Underrated US Cities

[superjohn]

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.

Don't you live in Connecticut?

 

[husky429]

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.

Yeah, my fiance has taught classes occasionally at UConn Stamford/Hartford on occasion and she seems to think the students really treat it more like a community college. A lot of first-gen college students, older students, and people that work full time. Very different than regional campuses in some of the southern or western states.

 

[Guapo]

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.

my friend’s parents just retired and moved from Glastonbury to Beaufort.

they seem to absolutely love it.

 

[Tenspro2002]

New York City.

Hidden gem, really under-discussed.

 

[mussels]

New York City.

Hidden gem, really under-discussed.

I hear they have a nice basketball tournament there in March.

 

[PChoops]

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.

My guy

 

[HuskyNan]

My son’s drum and bugle corp qualified for the national championship in Indianapolis years ago. I expected to be underwhelmed but it’s a great city. Fantastic steak houses, funky & lively neighborhoods, the Indiana State Museum, and a walkable downtown. We had a blast there.

I went back to Indianapolis a couple years later for the women’s Final Four and saw a completely different part of the city. Still enjoyed my time there.

@husky429 No mention of Lake George? I know upstate NY well - I went to Clarkson

 

[XLCenterFan]

Don't you live in Connecticut?

CT lifer. Born, raised, never left, never leaving. I'm not saying it's (the ski area parking lots) a bad thing...just something I notice that makes me laugh. I never realized so many people from NJ liked skiing/snowboarding.

 

[brihman]

Most pretentious brewery I've ever set foot in. And I didn't like the beer. Had a better experience at Smog City.

That makes me sad to hear but I’m not super surprised.

 

[storrsroars]

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.

Murph's is the rare bar that was really good as both a townie dive, which it was in the early 80s, and an after work professional meet up (when they added "Townhouse"), which it became. I spent a decade at 999 Summer and went there for years in both incarnations.

 

[karstenkibbe]

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.

just curious... under what measure have things “gotten worse” in Stamford? It’s the only major city in the entire state with positive population growth. It just overtook New Haven in population, and in 10 years, it will likely be the largest city in the state. Young people are moving to Stamford in droves - many of whom are coming from NYC. If I was 25, I would love to live in Harbor Point, the most ambitious and successful residential development project this state has seen in a long time.

I don’t get the “stale, upper class growth” statement. There’s literally nothing pretentious about this city. Stamford is NOTHING like Greenwich, Darien or New Canaan. You didn’t mention the homeless people hanging out at McDonald’s or by the library on Bedford. Stamford has real big city challenges, but manages them much better than Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury. In fact, the city consistently places in the top 10 safest cities above 100,000 population on the FBI’s safest cities list.

Like you, I’m biased too. I was born here and grew up here. I’ve lived in Chicago, L.A., Houston and NYC. Moved back here with my family a decade ago. Is it the same as it was in the 70s? Nope. Do I miss some things? Of course. But this city is so much more livable now. And I wouldn’t trade it for Norwalk’s strip malls that dominate the Post Road from the Darien border to the Westport border. To each his/her own, I guess.

 

[husky429]

My son’s drum and bugle corp qualified for the national championship in Indianapolis years ago. I expected to be underwhelmed but it’s a great city. Fantastic steak houses, funky & lively neighborhoods, the Indiana State Museum, and a walkable downtown. We had a blast there.

I went back to Indianapolis a couple years later for the women’s Final Four and saw a completely different part of the city. Still enjoyed my time there.

@husky429 No mention of Lake George? I know upstate NY well - I went to Clarkson

I'm not a fan of Lake George, personally. I've only even been once or twice though.. I'd much rather get up into the high peaks (my parents live there).

 

[Colin G]

Burlington VT

 

[storrsroars]

I'm not a fan of Lake George, personally. I've only even been once or twice though.. I'd much rather get up into the high peaks (my parents live there).

I haven't been since early 90s, but my memory is that one had to drive to Saratoga to get something decent to eat.

 

[cohenzone]

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.

Loved Beaufort. By coincidence we were there the day after the funeral of one of Beaufort’s favorite sons and one of my favorite authors, Patrick Conroy.

 

[cohenzone]

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

Don’t think it’s underrated. Great city.

 

[HuskyHawk]

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.

It is a nice town. Parents have lived there (St. Helena Island) since the 90s. It is a little less fun than Savannah or Charleston. Less lively. Maybe better to live than visit, the other two are probably the opposite.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Murph's is the rare bar that was really good as both a townie dive, which it was in the early 80s, and an after work professional meet up (when they added "Townhouse"), which it became. I spent a decade at 999 Summer and went there for years in both incarnations.

Casey's bar is good too. The dives in stamford are really the only places I'd go.

 

[Northbound]

My son’s drum and bugle corp qualified for the national championship in Indianapolis years ago. I expected to be underwhelmed but it’s a great city. Fantastic steak houses, funky & lively neighborhoods, the Indiana State Museum, and a walkable downtown. We had a blast there.

I went back to Indianapolis a couple years later for the women’s Final Four and saw a completely different part of the city. Still enjoyed my time there.

@husky429 No mention of Lake George? I know upstate NY well - I went to Clarkson

Lake George is horrible - full stop.

 

[cohenzone]

It really depends on what your interests are and what qualifies as underrated. Laguna is upscale trendy. Santa Fe. Naples Fl, Portsmouth NH, someone mentioned Rapid City, St. Augustine, so many fun places. The more places you get to see the more you find most places have good things to offer.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I agree with Providence. It gets crapped on and is a nice city. Terrific restaurants, good arts & music, even has some good breweries, especially Long Live Beer Works.

Burlington, Savannah, Charleston are terrific, but not underrated.

Kansas City is underrated. The Plaza area is really nice, and they have done a terrific job creating interesting spots for dining, bars, music etc. Long a center for Jazz and Blues music, and of course BBQ. Few cities have upgraded themselves the way it has over the last 20 years. Curious if @ZooCougar agrees.

Aiken, SC is quite nice. It's across the river from Augusta, GA. It is loaded with horse farms, and is an equestrian center. It has a really nice downtown area, lots of outdoor dining and it has become fairly young and vibrant, in part due to the growth of U SC - Aiken.

Worcester, MA is closing in on being underrated. It doesn't have a great rep, and still have some work to do. But the downtown is pretty decent, it has 3 colleges, several breweries sprung up, and now the Red Sox AAA team has moved in to Polar Park, which is going to include a new dining/bar area. It is a biotech hub, and given that it is still inexpensive, I think it will be a target of increased gentrification. Loads of gorgeous old homes.

 

[Northbound]

Been on my must go list for years. What do you like about it? Seems like the perfect western/mountain village.

Just like the overall feel of it - I love Missoula as well, but Whitefish can be a bit harder to get to. It's easy jump Tyler Phommachanh Glacier and there's good food, good bars and I can jump out and fish northern montana easily. It's not what it once was though it's has seen a money influx and there are some wacky parts of the local population - militia, anti-vax, etc. Good and bad I suppose.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

just curious... under what measure have things “gotten worse” in Stamford? It’s the only major city in the entire state with positive population growth. It just overtook New Haven in population, and in 10 years, it will likely be the largest city in the state. Young people are moving to Stamford in droves - many of whom are coming from NYC. If I was 25, I would love to live in Harbor Point, the most ambitious and successful residential development project this state has seen in a long time.

I don’t get the “stale, upper class growth” statement. There’s literally nothing pretentious about this city. Stamford is NOTHING like Greenwich, Darien or New Canaan. You didn’t mention the homeless people hanging out at McDonald’s or by the library on Bedford. Stamford has real big city challenges, but manages them much better than Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury. In fact, the city consistently places in the top 10 safest cities above 100,000 population on the FBI’s safest cities list.

Like you, I’m biased too. I was born here and grew up here. I’ve lived in Chicago, L.A., Houston and NYC. Moved back here with my family a decade ago. Is it the same as it was in the 70s? Nope. Do I miss some things? Of course. But this city is so much more livable now. And I wouldn’t trade it for Norwalk’s strip malls that dominate the Post Road from the Darien border to the Westport border. To each his/her own, I guess.

I didn't share my opinion to personally insult anyone on the board, so my condolences that it was taken that way.

Downtown Stamford is just boring and stale. I can't deny, but the downtown is rising upward and upward, both in terms of cost of living and the literal height of its buildings. I agree it's not pretentious, but it's not fun and it's not aesthetically pleasing.

Personally, I really enjoy downtown New Canaan. It's a beautiful little downtown and as a kid born and raised in Greenwich, I've learned to be impervious about caring about other people's wealth. I can enjoy driving through the streets of New Canaan, Darien, Greenwich, Westport or any other expensive town without disdain towards the financial fortunes of my surroundings. It's a nice feeling.

In response to your critique of Norwalk, you picked the absolute worst thing about Norwalk, so I can't put much merit into your low-hanging fruit. New Jersey is known for the stink of Elizabeth, but it's not fair to judge an entire state based on a bad passing smell on the NJT, right?

Stamford's population has grown, but so has Norwalk's population. The difference in population growth over the last decade is 5.7% to 3.8%, so while I crown Stamford the King of Connecticut Major City Population Growth, generally there's been strong growth across the Gold Coast. It's interesting you failed to mention that both New Haven and Bridgeport have seen population growth over the last decade, but that would dilute your argument, so I get it.

In summary, glad you love your city and I hope all people get to love where they live.

Now back on thread, how about Norfolk, VA?

 

[karstenkibbe]

I didn't share my opinion to personally insult anyone on the board, so my condolences that it was taken that way.

Stamford is just a boring, stale city. I can't deny, but the downtown is rising upward and upward, both in terms of cost of living and the literal height of its buildings. I agree it's not pretentious, but it's not fun and it's not aesthetically pleasing.

Personally, I really enjoy downtown New Canaan. It's a beautiful little downtown and as a kid born and raised in Greenwich, I've learned to be impervious about caring about other people's wealth. I can enjoy driving through the streets of New Canaan, Darien, Greenwich, Westport or any other expensive town without disdain towards the financial fortunes of my surroundings. It's a nice feeling.

In response to your critique of Norwalk, you picked the absolute worst thing about Norwalk, so I can't put much merit into your low-hanging fruit. New Jersey is known for the stink of Elizabeth, but it's not fair to judge an entire state based on a bad passing smell on the NJT, right?

Stamford's population has grown, but so has Norwalk's population. The difference in population growth over the last decade is 5.7% to 3.8%, so while I crown Stamford the King of Connecticut Major City Population Growth, generally there's been strong growth across the Gold Coast. It's interesting you failed to mention that both New Haven and Bridgeport have seen population growth over the last decade, but that would dilute your argument, so I get it.

In summary, glad you love your city and I hope all people get to love where they live.

Now back on thread, how about Norfolk, VA?

Didn’t take it personally at all. And as far as disdain is concerned, you showed it with your comment about “stale, upper class growth”.
You took a shot at Stamford. I attempted to refute some of what you said. That’s it. Looks like you took it personally actually.

 

[Martin]

Boise Idaho