Describe the biggest cities in your state in five words or less.

[Flint1979]

I don't care how many words it takes to say this about Detroit. That place is an absolute shithole.

Says the guy with "Flint" in his handle.

Flint is a shithole too.

[hotdogPi]

It's not their fault – areas with many minorities have been disadvantaged throughout the history of the United States, and they still are. I live near Lawrence, MA, which is the same way except with Hispanics (mostly Dominican) instead of African Americans. Lawrence has improved over the last 20 years, though.

Or to fit the thread:
Lawrence: Mostly Hispanic

[Flint1979]

Flint - a smaller version of Detroit

Saginaw - a smaller version of Flint

[Max Rockatansky]

Flint - a smaller version of Detroit

Saginaw - a smaller version of Flint

Lansing; surprisingly nice by Michigan standards

Seriously I always like living in Lansing, it was one of the few somewhat large cities that had nice places and didn't feel an industrial husk. 

[NWI_Irish96]

Flint - a smaller version of Detroit

Saginaw - a smaller version of Flint

Benton Harbor - a smaller version of Saginaw

[Flint1979]

Flint - a smaller version of Detroit

Saginaw - a smaller version of Flint

Lansing; surprisingly nice by Michigan standards

Seriously I always like living in Lansing, it was one of the few somewhat large cities that had nice places and didn't feel an industrial husk.

Lansing isn't too bad it has its pockets of bad areas but they aren't too noticeable. Grand Rapids is another city that is pretty nice by Michigan standards.

About Lansing, the areas I think aren't the greatest but aren't God awful like something in Flint or Detroit is the north side say around Grand River and Cedar/Larch there are a few streets that aren't the greatest and then I know there is an area around Baker and Cedar and Pennsylvania area that isn't all that great but Lansing overall isn't bad.

I have a friend that lives in Saginaw but he has family in Lansing so I've been to Lansing a lot with him. We always considered the Lansing Mall to be the ghetto mall and Meridian to be the upscale mall. That's how I got to know Lansing lol.

[Flint1979]

Flint - a smaller version of Detroit

Saginaw - a smaller version of Flint

Benton Harbor - a smaller version of Saginaw

They are both not the most pleasant places on earth but I think Benton Harbor is in worse shape than Saginaw. I always found it strange how you can be in St. Joseph and it's nice nothing resembling anything bad then you cross the bridge into Benton Harbor and it's like going from Grosse Pointe to Detroit.

[ftballfan]

Detroit: Urban decay and bad sports
Grand Rapids: We have lots of bridges!
Warren: A glorified township
Sterling Heights: Nobody's heard of us
Lansing: Capital City, State University downriver
Ann Arbor: Hippie college town with freeways
Flint: Corruption and GM ruined city
Dearborn: Ramadan is bigger than Christmas
Livonia: Another no-name suburn
Clinton Township: We're not in Mt. Clemens!

[kphoger]

Benton Harbor - a smaller version of Saginaw

Benton Harbor – Higher crime than Saint Joseph.

[Flint1979]

Benton Harbor isn't one of the biggest cities in the state anyway but the city it most closely resembles in the state is Highland Park. Inkster is another good example.

[Sctvhound]

I don't care how many words it takes to say this about Detroit. That place is an absolute shithole.

Says the guy with "Flint" in his handle.

Detroit: Safer water than Flint.  (There, only 4 words)

Story: In the lunchroom shortly after the Flint lead in water story broke, a couple of workers were talking.  One was going to Grand Rapids for the weekend, and the other said to not drink the water. When pointed out that she was going to Grand Rapids, not Flint, the reply was, "Grand Rapids, Flint, same difference."  She didn't realize that sitting at work in Dearborn she was much closer to Flint than her colleague would be in Grand Rapids.  So much for the geographic awareness of metro Detroiters.

Yep, Flint is only 68 miles from downtown Detroit. Back when the Lions played in Pontiac, Flint was only 42 miles from the SilverDome.

[webny99]

Despite Detroit and Flint being so close, there's a lot of really nice suburbia in between. Probably even some of the nicest suburbs in the nation.

[clong]

Birmingham - Reinvented Steel City
Mobile - First Mardi Gras
Huntsville - Our IQ is Higher
Montgomery - Nothing but the Capitol, Guvnuh!
Tuscaloosa - Roll Tide
Hoover - Home of Riverchase Galleria
Dothan - Peanut Festival
Auburn - War Eagle!
Decatur - Tennessee River, Point Mallard
Madison - Where Redstone Arsenal Sleeps

[Flint1979]

Despite Detroit and Flint being so close, there's a lot of really nice suburbia in between. Probably even some of the nicest suburbs in the nation, although I don't have the data to back that up.

You wouldn't be far off. Bloomfield Hills and the surrounding townships are real nice. Pontiac is a shithole but Waterford and Clarkston are nice as is Grand Blanc just south of Flint.

[SSOWorld]

Milwaukee - Beer me!
Madison - Party on, Politics off (way off)
Green Bay - Packers football
Kenosha - Wish I was Racine
Racine - Glad I'm not Kenosha
Appleton - Straddling a county tri-point
Waukesha - We're better than Milwaukee
Oshkosh - Pilots welcome
Eau Claire - County POO (actually Chippewa Falls)
Janesville - ...

[zzcarp]

Colorado:

Denver: Traffic, beer, weed, gentrification, people,
Colorado Springs: Military, fundamentalists, hipsters, Pike's Peak
Aurora: Traffic, sand, crime, Denver-envy
Fort Collins: CSU, trains on downtown streets
Lakewood: Traffic, Denver West, Green Mountain
Thornton: Traffic, have Cabela's and Topgolf!
Arvada: Old town bars and restaurants
Westminster: Open space, castle, businesses, suburbia
Pueblo: Steel, State Fair, Riverwalk
Centennial: Exists to stop others' annexations

[kevinb1994]

Colorado:

Denver: Traffic, beer, weed, gentrification, people,
Colorado Springs: Military, fundamentalists, hipsters, Pike's Peak
Aurora: Traffic, sand, crime, Denver-envy
Fort Collins: CSU, trains on downtown streets
Lakewood: Traffic, Denver West, Green Mountain
Thornton: Traffic, have Cabela's and Topgolf!
Arvada: Old town bars and restaurants
Westminster: Open space, castle, businesses, suburbia
Pueblo: Steel, State Fair, Riverwalk
Centennial: Exists to stop others' annexations

What about Aspen and Boulder?

[kphoger]

Denver: Traffic, beer, weed, gentrification, people,

Denver – Much better than the 80s.

[bing101]

Los Angeles:  Traffic, traffic, traffic, and traffic
San Diego:  Traffic, parks, and cool Coast
San Jose:  Somehow San Francisco's little brother
San Francisco:  Manhattan of the west coast
Fresno:  How is Fresno in fifth?

Sacramento: Washington D.C of the west.

I don't know if I'd go that far.  The Capitol complex on Capitol Mall is surprisingly pretty scenic though.  When I think of Sacramento I think more of; trains, Old Sacramento, Sutter's Fort, and mining claims.

True its just that whenever the rest of the country talk about politics on the west coast Downtown Sacramento has to be up there though.


Oakland: We lost our sports teams
Long Beach: Ship Traffic is busy here

[MikieTimT]

Arkansas:

Little Rock: ALL roads lead to here.
Fayetteville: Trees are better than people.
Fort Smith: Bribes are what passes ordinances.
Springdale: Better for business than Fayetteville.
Jonesboro: At least we don't flood!
Rogers: We got Wal-Mart's airport, Bentonville!

[golden eagle]

Mississippi:

1. Jackson: State capitol
2. Gulfport: Biggest city on Mississippi coast
3. Southaven: Memphis suburban wasteland
4. Biloxi: That other beach city
5. Hattiesburg: What's there besides a university?

[SEWIGuy]

Kenosha - Wish I was Racine
Racine - Glad I'm not Kenosha

This really is a "tallest midgit" kind of competition. 

Waukesha - We're better than Milwaukee

Uh...but you're not.  You're generally boring and aren't really even that nice of a suburb.

[Takumi]

Virginia:

1. Virginia Beach: a giant suburb
2. Chesapeake: wait, it passed Norfolk?
3. Norfolk: navy navy navy navy navy
4. Arlington*: Schrodinger’s city
5. Richmond: Brooklyn with Confederate statues
6. Newport News: longboi
7. Alexandria: basically southwest DC
8. Hampton: crossing the bay is hard
9. Roanoke: mountains are nice
10. Portsmouth: Norfolk, but worse
11. Suffolk*: basically farmland

*included Suffolk since Arlington technically isn’t a city, but is often referred to as one for some reason

[kphoger]

since Arlington technically isn't a city, but is often referred to as one for some reason

Because most people call a spade a spade.

[Takumi]

since Arlington technically isn't a city, but is often referred to as one for some reason

Because most people call a spade a spade.

It's more city-like than at least 90% of Suffolk, I'll give you that.