Your state's/province's most interesting/ cuturally distinct city(ies)

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Wouldn't it just be for Aux-Arkansas?

i don't believe so, most of the ozarks (proper) are in missouri, and 100% of the canadien-settled section is.

[suburbanite]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

i don't believe so, most of the ozarks are in missouri, and 100% of the french colonial settled section is.

Right, but it's assumed they were using the word to describe the home of the Arkansas Tribe before anyone knew where the state lines of Arkansas or Missouri would be.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Right, but it's assumed they were using the word to describe the home of the Arkansas Tribe before anyone knew where the state lines of Arkansas or Missouri would be.

i edited my response above but i believe there is a connection to the karst landscape in missouri south of the missouri river which produces limestone bridging, or arches. a major road out of st. louis for instance is called Natural Bridge.

[jd3189]

Those pics of Pittsburgh are interesting. If only it was kept, it would have been like going through an American version of those cities in the Alps. I would also say that it and Philadelphia are the most interesting cities in Pennsylvania in terms of history and significance, but I’m sure there are some small towns there that are connected to the Amish and other groups that are also unique.


In terms of other states I have lived in and been to.

Tennessee: Chattanooga. I honestly believe it should be much larger and significant than it is now. It would have been the South’s answer to Pittsburgh, in industrial power and natural beauty.

Chattanooga_2601 by refmo, on Flickr

Chattanooga, TN by MCHLC, on Flickr

Chattanooga by w!L., on Flickr

Chattanooga: Birthday Weekend by Gina Stafford, on Flickr

[Gresto]

Originally Posted by jd3189

Chattanooga: Birthday Weekend by Gina Stafford, on Flickr

Beautiful. Looks very European.

[xzmattzx]

Can people really pick cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Chicago as the most unique in the state? These are places that everyone from outside sees of the entire state, and the influence of these cities spreads out over the respective states. Seems to me, these are almost the least unique in the state, based on that.

[galleyfox]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Can people really pick cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Chicago as the most unique in the state? These are places that everyone from outside sees of the entire state, and the influence of these cities spreads out over the respective states. Seems to me, these are almost the least unique in the state, based on that.

Well, there aren't exactly many options in a state like Illinois. There's about 10 cities that are not suburbs that even merit the title of 'small city' and half of them are synonyms for normality. Literally, one of those cities is called Bloomington-Normal. There are a few oddball villages, but they're very tiny.

Illinois is culturally distinct from its neighboring states (being simultaneously more Machiavellian and utopian especially when it comes to politics) but the only major differences as far as cities within the state go are due to size.

Perhaps the Lost City of Cahokia by St. Louis is the most distinct centuries after it was abandoned.

[BillM]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Can people really pick cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Chicago as the most unique in the state? These are places that everyone from outside sees of the entire state, and the influence of these cities spreads out over the respective states. Seems to me, these are almost the least unique in the state, based on that.

I would pick Chicago for being distinct in Illinois. My reasoning is that when I am in Chicago, I am not consciously thinking that I am in Illinois. I think I would be more aware of being in Illinois if I was in Springfield, or anywhere else outside of Chicago-land.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Can people really pick cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Chicago as the most unique in the state? These are places that everyone from outside sees of the entire state, and the influence of these cities spreads out over the respective states. Seems to me, these are almost the least unique in the state, based on that.

My thoughts exactly. They are the default of their respective states because they dominate. When I think Illinois, I think Chicago. Boston for Massachusetts. Never been outside of Chicago in IL but I've been all over Massachusetts and something like Nantucket or Provincetown would strike me as unique for them.