35 replies to this topic

[Willy1]

Have fun and feel free to suggest other cities and explain why you picked a city. The goal is to pick the city that is most beautiful overall. You know - man made combined with nature to create the most pleasing urban city...

My choice is Seattle because it's green year round and the mountains and water are incredible on their own, but then when you add Seattle's incredible skyline to the mix it's just impossible to beat - in my opinion. Plus, the weather, while rainy, is always bearable. It's never bitter cold, or blazing hot.

I think my second choise with be Denver or San Fran.

[normanfd]

I think the choice is like comparing apples and oranges (and pears, and grapes, and canteloupes). All cities have their advantages, some stronger than others, while all have disadvantages that may potentially be dealt with in either short or long term attention. Also, some cities require a much higher income in order to appreciate the lifestyle that is ubiquitous in other cities.

[UrbanLandscape]

You left off Pittsburgh, which is what I would have voted for, but Fort Worth is a close second, so I'm voting for it.

[redhead]

You also left off Charlotte, a city that we are frequently compared to. I cannot vote for one, either, as they are all so different. I have had the pleasure of living in four that I think are beautiful: Boston, Charlotte, San Diego and San Francisco. It's hard for me to separate the emotion of living there from the cityscape. Favorite is probably SF, but I also really love the city of Vancouver...okay I can't decide.

[cjyoung]

CJ's Top Ten
============
1. Vancouver
2. Seattle
3. San Francisco
4. Portland
5. San Diego
6. Washington, DC
7. Salt Lake City
8. Saint Paul
9. Austin
10. Denver


Monterey/Pebble beach and Malibu are my picks for most beautiful, whether city or not.

[mosteijn]

Seattle! I'd move there in a heartbeat...

[John T Roberts]

Making one choice is very difficult. I have been to most all of them and each has its own special qualities. I will give you my criteria for judging beautiful places. I prefer places with abundant water (either fresh or salt), rugged terrain (big hills or mountains), and lots of trees.

[cjyoung]

I wish the Fort Worth-Arlington MSA was actually centered around Glen Rose. I really love the drive down to Fossil Rim twice a year.

[renamerusk]

I'm with you cjyoung; Glen Rose/Granbury is as beautiful as it gets; and the census bureau has been kind enough to occasionally include Hood County in with the Greater Fort Worth/Arlington Metropolitan Area.

Here is something unsolicited and overheard more than once by a recent transplant to Fort Worth/Arlington from Chicago: "Fort Worth has the prettiest little downtown; its very pretty"....that from someone who has lived most of their life in Chicago, arguably one of America's Great Two Cities

[John T Roberts]

I know I'm off topic here, but the Glen Rose area is my favorite place to ride bicycles in the area. It is close enough that you can drive there, ride 20-60 miles, eat lunch, then drive back in the afternoon. It also gives you a little taste of the Hill Country. You all may think I'm crazy, but I love hills on a bike ride.

[Sam Stone]

My own list would include (in addition to FW of course) DC, Annapolis, Saratoga Springs, La Jolla, San Francisco and now Bloomington, IN. I've been here two weeks and it is truly a beautiful town. There are many old original buildings on and off campus. Most are limestone masonry, a lot of slate roofing. It's very green, the infrastructure is well maintained, and there's far less sprawl than Denton which is almost the same size. I'll try to send in some pictures later. Thanks again for the send off a few weeks ago--it was great meeting all of you.

[renamerusk]

Three way tie: I am voting Jefferson, Texas; Granbury/Glen Rose, Texas; and of course Fort Worth.

You might give more consideration of my selection if you recall that CNN chose to broadcast from Sydney, Australia, New York, Paris and Granbury, Texas, right here in our own backyard, as the international venues it highlighted to celebrate the beginning of the new millenium. Imagine, Granbury Courthouse Square, Texas in the same sentence with the Sydney Opera House, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower.

[mosteijn]

To those who actually voted for Fort Worth: How can it compare in terms of urban/scenic beauty to almost any of the rest of the cities on the list? I love FW, don't get me wrong, but it really pales in comparison to the beauty of the NE urbanity or the PacNW scenery...

I know I'm off topic here, but the Glen Rose area is my favorite place to ride bicycles in the area.  It is close enough that you can drive there, ride 20-60 miles, eat lunch, then drive back in the afternoon.  It also gives you a little taste of the Hill Country.  You all may think I'm crazy, but I love hills on a bike ride.

Have you ever ridden the trail that goes from downtown Mineral Wells to downtown Weatherford? It's a gorgeous path, with hills, trees, and plenty of farmland for viewing cows, horses and the like. Minerel Wells State Park is also a pretty cool place to go rock climbing!

[salvag]

To those who actually voted for Fort Worth: How can it compare in terms of urban/scenic beauty to almost any of the rest of the cities on the list? I love FW, don't get me wrong, but it really pales in comparison to the beauty of the NE urbanity or the PacNW scenery...

I totally agree Jonny. I know you all love Fort Worth, and I do too... but the prettiest city in the whole US?? I think it is far from the prettiest, and almost every one of the cities on this list would beat it... but that's just my opinion I guess.

[John T Roberts]

Have you ever ridden the trail that goes from downtown Mineral Wells to downtown Weatherford? It's a gorgeous path, with hills, trees, and plenty of farmland for viewing cows, horses and the like. Minerel Wells State Park is also a pretty cool place to go rock climbing!

Yes, I have ridden the Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway. I've always enjoyed it when we have gone out there to ride. It has beautiful scenery. The trail is a part of the Rails to Trails program. They convert old railroad right-of-way in to bicycle trails. I have also done some rock climbing in the park.

[redhead]

Okay, John---by your own standards: "abundant water, rugged terrain and lots of trees", I would have to say Vancouver. And the parks are actually large enough that you can do something in them...not like our little postage stamp parks.

And Sam---great to hear from you! I hope all is well in IN with you.

[2112]

San Francisco is at the top of my list. Although New York is at the top also, to me at least, but its beauty is different: its beauty is its sheer massiveness and urbanity. Sorta lilke comparing a beautiful creek with crystal clear water and small watefall....to the beauty of the grand canyon. One leaves you with smiles, the other leaves you in awe.


...Now how's THAT for a load of crap!!!



(I meant what I said, however, all of it.)

[Willy1]

Okay, confession time. Fort Worth was added to the list almost as a joke. I can't believe anyone picked FW - especially since no one picked Honalulu or some of the other obvious choices. I guess this proves that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Should I have included El Paso and Midland?

[RD Milhollin]

"I guess this proves that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Should I have included El Paso and Midland?"

What about including Savannah, GA? Savannah is a very "human scaled" city with families living right downtown continuously for several hundred years. Every few blocks, in a semi-checkerboard pattern, is a public square with huge trees and fountains. Great city, I would consider living there any season but summer.

Pup

[normanfd]

What's amazing about your list is that only 7 out of 25 have received any votes at all to this point. However, your list ignores many popular favorites such as Odessa, Beaumont, and Killeen.

[RD Milhollin]

"What's amazing about your list is that only 7 out of 25 have received any votes at all to this point. However, your list ignores many popular favorites such as Odessa, Beaumont, and Killeen."

No one mentioned New Orleans, One of my favorite US cities. I know it's not Seattle, but it is very human scaled in the Garden District and in the Vieux Carre, very scenic in a musty, decrepit-historic sort of way.

[safly]

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA!

[Yossarian]

scenery: San Franciso going away with Seattle a runner up.
architecture: New York and Chicago are going to be almost neck and neck.
climate: Honolulu. Nothing else on the lists comes close day in and day out.
fairer sex: Dallas. LA and Miami are very close seconds
layout: DC. Gotta love the L'Enfant contribution. Runner up is San Antonio: downtown appears to be laid out by a drunk
cleanest: Chicago. It is a surprisingly clean city

[heathPS]

I think, by far, the prettiest city in the US is Park City, UT. Just gorgeous!

I may have to retract my statement in a week or so.....leaving for Honolulu tomorrow.

[Yossarian]

City-wise, HNL is really not that pretty, although the view of Diamond Head from Waikiki is pretty awsome. It is the year round tropical climate that is really what draws me.

[David Love]

Can a cities personality or public perception be influenced by the season it’s experienced in, perhaps even differences between nighttime and daytime exposure to a cities colors?

[safly]

It could be. As far as regions, I love New England in the summer, where as it is more known as a Winter-Fall kinda place.

Chicago is VERY clean for a city it's size. And the Windy City rocks in the summer months as well. GREAT golf.

Still think that Rancho Palos Verdes in sunny S.Cal is tops. Year round.

[cberen1]

I think, by far, the prettiest city in the US is Park City, UT. Just gorgeous!

I may have to retract my statement in a week or so.....leaving for Honolulu tomorrow.

Maybe it's a matter of taste. I'm a huge fan of Savannah. Very "pretty". Not very big, but it should qualify as a city. I also think Colorado Springs is pretty, but I'm sure that has more to do with the setting than the city itself.

[Keller Pirate]

I concur on the scenery from San Francisco and Seattle being No. 1 and 2 but sometimes I think the view looking out from the city is better than the one looking in.

It is a matter of taste, because Honolulu, climate wise, would not be my first pick. Having grown up in Southern California I always heard people talk about how great Hawaii was so I had some pretty high expectations the first time I visited. I was extremely disappointed because it was so humid. If I had thought about it being surrounded by water it shouldn’t have been such a surprise, but for a person that had spent their entire life in low humidity, sunshiny Orange County I was disappointed. Of course if you are on the beach in your swimsuit it is not a problem.

Chicago is clean as long as you stay between Lake Michigan and the EL. Which is what most people think of when they think of Chicago. In the early 90’s I was working in the Santa Fe Corwith yard near Pulaski and I-55. I attended a dinner in Kansas City and wound up setting next to the Sr. VP of operations. The corporate headquarters where he had his office was in suburban Schaumburg. He was telling me about his condo on the Gold Coast and I kept saying I couldn’t believe he would drive an hour each way to work just to live downtown. He kept extolling the benefits of downtown Chicago and I finally admitted that I thought if I worked in Chicago it would be great to live there. Then he said, “you do work in Chicago” it stunned me because I knew full well I worked in Chicago but at that moment I had forgotten and was thinking of the city as most people do, Michigan Ave and a couple blocks on either side. My 3rd floor office had an incredible view of the skyline just 3 miles away, but it could have been on the moon for the economic separation.

[cjyoung]

architecture: New York and Chicago are going to be almost neck and neck.

DC, Boston, and Philadelphia have great architecture.

fairer sex: Dallas. LA and Miami are very close seconds

Dallas? Are you talking about fake-breasted freaks or women to take home to momma?

cleanest: Chicago. It is a surprisingly clean city

Certainly not on the southside.

[David Love]

It could be. As far as regions, I love New England in the summer, where as it is more known as a Winter-Fall kinda place.

Chicago is VERY clean for a city it's size. And the Windy City rocks in the summer months as well. GREAT golf.

Still think that Rancho Palos Verdes in sunny S.Cal is tops. Year round.

My favorite So Cal location for PERFECT year round weather is San Diego, as long as you're on the ocean side of the ridge, sunny and 68, the kind of weather that makes you want to be outside.

[Keller Pirate]

I saw this and thought it might be fun and relate a little to this thread. I have edited parts of the story.
In the preview I see the 2 nicely separated columns were shoved together making them a little harder to read.

CINCINNATI, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- In anticipation of the first day of summer on Wednesday, June 21, Old Spice today announced its Fifth Annual Top-100 Sweatiest Cities List -- a ranking of the nation's heaviest sweaters during the summer months. For the third time in four years, the No. 1 perspiration producer is Phoenix. The top honor also went to the famed desert city in 2005 and 2003.

While Phoenix is still the nation's sweatiest city, the state of Texas is perhaps the sweatiest state in the country. Six of its cities -- Dallas, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Waco -- all rank in the Top 10 when it comes to sweat production. And while Phoenix tops all other cities in terms of pure sweat production, you're likely to find the weather in Miami a lot less comfortable. The combination of heat and humidity there results in sweat that doesn't easily evaporate -- which leads to soaked shirts and sweaty brows.

"Heat -- and becoming overheated -- is what causes people to sweat," said Dr. Paul Ruscher, associate professor and associate chair of meteorology at Florida State University, "but high humidity prevents sweat from evaporating. When taking both of these factors into consideration, the 10 most uncomfortable cities in the country are Miami; Corpus Christi, Texas; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Houston; San Antonio; New Orleans; Tampa, Fla. and Fort Myers, Fla."

TOP-100 SWEATIEST CITIES IN AMERICA
Brought to You By the Sweat Experts at Old Spice

1. Phoenix, AZ... 51. Columbus, OH
2. Las Vegas, NV... 52. Kansas City, MO
3. Tucson, AZ... 53. Evansville, IN
4. Dallas, TX... 54. Lexington, KY
5. Corpus Christi, TX... 55. Wilkes-Barre, PA
6. San Antonio, TX... 56. Cincinnati, OH
7. Austin, TX... 57. Harrisburg, PA
8. Shreveport, LA... 58. Baltimore, MD
9. Houston, TX... 59. Charleston, WV
10. Waco, TX... 60. Springfield, IL
11. Miami, FL... 61. Moline, IL
12. New Orleans, LA... 62. New York, NY
13. Orlando, FL... 63. Roanoke, VA
14. Tampa, FL... 64. Indianapolis, IN
15. West Palm Beach, FL ... 65. Des Moines, IA
16. Honolulu, HI... 66. Bristol, TN
17. El Paso, TX... 67. Salt Lake City, UT
18. Memphis, TN... 68. Detroit, MI
19. Fort Myers, FL... 69. Sacramento, CA
20. Baton Rouge, LA... 70. Chicago, IL
21. Little Rock, AR... 71. Dayton, OH
22. Mobile, AL ... 72. Toledo, OH
23. Jacksonville, FL ... 73. Cleveland, OH
24. Tulsa, OK ... 74. Minneapolis, MN
25. Fresno, CA ... 75. Hartford, CT
26. Jackson, MS ... 76. South Bend, IN
27. Savannah, GA... 77. Syracuse, NY
28. Montgomery, AL... 78. Providence, RI
29. Nashville, TN... 79. Pittsburgh, PA
30. Columbia, SC ... 80. Albany, NY
31. Oklahoma City, OK... 81. Buffalo, NY
32. Raleigh, NC... 82. Asheville, NC
33. St Louis, MO... 83. Grand Rapids, MI
34. Birmingham, AL... 84. Milwaukee, WI
35. Huntsville, AL... 85. Rochester, NY
36. Richmond, VA... 86. Boston, MA
37. Louisville, KY... 87. Denver, CO
38. Chattanooga, TN ... 88. Madison, WI
39. Washington DC... 89. Flint, MI
40. Wichita, KS... 90. Youngstown, OH
41. Omaha, NE ... 91. Burlington, VT
42. Norfolk, VA ... 92. Los Angeles, CA
43. Springfield, MO ... 93. Green Bay, WI
44. Virginia Beach, VA ... 94. San Diego, CA
45. Atlanta, GA... 95. Colorado Springs, CO
46. Greensboro, NC ... 96. Portland, ME
47. Charlotte, NC ... 97. Portland, OR
48. Philadelphia, PA ... 98. Spokane, WA
49. Albuquerque, NM... 99. Seattle, WA
50. Knoxville, TN ... 100. San Francisco, CA


I see my humid pick city of Honolulu placed 16th well behind Dallas but far ahead of LA (92) and San Diego (94) . I guess they only measured the humidity in Portland OR during the summer, since it is 100% the rest of the year.

[cjyoung]

I saw this and thought it might be fun and relate a little to this thread. I have edited parts of the story.
In the preview I see the 2 nicely separated columns were shoved together making them a little harder to read.

CINCINNATI, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- In anticipation of the first day of summer on Wednesday, June 21, Old Spice today announced its Fifth Annual Top-100 Sweatiest Cities List -- a ranking of the nation's heaviest sweaters during the summer months. For the third time in four years, the No. 1 perspiration producer is Phoenix. The top honor also went to the famed desert city in 2005 and 2003.

While Phoenix is still the nation's sweatiest city, the state of Texas is perhaps the sweatiest state in the country. Six of its cities -- Dallas, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Waco -- all rank in the Top 10 when it comes to sweat production. And while Phoenix tops all other cities in terms of pure sweat production, you're likely to find the weather in Miami a lot less comfortable. The combination of heat and humidity there results in sweat that doesn't easily evaporate -- which leads to soaked shirts and sweaty brows.

"Heat -- and becoming overheated -- is what causes people to sweat," said Dr. Paul Ruscher, associate professor and associate chair of meteorology at Florida State University, "but high humidity prevents sweat from evaporating. When taking both of these factors into consideration, the 10 most uncomfortable cities in the country are Miami; Corpus Christi, Texas; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Houston; San Antonio; New Orleans; Tampa, Fla. and Fort Myers, Fla."

TOP-100 SWEATIEST CITIES IN AMERICA
Brought to You By the Sweat Experts at Old Spice

1. Phoenix, AZ... 51. Columbus, OH
2. Las Vegas, NV... 52. Kansas City, MO
3. Tucson, AZ... 53. Evansville, IN
4. Dallas, TX... 54. Lexington, KY
5. Corpus Christi, TX... 55. Wilkes-Barre, PA
6. San Antonio, TX... 56. Cincinnati, OH
7. Austin, TX... 57. Harrisburg, PA
8. Shreveport, LA... 58. Baltimore, MD
9. Houston, TX... 59. Charleston, WV
10. Waco, TX... 60. Springfield, IL
11. Miami, FL... 61. Moline, IL
12. New Orleans, LA... 62. New York, NY
13. Orlando, FL... 63. Roanoke, VA
14. Tampa, FL... 64. Indianapolis, IN
15. West Palm Beach, FL ... 65. Des Moines, IA
16. Honolulu, HI... 66. Bristol, TN
17. El Paso, TX... 67. Salt Lake City, UT
18. Memphis, TN... 68. Detroit, MI
19. Fort Myers, FL... 69. Sacramento, CA
20. Baton Rouge, LA... 70. Chicago, IL
21. Little Rock, AR... 71. Dayton, OH
22. Mobile, AL ... 72. Toledo, OH
23. Jacksonville, FL ... 73. Cleveland, OH
24. Tulsa, OK ... 74. Minneapolis, MN
25. Fresno, CA ... 75. Hartford, CT
26. Jackson, MS ... 76. South Bend, IN
27. Savannah, GA... 77. Syracuse, NY
28. Montgomery, AL... 78. Providence, RI
29. Nashville, TN... 79. Pittsburgh, PA
30. Columbia, SC ... 80. Albany, NY
31. Oklahoma City, OK... 81. Buffalo, NY
32. Raleigh, NC... 82. Asheville, NC
33. St Louis, MO... 83. Grand Rapids, MI
34. Birmingham, AL... 84. Milwaukee, WI
35. Huntsville, AL... 85. Rochester, NY
36. Richmond, VA... 86. Boston, MA
37. Louisville, KY... 87. Denver, CO
38. Chattanooga, TN ... 88. Madison, WI
39. Washington DC... 89. Flint, MI
40. Wichita, KS... 90. Youngstown, OH
41. Omaha, NE ... 91. Burlington, VT
42. Norfolk, VA ... 92. Los Angeles, CA
43. Springfield, MO ... 93. Green Bay, WI
44. Virginia Beach, VA ... 94. San Diego, CA
45. Atlanta, GA... 95. Colorado Springs, CO
46. Greensboro, NC ... 96. Portland, ME
47. Charlotte, NC ... 97. Portland, OR
48. Philadelphia, PA ... 98. Spokane, WA
49. Albuquerque, NM... 99. Seattle, WA
50. Knoxville, TN ... 100. San Francisco, CA


I see my humid pick city of Honolulu placed 16th well behind Dallas but far ahead of LA (92) and San Diego (94) . I guess they only measured the humidity in Portland OR during the summer, since it is 100% the rest of the year.

This is clearly a list put together by dummies.

[Keller Pirate]

What, you don't believe them?

[hooked]

Since Fort Worth is not in the top 100, I have to take that list with a grain of salt.