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My Top 10 Most -Important- Cities in America

141K views 418 replies 114 participants last post by  Ludvar* 
#1 ·
Here is my top 10 most important cities in America, from the past, future, and present. I thought of this list in terms of what the cities mean to our economy, thier historic importance, and future importance. (Im also including a honorable mention list).

Feel free to comment and opinionize the list. :)

1) New York City, New York - America's Megacity and Economy Hub. One of the greatest cities on Earth.

2) Chicago - Always will be America's 2nd City to me. Beautiful skyline and midwestern grit.

3) Los Angeles - The West Coast's version of NYC, major port and population center.

4) Philadelphia - Like Chicago, an historic, gritty, big city with major economic and cultural importance. (not to mention one good chessesteak!)

5) Detroit - I know, controversal 5th pick in terms of importance, but in my opinion Detroit is the ultimate story of the American Dream. Take that and the automobile, not to mention the famous Motown Sound and you got one hell of an city.

6) Washington DC - Are nation's capital and political center. What more can you say? Its DC.

7) San Fransisco - West coast economic hub and home to the 2nd highest population density next to NYC.

8) Atlanta - In my opinion, the Capital of the South Region and important economic center.

9) Houston - Science and NASA arent the only things that make Houston important. One of the fastest growing big cities in the country and becoming a megacity fast.

10) Boston/Miami - Could'nt decide which one and both could be on this list so pick 10 is my only tie. Boston has always and will always have profound influence in our country and Miami in some ways is the US's international melting pot capital.

Honorable Mention - Dallas TX, Seattle WA, Phoenix AZ, Cleveland OH, New Orleans LA, St. Louis MO, and Las Vegas NV.
 
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#3 ·
1) New York
2) Chicago
3) Washington DC
4) San Francisco
5) Los Angeles
6) Boston
7) Philadelphia

That's it.... no other US cities are halfway relevant compared to these for culture, history, architecture, urbanity and old (real) money.

Seattle, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston are second tier but way behind these.

Everyone else is 3rd tier and ho-hum.
 
#36 ·
1) New York
2) Chicago
3) Washington DC
4) San Francisco
5) Los Angeles
6) Boston
7) Philadelphia
How is San Francisco more important than Los Angeles? I have not seen one study where San Francisco came out ahead of Los Angeles.

If you're going to list San Francisco ahead of Los Angeles, then you should place Boston ahead as well; since both cities are similar in size (population and geographic area) and have similar specialty areas (education, technology, medicine, liberalness, etc.).

It would be ridiculous to suggest that Los Angeles doesn't crack the top 5. So, Los Angeles is at least #4. But I'd even argue that.
 
#4 ·
I had a large paragraph prepared to "discuss" your choice of Detroit in the top ten (even top five?!?). I erased it though - I'd probably be considered a little too harsh. But let me just say, I strongly disagree with Detroit in the listings as a most important city. Likewise with Cleveland in the honorable mention. I guess to each his (or her) own.
 
#5 ·
I definitely think Detroit belongs in the top 10, although probably not the top 5. Detroit is home to the largest companies in the USA, and though they have fallen on hard times in recent years, they still keep the city highly relevant on the world stage. Open any major magazine and you will see that almost all of them have sales offices in NY, Chicago, LA and....DETROIT. Musically and culturally, Detroit is definitely in the top tier of American cities. Detroit is an original, and a far, far more influential capital of American culture than some cities that have surpassed it in size.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I find it amazing that people don't think Detroit has contributed a lot to the American lifestyle.

--Detroit is the oldest major American city away from the East Coast. Only a handful of major cities in the U.S. (New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Providence) have a longer history than Detroit. In fact, Detroit was founded less than 20 years after Philadelphia.

--Detroit introduced "mass production" to the world, which is probably one of the most important American contributions to history. It's about as revolutionary as the printing press was in the 15th century.

--Through mass production, Detroit single-handedly made the automobile affordable to the common man. America's love affair with the car can be traced solely to Detroit.

--Detroit introduced such novel labor concepts as the 40-hour work week, overtime pay, holiday pay, etc. Henry Ford believed that by having workers work less meant that they had more leisure time to buy the products they made.

--Detroit was the first city to build a mile of concrete-paved road, an expressway, a modern traffic light, painted lanemarkers on roads, etc. Many of the standards for road and freeway construction were introduced in Detroit.

--Since the 1920's Detroit has been at the forefront in many genres of popular music. Detroit helped to introduce three styles of music to the world: Techno, Punk, and the Motown sound. It also introduced several of the biggest artists in music history including Madonna, Eminem, Michael Jackson, Kid Rock, the White Stripes, etc. Detroit is definitely near the top of the list when it comes to music.

--Detroit's industrial might in the 1940's helped the Allies win WWII. Most of the tanks and other land vehicles (as well as many of the bombers) used by the armed forces were built in Detroit factories. Detroit was known as the Arsenal of Democracy.

--The first modern shopping mall was built in suburban Detroit in the 1950's. It was the model used by many shopping centers built across the country.

--For much of the 20th century Detroit was one of the five largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. Only New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia were larger than Detroit. (In 1940, Detroit was actually the 4th largest city in the U.S.)
 
#114 ·
Detroit certainly should be included within this list. Partly because of its earlier accomplishments as an model industrial city & center of auto manufacturing.

But more importanly as Detroit's downfall has been the experience of so many other once formidable industrial cities in the middle US: Cleveland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Buffalo, Toledo, Dayton, Flint, Gary, Youngstown, they've also sufffered the same plight, albeit on smaller scale.
 
#8 · (Edited)
To give you an idea, these were the 15 largest metropolitan areas in 1950:

1. New York - 12.91 million
2. Chicago - 5.50 million
3. Los Angeles - 4.37 million
4. Philadelphia - 3.67 million
5. Detroit - 3.02 million
6. Boston - 2.36 million
7. San Francisco - 2.24 million
8. Pittsburgh - 2.21 million
9. St. Louis - 1.68 million
10. Cleveland - 1.47 million
11. Washington - 1.46 million
12. Baltimore - 1.34 million
13. Minneapolis - 1.12 million
14. Buffalo - 1.09 million
15. Cincinnati - 0.90 million

Compare that to:
Houston - 0.81 million
Atlanta - 0.67 million
Dallas - 0.61 million
Miami - .50 million
 
#11 · (Edited)
What makes a city great is a topic guaranteed to spark heated debate. But everyone has got their own battefield. So, since I'm a graphic designer by trade, I'm used to looking at cities from a design standpoint. Things like the quality of public transit, the number of LEED-registered buildings, international outreach, and the size of the local creative industry are all very important factors to me. So here is what I think the list of the top cities (for design) should look like:

#1: New York


#2: Chicago

#3: San Francisco

#4: Los Angeles

#5: Boston

#6: Portland

#7: Philadelphia

#8: Seattle

#9: Washington, DC

#10: Twin Cities
 
#37 ·
What makes a city great is a topic guaranteed to spark heated debate. But everyone has got their own battefield. So, since I'm a graphic designer by trade, I'm used to looking at cities from a design standpoint. Things like the quality of public transit, the number of LEED-registered buildings, international outreach, and the size of the local creative industry are all very important factors to me. So here is what I think the list of the top cities (for design) should look like:

#1: New York


#2: Chicago

#3: San Francisco

#4: Los Angeles

...
If you're going to talk about the creative industry, then Los Angeles steals the #1 spot by leaps and bounds. Los Angeles boasts the world's largest pool of creative talent (no joke) and its economic output of creativity surpasses NYC.

Here are some things for you to consider...


"There are more artists, writers, filmmakers, actors, dancers and musicians living and working in Los Angeles than any other city at any time in the history of civilization. There are more than 1,100 annual theatrical productions and 21 openings every week." -- USC Stevens Institute for Innovation

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NEA Finds California Tops in Artists

In sheer numbers, L.A. has the most working artists in the labor force, the endowment reports. Percentage-wise, San Francisco is tops in U.S.

By Diane Haithman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 12, 2008

Among United States cities, greater Los Angeles ranks as the urban center with the most working artists and California is the top state by the same measure, according to a new report from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The study, titled "Artists in the Workforce, 1990-2005" and being released today by the federal arts agency, reveals that San Francisco, followed by Santa Fe, N.M., ranks above Los Angeles-Long Beach in terms of percentage of artists in the labor force -- but that in sheer numbers, the L.A. area ranks at the top of the list, with 140,620 working artists.

Even in terms of percentages, Los Angeles-Long Beach ranks above New York City, which came in fourth.

...

For the survey, "artist" encompassed workers in both nonprofit and commercial arts fields, including the entertainment industry. The survey included photographers (7%); producers and directors (7%); writers and authors (9%); architects (10%); fine artists, art directors and animators (11%); and performing artists (17%). A whopping 39% identified themselves as designers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In 2005, the creative economy accounted for 894,000 direct and indirect jobs in Los Angeles County alone and generated 140.5 billion in sales/receipts and more than $3.4 billion in state tax revenues."
"Far from being a 'supporting player' in the LA Economy, the creative industries lead the pack, surpassing the two long time 'traditional' leaders—International Trade and Tourism."
"Until now, the perception has been that the creative industries’ strength and numbers lie in 'Hollywood.' The report indicates that the entertainment industry accounts for only 37.5% of the creative jobs."
"Another key finding shows Los Angeles leading New York as a creative economic center, with the advantage coming from fashion, toys, furniture, and the entertainment industries. Los Angeles County was first in the number of creative establishments with 27,121 in 2005, 13% higher than the 23,934 establishments in the New York Primary Metropolitan Area (PMSA). In employment, Los Angeles was comfortably ahead with 346,000 creative workers, about 47% above such jobs in the New York PMSA."

also, a breakdown of LA's creative output:

• Architecture (including interior and landscape design): 34,300 jobs and $14 billion.
• Art Galleries: 2,500 jobs and $463.2 million.
• Communication Arts (including advertising, graphic design, and display): 58,000 jobs and $8.2
billion.
• Digital Media (including game design): 33,200 jobs and $14.6 billion.
• Entertainment (including film, TV, and music): 422,300 jobs and $152.7 billion.
• Fashion and Accessories: 265,200 jobs and $72.3 billion.
• Furniture and Home Furnishings: 108,200 jobs and $25.4 billion.
• Product and Industrial Design: 1,800 jobs and $299 million.
• Toys: 21,400 jobs and $9.9 billion.
• Visual and Performing Arts Providers: 54,000 jobs and $20.4 billion.
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#12 ·
What the criteria of "importance"?

I, for one, don't understand what is that important about Philadelphia nationally today, though of course I recognize its historical and cultural significance. Importance to me would imply that it is a node of some essential function of national import. Nationally important cities might include financial, transportation, governmental, cultural, or industry hubs.

A few thoughts on unranked cities of national importance.

Boston - secondary financial center and major intellectual hub

New York - largest financial and cultural center, key articulation point of the US into the world.

Washington - National capital. Enough said

Detroit - Capital of the auto industry whose fate, at least until it completes is restructuring, is clearly affecting the national economy

Chicago - Secondary financial center and largest interior transportation hub

San Francisco - Major cultural and tourism center as well as the center of the technology industry

Los Angeles - Entertainment industry hub, generation point for much of popular culture.

Houston - key node in the US energy sector.

What other cities are of truly national importance in some key respect? Dallas and Atlanta are major transportation hubs. Miami is the gateway to Latin America. But these appear to be more regional functions.
 
#15 ·
That's why I said "helped to introduce".;) There are many arguments as to where different styles of music were "born" and wether they aren't just a slight variation of other styles of music. But either way, Detroit was one of the early pioneers of many different styles of music.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Your mall was the first "fully-enclosed" mall. The first modern suburban shopping mall was Northland Center which opened in Southfield, MI directly across the street from Detroit. The difference is that Northland Center wasn't "fully-enclosed" as there were many outdoor courtyards.

Here are some images:



One of the reasons why the developers in Minnesota decided to "fully-enclose" their mall:


Also, you really shouldn't trust Wikipedia for everything. While often times it is right, there are far too many times that the information is either wrong or incomplete. And though I've said that, here is the Wikipedia page for Northland Center.
 
#20 ·
Many large US cities have their "firsts" and other unique attributes.
Detroit should never be mentioned with first-tier US cities.
Nice joke though. Everything 2nd-tier is pale in comparison.

There are only 7 first-tier US cities.

1) New York
2) Chicago
3) Washington DC
4) San Francisco
5) Los Angeles
6) Boston
7) Philadelphia
 
#47 ·
Not to put down this list, as those are 7 great cities, but I don't think that Boston or Philadelphia are deserving to be first tier. They are great cities, but I think the first-tier shouldn't be expandable to more than a handful...here would be mine at least:

1) New York
2) Chicago
3) Los Angeles
4) Washington, DC
5) San Francisco

I think if your gonna try to bring in any others, then why not just add Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Miami, etc and every other metro above 5 or 6 million in population? If we do that, then calling a city first-tier doesn't hold as much distinction or merit if everyone else is a first-tier too. Boston and Philadelphia would be in the second tier for sure though.
 
#21 ·
squidglym,

Detroit's, that is to say, the car industry's, woes are going to rock this economy for a while yet. For that reason alone Detroit belongs on the list. Once the auto industry, like steel before it, finishes a long and painful restructuring, Detroits days an important _national_ city will be over.

You also confuse first tier with national importance. Again, I ask, what is so important nationally about Philadelphia?
 
#22 · (Edited)
Squidgylm, I love how you base your opinion on the stereotypical views of the city.;) If New York is the financial "capital" of the U.S. then Detroit is the industrial "capital". Sure if I had said Detroit was where soda pop or the type-writer were invented or that it is home to the 2nd oldest Catholic parish (1701) in the U.S., then I'd see your point. However, you can't deny Detroit's industrial might, you can't deny the fact that for much of the 20th century Detroit was one of the largest and most prominent cities in the U.S. While it might not have the grade-school colonial history of Boston and while it's image may have become tarnished over the last few decades, the fact remains that it stands as one of the largest and most important industrial centers in the U.S. And because of that, it definitely belongs in the top tier. Sure it's not as sexy or urban-chic as Boston or San Francisco, but if someone had three or four nuclear bombs and they wanted to cause the most damage to the U.S., I'd say Detroit would easily be near the top of the list of targets. It'd definitely be above cities like San Francisco and Boston.
 
#23 ·
My issue with everything Hudkina says about Detroit is that it is all based on history. Everything he talked about is in the past tense. An important city of today needs to be important TODAY, not because of what happened in the late 1600's-or the early 1900's --or the 1950's, or 1960's. Nothing against Madonna, Eminem, the White Stripes, etc., but they aren't really current either right now.
 
#24 ·
Detroit is important because it STILL is the industrial capital of the U.S. It STILL houses two of the Top 7 companies in the U.S. (New York is the only other metro with more than 1 company in the Top 10 of the Fortune 500) Detroit STILL has an urban population of over 4 million and centers a region of over 7 million. Detroit STILL produces more cars than any other city in the world. Detroit STILL acts as the gateway to the United States largest trade partner. Also, if I'm correct, the original list was created with the idea that it would include the "top 10 most important cities in America, from the past, future, and present." So Detroit's past should play a major role. Also, if we are talking about the present importance, what has Boston done in the last 200 years? What in your opinion puts it ahead of Detroit? Also, why shouldn't Detroit be considered one of the most important cities in the U.S. Because it doesn't house the world headquarters of Home Depot or Coca-Cola?;)
 
#26 ·
Detroit is important because it STILL is the industrial capital of the U.S. It STILL. Detroit STILL. Detroit STILL produces more cars than any other city in the world. Detroit STILL
.... more caps... that proves you are right. :eek:hno:

2nd tier: Seattle, Miami, Houston, Dallas & Atlanta

Then there's 3rd tier cities.
Detroit rides on that bus (somewhere near the barack).:lol:
 
#25 ·
hudkina, once the US auto industry finishes restructuring and sheds another 50%+ of its jobs, sure to be nationally traumatic, Detroit's days as a nationally important city are over.

The things you brag about are paradoxically the source of Detroit's problems. The biggest one being its size. If Detroit were half the size it is today it would be in much better shape, for example. It has a huge mouth to feed and only one industry to feed it. Alas, that's an industry whose days as an employment engine lie in the past.

I acknowledge Detroit's rich history, its many fabulous old neighborhoods, including great suburbs. And of course its rich music history. But that's not enough to sustain a region of 7 million.
 
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