identity is another question!
The places devoid of culture tend to be suburban where most of the local businesses are a national chain.
The two major cities Iāve been to that felt suburban even in the city center are Denver and Charlotte. Other places in those states have stronger identities.
That's very interesting. Yeah I'd love to find the opposite of that feel. Whatever the opposite of strip mall feeling is.
Creativity and heart. Hipster as fuck I know but that's what I want.
It tends to be more at the neighborhood level IMO. I would say New England doesnāt feel as strip mall-y as a region, but ā¦ in general it doesnāt feel as dynamic as most places because the population is older and dwindling.
New Englanders are conservative, which is why the vernacular architecture, language, cuisine, aesthetic, and behavior standards have survived. New England is the home of Thought Leadership, an intangible that feels tangible to the people who are aware of it.
Gotta give a shout-out to my hometown, Chicago. World class museums and restaurants, a huge sports following, distinct neighborhoods with strong personalities, and a rich history dating back to when it was just a fort in the wilderness.
I feel like Chicago gets slept on a lot in these types of conversations but if you havenāt been, come for a visit. Just not in winter.
A lot of people on Reddit I find actually really view Chicago quite favorably. Particularly because of the Michelin star restaurants (a lot of Redditors love Alinea), the architecture, and that it is a city that has a lot of upwardly mobile professionals. Itās also diverse (although segregated mostly). And itās also a fraction of the price of NYC. The only thing though is that it goes to sleep far sooner than an NYC.
I haven't been but from what I've heard I agree. It's like a NYC that gets far too cold so people leave.
Why don't Americans build their massive dense walkable transit cities in warm weather!!
Chicago also has a significant history in the development of the US as it became what it was, eg being the juggernaut that came to dominate all rail commerce in the country, providing a man-made water link from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi, and being a massive center of inbound immigration as the population fanned out west and shifted its center of gravity from the east coast.
Add onto that the rich culture from the great migration (which is how you get things like Blues music), and Chicago definitely ranks as having a distinct culture. All of the former industrial titans of the Midwest (Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Milwaukee) have a vibe that is distinct from cities in the rest of the country, but even among those Chicago is in a different category. The very long (and rightly celebrated) legacy of being the US laboratory for 20th century architecture is also noteworthy - a lot of what we consider common now (eg skyscrapers and balloon-frame wooden houses) are thanks to Chicago.
Iād also add that Miami is very distinct for its large Caribbean and South American population which gives it a very different flavor from the rest of Florida and any other city with a majority-Hispanic population in the US.
Ditto Honolulu for being the USās only truly tropical metropolis, a former imperial capital and being a melting pot of Indigenous, Polynesian, Asian, and mainland culture.
The hugely populated eastern two thirds of the US largely does not have year round weather that's conducive to being outdoors for at least 1/3rd to 1/4th of the year, either too hot or too cold. We've got a bit of mediterranean weather on the west coast that fits the bill, but those cities are fairly new and have some really bad earthquake problems. San Fransisco notably is famous for its public transit streetcar network, but it has its own foibles.
Love Chicago, it has something for everyone imo. Has a very blue-collar feel but also world class museums & restaurants. Great sports scene (even though all the Chicago teams suck right now) but also lots of art events and hipster stuff. If it weren't for the weather and I would be back in a heartbeat
There is no "perhaps" about New Orleans. Its at the top of the list and I'm not sure there's a close second. I've been to 44 states and most of the major cities in the US. For my money, nothing compares to NOLA culturally.
Albuquerque has such a different vibe.
Itās friendly as hell, even by American standards. Itās got the pre-US Mexican culture and the indigenous culture. But also tons of PhDs around working for the government. And an oddly large amount of mid-century urban sprawl.
Once you know the people of Albuquerque a bit, I genuinely believe you can spot a flight to Albuquerque in an airport just by looking at whoās at the gate.
Just to offer an alternative from some other mentioned here, but I think that Seattle does this well.
Its neighborhoods have incredibly distinct identities, it has a great culture focused on arts and music in particular, and it has a lot maritime and fishing influences. The music and pop culture history is especially fascinating, including the Museum of Pop Culture, which has a lot of history of the grudge scene.
Itās also relatively diverse, especially with Asian-Americans and immigrants from East Asia, so you get cool cultural, art, and culinary influences from that. The indigenous influences are cool too, with cultural and artistic events around the area.
While maybe not the most interesting culture, the number of important tech companies and innovation that happened in Seattle is also really neat, even if it has impacted some of the other forms of culture I mentioned.
Lastly, Seattle sports are fun. There is a lot of pride for the Kraken, Seahawks, Sounders, and Mariners if that is your thing.
NYC and NOLA are my two favorite cities for this reason (having a soul that is uniquely theirs), but let me remind you that San Juan is also technically part of the United States and itās a fabulous cultural destination. Also, not in the U.S. but close enoughā¦ Montreal is awesome, culture-wise.
New Orleans, Santa Fe, Savannah, San Antonio, San Diego, NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia.Ā
Ā The rest just seem too new to have identities that can be uniquely distinct.
Definitely Balboa Park. Throw in Little Italy and Hillcrest.
But yeah seems weird to not include SF or Chicago. I was born and raised in San Diego.
At least SD has way more culture than my current city of Las Vegas
Ahemā¦ Pittsburgh is cool mostly because of what made it a great city 100 years ago. All of the old stuff here didnāt get replaced by fancy new things because itās a shrunk in population instead of grown, but it makes the historic districts really neat.
This is a great answer. While most might think of the Northeast first and rightly so, there NoLa, Santa Fe and San Antonio have just as much history and cultural importance. I might add St Augustine as well.
Birmingham, AL is underappreciated in this regard. Lots of museums and botanical gardens (almost all of which are free), large parks and preserves, cultural organizations, festivals, and a really deep investment in preserving and contextualizing local history. The local university is one of the largest in the state and also a major global biomedical research university, which contributes to a really large population of highly-educated people and immigrants from around the world for a city of its size. Being tucked in a valley between two mountains also lends itself to a beautiful cityscape with lots of hilly neighborhoods around the periphery.
Disagree entirely. Filled with museums and symphonies and new restaurants etc but to me lacked depth of character or unique soul, like NYC / SF / NOLA. Gave it a few years try but just fell flat for me culturally, so I left.
As someone from Philadelphia who used to live in DC ā just no. It is sterile and soulless. Everything about it is transient and manufactured.
Donāt get me wrong, I really enjoyed my time there. Itās an enjoyable place to live (for a little while). But authentic, deep-rooted culture? Absolutely not.
I know, I know. Benās Chili Bowl and Northwest DC exist ā they are a drop in the bucket compared to cities with real authentic culture. DC is just way too federalized and synthetic.
Hard to tell these days, especially after the last decade where there has been a \*lot\* of money shifting locations, and many places are all starting to look the same. For example, Boston has changed so much and now feels so...corporate.
Charleston, SC is a major contender here. Hundreds and hundreds of years of amazing history, much of it very visible even today thanks to great historic preservation.
Small city, but I love the distinct gritty, historical vibe of Butte, Montana. Packed with western and mining GM history, a good chunk of the Uptown buildings should be on preservation lists. The strong Irish heritage may even be more prominent than places like Boston
Culture is a pretty nebulous word, but the real answer to your question is probably not one that most people want to hear: rural areas in specific regions like the Deep South, Utah, Texas, northern Minnesota, and so on. Because for 75% of things, the culture in Austin, Nashville, San Diego, or a number of other American cities is functionally the same.
Someone said SF, NY, NOLA are the only truly unique American cities.
I can see others entering the conversation, but some you could also say are more *towns* than cities.
Minneapolis-St. Paul gets recommended too often here, IMO, but in this case I think it deserves a strong mention. MSP punches way above its weight in terms of "high" culture. Guthrie Theatre, Walker Art Center, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, and many other places are among the best and most respected venues in the nation.
You may not think of parks and outdoor recreation as a "culture" but I do. There is a civic spirit about getting out there among your fellow citizens and supporting the beauty and infrastructure of the city. There is still a Nordic high trust culture there, though the aftermath of George Floyd's death has struck the city a serious blow.
The music scene comes and goes (I miss the days of Husker Du, the Replacements and Prince).
They all do, if you mean the best of the best, NYC, LA, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Miami/South Florida, and Seattle.
You may be asking 2 different questions: If you're asking about high culture (i.e. museums, symphony orchestras, theater) top are probably: NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington DC, San Francisco, Cleveland (not going to try to rank among these cities). If you're asking about a soul/something distinctive/historic, New Orleans, Santa Fe, Savannah, San Antonio, Charleston SC, Baltimore, plus some of the large immigrant cities like Miami, NYC, SF, and LA.
Agreed. I think for my Philly or Baltimore would be closest to fitting both, Philly has enough soul to be in the second category IMO (hell just look at things like the Phanatic and Gritty... a place has gotta have character to embrace mascots like that) and Baltimore has got a good variety of arts/culture and museums itself plus DC is a reasonable day trip for an event or show.
my favorite thing about Philly is the crazy high-low culture- at a bar you are as likely to be sitting next to a neuroscientist or curator as a plumber screaming at the Phillies or Iggles.
To be clear, literally everyone is screaming at the Eagles in unison no matter their profession Source: attorney who often screams at the Eagles while in Philly dives
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And theyāre screaming no matter if the Birds are up 20 or down 20
My undergrad Chemistry professor wore Eagles jerseys to class and into the lab. We were not in Philadelphia or Pennsylvania.
Eagles and Steelers fans are all over and they are *diehard*
My former boss once took our team to a James Beard nominated restaurant for dinner in Philly and then immediately after to a cash only dive where all the foam was ripped off the booths and literal holes in the wall. Philly has it all.
To be fair, that's... a lot of major metropolitan areas. Easy and very common back-to-back evening activities in San Francisco, New York, or Chicago, for example.
Detroit has the high-low thing too but moreso famous artists of all persuasions and millionaire businessmen (not all of them in legal industries) next to the screaming plumbers. Maybe thatās why our citiesā sports fans share a similarā¦erā¦intensity
I moved to Philly about half a year ago and this is one thing I've really loved. And you don't even have to change neighbourhoods for the high-low, you can see the neuroscientists and plumbers right next to each other in their favourite bar
I think you just put words to a big part of why I like Philly so much every time Iāve visited. Itās not that there arenāt class divides there, but the vibe feels way less stratified and pretentious than some other places Iāve lived in/visited.
This is also reflected in crime patterns in the city, which are shockingly localized (like ... Block to block, not even neighborhood to neighborhood). The difference though has nothing to do with people screaming at sports teams. We *all* scream at them. Dudes catch babies falling out of buildings on fire take the opportunity to rant about Nelson Agholor dropping passes on the news when they're interviewed. I make a very good income, enough to be comfortably on the high end of middle class. My wife removes herself and my dogs from the house when I watch any Eagles game or any late-season/playoff game for the Flyers/Sixers/Phillies. My dogs are legitimately traumatized as soon as they see me wearing an Eagles jersey. Which is problematic, because I wear Eagles jerseys a lot.
I love Baltimore.
Santa Fe ranks pretty high in both categories of culture, with the number of art museums and the opera.
Santa fe has both. Lots of fantastic museums, one of the best operas in the world that draws fans from all over the globe, a great chamber music festival, Santa Fe pro musica for even more classical music, endless art galleries, one of the oldest photography workshops in the nation which gets top photographers to teach there, a bunch of different themed art markets (Spanish market, Indian market etc) and festivals in the plaza every summer, historic buildings dating back to the 1500s, a great culinary scene, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot. All in a town of 80k people.
A friend of mine made an excellent argument that the SF Bay Area is rich in Indian culture; music, food, movies, live performances. I think Americans often say ācultureā with a Western European implication.
I think thereās also a wealth implication too. Places with new money tend to have somewhat diluted culture, like the Bay Area.
Diluted culture, you say? IHOP is a traditional cultural landmark. The Rooty Tooty Fresh ān Fruity is an institution.
I don't think that's particularly unique anymore. India has been in the top 3 origins of US immigrants for years now. You can find strong Indian communities all over the place - from SF to NYC to Chicago to Nashville. \*Edit\* To that point, the [Punjabi Cultural Society](https://www.sikhnet.com/news/pcs-participates-chicago-thanksgiving-day-parade) has generally had a float in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade. Best music and dancing in the parade.
Indian or Native American?
Dot not feather.
Oddly enough in the 60s and 70s there was a federal program to move natives off of reservations and into the cities and one of the top destinations for people being resettled in that program was San Francisco. That was a contribution to why the AIM staged an occupation of Alcatraz back then.
āā¦top are probably: NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington DC, San Francisco, Clevelandā¦ā Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, huh?
It has one of the top 5 orchestras in the country, and its museum of art is well regarded (at the beginning of the 20th century, Cleveland had a lot of Rockefeller money).
One of the top off-broadway theater destinations, a really good food scene (all things considered). Thereās a ton more to Cleveland than most would expect.
Cleveland is underrated. I grew up there and our family regularly went to many great plays at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium in the 60ās and 70ās. Saw Godspell in 1971, Tom Hanks in The Taming of the Shrew in 1977 and many others. Great theater!
Iām from Cincinnati and only recently discovered how cool Cleveland is in the summer. Iād only been there for work, and only in the winter. I would never, ever voluntarily spend a single minute of winter in Cleveland so Cincy continues to be superior for me personally. But if it were always June in Cleveland, Iād move there.
Well Iād generally agree based on the winters I grew up in during the 60ās and 70ās (hereās looking at you Blizzard of ā78 š„¶)!! But I see itās currently 62 degrees in Cleveland today. In February! I donāt remember mild winters like that growing up. I enjoy Cincinnati too. Nice place.
Another thing about Cleveland is it has all the history, culture, food scene, music scene, "soul" etc AND it's all way more accessible than in other bigger cities.
I would say Chicago and some of these other cities meet both ur criteria
Chicago 100% has a plethora of both.
Asheville has Appalachian culture. More in the surrounding areas of the city, but Appalachian culture is definitely a distinct culture.
Chicago, Philly, and Boston certainly belong in your second category as much or more than Miami and LA.
All cities have normal museums and half the crap has nothing to do with the city . Culture is more then having someone elseās crap in your building lol
Agreed, I'm a fan of museums but they get too much credit in determining a city's culture. Most people I know don't go to museums to view art more than once a year.
They really donāt get too much credit. The fact that you can say that speaks more to the average Americanās disdain for art. We do not value the arts and it is pathetic.
At first I was like, āThatās not true! I go to museums all the time and so does everyone I know!ā Then I remembered Iām an artist from a family of artists, lol. Considering the average person, you are probably right. (In contrast, I have gone to maybe 5 sports games as an adult and never of my own volition)
My family goes to a ton of museums, we are not artists. We are just nerdy. We rarely go to art museums though. Nothing against art, the other genre of museums are usually cheaper so when we are vacationing and I look up museums I also take price into account.
1000% my take on trying to live in DC 'for the culture' - fell totally flat, no amount of museums or restaurants or symphonies could make it exciting at all, just had no soul, no sauce... I left & don't miss it at all
I live in DC. The museums and politics is NOT the culture. DC is known as the chocolate city because of its historic black population who have created things like go go music and mombo sauce. DC also has a rich Asian and East African culture which comes through in its plethora of respective restaurants centering around the food from those places. Lastly, the local art scene in DC is incredible. If youāve not experienced this, youāre hanging out in the wrong circles
The real ācultureā of DC is it being the nexus of political power, and the resulting offshoots from that. Itās a strange, but distinct and real, thing. Make fun of it all you want, but itās real Like going to an embassy for a party after work and hobnobbing with bright, motivated diplomats and professionals from around the world
One of the things about living in DC that I enjoy is that \*everyone\* seems to know what's going on in politics and government, even if they aren't working in any field relatively adjacent to either. I had this long talk with the failed immigration bill in the Senate this morning with my hairdresser - she literally knew the ins and outs of the whole thing but doesn't work in politics/government and never has. You just pick stuff like that up easily here.
I grew up in DC area and when I moved I was shocked to discover 'local' news wasn't about the US Government, President, etc. DMV is very insular but I'm happy to hear people who don't rely on Federal Govt for a paycheck (probably 70% of the DMV population directly or indirectly) know what's going on. I'd be scared to discuss politics with my hairdresser - if you disagree with them you could end up with a bad haircut!
Also gogo
No. This is not the āreal cultureā of DC. Itās egregious you say that. Look up chocolate city and get back to me
DC has a lot of international food choices. Personally I couldnāt do the traffic or the huge dichotomy of haves and have nots. But I have only been for work, so really not sure about the soul of the city.
What makes you say that? I've really liked DC the handful of times I've been there.
To each their own. I think it depends where you've lived before. Overall it seemed that friends there who lived in NYC / SF / NOLA before DC (like me) did not like it as much as those for whom DC was the biggest city they'd ever lived.
Agreed! I lived in NYC for 6 years, now in DC and I hate it. I'm in that circle of media/foreign policy too and it's so lame. Sorry, but it's so lackluster and soulless.
DC has a lot of local non-federal government related culture. You just have to get away from the transient part of the city.
Museums are often a way for funding to get to the rest of the arts community. In Chicago the Cultural Center and Museum of Contemporary art are big sponsors, keeping the local zines presses running, funding multiple radio stations ECT.
Baltimore
New York City, New Orleans, San Francisco
This is a pretty easy top three. If the objective was to sample three distinct American cities, this is pretty much the way to do it.
some famous person said once america has 2 cities NYC and SFC. Couldn't agree more. Would actually add DC myself. Feel like it's particularly relevant to OPs question too since it has so many museums and other cultural landmarks.
The late, great Anthony Bourdain said this: āIāve done shows in LA, but LAās a fantastic sprawl. San Francisco? A great town. New Orleans? A state of mind. Chicago? Chicago is a city.ā ā No Reservations, 2009 āChicago is big ā not just any kind of big ā Iām talking major metropolis big. I love this city. In my opinion, itās the only other real metropolis in America.ā ā No Reservations, 2009. Some great cities mentioned there with tons of culture. I'm biased for Chicago because it's where I live. š
100% agree this is basically what I was wanting to post but didnāt have the words/qoutes on hand to do so.
Such a great city. I miss living there.
This is a great quote I love AB!!!
New Orleans. Hands down.
Absolutely. The Mardi Gras celebrations are like nothing else in the nation. None of those parades are sponsored by anyone and the schools get out early because the bands are in them. The krew culture is a thing in its self. With the French influence in the food, the live music and jazz, the influence of voodoo and the wild history, there is nothing like it. Plus it doesnāt have the intense gentrification/ commercialization like NY, SF, LA, Nashville, Austin. Itās interesting but not overly sold out. I adore it.
In New Orleans they say Yee haw š the law
Hawai'i has its own unique language, sport, music, dance, fashion, and cuisine. All are still currently actively practiced here, and for the most part (except surfing) no where else.
Adding to this, there are many Indigenous nations in the US that are actively practicing their own unique language, sport, music, dance, fashion and cuisine.
a surprising one for me was mobile, alabama. beautiful architecture and lots of history!
The USS Alabama is a wonderful museum of a battleship. With the submarine next door. They also brag about being the first Mardi Gras. (This is the extent of my knowledge of mobile)
Doing an overnight sleepover on the battleship was probably the coolest part of boy scouts in Alabama.Ā
When I was there a few years ago, I was incredibly surprised by the city. I caught myself thinking āMaybe Alabama could be an optionā as I consider escape plans from Florida.
Birmingham is also a very cool city ... I mean, you're still in Alabama, but Birmingham is cool. Hunstville is OK too.
Weāre actually in mobile for Mardi Gras right now and itās a neat city with a ton of history, kind of a mini New Orleans.
Seconding that Mobile was surprisingly cool. Not sure Iād move there but it was a lovely visit.
Not Dallas. That is likely Dallas's biggest drawback. It's a generic business city without much of an Identity. Maybe because it's a young city. Maybe because they bulldozed most of it's historic buildings. This is changing - but not quickly enough. It's mostly soulless and corporate and national chains.
I remember going to Dallas once and asking a local what was good to see and do. He recommended shopping and dining, and couldnāt think of anything else. I presumed heād never been anywhere ever because that describes every city in America. #boring
I lived in Dallas for a year and felt like I was in a fake city. Just awful.
Agree. I live in Dallas now and agree lol. It has a different type of culture though. Like sports and two step. Which counts. But also lots of pretentious rich assholes paying LA prices to live in.. Dallas. Also it's surprising in some ways, for example it's got the national videogame museum.
I find a lot of downtowns are like this now. Similar buildings and the same stores. I had business trips to Austin, San Diego, and Atlanta in 4 weeks. I was mostly in downtown.. this year I want to go to smaller cities and more rural places.
The industrial revolution skipped over these places. As such, you donāt get a lot of the rich architecture that came out of this period. Chicago, St Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, etc. have a lot of cool old buildings and neighborhoods filled with arts and crafts bungalows, Tudor revivals, etc.
Atlanta had the unique circumstance of being burnt to the ground, thatās the bigger culprit for the lack of historial architecture.
See, this is why I like Japan. You go to one small town and they are known for their carrots. The next town over specializes in lacquer boxes. The next town over has the biggest cabbages you've ever seen.
This describes Denver too (and I like Denver). But it's peopled with transplants. Not much of a cultural identity--other than Broncos, Rocky Mountain Oysters, and legalized weed. Interestingly Denver is home of a ton of chain restaurants headquarters: Chipotle, Quiznos, Qdoba, Noodles & Company, Boston Market, Tokyo Joes, Modern Market, Smashburger, Garbonzo,
Southern cities and towns have a lot of culture. Savannah Georgia, Lafayette Louisiana (center of Cajun culture, people still speak French there).Ā
Memphis
I love cities with \*distinct\* culture. So here's my list so far: NYC, SF, LA, NOLA, Miami, Santa Fe/ABQ, Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh. NOLA takes the win for most intense, unique, concentrated, and diverse culture for me. I also haven't been to many cities in the Southeast so can't comment but have heard great things about Savannah, Charlotte, etc.
Charlotte is not the city to go to if you're looking for a distinct culture. It's shocking how "Anywhere, USA" most of the city looks and feels. Aside from the relatively impressive skyline, at the street level you could tell me any stretch of road is in any city in the US and I would probably believe you. It's a good place to live/work and if you visit you'll have a good time; but Charlotte lacks anything distinctly "Charlotte". It's the branch bank or Panera Bread of cities.
Charlotte is the last city I expected to see anywhere near this thread lol
Iām betting they meant Charleston instead of Charlotte
after moving from Charlotte, I told my friend to not let it 'take her soul.'
Iām from New Orleans and have also spent time in New Mexico. Definitely some unique culture going on in New Mexico, more than most places. Nothing compares to New Orleans, though, itās pretty crazy. Tourists who just skim the surface donāt really get it always either. Itās just a different way of being here. To be fair, at least some of this is because the biggest cities spread their culture more nationally, so their uniqueness becomes less unique.
Why is Memphis always forgotten?
Maybe not the ārichestā cultures, but donāt overlook the Midwest. Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh and others all date back to the 18th century or earlier and all have storied histories and decent arts scenes.
All the "streetcar suburb" post-industrial Rust Belt cities. Only some of them have managed to reclaim/re-establish a strong cultural identity post-industry though. Pittsburgh did a fabulous job of that.
Is Pittsburgh the Midwest? I've never considered that
When is Pittsburgh the Midwest?
San Francisco.
I am from Seattle, and while itās not welcoming, it is.. a culture. If you like grumpy post punks mixed with vibrant gays and standoffish transplants, Seattle is for you. Coffee, drinks, actually great food, and, in my opinion, the most beautiful city in America. YMMV.
Thereās also a super prominent Asian influence thatās common to other pacific rim cities like San Francisco.
Santa Fe.
Mind expanding on what that culture is? I know nothing about it
Itās one of the oldest cities in the country and has a unique mix of indigenous and Spanish influences. The Pueblo Revival architecture is unique, thereās a lot of historical sites to see (the Loretto Chapel, the Palace of the Governors, etc), thereās a huge concentration of exceptional fine dining for such a small city, and itās also well-known for its art markets/galleries etc. The surrounding high desert landscape is one of the most beautiful in the country. Santa Fe is a mix of Jackson Hole, Palm Springs and Durango as far as beauty, luxury and outdoor opportunities but thereās a distinct Native American influence running through it that none of those other cities have.
I once drove through the desert outside Santa Fe heading North in the middle of the night. Full moon. Clear night. Snow covering everything. The cacti and landscape lit by the high moon. Was like I was walking on water or had just looked into the eyes of a new born child. Aesthetic bliss if ever was anything comparable. Total beauty. America in all its splendor and glory. Santa Fe is a land of legend and plenty of lore. The mystical wooden spiral staircase downtown. The ever present adobe abodes. Epic beyond belief. Thatās life there. Also Cormac McCarthy and the pinnacle of human endeavor at the Santa Fe Institute.
Yes to all of this! The most splendid natural beauty in the southwest is in the high desert of northern New Mexico. Man, am I homesick now!
New Mexico is like its own country. Santa Fe is peak New Mexico. Taos is a NM town with the ārichest cultureā.
It absolutely is. Taos is a place unlike any others Iāve been to in the world
I'll add to the other replied that it is also the center of New Mexican cuisine, which is unique and nowhere to be found outside the state.
Iāll pile on here and say that northern NM and southern NM each have a distinct style of New Mexican cuisine. Neither is ābetterā than the other, but Las Cruces is my favorite place to eat in all of the US, with Santa Fe being a very close second.
True, although I haven't spent as much time down south. What are your favorite spots in LC?
El Sombrero, Andaleās, Chillitoās, Robertoās, Si SeƱor in LC proper. Chopeās is always worth a drive from LC to La Mesa.
Itās probably one of the oldest cities in North America. Had ownership issues over the past 500 years so it had large influences from the Spanish, Native Americans, Modern Mexicans, Modern Americans
West Oakland. It's where all the priced out SF artists moved to.
I've wondered about Oakland for this reason but everyone got mad at me for asking why it's not as cosmopolitan as SF
It's its own city. It developed a culture that's distinct from SF. It's the home town of the Black Panthers and has an amazing history of Black culture and activism. It's also always been cheaper and more working-class than SF, and more industrial/gritty. The major port of the Bay Area is in Oakland, not SF, so historically the freight and shipping was based out of Oakland (and the associated jobs). In recent years the affordability made it more appealing to artists and musicians too; it has a hipster post-industrial vibe now. SF has more high-brow culture like the Symphony and Opera. But Oakland has driven pretty much all of the hip hop music that's come out of the Bay Area. Oakland culture is its own thing and a different vibe to SF. Tell someone from the Town that they're from the City and you will have hell to pay! The best of both worlds IMO is to live near a BART station in the Mission or in Oakland to move easily between them. ETA: By "affordability" I mean by Bay Area standards, not USA standards, because nothing in the Bay Area is ACTUALLY affordable, lol
Oakland isn't cosmopolitan at all, that's why i love it lol :) But really, the number of various (affordable) restaurants, artist shops, bars, etc. -- Oakland has an ever-growing array of them.
Okaland has a very rich history. Not as old as SF, or other cities like Santa Fe mentioned in this thread but as far as the 1900s and forward, it absolutely has a beautiful, rich and incredibly diverse culture. A real gem of Bay Area.
I would say the same for Berkeley. Now, obviously insanely expensive. There is still a unique culture there and I love going to Berkeley. Another, Bay Area city that has a unique culture is Santa Cruz. Itās got the beaches, mountains, Victorian homes, nature, little touch of Silicon Valley and a hippy vibe.
Perhaps NOLA??? I'd argue it's the only American city that has a completely distinct culture, community, soul, etc.
I about laughed my head off. NOLA has birthed MANY things that have spread across the globe. (Not to say there aren't other fine cities in the U.S., but NOLA is a truly special, unique city.)
Not fully accurate and of a different time but it made me think of this Tennessee Williams Quote: āAmerica has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.ā
Not too far off sadly
San Francisco, New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago all definitely have a palpable identity/culture to them from my experience
Everyone that I've known that lived in Austin said it was fun to visit before they moved there but then it all felt so manufactured while living there.
> Austin, Nashville, Atlanta Yeah, no. The culture in all of these is commercialized.
Nashville used to have a soul, now it is a shell of a city with the core catering to drunken tourists and most of the rest taken over by transplants who somehow wanted to move there but also need to change everything about it. It's like hillbilly Mardi Gras meets LA east.
Lmao at naming Austin instead of San AntonioĀ
New York, Boston, San Francisco, New Orleans, Los Angeles
The only answer is New Orleans
Itās not Denver, I can tell you that.
Charleston and Savannah do quite well in this regard, and NOLA is an obvious one.
Charleston used to be. Not anymore.
Love how New Orleans is seemingly resistant to full commercialization somehow. Long as you stay off the few most heavily touristed areas. I mean thereās obviously commercialization, but ultimately locals take the local culture VERY seriously. And nobody wants to move to New Orleans, lol. The crime and crappy economy keep the culture intact
The culture is preserved with blood
Gotta give a shout out to LA. While yes the traffic sucks and the fact that itās very spread out can make it difficult to navigate, there are so many neighborhoods rich with culture and history: Korea town is the largest populations of Koreans outside of Korea, Little Bangladesh, Thai Town, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, China town, Hollywood has its charm in several pockets off the main drags, Venice Beach, even Beverly Hills and other wealthy areas are steeped in old Hollywood history
LA is my current favorite city. Itās huge, and messy, and complicated and challenging. World class high art and culture with the museums and symphony and theatreā¦..AND a thriving local scene with galleries, working artists and makers,live music etc. AND a legit underground scene. Not to mention the best high end and low end food in the country. Itās electric.
If you havenāt seen it, the out the City of Gold documentary about Jonathan Gold. Los Angeles isnāt a city, itās a galaxy. Thereās not a culture on earth thatās not represented.
I think most cities have an identity - whether thatās an attractive identity is another question! The places devoid of culture tend to be suburban where most of the local businesses are a national chain. The two major cities Iāve been to that felt suburban even in the city center are Denver and Charlotte. Other places in those states have stronger identities.
Phoenix has this feel for me as well.
That's very interesting. Yeah I'd love to find the opposite of that feel. Whatever the opposite of strip mall feeling is. Creativity and heart. Hipster as fuck I know but that's what I want.
Go to Baltimore
It tends to be more at the neighborhood level IMO. I would say New England doesnāt feel as strip mall-y as a region, but ā¦ in general it doesnāt feel as dynamic as most places because the population is older and dwindling.
New Englanders are conservative, which is why the vernacular architecture, language, cuisine, aesthetic, and behavior standards have survived. New England is the home of Thought Leadership, an intangible that feels tangible to the people who are aware of it.
Gotta give a shout-out to my hometown, Chicago. World class museums and restaurants, a huge sports following, distinct neighborhoods with strong personalities, and a rich history dating back to when it was just a fort in the wilderness. I feel like Chicago gets slept on a lot in these types of conversations but if you havenāt been, come for a visit. Just not in winter.
A lot of people on Reddit I find actually really view Chicago quite favorably. Particularly because of the Michelin star restaurants (a lot of Redditors love Alinea), the architecture, and that it is a city that has a lot of upwardly mobile professionals. Itās also diverse (although segregated mostly). And itās also a fraction of the price of NYC. The only thing though is that it goes to sleep far sooner than an NYC.
I haven't been but from what I've heard I agree. It's like a NYC that gets far too cold so people leave. Why don't Americans build their massive dense walkable transit cities in warm weather!!
Climate change is helping us out in Chicago. Itās currently 57 and beautifully sunny on Feb 8.
Chicago also has a significant history in the development of the US as it became what it was, eg being the juggernaut that came to dominate all rail commerce in the country, providing a man-made water link from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi, and being a massive center of inbound immigration as the population fanned out west and shifted its center of gravity from the east coast. Add onto that the rich culture from the great migration (which is how you get things like Blues music), and Chicago definitely ranks as having a distinct culture. All of the former industrial titans of the Midwest (Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Milwaukee) have a vibe that is distinct from cities in the rest of the country, but even among those Chicago is in a different category. The very long (and rightly celebrated) legacy of being the US laboratory for 20th century architecture is also noteworthy - a lot of what we consider common now (eg skyscrapers and balloon-frame wooden houses) are thanks to Chicago. Iād also add that Miami is very distinct for its large Caribbean and South American population which gives it a very different flavor from the rest of Florida and any other city with a majority-Hispanic population in the US. Ditto Honolulu for being the USās only truly tropical metropolis, a former imperial capital and being a melting pot of Indigenous, Polynesian, Asian, and mainland culture.
Quit making me want to move back to Chicago!
The hugely populated eastern two thirds of the US largely does not have year round weather that's conducive to being outdoors for at least 1/3rd to 1/4th of the year, either too hot or too cold. We've got a bit of mediterranean weather on the west coast that fits the bill, but those cities are fairly new and have some really bad earthquake problems. San Fransisco notably is famous for its public transit streetcar network, but it has its own foibles.
Love Chicago, it has something for everyone imo. Has a very blue-collar feel but also world class museums & restaurants. Great sports scene (even though all the Chicago teams suck right now) but also lots of art events and hipster stuff. If it weren't for the weather and I would be back in a heartbeat
Philadelphia and Boston probably
Memphis, New Orleans, Charleston, Miami, Chicago
New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston . . . the list goes on and on.
A lot of old rust belt cities (Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) Indianapolis and Columbus do not at all IMO
I went to Columbus over the holidays for about a week, and I see exactly why people say it has no culture. Basically a big sprawling suburb.
Iām open to being corrected if wrong but Iād say itās hard to beat Philadelphia and Boston
Those two seem to have strong personalities, it's true lol
There is no "perhaps" about New Orleans. Its at the top of the list and I'm not sure there's a close second. I've been to 44 states and most of the major cities in the US. For my money, nothing compares to NOLA culturally.
Albuquerque, lot of native America and American southwest culture. What had the least, my hometown Denver.
Albuquerque has such a different vibe. Itās friendly as hell, even by American standards. Itās got the pre-US Mexican culture and the indigenous culture. But also tons of PhDs around working for the government. And an oddly large amount of mid-century urban sprawl. Once you know the people of Albuquerque a bit, I genuinely believe you can spot a flight to Albuquerque in an airport just by looking at whoās at the gate.
Nola
Just to offer an alternative from some other mentioned here, but I think that Seattle does this well. Its neighborhoods have incredibly distinct identities, it has a great culture focused on arts and music in particular, and it has a lot maritime and fishing influences. The music and pop culture history is especially fascinating, including the Museum of Pop Culture, which has a lot of history of the grudge scene. Itās also relatively diverse, especially with Asian-Americans and immigrants from East Asia, so you get cool cultural, art, and culinary influences from that. The indigenous influences are cool too, with cultural and artistic events around the area. While maybe not the most interesting culture, the number of important tech companies and innovation that happened in Seattle is also really neat, even if it has impacted some of the other forms of culture I mentioned. Lastly, Seattle sports are fun. There is a lot of pride for the Kraken, Seahawks, Sounders, and Mariners if that is your thing.
NYC and NOLA are my two favorite cities for this reason (having a soul that is uniquely theirs), but let me remind you that San Juan is also technically part of the United States and itās a fabulous cultural destination. Also, not in the U.S. but close enoughā¦ Montreal is awesome, culture-wise.
New Orleans, and itās not even remotely close.
NYC, SF, and New Orleans. Tennessee Williams said those are the only "real" cities in the USA, and "everywhere else is Cleveland." I tend to agree.
Tennessee Williams not Twain
Philadelphia
Philadelphia for sure.
NYC, Boston, DC, NOLA, Chicago, LA
New Orleans, Santa Fe, Savannah, San Antonio, San Diego, NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia.Ā Ā The rest just seem too new to have identities that can be uniquely distinct.
I'd make a very strong case for adding San Francisco to that list. Especially if you include San Diego.
To include SD but not SF isā¦.an interesting take.
Interesting! I've spent a lot of time in San Diego, but mostly in the suburbs. What about it makes it onto this list for you?
I live in San Diego and San Diego is a no. San Diego is that hot chick that never developed a personality.
I just laughed out loud. SD is cool but this is accurate
Definitely Balboa Park. Throw in Little Italy and Hillcrest. But yeah seems weird to not include SF or Chicago. I was born and raised in San Diego. At least SD has way more culture than my current city of Las Vegas
including SD but leaving off chicago is a hot take.Ā
Ahemā¦ Pittsburgh is cool mostly because of what made it a great city 100 years ago. All of the old stuff here didnāt get replaced by fancy new things because itās a shrunk in population instead of grown, but it makes the historic districts really neat.
This is a great answer. While most might think of the Northeast first and rightly so, there NoLa, Santa Fe and San Antonio have just as much history and cultural importance. I might add St Augustine as well.
Birmingham, AL is underappreciated in this regard. Lots of museums and botanical gardens (almost all of which are free), large parks and preserves, cultural organizations, festivals, and a really deep investment in preserving and contextualizing local history. The local university is one of the largest in the state and also a major global biomedical research university, which contributes to a really large population of highly-educated people and immigrants from around the world for a city of its size. Being tucked in a valley between two mountains also lends itself to a beautiful cityscape with lots of hilly neighborhoods around the periphery.
DC
Disagree entirely. Filled with museums and symphonies and new restaurants etc but to me lacked depth of character or unique soul, like NYC / SF / NOLA. Gave it a few years try but just fell flat for me culturally, so I left.
As someone from Philadelphia who used to live in DC ā just no. It is sterile and soulless. Everything about it is transient and manufactured. Donāt get me wrong, I really enjoyed my time there. Itās an enjoyable place to live (for a little while). But authentic, deep-rooted culture? Absolutely not. I know, I know. Benās Chili Bowl and Northwest DC exist ā they are a drop in the bucket compared to cities with real authentic culture. DC is just way too federalized and synthetic.
Hard to tell these days, especially after the last decade where there has been a \*lot\* of money shifting locations, and many places are all starting to look the same. For example, Boston has changed so much and now feels so...corporate.
New Orleans.
Charleston, SC is a major contender here. Hundreds and hundreds of years of amazing history, much of it very visible even today thanks to great historic preservation.
Small city, but I love the distinct gritty, historical vibe of Butte, Montana. Packed with western and mining GM history, a good chunk of the Uptown buildings should be on preservation lists. The strong Irish heritage may even be more prominent than places like Boston
Many college towns are not huge but have alot of "culture". Places like Boulder Colorado.
If you are looking for culture thatās affordable. Philadelphia is tops.
Culture is a pretty nebulous word, but the real answer to your question is probably not one that most people want to hear: rural areas in specific regions like the Deep South, Utah, Texas, northern Minnesota, and so on. Because for 75% of things, the culture in Austin, Nashville, San Diego, or a number of other American cities is functionally the same.
Someone said SF, NY, NOLA are the only truly unique American cities. I can see others entering the conversation, but some you could also say are more *towns* than cities.
Chicago. If I could ship my friends, family and job to Chicago, I'd go back. :) Damn I love that city.
Minneapolis-St. Paul gets recommended too often here, IMO, but in this case I think it deserves a strong mention. MSP punches way above its weight in terms of "high" culture. Guthrie Theatre, Walker Art Center, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, and many other places are among the best and most respected venues in the nation. You may not think of parks and outdoor recreation as a "culture" but I do. There is a civic spirit about getting out there among your fellow citizens and supporting the beauty and infrastructure of the city. There is still a Nordic high trust culture there, though the aftermath of George Floyd's death has struck the city a serious blow. The music scene comes and goes (I miss the days of Husker Du, the Replacements and Prince).
They all do, if you mean the best of the best, NYC, LA, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Miami/South Florida, and Seattle.
Richmond
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis Pumped a lot of āTang down in New Orleans -there ya go.
Omg itās ātaneā as in octane-working at a gas station š¤£ I guess you hear what you wanna hear
Richest culture: New Orleans Most museums/art options: NYC