Rate Your State's Cities

[Zeffy]

Learning from my mistakes in the "How Would You Rate Your State's Capital?" thread, this time I want to expand it to all the cities in a state. I'm a very city-centric guy, and one of my favorite things to do is visit new cities.

Unlike the previous thread of mine, this time there are no set rating systems. I wanted to allow everyone to come up with their own categories to rate their cities on. If you don't feel like that, you can simply just write out a few paragraphs instead.

I'll start with some of the New Jersey cities I have visited:

City Name	Historical Significance	Entertainment Venues	Transportation Network	Public Safety
Trenton NJ	Trenton is a haven for history lovers. Although the city was incorporated as a city in 1792, Trenton was still a town during the Revolutionary War. During which, George Washington and his men planned a daring attack on the city the night after Christmas in 1776, so-as to take advantage of the Hessian's tendency to drink too much. The Battle of Trenton is considered the actual turning point in the American Revolution, and had Washington lost it the world may be very different today. In the city, the Trenton Battle Monument stands near the intersection with NJ 31 and US 206, with Washington pointing his finger towards the downtown section of the city. The State House is America's second oldest State House, just behind Delaware. The Old Barracks is a wonderful chance to experience how colonial troops went about their daily lives. If you love history, then Trenton is definitely a city you should visit at least once.	Emerging slowly is a bustling arts scene within Trenton. Events such as Art All Night really showcase the venues the city is able to brilliantly present to organizers of large-scale events. Some of the city's residents, such as the Trenton Social bar as well as the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market attract a large amount of visitors to the city with new events such as the Trenton Porkroll Festival to showcase what Trenton really has to offer. A grant is being sought by the Trenton Downtown Association to bring live concerts to a grassy-area just outside the State House to further promote Trenton as an arts city. The Sun National Bank Center exists just off of 129 as well. Of course, the New Jersey Government also has plenty of things in Trenton, from touring the State House, to visiting the State Museum. There are also plenty of amazing restaurants located throughout the city, each having a sample of the diversity Trenton brings. And of course, you have the Trenton Thunder's home stadium at Arm and Hammer Park where you can watch a good ball game.	Roadway-wise, most of the destination points within Trenton are either located on or next to US 206, or NJ 129. NJ 29 runs along the west edge of the city before entering the Trenton tunnel and turning into the west terminus of Interstate 195 before interchanging with Interstate 295. Most of the traffic in Trenton is reasonably light, but just like many other capital cities, weekdays during rush hour the roads tend to clog. Mass-Transit wise, NJ Transit operates plenty of buses throughout Trenton, and connections to both Newark and New York can be accessed from the Trenton Transit Center. The Riverline, a light rail trail from Trenton to Philadelphia operates from a smaller Train Station located off of 129.	Well, this is the one issue Trenton continuously struggles with. However, let me first say that I have been here many times - each time, I was not bothered as I walked in both the downtown areas, as well as some neighborhood areas as well. Many of the residents are friendly, and just because you hear about someone getting shot more frequently then other places doesn't mean you should avoid the city entirely. The downtown section of the city is perfectly safe during daylight hours, as are many of the residential areas. However, as some residents in Trenton put it, "Trenton gets crazy at night." That being said, urban instincts come in handy, but as long as you don't make yourself a target by doing stupid things you'd probably be all right.
Camden NJ	Did you know the first drive in movie theater was debuted in Camden? Unfortunately, I don't know much else about Camden's history, other than it's ferries as well as the railroad lines that originated near Camden. Sorry!	For starters, you have the State Aquarium, which is a wonderful place for anyone interested in learning about our aquatic friends. It is relatively inexpensive, and it is well maintained and offers a wonderful view of the Philadelphia skyline as well as the Delaware River. The Susquehanna Bank Center is located in Trenton, which offers as a venue for both the Camden Riversharks and many concerts in the Philadelphia area. While not entertainment per-say, the Camden branch of Rutgers, Rutgers-Camden is also located within the city.	Camden is served by Interstate 676 and partially Interstate 76 as well. US 30 runs concurrent with I-676 into Philadelphia over the Ben Franklin Bridge. Other than that, there are no state routes located within the actual city limits of Camden. In terms of mass transit, NJ Transit operates a few buses in Camden, and Camden is connected to Philadelphia via SEPTA.	Once again, urban instincts come into play here. However, don't believe everything the media says. Walking around in some of the non-waterfront areas I felt fine. I wouldn't be in the city past sundown though.

Feel free to do as many as you want, and you don't have to format it like I did. I just thought it would be easier.

[hbelkins]

(Must. Resist. Temptation. To. Engage. In. More. Gratuitous. Louisville. Bashing.)

[hotdogPi]

Cities/towns in Massachusetts that are in the best 2.5% (+2 standard deviations):

Boston (capital, historical)
Concord (historical)
Florida (name)
Lexington (historical)
Peru (name)
Plymouth (historical)
Provincetown (tip of Cape Cod)
Salem (historical)

New Hampshire:

Concord (capital, historical)
Contoocook (covered railroad bridge, railroad museum)
Conway (White Mountains)
Lincoln (White Mountains)
Manchester (most populous)

[bandit957]

Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort are the giants of Kentucky citydom today.

[NE2]

Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort are the giants of Kentucky citydom today.

What about Paducah (quack quack)?

[DTComposer]

For California, I used Metropolitan Areas rather than individual cities. I thought about national and global influence, quality of life, economy, and cultural and tourist attractions. Very subjectively:
1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
2. San Francisco-Oakland
3. San Diego
4. San Jose
5. Sacramento
6. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria
7. Napa
8. Salinas-Monterey
9. Santa Cruz
10. San Luis Obispo
11. Eureka
12. Santa Rosa
13. Riverside-San Bernardino
14. Oxnard-Ventura
15. Fresno
16. Redding
17. Bakersfield
18. Chico
19. Vallejo
20. Stockton
21. Modesto
22. Visalia
23. Merced
24. El Centro
25. Yuba City
26. Madera
27. Hanford

[algorerhythms]

Oklahoma City: It exists, I guess. 7/10.
Tulsa: Perfect for writing off-color palindromes. 10/10.

[nexus73]

PDX is #1 in Oregon with Eugene-Springfield coming in a decent second.  Salem sucks rutabagas.  This is in reference to the People, Places & Things POV.  When it comes to transportation, PDX has mostly lousy freeways with tons of congestion, Salem's section of I-5 is decently modern north of Kuebler and Eugene-Springfield has a nice medium sized network of freeways to go along with I-5, which needs an expansion upgrade to really blossom.

For medium-sized cities outside the Willamette Valley: Medford has an obsolete section of I-5 and no supporting freeway network.  Bend has a poorly designed semi-freeway passing through it but US 97 on both ends of this section has been upgraded nicely.  ODOT's maps (nor Rand McNally's for that matter) never show this though.

Rick   

[US 41]

PDX is #1 in Oregon with Eugene-Springfield coming in a decent second.  Salem sucks rutabagas.  This is in reference to the People, Places & Things POV.  When it comes to transportation, PDX has mostly lousy freeways with tons of congestion, Salem's section of I-5 is decently modern north of Kuebler and Eugene-Springfield has a nice medium sized network of freeways to go along with I-5, which needs an expansion upgrade to really blossom.

For medium-sized cities outside the Willamette Valley: Medford has an obsolete section of I-5 and no supporting freeway network.  Bend has a poorly designed semi-freeway passing through it but US 97 on both ends of this section has been upgraded nicely.  ODOT's maps (nor Rand McNally's for that matter) never show this though.

Rick

The 2015 Rand McNally shows US 97 as a freeway in Bend. However the 2014 doesn't.

[bugo]

Tulsa is WAY nicer than Oklahoma City (or any other city in the state for that matter.)

[US 41]

The nicest city in Indiana is probably Bloomington. It is a fairly young city, very beautiful, and there are really no shady areas in the town. The worst part about Bloomington is the traffic (especially if you're going from the east to the west end of town) and the curvy roads. Most people in Indiana will probably say Indianapolis is better, but I personally like Bloomington the best.

[Takumi]

My 3 favorite Virginia cities that I have experience with are Virginia Beach, Richmond, and Williamsburg. Bottom 3 are Franklin, Manassas, and Emporia.

[mtantillo]

My favorite city in DC is Washington. So is my least favorite.

[hbelkins]

Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort are the giants of Kentucky citydom today.

Actually, Bowling Green is now the third-largest city in the state and Owensboro is fourth-largest. Richmond is bigger -- or seems bigger, anyway -- than Frankfort. And Paducah and Ashland definitely are.

The nicest city in Indiana is probably Bloomington. It is a fairly young city, very beautiful, and there are really no shady areas in the town. The worst part about Bloomington is the traffic (especially if you're going from the east to the west end of town) and the curvy roads. Most people in Indiana will probably say Indianapolis is better, but I personally like Bloomington the best.

What about the NIMBYs who are opposed to I-69? To me, that would be a major negative factor.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

I guess I'll do New Haven and Hartford since those seem to be the cities in CT I frequent the most.

Hartford:
B+. It is a very nice city and is slowly rising to become a more important city in the New England region, but there aren't lots of things to do within the city itself.

Transportation:
Hartford has lots of transportation options. It has an extensive freeway system throughout the city and the suburbs, as well as many major interstates that pass through it (I-84, I-91). It's home to Bradley International airport which is slowly growing to become an even larger airport. There is also an Amtrak station downtown and in the future, commuter rail service will serve the city.

Entertainment:
Hartford has several entertainment options for all age groups. There is the Connecticut Science Center which is on the riverfront, the Connecticut Convention Center, XL Center arena, many restaurants and clubs throughout downtown, State House Square, and Bushnell Park.

Safety:
Like all cities, Hartford does has some bad areas but if you stick close to downtown day or night you should be "okay." I wouldn't recommend going to the North End at night since that is where most crime seems to happen.

Location:
Connecticut is a small state so location doesn't really matter, but Hartford is located almost at the center of the state and is about an hour- hour and a half drive from most other major cities in the state.

Significance:
It is the state capitol so it does have some importance. IMO, Hartford acts and feels much larger than the largest city in the state (Bridgeport).

Recommend:
I would recommend a visit to Hartford. There isn't much to do for a long vacation, but for a short 2-3 day vacation you can do a lot. I know a family who stayed there for a weekend and they loved it! On the plus side, there are many amusement parks and other cool places to visit that are within a 30-45 minute drive. Some examples could include Six Flags New England, Lake Compounce, Basketball Hall of Fame, etc.

New Haven B. New Haven has a wide variety of things to do, but entertainment wise, it is lacking. Hopefully with all the new devlopment, that'll change.

Transportation:
New Haven is probably the largest transportation hub in the state. It is at the junction with I-95 and I-91, both important interstates in the state and all of New England. New Haven is also home to the largest railroad station in the state and has connections to Amtrak, Metro North, and Shore Line East. New Haven also has a small regional airport with daily flights to Philly.

Entertainment:
New Haven is known for it's "New Haven style" pizzas and there are several restaurants that serve it. My personal favorite is Pepe's on Wooster Street. New Haven also has many bars and other great restaurants all over the city. There are many shops located downtown as well. Hopefully with the new construction of Downtown Crossing, more entertainment options will come available.

Safety:
New Haven was recently ranked the most dangerous city in Connecticut. I go there all the time and I've always felt safe. There are some neighborhoods to avoid, examples inclued Dixwell Ave or Whalley Ave. Other than that, downtown is relatively safe.

Location:
New Haven is centrally located on the southern coast of CT. It is about a 90 minute drive from NYC, 35 minutes from Hartford, and 50 minutes from New London.

Significance:
New Haven is known for Yale University and the many other colleges in the city. It is also known for it's unique cuisine.

Recommend:
New Haven has tons of options for anyone. There are the many museums, many different restaurants, and a wide variety of different shops throughout the city. I would recommend maybe going there for a day trip since it is a relatively small city.

Overall:
New Haven is one of the fastest growing cities in the state and is currently getting tons of new development including the new I-95/I-91/CT 34 interchange, the new Q Bridge, Downtown Crossing, and many more. New Haven hasn't looked any better!

[JakeFromNewEngland]

I thought I would do Providence because this past March, I spent a weekend there due to a basketball tournament.


Providence: From a tourist point of view, I would give it a B. I will give partial credit to the score mostly because I love the state of Rhode Island.  Other than that, Providence is definitely a very interesting city to visit and has many interesting places to visit. I would love to spend some more time there one day and see truly how it really is.

Transportation:
Providence has several transportation options. It has a train station downtown that serves Amtrak and MBTA commuter rail. T.F. Green Airport is a small international airport located in nearby Warwick. I-95 goes north-south through the city and the suburbs. I-195 runs east-west and connects Providence to the South Coast and the Cape. RI 146 runs north towards Worcester and connects to the northwestern suburbs. I-295 forms a partial loop around the metro area.

Entertainment:
I was actually surprised at how much stuff there was to do! There is the Providence Place Mall which is a great mall and has many shopping and eating options. There are several great restaurants and stores all within a 5-10 minute drive from downtown. There is also the Roger Williams Zoo which is located on the south end of the city.

Safety:
Providence has many bad areas. Downtown seemed "okay", but the residential neighborhoods surrounding it were not great at all. If you stay in downtown, you should be fine.

Location:
Rhode Island is a VERY small state so like CT, location doesn't really matter. It's located in the north-central part of the state and has easy access to Boston, Fall River, New Bedford, and the Cape.

Significance:
Providence is known for the many colleges and universities throughout the city. Other than that, there isn't really anything "important" that I can think of that stands out.

Recommend:
I would recommend a visit to Providence. Like Hartford and New Haven, there aren't many options within the city itself and you might need to drive a good 30-40 minutes outside of the city to find some options. For the time I spent there, I did enjoy it.

[corco]

Montana's neat because if has a bunch of midsized (shut up, easterners) cities. In the theme of MySpace, the top 8 populated standalone cities, in order-

1. Missoula
2. Helena
3. Bozeman
4. Kalispell
5. Lewistown
6  Havre
7. Great Falls
8. Billings

Idahoooo
1. Boise
2. Coeur d'Alene
3. Pocatello
4. Sandpoint
5. Idaho Falls
6. Rexburg
7. Twin Falls
8. Nampa-Caldwell

[jwolfer]

Florida is loaded with lots of boring small cities loaded with retirees and low paying jobs.. ( e.g. Ocala, Stuart)

For the larger cities I am biased. I love Jacksonville.. 1.5 million people. Big enough to have big city amenities and not clogged with horrible traffic like Miami or Atlanta. Its nice to be able to live on the beach and be 20 minutes from work.  Lots of water so boating, fishing,surfing all right there. Going to the beach isn't a a day trip. It's more "Southern" than other Florida cities. Lots of transplants like other sunbelt cities but unlike much of Florida people make Jacksonville home unlike many other parts of FL where home is NJ, NY, OH Chicago etc. Only 2.5 hours from Orlando theme parks but not a bunch of tourists. Its cold enough in winter to not have hoards of.snowbirds. its an older city so some gritty parts but it is "real"

I live in Orlando now.. Too based on theme parks but I like it here OK. But traffic sucks.

Miami is very international but crowded . fun to visit. I speak Spanish so I am not put off by people speaking Spanish. Flying out of MIA is interesting to see the urban go to NOTHING in the everglades. No exurbs like other cities

[DandyDan]

For Nebraska, I'm inclined to go with Lincoln over Omaha, just because it seems like a safe city (although I'm sure there are bad parts of Lincoln).  I'm not sure how to rate anywhere else in the state, because I don't really go to any other cities in Nebraska (being defined as population over 10,000 and not a part of the Omaha area, which eliminates Bellevue and Papillion) a lot other than Fremont (which is mostly a byproduct of being close to Omaha), but I know I wouldn't want to live there and not just because my old work buddy tells me what a dump his old hometown is (something I think he overstates quite a bit).  Kearney, the few times I've been there, seems like a decent city, but that might be because it isn't wholly dependent on agriculture, as it's the home of UNK.  For places under 10,000, I like Nebraska City the most, but that's mostly because of the Apple festival they have there every year.

[US 41]

Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort are the giants of Kentucky citydom today.

Actually, Bowling Green is now the third-largest city in the state and Owensboro is fourth-largest. Richmond is bigger -- or seems bigger, anyway -- than Frankfort. And Paducah and Ashland definitely are.

The nicest city in Indiana is probably Bloomington. It is a fairly young city, very beautiful, and there are really no shady areas in the town. The worst part about Bloomington is the traffic (especially if you're going from the east to the west end of town) and the curvy roads. Most people in Indiana will probably say Indianapolis is better, but I personally like Bloomington the best.

What about the NIMBYs who are opposed to I-69? To me, that would be a major negative factor.

Most people in Bloomington probably want I-69. It's just the few loudmouths you hear. And you can't really judge how nice a town is based on whether or not they want a new highway.

[jeffandnicole]

In New Jersey, our cities suffer from the state's location.  Philly & New York City are the major markets.  In most any other state, Newark, Trenton, Atlantic City, Vineland, Elizabeth, Paterson, etc would be more of a major city, "The" city to go to, etc.  Most of NJ's cities don't have the downtowns, theatres, clubs, events, etc. that other moderate sized cities in other states have, since it's just as easy to go to Philly or NYC.

Philly & NYC also have all the TV stations and many of the radio stations that cover NJ.  There's actually an NBC station (WMGM, NBC40) that broadcasts out from the Wildwood area, but other than that, none of NJ's cities broadcast any of the 4 major networks, and even the PBS station in the state has shut down. 

Oh...and I just read that NBC40 station is shutting down Dec 31.  So that eliminates any of the 4 major networks from broadcasting in the state.

Of course, NJ also has Corbin City, population about 500, and several other cities with populations under 5,000.

[dfwmapper]

Waiting for someone to write about all the Texas cities. The Public Safety section of El Paso should be interesting, maybe something like "The most violent show on basic cable TV is set here. Draw your own conclusions."

[clong]

Alabama Metro Areas
1. Birmingham
2. Huntsville
3. Auburn/Opelika
4. Mobile
5. Montgomery

[JakeFromNewEngland]

I'm back with another one of my favorite cities, Portsmouth, NH.


Portsmouth, NH: A. For a city of it's size, Portsmouth is definitely the best. It has so many great things to do and lots of fun things to do within a short 5-10 minute drive away.

Transportation:
Portsmouth is located on the Atlantic coast of New Hampshire along the I-95 corridor. I-95 provides access to Maine to the north, and Greater Boston to the south. US 4/NH 16 both intersect with I-95 just west of downtown. US 4 splits off and heads towards Concord. NH 16 continues north and provides access to the Lakes region and the White Mountains. There are several Amtrak stations just outside of the city, and limited air service is provided at Portsmouth Pease Airport.

Entertainment:
Portsmouth has a great downtown. It gives off a very New England type of vibe. There are great restaurants downtown, as well as a variety of stores to choose from. Just outside of Portsmouth is Hampton Beach (One of the best in the region!) You are also a short drive from the beaches of Maine and the North Shore.

Safety
Portsmouth is a VERY small city so crime isn't as much as Manchester or Concord. I walked around downtown at night and felt pretty safe. The only real "crime" to look out for is the occasional drunkie. 

Location:
New Hampshire has a small coastline and Portsmouth is just at the northern tip of it. It's about an hour from Boston and Manchester, and just south of the Maine border. It is also in close proximity to the beaches and mountains nearby.

Recommend:
I spent 3 days there and I absolutely enjoyed it. It was a great small city and there were tons of things to do. Portsmouth is more "family oriented" than other cities it's size and offers great things for everyone to do. I would compare Portsmouth to a much nicer New London, CT.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

Now it's time for probably my second favorite New England city (behind Boston). That is Burlington, VT! I fell in love with Burlington when I first went a few years ago and now I go every year in the summer to visit.

Burlington, Vermont: A. Burlington really has everything. The only thing that I would say that could maybe turn people off is that it's virtually far off from any other large metro area in New England, but that's what I like about it. It's beautiful anytime of the year especially in the summer and fall.


Transportation
Burlington has several major routes that go throughout the city. I-89 connects Burlington to Canada to the north and Montpelier and the CT River valley to the south. I-189 is a short connector that goes from I-89 to US 7. US 7 goes north-south through the state and connects Burlington to St. Albans to the north, and Middlebury and Rutland to the south. US 2 runs east-west and connects Burlington to the Green Mountains to the east and  NY State to the west via the Champlain Islands. Burlington also has a small Amtrak station in nearby Essex Junction. There is also a small regional airport that provides service to most major cities in the Northeast.

Entertainment:
Burlington ranks high on the entertainment level. Every time I go there we always find new things to do. There is the Church Street Marketplace downtown, the Lakefront, the Shelburne Museum which is located just south of Burlington, and the Green Mountains are within a 25-30 minute drive away. The restaurants there are amazing! The food is usually brought in from local farms and to me it tastes better that way.

Safety:
Burlington is relatively safe. Anywhere within downtown is fine. I haven't really been there at night to find any "bad" places but I would assume that the South End seems a bit unsafe.

Location:
Burlington is located far away from most other small cities in Vermont. It is all the way up on Lake Champlain in the northwestern corner of the state. It's about an hour from the Canadian border and about 3 hours from other major cities in New England.

Recommend:
I would totally recommend a visit to Burlington. There is so much to see and do. It's also a beautiful city and one day I hope I can go to college there or maybe live there for a little bit!