Underrated US Cities

[Hey Adrien!]

Yup. My fiance grew up in the mountains, moved to Charlotte in hs, went to undergrad in Chapel Hill and law school in Durham before she moved up here for more school. We don't talk about it at home though because I end up yelling "77-74" and something about fake classes for football players sabotaging her degree every time. Too much pre-marital strife.

She is as NC as it gets: despite being a vegetarian since she was 13, she has STRONG opinions on western vs eatern Carolina BBQ, lol. And apparently, it doesn't count unless it's a whole hog. And she absolutely hates Asheville. We drive right by it when we go to visit her family.

It's funny, I'm a liberal, kinda hippy-ish type guy but I don't like overly crunchy towns/cities.

Hated Sedona, wasn't that crazy about Missoula, like, but not love Burlington. I guess when I visit places, I like a wider variety of people. Crunchy towns have a bit too much "groupthink" for me, but I do like Northampton, though.

I appreciate the Hartford love on this thread. Nothing wrong with the city at all and there's a nice international flavor. Pernil with mofongo at Aqui Me Quedo is one of the best meals of my life.

 

[Guapo]

Yup. My fiance grew up in the mountains, moved to Charlotte in hs, went to undergrad in Chapel Hill and law school in Durham before she moved up here for more school. We don't talk about it at home though because I end up yelling "77-74" and something about fake classes for football players sabotaging her degree every time. Too much pre-marital strife.

She is as NC as it gets: despite being a vegetarian since she was 13, she has STRONG opinions on western vs eatern Carolina BBQ, lol. And apparently, it doesn't count unless it's a whole hog. And she absolutely hates Asheville. We drive right by it when we go to visit her family.

where in NC is she from?

 

[husky429]

It's funny, I'm a liberal, kinda hippy-ish type guy but I don't like overly crunchy towns/cities.

Hated Sedona, wasn't that crazy about Missoula, like, but not love Burlington. I guess when I visit places, I like a wider variety of people.

I appreciate the Hartford love on this thread. Nothing wrong with the city at all and there's a nice international flavor.

I didn't like Sedona either. I can't really tell if it was just because it was so GD hot though. The hikes were awesome... less so the town.

 

[Brettloaf]

Anyone who mentions Burlington needs to be banned from the yard.

Underrated? Cincinnati, Ohio

 

[husky429]

where in NC is she from?

About 30 minutes west of Sylva I think. Idk the name, a tiny town in the mountains. Her dad worked at Western NC University. Most of her family is in the Hickory area now

 

[Guapo]

About 30 minutes west of Sylva I think. Idk the name, a tiny town in the mountains. Her dad worked at Western NC University

oh no kidding.

my wife is from Blairsville, GA.

her childhood home was physically closer to downtown Murphy, NC though.

you could walk out the front door of my in-laws house and into NC

 

[elmcityboy]

the two that always come to mind for me at pittsburgh and milwaukee.

 

[Guapo]

the two that always come to mind for me at pittsburgh and milwaukee.

i was going to mention Pittsburgh

 

[superjohn]

Milwaukee, it's the city of beer. If you love beer and cheese you'll love Milwaukee but seriously it's underrated.

You have all the cool old school pubs with all the cool newer microbrew places. City has done a good job of preserving it's old beer baron and Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. Great theaters and museums for a city it's size. The people are chill, everything is close by and it's a city of festivals...

It's like Chicago's little brother, the weather sucks for most of the year so for 4 months in the summer everyone is outside on the lakefront and there's festivals everywhere. Summer fest lasts 2 weeks and is the largest music festival in the country with 800 bands. The city also seems to be cheaper than pretty much any other city.

 

[87Xfer]

I agree with Burlington, VT.

Portland, ME - it was a craphole when I lived in Maine as a youngster, but it's transformed (food, art, waterfront has been cleaned up) and I'd be very happy to live in the area now.

Raleigh, NC - Had to start traveling there for a new client a few years back, and dreaded it. By the 2nd trip, I was looking forward to the next visit. Mmmmm, Poole's Diner

Re: Flagstaff, it's a great place to visit. But there's one reason I'd never even consider living there ...wind. In the spring the wind is unbelievable and incessant. Seriously, it's enough to drive people insane. Or at least it would drive me insane. And while Sedona is one of the most beautiful landscapes anywhere, it's awful. It's like a micro-sized "upside down" version of LA. Just too damn weird, lots (and growing) look at me culture, and although you are in the middle of nowhere, you can sit in bumper to bumper traffic forever trying to go 4 miles across town.

And my probably hugely unpopular vote: Providence. It's got universities, including Ivy League, which is a rare asset. GREAT food, and obvious cultural influence from all over the place - take the Portuguese influence, where else can you get authentic Portuguese food in addition to Linguica pizza all over the place? They've finally made better use of their riverfront. Close proximity to ocean, Boston, the Vineyard, Nantucket, hell, even Block Island. And this is about most underrated, not best. Providence is often touted to be the dregs of the universe and it's actually not.

 

[Bongo Fury]

In spirit and celebration to people returning to travel again, which US cities did you enjoy when visiting/living in but aren't "well-known" popular or trendy spots?

Salt Lake City: Granted, I was here during March Madness, but it's surrounded by the Rockies, a walkable downtown and despite an inability to drink super well, enjoyable restaurants/bars/breweries. I was there for basketball, but enjoyed the city much more than I expected I would.

Fargo, ND: My in-laws grew up in hour outside of the city and I was there for a North Dakota State game, which was fun. However, I really liked the downtown, the Donaldson is an incredible hotel and overall had a nice vibe.

Rapid City, SD: Smack in the middle of touristy areas, Grand Rapids is a surprisingly "cool" city, despite being very family/touristy friendly. Street art, good food, fun city!

Flagstaff, AZ: I hated Sedona, but loved Flagstaff. Incredible weather, beautiful scenery, excellent food. Still has the new age-y stuff of Sedona, just in a much more approachable and "tasteful" way.

SLC Amazing skiing!

 

[Guapo]

Not sure if underrated or properly rated with y’all up in CT, but Savannah is a great spot

 

[storrsroars]

I'm going to nominate a town where I expected nothing but really enjoyed myself: Duluth, MN. Honestly the friendliest damned place I've ever been. And I had a blast in the two days I was there. Yes, it was summer, so it's a qualified response.

Also, as we used to visit Pirates spring training and hope to again soon, the Bradenton/Sarasota area has a ton of cool stuff. I never thought I'd give Florida a thought as somewhere to live, but we're seriously considering that area. Good local and Latin food, solid microbreweries, cheap golf, beaches (not my thing but they're there), St. Armand's Circle, Cortez (nearby), and minor league baseball, among other things.

And yes to Milwaukee. I live in Pittsburgh, and it has lots of assets, but we have more rainy days than Seattle. And you can't bike safely in the suburbs.

 

[Guapo]

I'm going to nominate a town where I expected nothing but really enjoyed myself: Duluth, MN. Honestly the friendliest damned place I've ever been. And I had a blast in the two days I was there. Yes, it was summer, so it's a qualified response.

Also, as we used to visit Pirates spring training and hope to again soon, the Bradenton/Sarasota area has a ton of cool stuff. I never thought I'd give Florida a thought as somewhere to live, but we're seriously considering that area. Good local food, solid microbreweries, cheap golf, beaches (not my thing but they're there), St. Armand's Circle, Cortez (nearby), and minor league baseball, among other things.

places like Bradenton are so much better than south Florida, it’s not even funny

 

[Bongo Fury]

If anyone mentions Austin, they should be banned for life.

I hear Waco is the new Austin from the Fixer upper guy.

 

[Peacefrog]

Not arguing the negative aspects of Asheville but regarding the beer, its a mecca. WAY more than Sierra Nevada and New Belgium. Catawba, Green Man, Burial, Wicked Weed...

I live in (near) Charlotte now and while I like the city I would not consider it to be the least bit attractive as a retirement spot. We're already plotting our exit from the area once the kids get through school. Really nice place to live/work/raise kids but not retire. Not a lot of character in my opinion, boring geography.

I'll second the mention of Wilmington, NC along with Southport and Moorehead City in the same area. Really that whole stretch. New Bern is a nice little town as well but very susceptible to flooding.

I really like the Williamsburg, VA area. Lots of history. College town. Really pretty.

I'm always surprised at the love for Eastern Carolina-style BBQ. I travel around the country just about every week and try and hit as many BBQ joints as I can and that incarnation is by far my least favorite. Its just soaked in a ton of vinegar and you can't taste the meat or even the smoke. Just awful.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Burlington is a great place. I also like Portland ME, though it probably isn’t overrated. Saratoga and Lake Placid NY are great. Cincinnati is surprisingly cool as is Pittsburgh.

And yes, Hartford. Simply because West Hartford, Glastonbury etc. are dope and most everywhere else in America, they’d be in Hartford. The first time I took my wife to West Hartford we went looking for a house (we were considering moving back to CT). We got some slices at Luna and took a stroll. We went and looked at some beautiful homes and then had drinks and dinner in WeHa. Next day we went to a game at the Rent. She was totally ready to move. She came back to Florida and told everyone, “Believe it or not, Hartford is an awesome place.” She wasn’t getting the whole West Hartford/Hartford thing. To her, it was Hartford.

I've had friends from elsewhere come visit and they were surprised as well. Brought a friend to a game at the XL, and then we went to Bear's, then Hooker, and then MGM Springfield. The next day we went snowboarding. On Sunday night he was asking me about home prices in the Hartford area.

 

[husky429]

Am I the only one on this board that doesn't give a rats rear about breweries when thinking of traveling somewhere? Literally everywhere has craft breweries at this point. Any town with a semblance of tourist infrastructure is going to have 10+. If I could collectively shortsell all of craftbrew America I would--that bubble is bound to pop.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Am I the only one on this board that doesn't give a rats rear about breweries when thinking of traveling somewhere? Literally everywhere has craft breweries at this point. Any town with a semblance of tourist infrastructure is going to have 10+. If I could collectively shortsell all of craftbrew America I would--that bubble is bound to pop.

Having multiple breweries to choose from is a must in my opinion. And don't forget, not every region does it well. You can't get a NEIPA in North Carolina or Arizona. I don't go to breweries outside of New England...they just are not the same. Call me a regional beer snob. And people have been predicting the bubble pop for awhile now...perhaps that's just what beer and consuming it has become. More people I know are into it every year it seems.

 

[8893]

Agree with Pittsburgh and agree that Burlington is great but not underrated.

I would add New Haven, Providence and Fort Collins, CO.

 

[UCLJ0211]

I used to travel for work and stumbled upon Bethesda, Maryland a couple times. It was a pretty cool little city- great restaurants, very clean and walkable. Only about 20 mins to DC as well.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Agree with Pittsburgh and agree that Burlington is great but not underrated.

I would add New Haven, Providence and Fort Collins, CO.

I'll add Providence too. Nationally, it's not a very well known city, but it's a lovely little city. Arguably the best arts city in New England.

 

[Hoophound]

Providence belongs on the underrated list for sure. The whole state of Rhode Island is underrated.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Agree with Pittsburgh and agree that Burlington is great but not underrated.

I would add New Haven, Providence and Fort Collins, CO.

I'll add Providence too. Nationally, it's not a very well known city, but it's a lovely little city. Arguably the best arts city in New England.

Providence belongs on the underrated list for sure. The whole state of Rhode Island is underrated.

Yup...agree. My wife used to work in Providence occasionally and I would tag along for the weekend. Has some nice hotels within walking distance of Providence Place and the food on Federal Hill is awesome. I used to hit up the cigar bar near Flemings to end the night.

 

[superjohn]

Am I the only one on this board that doesn't give a rats rear about breweries when thinking of traveling somewhere? Literally everywhere has craft breweries at this point. Any town with a semblance of tourist infrastructure is going to have 10+. If I could collectively shortsell all of craftbrew America I would--that bubble is bound to pop.

People thought the small brewery/craft beer bubble would pop over a decade ago, it ain't going anywhere and will most likely only be stronger as people have largely been in their homes for over a year with limited socializing. People will be hitting breweries, restaurants, and traveling like crazy for the next couple of years. Craft beer is one of the best stories of America's economy, IMO. In a country that's run by Walmart and Amazon it feels like the one little guy business which has been kicking butt for years.