Underrated US Cities

[TIP-IN]

My buddy lives in Greenville, SC. He keeps trying to get me to move there(ain't gonna happen) but I had a great time there and definitely underestimated how nice it its. Cool little downtown with the Liberty suspension bridge crossing the Reedy River. Good beer and food scene with Tetrad Brewing and Iron Hill Brewery being standouts for me. Some nice museums too, for folks interested in local history and art.

I lived in Landrum SC, actually at a place called The Cliffs at Glassy. Landrum is north of the Greenville / Greer / Spartanburg area. Greenville is a truly great city with very friendly people. The Greenville / Spartanburg area is on economic fire, when I was there BMW was investing 1 Billion with a "B" in a plant that was already massive. The treed Downtown is one of the prettiest in the nation. Take your friends advice move out of the northeast and enjoy your life !
Oh, but you still have to root for Uconn !!

 

[XLCenterFan]

How would you know if you don't go to breweries outside of new england? You can get "NEIPA' at just about every brewery and liquor store you walk into at this point.

I should have specified with the adjectives "quality" or "legit." Just like you shouldn't trust New England clam chowder in Minnesota or New York style pizza in Myrtle Beach, don't trust NEIPA in the far reaches of The States.

 

[uconnfan68]

I would suggest Beaufort, SC over Savannah or Charleston.

IMO both Savannah and Charleston are pretty well rated or known for what they offer.

Beaufort splits the difference between the two and has some small town charm.
Savannah is about 45 min and Charleston is a bit over an hour.

Beaufort is also close to Hilton Head without all the old retiree trappings of Hilton Head.

You're getting close to being one of those retirees...

 

[ET7774]

Surprised no one mentioned San Antonio. Great memories from 2004.

 

[Tex-Lager93]

Agree with the Burlington, VT comments. I would add Saratoga, NY; Lancaster, PA and Berkeley Springs, WV. Maybe these don't qualify as 'city' size...but all are great, accessible weekend spots in the northeast.

 

[Lefty2one]

TIL for many people breweries are a key determining factor in how good a city is.

I would consider relocating to somewhere far less expensive than CT--we're comfortable financially but it still stings looking at our taxes--but the healthcare in so many of these places worries me, not to mention the education.

 

[superjohn]

Agree with the Burlington, VT comments. I would add Saratoga, NY; Lancaster, PA and Berkeley Springs, WV. Maybe these don't qualify as 'city' size...but all are great, accessible weekend spots in the northeast.

Berkeley Springs, WV. has 800 residents, it's pretty safe to say they don't qualify as a city. One of their newer residents is the white supremacist who has lived in my hometown for years...

Tourist Town Desperate to Reopen Faces Another Battle—White Nationalists in the Castle

When VDARE’s founder bought the 132-year-old Berkeley Springs Castle, it fueled a delicate split in the artsy mountain town.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Cedar City, UT. I have often used it as a base for Bryce, Zion, The Breaks, Escalante Staircase, Dixie National Forest etc. It is a college town and has museums, festivals of the arts, a historic downtown with good restaurants. I had considered moving there.

 

[Mr. French]

I love my city of Buffalo as "underrated."

It's great for what it is, but people on the outside don't know enough about it so they make the easy jokes and rash judgments.

Anyone who spends more than 2 days here falls in love and despite plenty of crap still holding it back, it's changed drastically in the last 20 years.

I don't know about how it's rated in the general public, but Toronto is one of my favorite cities.

 

[Mr. French]

Agree with the Burlington, VT comments. I would add Saratoga, NY; Lancaster, PA and Berkeley Springs, WV. Maybe these don't qualify as 'city' size...but all are great, accessible weekend spots in the northeast.

Saratoga and Lake Placid are both great "upstate" towns.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

I love Stamford. Grew up there and still miss it. Almost moved back 8 years ago but couldn't make it work. But I think I'd be unimpressed if I were just a visitor.

It’s gotten worse. My parents grew up there and my sisters were born there.

I loved it in my early 20s, but it it’s become a commercialized, soulless downtown.

Bedford street used to be awesome, and it’s still the best part of downtown, but it’s boring. Stale, upper-class growth.

There are some nice neighborhoods though (shoutout to Hope Street) and the northern part is gorgeous.

However, as a Norwalk resident, I’m biased.

 

[Chin Diesel]

You're getting close to being one of those retirees...

I still have close to 15 years of working life left. And I'll never live in Hilton Head.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I'd also be curious how many of these underrated places you'd like to visit

1. For an extended weekend
2. Week long vacation
3. Second home
4. Place to move while young with or without kids
5. Retire

I'm somewhere north of 40+ states visited. Probably about 25 or so foreign countries.

I've found it very difficult to not have a good time almost anywhere if you have 3-4 days. Almost any place should allow you to find some local dining, do a bit of history of the area, visit some points of interest and get a general feel for the people. For someone like myself, that's a high enough floor.

 

[8893]

It’s gotten worse. My parents grew up there and my sisters were born there.

I loved it in my early 20s, but it it’s become a commercialized, soulless downtown.

Bedford street used to be awesome, and it’s still the best part of downtown, but it’s boring. Stale, upper-class growth.

There are some nice neighborhoods though (shoutout to Hope Street) and the northern part is gorgeous.

However, as a Norwalk resident, I’m biased.

Is there any noticeable presence from the UConn students residing there?

A good college population is usually essential to a good city imo.

 

[Waquoit]

I think Portland OR hits all 5 on Chin's list.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

What happened with Bobby Valentine's sports bar is a good representation of what Stamford has become.

I have a buddy out in SLC who I've gone to visit a few times to go skiing. I like the Utah ski scene more than Colorado. Think it's more laid back and more accessible than everyone fighting to drive on i-70. Park City though def has the vibe of what Stratton feels like in the northeast. Very built up, expensive, a lot of wealthy rich people who cant be bothered with Utah's weird alcohol laws.

 

[8893]

What happened with Bobby Valentine's sports bar is a good representation of what Stamford has become.

I have a buddy out in SLC who I've gone to visit a few times to go skiing. I like the Utah ski scene more than Colorado. Think it's more laid back and more accessible than everyone fighting to drive on i-70. Park City though def has the vibe of what Stratton feels like in the northeast. Very built up, expensive, a lot of wealthy rich people who cant be bothered with Utah's weird alcohol laws.

Have you been to Steamboat? Much more laid back than the rest of the CO ski scene imo, and probably the best snow in the state (closer to Utah conditions with champagne powder).

 

[ColchVEGAS]

Agree with Milwaukee. I travel there for work pretty regularly and was impressed the first time visiting 10 years ago. Summer is a better time, which I am sure goes without saying. Tons of bars and food all within walking distance of downtown. The walk to the lake was not that bad either.

Bringing the family up to Saratoga after Memorial day. Any recommendations as we have never been?

 

[hank970]

Agree with the Burlington, VT comments. I would add Saratoga, NY; Lancaster, PA and Berkeley Springs, WV. Maybe these don't qualify as 'city' size...but all are great, accessible weekend spots in the northeast.

A stop at Good 'N Plenty Restaurant in Smoketown, just of east of Lancaster, is a must stop. Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, family style dining. The food just keeps coming.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Have you been to Steamboat? Much more laid back than the rest of the CO ski scene imo, and probably the best snow in the state (closer to Utah conditions with champagne powder).

Yes ironically i flew out pre pandemic March last year to Utah to drive out to Steamboat with my friend from Salt Lake to do a ski week meeting some other friends. Unfortunately we didnt get that great of snow the time we were there and it was pretty crowed. My friend from SLC complained that the terrain is too easy but he literally skis 50+ days a year, so we just ignored him. The town though is cool and so is being able to soak in the springs after skiing. There is still that CO beer bro culture there downtown but i dont think there is really any escaping that anymore as Colorado just gets more and more people moving in.

 

[8893]

Yes ironically i flew out pre pandemic March last year to Utah to drive out to Steamboat with my friend from Salt Lake to do a ski week meeting some other friends. Unfortunately we didnt get that great of snow the time we were there and it was pretty crowed. My friend from SLC complained that the terrain is too easy but he literally skis 50+ days a year, so we just ignored him. The town though is cool and so is being able to soak in the springs after skiing. There is still that CO beer bro culture there downtown but i dont think there is really any escaping that anymore as Colorado just gets more and more people moving in.

Yeah my experience was 25 years ago so I gather things may have changed!

I loved the glades there in between the O’clock areas. Some of the best I’ve ever skied

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Yeah my experience was 25 years ago so I gather things may have changed!

I loved the glades there in between the O’clock areas. Some of the best I’ve ever skied

Dont get me wrong either. If you are on a ski trip with a group of guys for a week, you are going to want to go to a place with a town like a Steamboat or Breckenridge where there are bars and restaurants and what not. All my other friends ski, so they love doing glades and back country stuff, we kept hitting those chutes there. As a snowboarder, its just way tougher for me to do. Im fine with glades as long as they are wide enough that I dont fear for my life but. Skiing in general has just gotten to the point where you are forced to buy an Ikon or Epic or some other independent seasonal pass otherwise its impossibly expensive. For day tickets to some of the New England mountains, they are charging $160+ for a day ticket where you may get long lines and not great conditions as everyone in the NY, New England area descends on the Vermont mountains when there is good snow. It's insane, but I guess Vail has purchased up a lot of the mountains. I did a trip out to CO a couple months ago and some friends were skiing breckenridge. Without a pass for a weekend day life ticket its like $200+, its just insane.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Is there any noticeable presence from the UConn students residing there?

A good college population is usually essential to a good city imo.

Not really, despite the new dorm, UConn Stamford is still a commuter school or/and a holding place before students work their way to the Storrs campus.

However, my favorite Stamford bar, Murphy’s, is a block from the UConn campus.

Also, arguably my favorite restaurant, Teff, an Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant, is right off the western edge of downtown, right near Mill River Park.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Dont get me wrong either. If you are on a ski trip with a group of guys for a week, you are going to want to go to a place with a town like a Steamboat or Breckenridge where there are bars and restaurants and what not. All my other friends ski, so they love doing glades and back country stuff, we kept hitting those chutes there. As a snowboarder, its just way tougher for me to do. Im fine with glades as long as they are wide enough that I dont fear for my life but. Skiing in general has just gotten to the point where you are forced to buy an Ikon or Epic or some other independent seasonal pass otherwise its impossibly expensive. For day tickets to some of the New England mountains, they are charging $160+ for a day ticket where you may get long lines and not great conditions as everyone in the NY, New England area descends on the Vermont mountains when there is good snow. It's insane, but I guess Vail has purchased up a lot of the mountains. I did a trip out to CO a couple months ago and some friends were skiing breckenridge. Without a pass for a weekend day life ticket its like $200+, its just insane.

There are "semi-affordable" ways to ski VT. Weekdays are always cheaper with basically zero lift lines. You can purchase your tickets in advance for discounts. You can go to a smaller mountain - for example, Bromley is right near Stratton, which garners all the attention and crowds (and pricing power). Also, Costco sells 4 packs to certain mountains for like $400. You are right though. If you want to take a last minute weekend/day trip to VT to ride (I also snowboard), and you just walk up and buy a ticket, it's super expensive and can be crowded. On those days, I take the main lifts up and then just use the secondary lifts for the most part. Like the Sunbrook and North Face sections of Mt. Snow. I always get a laugh when I'm driving through the parking lots of some of these mountains. All SUV's from CT, Mass, NY and NJ. It's like every Richie Rich from the Tri-State/NE area floods VT on the weekends.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

There are "semi-affordable" ways to ski VT. Weekdays are always cheaper with basically zero lift lines. You can purchase your tickets in advance for discounts. You can go to a smaller mountain - for example, Bromley is right near Stratton, which garners all the attention and crowds (and pricing power). Also, Costco sells 4 packs to certain mountains for like $400. You are right though. If you want to take a last minute weekend/day trip to VT to ride (I also snowboard), and you just walk up and buy a ticket, it's super expensive and can be crowded. On those days, I take the main lifts up and then just use the secondary lifts for the most part. Like the Sunbrook and North Face sections of Mt. Snow. I always get a laugh when I'm driving through the parking lots of some of these mountains. All SUV's from CT, Mass, NY and NJ. It's like every Richie Rich from the Tri-State/NE area floods VT on the weekends.

We could easily take this to another OT thread, and maybe we should since we are overtaking the OPs thread but you are right. I just didn't bother this year with the quarantine rules and it seemed since people were bored, weekdays were crowded as well, especially after a storm. I like Catamount in NY, as a mountain relatively close by that's independent that's affordable. Magic in Vermont is good too but small .