AP: 30 cities so recognizable, no state name needed in articles and writings

[mhays]

But they'd know it soooo much more if a couple big-3 pro teams were named after it, some big movies were set there...

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

Other reasons that people would be aware of Austin:
The University of Texas
Austin City Limits tv show and festival
Circuit of the Americas track hosting F1, MotoGP, and Nascar
Austin FC of MLS
Being a prominent tech hub
LBJ presidential library
Largest urban bat population in North America
Well known for it's film/music/art scene

All of these except LBJ library roll up into "aware of SXSW". I suspect that most people think Austin,TX and Ann Arbor, MI are the same class of city, but I doubt many people would put Charlotte and Ann Arbor in the same bucket. And yes, the primary reason for this perception split is because Charlotte is home to pro sports teams.

The same point can be made of San Antonio vs Austin. I'm confident that the average person would guess that San Antonio is the bigger city of the two.

[Lobotomizer]

Welp, people's perception does not equate reality. Something else Austin may be known for is having the tallest building in Texas, a super tall, as part of a pretty massive skyline. Not sure why places like Albany or Ann Arbor would be compared to Austin, which is a city of a million people in a metro rapidly approaching 3 million. It seems rather ridiculous, but then again the masses are generally speaking fairly ignorant regarding population, and other topics we discuss here so I'm not surprised.

[mhays]

Remember the topic here...recognizability. Deserving has nothing to do with it.

[Lobotomizer]

Originally Posted by mhays

But they'd know it soooo much more if a couple big-3 pro teams were named after it, some big movies were set there...

Hey, it's a long shot but Austin is in the conversation for both MLB and NHL. It's been decided a new NHL team will either be in Houston or Austin, whereas MLB has a whole slew of cities in the running.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Lobotomizer

Something else Austin may be known for is having the tallest building in Texas, a super tall, as part of a pretty massive skyline.

I'd confidently bet that less than 1% of the US population knows that the tallest building in Texas is located in Austin. And 95% of that 1% are male and 99% of those males rarely get laid.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Every millennial had a Charlotte Hornets nylon jacket in the 1990s... And no one knows why.

Yeah, what was the deal with the popularity of the Hornets Starter jackets back then?

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I would argue that more people are aware of Charlotte than are aware of Austin. Austin is well known among people who are aware of SXSW, people who live in Texas (because it's the state capital), and pretty much no one else. If you don't know what SXSW is or you don't live in the state of Texas, you're unlikely to be very aware of Austin.

Maybe... though I definitely think that more people know that Austin is in Texas than people know that Charlotte is in North Carolina.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Back on topic, the 30 cities listed seem kinda dated now.

I mean, there's now a whole slew of sunbelt cities just as large and well-known, or even moreso in some cases, as places like Cincinnati, Indy, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, etc.

I'm thinking of cities like Austin, Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, Tampa, etc.

I was gonna say that Austin is well known, even in Europe, largely because of Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. There are still media outlets that think they have to say "Austin, Texas" but it's not necessary anymore, at least in this country, and in some other countries.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Austin: older baby boomers (in the northeastern US at least) generally think about Austin in the way they think about Harrisburg or Albany... that it's the state capital. It's really not on their radar as a major city or "so recognizable" place.

Charlotte: the average Joe or Jane couldn't tell you in which Carolina it's located... it's probably the most anonymous big city.

Nashville: can stand on its own.

Orlando: Ibid.

Tampa: Ibid.




Columbus: kinda in the Austin state capital class, but even less so. Overshadowed by the other more recognizable "C" names in the state. Hasn't been nationally prominent for long enough yet to deserve "so recognizable" stand-alone status.

Rochester: not even close to being nationally prominent enough.

Norfolk: Ibid.

Arlington: Which soulless, bland suburb are we talking about?

San Jose: Which one -- the capital of New Mexico or where the soap opera takes place?

San Jose, New Mexico? Huh? How about Santa Fe.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Every millennial had a Charlotte Hornets nylon jacket in the 1990s... And no one knows why. I would argue that more people are aware of Charlotte than are aware of Austin. Austin is well known among people who are aware of SXSW, people who live in Texas (because it's the state capital), and pretty much no one else. If you don't know what SXSW is or you don't live in the state of Texas, you're unlikely to be very aware of Austin.

False.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

San Jose, New Mexico? Huh? How about Santa Fe.

As best I can tell, he wants us to think that the AP still requiring inclusion of the state identifier is a result of most people confusing San Jose (2020 pop. 1,013,240) with Santa Fe (2020 pop. 87,505). Perhaps he is right--about most people where he lives. I could buy that. Also, there was some mention of a soap opera, which I assume was just a bad joke, because that dramedy is set in Columbus. No, not that Columbus. The other one. No, not that one, either!

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Yeah, what was the deal with the popularity of the Hornets Starter jackets back then?

No team in the entire history of teams had ever done teal and purple before.

That shit was fresh!

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by craigs

As best I can tell, he wants us to think that the AP still requiring inclusion of the state identifier is a result of most people confusing San Jose (2020 pop. 1,013,240) with Santa Fe (2020 pop. 87,505). Perhaps he is right--about most people where he lives. I could buy that. Also, there was some mention of a soap opera, which I assume was just a bad joke, because that dramedy is set in Columbus. No, not that Columbus. The other one. No, not that one, either!

"Do you know the way to San Jose?" by Dionne Warwick from the late 60s is likely the main name recognition that San Jose has.

San Jose, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, San Fernando, Santa Clara, Santa Fe, San Juan, San Bernardino...

Unless we're talking San Francisco, San Diego, San Antonio... a huge portion of the country don't have an inkling of the difference, much less care to have an inkling of the difference.

[Tyrone Shoes]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Funny anecdote time:

My wife was about to purchase plane tickets to attend a work conference out in California. I asked where the conference was and she was like "my coworker said it's is somewhere near San Francisco".

Being the curious type, I said, "do you know exactly where though? Because the bay area is kind of a big place."

Her: "I don't remember, but I'll just take a cab to wherever from the airport."

Me: "which airport?"

Her: (sounding annoyed) "the san francisco airport, duh"

Me: "babe, stop, and find out where the conference really is."


Turns out her conference was at some hotel in San Jose like 3 miles from the San Jose airport. I saved her two very long and expensive cab rides.

Cute story. Some day I'll find an excuse to relate a conversation I had with my wife over "ball deodorant" while shopping at a grocery store.

[Steely Dan]

^ Why the snark?

My anecdote about how San Francisco completey overshadows San Jose was fully on topic.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

No team in the entire history of teams had ever done teal and purple before.

That shit was fresh!

True... they definitely ushered in the teal-bright color combos craze of the 90s expansion era.

Fresh!... I'm going to start using this again, starting today.

[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

I was gonna say that Austin is well known, even in Europe, largely because of Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. There are still media outlets that think they have to say "Austin, Texas" but it's not necessary anymore, at least in this country, and in some other countries.

So was Austin City Limits broadcast internationally? I imagine that a lot of Americans never watched or even heard of the show.

I have to imagine that my own music TV viewing was similar to a lot of people:
1. Showtime at the Apollo - watched 50-100 episodes
2. Austin City Limits - maybe watched 2 episodes
3. Grand Ole Opry - zero

[benp]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

So was Austin City Limits broadcast internationally? I imagine that a lot of Americans never watched or even heard of the show.

I have to imagine that my own music TV viewing was similar to a lot of people:
1. Showtime at the Apollo - watched 50-100 episodes
2. Austin City Limits - maybe watched 2 episodes
3. Grand Ole Opry - zero

We have a friend from Texas that went to medical school in London who talked about watching Austin City Limits there back in the 1980s to relieve his homesickness, so I know for a fact that it was available there.

For people interested in the kind of country, blues, indie, and folk music that wasn't coming from Nashville, this show was the best thing on TV for over 40 years, and was instrumental in promoting Austin as the "live music capital of the world." Way before I moved to Texas in the 1980s, that was how I first heard about Austin and its music scene, and it provided a great and lasting first impression of the city. I remember watching it and thinking at the time how great it would be if my own city had a show of this quality to promote itself.

[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by benp

We have a friend from Texas that went to medical school in London who talked about watching Austin City Limits there back in the 1980s to relieve his homesickness, so I know for a fact that it was available there.

I don't think younger people can possibly understand how cut-off you were from your hometown, even in the United States, after you moved. At least you had the national shows, though.

For people interested in the kind of country, blues, indie, and folk music that wasn't coming from Nashville, this show was the best thing on TV for over 40 years, and was instrumental in promoting Austin as the "live music capital of the world." Way before I moved to Texas in the 1980s, that was how I first heard about Austin and its music scene, and it provided a great and lasting first impression of the city. I remember watching it and thinking at the time how great it would be if my own city had a show of this quality to promote itself.

Well unfortunately very, very few regional shows were broadcast nationally and that caused a lot of resentment toward New York and especially LA/Hollywood because when/if they came to town, that was the entire impression that the rest of the country got until they came around again, which might be 20-30 years later. Yeah, there were a lot of negative portrayals of NYC and LA in shows and in the movies, but there were a lot more positive portrayals, plus many daily shows were filmed there. At least 50% of the national pop culture in the 1970s-80s was just LA's local culture.

[Riverranchdrone]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

So was Austin City Limits broadcast internationally? I imagine that a lot of Americans never watched or even heard of the show.

I have to imagine that my own music TV viewing was similar to a lot of people:
1. Showtime at the Apollo - watched 50-100 episodes
2. Austin City Limits - maybe watched 2 episodes
3. Grand Ole Opry - zero

My grandparents in Wisconsin watched a lot of PBS back in the 80's early 90's. Thats how I knew of Austin City Limits..