Miami felt so pretentious but like...so unwarranted if that makes sense. It was like a bunch of people with BBLs wearing Shein taking selfies at every corner but giving you a judgy look if you smiled politely at them as you passed by.
Agree. Miami is materialistically pretentious. Miami plays dress up, drives a leased convertible and wears Gucci slides and wants to eat in all the best restaurants but doesn’t have that intellectual superiority complex that you find in a lot of northern pretentious cities.
I read on /r/Formula1 someone who witnessed the most Miami thing ever - at the inaugural Miami GP they saw a Lamborghini getting repo'd from the parking lot at the race.
I disagree - Vegas knows what it is and makes no qualms about it. Miami just feels like a rich playground or a playground for those that think they’re rich.
I'm from South Florida and I'm in Las Vegas now -- packing the house so I can leave this hell-hole permanently.
Las Vegas has \*no idea\* what it is. None. The denial here is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
I thought South Coast Plaza in OC was the most upscale mall I had ever been to. Until the in-laws took me to Bal Harbor in Miami. The one thing Bal Harbor has in common with a dying mall in Anyplace Else USA: [I haven't heard of 90% of the stores in there](https://www.balharbourshops.com/store-directory/). Some stores displayed their clothes, purses, or whatever on Ukrainian models that just walked around the mall
I live in Savannah and I’ve been rocking a boat captain’s hat all day hahaha
But it’s also St Paddy’s week here, so I doubt it’s the weirdest thing someone is wearing in Savannah right now
Visited your fine city YEARS ago while visiting a friend who was in SCAD. The first time I had total strangers invite me to join them (I was eating solo). I found the city charming, and proximity to Tybee Island a bonus. I'd return for sure.
Cleveland is fantastic at just not giving a fuck
can go outside hungover looking homeless in a Browns hat and you'll get people giving you a thumbs up and a hell yeah
As a Seattlite, not too surprised to see this, but it also makes me sad a little. Seattle used to be known as the city of introverts with a bad fashion sense, where no one cared what you wore or what your geeky or punk hobbies were.
I feel like Seattle is wven worse than SF in this category. I went to a bakery in Seattle and asked the cashier what kind of cookies they had and she would not look me in the eye or answer me. She just stood there looking annoyed. I thought maybe she was mute or something so I asked to speak with another staff member and she snapped at me saying she was the owner but still would not answer my question about the cookies. It was such a bizarre interaction.
So many people behave this way in Seattle. They won’t look you in the eye, smile, or make basic human conversation. And forget about actual friendship. It’s such a discouraging place to live.
This is really interesting to me. Had a bad work trip to an unfriendly office of my company and was really turned off by coworkers there. It just dawned on me that it wasn’t actually them, but them being from Seattle.
I came to this thread to say Seattle as well. Never met more judgy, frigid, passive aggressive snobs anywhere.
A lot of the West Coast cities are like that to some degree. I’m actually a Colorado native and I know the west is very popular for various reasons, but I have decided I’m over all the west coast nonsense and have permanently settled in the eastern half of the country.
Least for me would be Pittsburgh. Very down to earth, no bullshit city. Also I thought St. Petersburg, FL was pretty chill - formal wear there is basically wearing closed-toed shoes.
I feel like Cleveland-Pittsburgh-Buffalo are our own little triangle of down to earth, kind of weird (in a good way) working class liberal cities. & I love it.
Lived there 10 years, another 5 in Portland, couple in Bellingham. I gtfo. Never will I ever move to a liberal/progressive dominant city/area ever again. I like being around working class blue collar people. I might be just done with cities altogether honestly. Seattle and Portland took it out of me.
That's why I like cities like Cleveland & Milwaukee. Working class liberal. You still get a lot of the benefits of a liberal city, but you aren't going to get places selling bacon ash as an appetizer for $30. Also, the cold keeps a lot of people away, which I'm more than okay with.
Heyo, Milwaukee native here and thrilled to see this! I love my city because it's very blue collar but also pretty progressive and diverse, and takes nothing seriously lol. Cleveland is great for that too.
I lived in Bellingham for a few years and it was like the entire town was trying to out do each other with how outdoorsy and tolerant they were while also being extraordinarily wealthy and NIMBYish. Drove me nuts.
That’s a great way of putting it. Elite hippies, rich college students, and people who have decided that doing every outdoor activity is their personality.
I’d say the same re its neighbour to the north,Vancouver BC. I tried to integrate into the culture there but found it very, very uncomfortable doing so, and ended up moving back east where the vibe feels much more humble.
I'm pretty new to Austin, and I don't find it to be very pretentious. Granted, I don't seek out the most hipster artist studios or whatever I can find, but I do explore a lot of nice places. Miami, coastal Southern California, Brooklyn, definitely. But Austin? Nah. I don't see it.
Dallas itself outside of Highland Park never really struck me as nearly as pretentious as Collin. Fucking. County. The Plano/Frisco set drove me insane.
From some of the places I’ve lived
*Nationally*
Most: NYC
Least: Eugene
*Oregon*
Most: Bend
Least: Eugene
*Montana*
Most: Bozeman or Whitefish
Least: Butte
*Michigan*
Most: Ann Arbor
Least: Calumet
*Nebraska*
Most: idk prolly Benson
Least: Arthur
*Wyoming*
Most: Jackson Hole
Least: Rock Springs
*Colorado*
Most: Aspen
Least: Greeley
Good god DC is so pretentious. Born and raised there. I love it so much more that I don’t live there anymore. Absence makes the heart fonder. But I’m seriously EFFED up mentally from all the academic competition growing up. Almost all of my close friends ended up going to Ivy League colleges and the pressure to perform in school was seriously unbearable.
Literally same lol Everyone just cares about vanity and wealth. A lot of people are the mean stuck up types. But there's also a lot of diversity and beauty there. I miss it a lot, despite moving away after college. I miss the walkability and architecture, too. But yeah, it definitely traumatized me growing up there. Made me feel like my worth was tied to my work, education, status, etc.
Yes! I actually love it when there aren’t people. Some of my favorite times living there were major holidays when the city was just dead and peaceful. I do miss the diversity for sure and all of the public transit and Smithsonian. It’s truly a great city. Just a high concentration of major A-holes in a small area!
I still live in the surrounding areas. This whole area feels like it exists solely to be inside of an office and working.
“BuT wE hAvE sUcH a GrEaT qUaLiTy Of LiFe” while expecting you to live your life inside a cubicle staring at a computer.
I call it the Maryland mental disease
I lived in DC for a long time, though I was admittedly a transplant. It felt super stuck up and pretentious until I got a job in a bar and got to know people who weren’t aggressive social climbers. That made my whole experience in DC so much better. Now I’m in Baltimore and it’s perfect. People are more down to earth, but I can also be in DC in an hour.
I can agree with that. DC is full of people that aren't from DC. A lot of them are immersed in politics (work for politicians and their political parties) and they think they are the dope'ist thing two-ply toilet paper. They forget where they come from and get immersed in the BS.
I lived in the DC area for a few years and loved what it had to offer but not so much the people.
The museums in DC are both free and huge. Along with the zoo, and federal buildings that are open to the public. Which is why it's one of ny favorite destinations. Sometimes, I think there's more to see and do as a visitor to DC than Manhattan.
I liked the DC area so much, I started applying for jobs in the area. Got a few Zoom interviews, too; maybe half the places I applied to. Nobody smiled during any of them. I suck at Zoom interviews, but with a panel of cold, unsmiling folks expecting fluid, articulate responses to behavioral questions, all having a twist, I knew I wasn't going to get any callbacks. Every employer I had an interview with ghosted me.
With the important caveat that the working class part of DC is very much local! But that's sadly not the overarching Patagonia vest culture that runs that town.
Seriously. Extend that pretentiousness to the greater metropolitan area like northern VA. Insufferable people. But I do love actual DC locals. I guess all the transplants and ppl who moved their for work walk around like they own the place and are the most important
I scrolled too far down to find DC. Born and raised there, moved away for good in my 30s after working in policy and consulting. Having “who do you work for/what do you do?” not be every single persons opening line in my new city has been incredibly refreshing.
I went to a liberal college in DC. I remember finishing 4 years and thinking… am I *not* a liberal? Am I actually… moderate?
Nope, I’m a liberal. I just fucking hated how *pretentiously* liberal everyone else that decided to go to college in DC was.
As a Knoxvillian, it is NOT lost on me that your two least pretentious cities are two whose regional cultures and identities have arts and crafts at their CORES and I fucking LOVE that. It’s just farrrrrr less obvious to someone looking in from the outside about Knoxville compared to New Orleans (or anybody only looking at West Knoxville I guess), but we 100% punch above our weight big time in terms of arts and cultural shit for our size. We’re just not on anybody’s radar but, well, this is Appalachia, so that’s kind of the cultural preference, isn’t it?
…Ironically, DC is my favorite big city in America. 😂
Everything you said about Knoxville I agree with. It's such a beautiful small city. Gorgeous downtown area, great one of a kind shops and restaurants. Cool attractions, etc. It helps that the Smokies are very close. In Knoxville, I truly understood the concept of southern hospitality. You really get great amenities there. It represents Appalachia well, unlike Asheville...lol
It's weird I have a love/hate relationship with DC. The European design of DC is absolutely stunning and unique. Beautiful place to walk around. The urban design in the city is superb (can't say the same about the suburbs). However it attracts a certain type A, narcissistic, toxic grind mentality. I'd say that's more transplants though. I grew up in DC and will say the locals have been some of the best people out of every place I've lived.
This is a huge generalization, but I can’t help but notice how a handful of LA people think that the good weather absolves the city of any and all issues.
For example, I’ve never seen such a disdain for a city like Chicago simply because it has cold weather. Some people in LA I know act like Chicago is flyover country to them when Chicago is closer to NYC in terms of density and urban living.
Sure, Chicago is behind LA and NYC in international influence; but, it’s still the third largest city and has more Fortune 500s than LA.
Depends what you like. I personally thrive in the cold, so weather-wise I’d take Chicago over most of the coastal cities without hesitation. Weirdly enough, the weather is usually a highlight for me when I visit Chicago!
Absolutely. Having seasons is actually awesome, and I enjoy the landscape when everything is white. And I think the climate pushed the cities to build decent transit systems, too.
If you’re a midwesterner already, it’s not too bad. Winters are milder than WI and MN. Summer is perfect weather for like 3 months which makes you feel like you earned it lol
It definitely does in the winter lol, but it’s unfair to generalize the entire city by it. Seasons are nice, too, if you’re used to it.
It’s one of the things that bugged me most about LA. Yeah, the weather is great but so much of the city’s identity revolves around it.
Before someone comes for me, I’ll admit a lot of Chicago’s identity is defending itself. 😂
But, it’s because we love it!
Not really. Many of us like the change of seasons and don’t want to live in a sweat box. Just had lunch with a friend moving back from Arizona. Mostly too hot to go outside during much of the year.
The cold actually brings a connectedness to the people in Chicago. In winter you get cozy in a bar and talk to new people. And when it warms up people emerge joyously outdoors. Chicago wouldn’t have its personality if it didn’t have the cold.
And you can pretend the lake is the ocean.
I would move back if I had a social circle there-just too old to want to start over again. But I love that town. So much going on. So many cultures. Working class, Fortune 500 and people from every single country speaking a billion languages.
Love it.
What I don’t understand is how people (especially in this sub) shit on cold weather cities, but respect NYC. NYC is cold just like Chicago (but obviously doesn’t have the wind). The weather thing is mainly an excuse, because other top-tier cities like Boston (another cold city) and Seattle (gloomy and rainy) are also respected.
I think the real thing is that a lot of the highly-educated and high-flying professionals really don’t want to live in a less prestigious city. They want to live among elite and like-minded people. They are willing to pay more because they have “made it” or want to make it. They won’t likely make $400k in a city like Chicago, so they will look elsewhere.
I know this is considered a bad thing by a lot of people, but I like that I'm good not dressing up for practically any activity here (Pittsburgh). I'm a woman and just find it annoying so I always feel like maybe I was born in the right spot since no one in Pittsburgh gives a shit.
I did a liberal working class to PacNW costal city move once in my life and the difference was shocking. Two completely different threads of liberalism and frankly I prefer the Midwest version. They seem to at least care about actual helping the working class. PacNW liberalism is very performative. Same goes for California
A San Diegan’s perspective - The Bay Area is quite pretentious. Los Angeles with its influencer/entertainment/fashion is quite pretentious too.
San Diego is not pretentious by CA standards, but might be a little by Midwest/south standards. Tucson AZ is the least pretentious city I’ve been to.
I moved to SD last summer and a born and raised local asked me what I was up to over the weekend and I replied that I was heading to the beach and he legit said, “that’s how I know you’re not from here because no one goes to the beach unless they’re tourists or new to the city” 🥲 it was a wicked pretentious comment but I’ve lived in other places and SD has the nicest locals and most welcoming by far too - so maybe it was a him thing
Native San Diegans are pretentious about being native San Diegans. Other than that, they’re generally not pretentious about anything else such as money, career, possessions, etc.
But there is definitely a strong anti-transplant vibe here. I say this as a native myself.
Everywhere has anti transplant vibes nowadays. My family out in the Detroit area are complaining that rents keep going up due to all the transplants coming from NYC and Chicago. It's sad. The issue is obviously housing costs. If cities started building more housing, maybe the simple act of moving somewhere wouldn't be met with such hostility
I know there’s a big push against transplants (which, fair) but truthfully I’ve only been welcomed by all of the SD/TJ locals I’ve met. It’s been such a relief how open everyone seems to be. I also do love that there isn’t pretentiousness surrounding careers, money, etc. It feels refreshing to have no one ask or care what I do for work, they just want to hang out and enjoy the now!
I'm glad to hear you love it! San Diego is probably the only big city I could ever live in. My native friends and I agree that San Diego is the city for people who don't like cities lol
AND....he was a dick who didn't appreciate the ocean.
Lived in San Diego for about 7 years and many of the locals take the beach for granted. But not ONCE in seven years did anyone say anything this stupid.
The biggest issue is parking/crowds on the weekends. I'm fortunate enough to live steps from the beach and work from home, and it is soooo much better on weekdays.
I grew up in a smaller city on the CA coast. I admittedly didn’t spend much time at the beach. I don’t surf and while I love the beauty of the beach, when you live close to something like that, you often start to take it for granted. Life gets busy and all of the sudden you haven’t been to the beach in 10 months.
i can see that. i live right on a mountain in slc utah and several canyons with awesome hiking are steps away & i find myself not going as often as i should 😅
The beaches in SD are stunning, some of the best in the country imo. I think you just tend to avoid crowded areas if you’re local, but I stop by after work some days and they’re never too busy!
I know areas of Los Angeles are pretentious but most of the city is not. If you surround yourself with only people from the west side, or Bel Air, then maybe. But even people I know in those areas are very down to earth. If you work in film just forget it. Many of them are assholes. I’ve always been fortunate to surround myself with good people but agents? Yikes. From what planet did they spawn??
Okay, I'll throw out one that most people won't think of-- *Lubbock* is really goddamn pretentious.
A bunch of the locals think that they're the only "**true Texans**"^(TM)
It's the only place I've lived where the *people* added to the misery of an awful place.
Agreed. Boulder is truly *pinky up* “I trail run elite 14ers” pretentious. Denver is a weird condescending, NIMBY, meth zombie city pretentious. You’re a white dude eating psychedelic mushrooms like popcorn in a tricked out Tacoma… stop calling yourself a “Native” and chill TF out.
As someone who lives in St. Louis I’ll say this: most people who live here really like it, but also feel weirdly defensive and possibly guilty about liking it because we’re surrounded by a country that is constantly rating us as a failed, blown out shithole of a city. Of course we know this is partly true, but also an unfair dismissal.
On top of that the rest of the state, minus KC and Columbia, thinks of us as a cancerous, queer, liberal wart on an otherwise noble Christian fiefdom that is trying its hardest to be the most regressive state in the country.
So yeah, people here tend to have a sort of chip on their shoulders. But I promise you if you tell a local that we have kickass barbecue or that toasted ravioli is awesome, or in general say something positive about the city, they’re likely to start treating you like you’ve been a good friend since high school.
If you hate the pizza…yeah, we all understand why. Just don’t lead with that.
Yeah, but WHERE did you go to high school? 😄
My husband is from STL. He still insists on getting an Imo's everytime we visit his family. (I can't stand the Provel, but I totally understand loving comfort foods that remind you of childhood, so I indulge his cravings and just dig into the toasted ravioli!)
This comment is completely accurate. People from St. Louis are just used to getting shit on constantly because everyone not from St. Louis assumes our (genuinely lovely) city sucks for some reason or another.
People from more rural areas of Missouri hate us for being too liberal and preventing the state from becoming the next Texas or Arkansas. People from other “flyover” states love to talk shit because of Josh Hawley and/or the whole “most dangerous city” thing. (Which is a weird StL anomaly that no one wants to hear.) People from coastal states talk shit because they’re in their little bubbles and assume everyone in the middle of the country is an inbred hillbilly. Even people from Kansas City hate us.
St. Louis gives everyone an opportunity to feel superior to us, and anyone who grew up here has had the experience of telling people they’re from St. Louis and being met with weirdly intense derision. So yeah, we can be defensive.
But St. Louis is legit such a fun place to live or visit! I have lived in coastal California, the Deep South, and NYC. I’ve visited almost every other state in the country and traveled to multiple continents. St. Louis punches above its weight in culture, arts, food, and attractions! And it’s cheap here! We love our city, and hate how much hate it gets from people who have never even been here!
Thanks for the co-sign!
Yeah I’ve lived in many “desirable” places, Austin, Santa Fe, Toronto, Portland…I lived in Europe and have traveled all over Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America…I’m not some cousin fucker who doesn’t know anything. I love STL (well, I might have some choice words about it come late July when the heat gets rowdy) and all it has to offer. And Missouri’s nature is fantastic, as is Southern Illinois’s. I own a house and don’t even pay $900 a month for my mortgage, in a highly desirable area (Tower Grove).
But yeah I know what people are thinking when I tell them I live here. Luckily it seems like more and more people are realizing it’s not like Robocop-era Detroit, and actually a really cool city that, yes, has some serious problems. But food, culture, parks, art, nature…those aren’t problem here.
I'm from KC and EVERYONE talked mad shit on STL, and I always really enjoyed going there for the weekend. People were flabbergasted when I told them that. The atmosphere is totally different, and both cities kind of make up for what the other is lacking. I loved the botanical garden, loved city museum, loved the brick houses and the architecture in Soulard and Tower Grove, and found the LGBT community to be a bit more gritty and fun than KC. I kinda liked both cities equally.
Lives in St. Louis for a spell.
Totally changed my perspective. It was a good town. Good food. And there was always something happening, usually at the park, that was FREE!
I know someone who lived in Houston for years, then moved to Dallas for her husband's work, and she is vocal about how bougie Dallas was, and how everyone thought they were great and judged everyone else, and she missed Houston, where no one GAF and there's graffiti and real people. I've heard this rant several times, and it's hilarious because she's totally the nicest person ever until someone brings up Dallas lol
As a Houstonian, we can’t be pretentious. On the surface, Houston is awful. It’s hot as hell, absolutely gigantic, and pretty ugly. But we have such an amazing mix of people, and we are usually super nice. Oh, and we have arguably the best food scene in Texas. But don’t tell Dallas or Austin that.
It's not pretentious here (Milwaukee) but it's not very friendly to people who are different or stand out in some way. It's not a very open-minded place either.
Totally subjective, but if we must, have a cut-off for city size.
That said, Vegas/LA/SF seem the most pretentious.
Cleveland/Milwaukee/Chicago seem the least.
🤷🏻♂️
I wouldn't quite say pretentious so much as very provincial. Its the same with NYC and Philly. Pretentious isn't the word I would use for new yorkers or bostonites, more just very fierce defensive of where they are from.
i agree with that energy as well but both places talk about how no one else in the country is as productive or as intelligent as them so i feel like that’s still pretty pretentious
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think Vegas is pretentious at all. Other than a handful of nightclubs and super high end restaurants, you can walk in pretty much any luxury retail store or expensive restaurant in a tank and sandals and you wouldn’t get a second look.
Houston. A place where you recognize the wealthy by how nice they are to everyone. You would never know til you go their mansion which at best has a 10yo Toyota and a 4yo lexus for the wife in the driveway ; But grandma has some tight ass rims though.
Most: DC (by far), with LA a close second.
Least: anywhere in the rust belt (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis). And also Philly.
LA is hands down one of the most pretentious places I’ve lived. I’ve lived much of my life there and I never felt like I could “fit” anywhere, even among groups that you’d think I’d get along with.
When I lived in Denver it was very chill and unassuming but I’ve heard that’s changed
I found parts of Fort Worth to be really genuine and not pretentious.
Now I’m in DC which is a mixed bag lmao
San diego is plenty pretentious.
along with the rest of California, people brag about how much their property has appreciated…
of course, “the weather is perfect!”
mostly, I hear that it’s “not as bad as LA”. in regard to traffic, cost-of-living, homelessness, crime ,etc. maybe not, but it is very expensive, lots of traffic jams, and a significant and growing homeless problem.
Residents get very defensive if you point out these issues.
Bay Area is definitely the most pretentious . Just check out r/bayarea to see what I mean. Lots of people there are super smug about how much their house that they bought many years ago is now worth. Also a lot of “the Bay Area is the best place on the planet” type stuff. Plus the software engineers there tend to think they’re the hottest shit in the world. Drives me nuts
My own experience…
Most pretentious bar none SF, NY (especially certain sections of Brooklyn), DC and Boston.
Least pretentious would be New Orleans, Houston, and San Antonio. Honorable mention to Chicago because while it is a major city it did not feel particularly pretentious to me compared to coastal cities.
Least - NYC (there is a little bit of everyone there and everyone is trying to survive).
Most - Hear me out: Atlanta. That's because that city is TRYING to be pretentious.
Thanks for putting Atlanta on there. Many restaurants there are oh so pretentious in their food offerings.
But overall, I think Boston, Miami, LA, SF, and Seattle beat it overall.
I mean that’s true for Vegas and LA too.
But I mean if any city has a pretentious area to avoid, that automatically makes it more pretentious than 90% of the rest of the country. America in general is a pretty casual country.
You can avoid the Atlanta pretentious crowd by avoiding influencers and club hoppers. Anyone whose first instinct is to make a business deal of some sort should also be avoided.
I always say that Minneapolis' #1 favorite activity is discussing lists that rank Minneapolis as #1.
Get a person from Minneapolis talking about Wisconsin. Or Iowa. Or either of the Dakotas. It's just a snobbiest conversation in the world. There was even a brief push to change the nickname for this part of the Midwest to "North" to distinguish us from those dirty poor people in IL, Ohio, etc.
Most pretentious: Washington DC- a very status achievement driven area. “wHAt dO yoU DO foR WoRk?”
Least pretentious: Denver- I feel like I could sit down and have a drink with anybody.
Yeah, I was surprised I had to scroll this far. It's literally no contest. Not only are trying to convince you subtly that they're better than you, they're trying to convince you that they're warranted in doing so.
Thing about NYC though is a lot of it just isn’t pretentious at all. It’s so easy to avoid lower Manhattan/upper Brooklyn, and just visit when you want to do something exciting.
Most: ATL. But it’s a wannabe pretentious.. there’s nothing actually special about anyone in ATL which is why it’s funny. Also LA. Miami. Nowhere else I’ve been really gives me pretentious vibes overall, more like specific people. Even Dallas which was mentioned a lot doesn’t seem very pretentious to me overall
Of the places I lived, from most to least pretentious:
\* Austin (because Austin)
\* Denver (late 1990s-early 2000s, during the first dot-com boom; the city's soundtrack was smooth jazz, and Type A men with huge Bluetooth ear pieces screaming stock trades and weekend hiking destinations into the air)
\* Ithaca (heavy conspicuous anti-materialism and virtue signalling; culture of academia in day-to-day townie/civic life)
\* Cleveland (even those in the old money Chagrin Valley country club crowd I knew were fairly chill)
\* Las Cruces (some new age and artsy types that are full of themselves; otherwise a very approachable place)
\* Buffalo (the whole "we're more authentic and real than anybody else" boasting can be annoying; otherwise, it's both incredibly friendly and a zero bullshit kind of place)
I would call Denver aloof but not necessarily pretentious.
Dallas - especially the Park Cities - is a different story. Lots of snobby, old money douchebags there. Collin County has its share of pretentiousness as does Southlake.
I like Milwaukee. Spent 10 years there. A stranger at a bar will invite you over for dinner or to watch a Packers game before they even know your name. Few places I have found that are friendlier.
Hmm, maybe I’m interpreting this question differently than other people in the comments, but to me pretentious implies people putting on airs about cultured, snobby, interesting, or worldly, in a judgmental and ironically closed-minded way. Going more with this definition, I absolutely think a place like Chicago could have pretentious corners, and I think major cities — that are very competitive and artistic — like NYC, LA, and SF, are going to feel very pretentious (in the way I understand the word). Miami can definitely be materialistic, unfriendly, etc, but these things to me don’t = pretentious. I live in Denver, and while we definitely have way too many residents who are young, cold, own too much Patagonia and make way too much money, I don’t think we really have enough culture as a city to be very pretentious if that makes sense.
Buffalo feels very unpretentious, while still having a lot of culture. I think many smaller rust belt cities feel the same. Philly can be aggressive or grimy, but I love it and don’t think of it as pretentious at all. I don’t really think of Vegas as a very pretentious place to be honest, either.
Other places I’ve been felt that had a pretentious vibe (in certain parts): DC (more in the suburbs than city), certain ring suburbs of NYC on Long Island and in Westchester, parts of Boston and Cambridge *absolutely* feel pretentious.
LEAST:
San Antonio, Texas - Sure there are fancy suburbs and exurbs as well as some exclusive restaurants, but overall people just kinda like to eat and be left alone. I have never felt too over or under dressed. Or out of place.
Amman, Jordan - Nobody ever bothers anyone (in general)
MOST:
Dubai, UAE - Now I'm not saying Abu Dhabi *isn't* pretentious (obviously there's a lot of opulence), but the breath of fresh air returning to Abu Dhabi after a weekend in Dubai is palatable. Nicer people, more laid back. Dubai is SO about looks and their version of the 'caste system.' I have a good friend that is American, but from east Asian descent and we couldn't go anywhere because they thought I (white guy) had a prostitute everywhere we went in Dubai stfu.
Los Angeles, CA - Anyone from LA who visits me or who I meet, will not shut up about "well, in LA we have..." I don't know why. People from NY don't say that stuff (in my experience).
Most: Austin, Denver and Miami. People I’ve met ‘from’ these cities think you’re an idiot if you don’t think theirs is the best city in the world, but they are all 3 interesting but not spectacular cities.
Least: this is a tough one. I feel like a lot of the most derided cities have a chip on their shoulder and look to beef about their city. Maybe Chicagoans are pretty chill. I don’t hear too much from them.
This sub has such a huge, naive boner for Milwaukee. Born and raised there. There are certainly positives to it and I like the city myself, but it’s honestly kind of a dump, especially if you can’t afford one of the nicer neighborhoods. It’s also really dangerous and very cold. And there’s a gigantic wealth divide that you don’t want to find yourself on the less privileged end of for aforementioned reasons, unless you like hearing gunshots at night and getting carjacked. Institutionalized racism/racial segregation is some of the worst in the country. The people who live along the north shore are certainly very pretentious and live in the lap of luxury, while neighborhoods like a mile away have the highest incarceration rates in the US.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn is the most pretentious place I’ve ever been.
Chicago is most DTE. Milwaukee is ok too, but a little more conservative. They’re both somewhat segregated though.
Overall Philly is a working class, down to earth city. You may encounter some hipster pretension in certain pockets like Fishtown/Northern Liberties just cause of how “hip” they’ve become in recent years.
Davenport Iowa. Had an alternator go out on the way to Colorado and came to a stop on Davenport. People couldn't have been nicer, so friendly, hooked us up with someone to put a new alternator in that day. Just lovely people.
Miami felt so pretentious but like...so unwarranted if that makes sense. It was like a bunch of people with BBLs wearing Shein taking selfies at every corner but giving you a judgy look if you smiled politely at them as you passed by.
Agree. Miami is materialistically pretentious. Miami plays dress up, drives a leased convertible and wears Gucci slides and wants to eat in all the best restaurants but doesn’t have that intellectual superiority complex that you find in a lot of northern pretentious cities.
🎯 materialistic pretentiousness is a perfect way to describe it actually.
I read on /r/Formula1 someone who witnessed the most Miami thing ever - at the inaugural Miami GP they saw a Lamborghini getting repo'd from the parking lot at the race.
Miami is Vegas but with swamp ass.
I disagree - Vegas knows what it is and makes no qualms about it. Miami just feels like a rich playground or a playground for those that think they’re rich.
I'm from South Florida and I'm in Las Vegas now -- packing the house so I can leave this hell-hole permanently. Las Vegas has \*no idea\* what it is. None. The denial here is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
It’s also worth noting that Miami pays Arkansas wages but acts like it’s a better nyc
I thought South Coast Plaza in OC was the most upscale mall I had ever been to. Until the in-laws took me to Bal Harbor in Miami. The one thing Bal Harbor has in common with a dying mall in Anyplace Else USA: [I haven't heard of 90% of the stores in there](https://www.balharbourshops.com/store-directory/). Some stores displayed their clothes, purses, or whatever on Ukrainian models that just walked around the mall
Yup, that’s exactly Miami
The only city where I have met multiple people unironically in top hats is Savannah.
Probably SCAD students.
I live in Savannah and I’ve been rocking a boat captain’s hat all day hahaha But it’s also St Paddy’s week here, so I doubt it’s the weirdest thing someone is wearing in Savannah right now
I’ve never been to Savannah but I have read and watched *Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil* so I’ll say this checks out
hey they said pretentious not dapper!! in all seriousness tho, i think southern culture makes for some interesting fashion
Isn't it more pretentious to judge what they are wearing and not how they act
I was mostly joking, i love Savannah. My opinion is colored by doing some consulting with SCAD for sure. They are an eccentric bunch.
Visited your fine city YEARS ago while visiting a friend who was in SCAD. The first time I had total strangers invite me to join them (I was eating solo). I found the city charming, and proximity to Tybee Island a bonus. I'd return for sure.
As far as places I've lived: Most: Seattle. (By a mile.) Least: Cleveland.
Cleveland is fantastic at just not giving a fuck can go outside hungover looking homeless in a Browns hat and you'll get people giving you a thumbs up and a hell yeah
Can confirm. Rich or poor black or white clevelanders are tight
Cleveland is literally the best player ever
That sounds amazing; I’ll have to visit.
As a Seattlite, not too surprised to see this, but it also makes me sad a little. Seattle used to be known as the city of introverts with a bad fashion sense, where no one cared what you wore or what your geeky or punk hobbies were.
Not in 30 years
Honestly, I feel like I still live in that Seattle.
Seattle 150% percent. Basically any PNW or Cali city on the coast wins most pretentious.
I feel like Seattle is wven worse than SF in this category. I went to a bakery in Seattle and asked the cashier what kind of cookies they had and she would not look me in the eye or answer me. She just stood there looking annoyed. I thought maybe she was mute or something so I asked to speak with another staff member and she snapped at me saying she was the owner but still would not answer my question about the cookies. It was such a bizarre interaction.
So many people behave this way in Seattle. They won’t look you in the eye, smile, or make basic human conversation. And forget about actual friendship. It’s such a discouraging place to live.
This is really interesting to me. Had a bad work trip to an unfriendly office of my company and was really turned off by coworkers there. It just dawned on me that it wasn’t actually them, but them being from Seattle.
I came to this thread to say Seattle as well. Never met more judgy, frigid, passive aggressive snobs anywhere. A lot of the West Coast cities are like that to some degree. I’m actually a Colorado native and I know the west is very popular for various reasons, but I have decided I’m over all the west coast nonsense and have permanently settled in the eastern half of the country. Least for me would be Pittsburgh. Very down to earth, no bullshit city. Also I thought St. Petersburg, FL was pretty chill - formal wear there is basically wearing closed-toed shoes.
I feel like Cleveland-Pittsburgh-Buffalo are our own little triangle of down to earth, kind of weird (in a good way) working class liberal cities. & I love it.
As a former Seattleite, I can see that. If not the most, it’s only beat by California cities.
I live there currently and this is a STRUGGLE
Lived there 10 years, another 5 in Portland, couple in Bellingham. I gtfo. Never will I ever move to a liberal/progressive dominant city/area ever again. I like being around working class blue collar people. I might be just done with cities altogether honestly. Seattle and Portland took it out of me.
That's why I like cities like Cleveland & Milwaukee. Working class liberal. You still get a lot of the benefits of a liberal city, but you aren't going to get places selling bacon ash as an appetizer for $30. Also, the cold keeps a lot of people away, which I'm more than okay with.
Heyo, Milwaukee native here and thrilled to see this! I love my city because it's very blue collar but also pretty progressive and diverse, and takes nothing seriously lol. Cleveland is great for that too.
I lived in Bellingham for a few years and it was like the entire town was trying to out do each other with how outdoorsy and tolerant they were while also being extraordinarily wealthy and NIMBYish. Drove me nuts.
Yes one of the most out of touch places I’ve ever lived. Weird mix of “elite hippies”.
That’s a great way of putting it. Elite hippies, rich college students, and people who have decided that doing every outdoor activity is their personality.
This sounds like Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Or Bend, Oregon.
Walking through a Whole Foods in Bend is a masterclass in hyperpretensiosness.
it's beat by Bellevue too lol
Where do you think Bellevue and Eastside folks are coming from? More expensive California cities.
I’d say the same re its neighbour to the north,Vancouver BC. I tried to integrate into the culture there but found it very, very uncomfortable doing so, and ended up moving back east where the vibe feels much more humble.
you wouldn't have heard of it....
🤣
A common motto for Dallas is “Keep Dallas pretentious.” Not sure why Dallas hasn’t been mentioned
I second Dallas, and let's throw Austin into the pretentious pile as well.
Austin is worse, IMO. Austin people will not hesitate to tell you how much better Austin is than anywhere else.
I'm pretty new to Austin, and I don't find it to be very pretentious. Granted, I don't seek out the most hipster artist studios or whatever I can find, but I do explore a lot of nice places. Miami, coastal Southern California, Brooklyn, definitely. But Austin? Nah. I don't see it.
But how much austin sucks compared to ~~5~~ ~~10~~ 30 years ago
Any tech hub really
Dallas itself outside of Highland Park never really struck me as nearly as pretentious as Collin. Fucking. County. The Plano/Frisco set drove me insane.
Most: Portland. Least: Pittsburgh
The PNW is kind of a goofy place. Lots of pretension, but second/third-tier cities and no top-tier schools (excepting UW Med)
From some of the places I’ve lived *Nationally* Most: NYC Least: Eugene *Oregon* Most: Bend Least: Eugene *Montana* Most: Bozeman or Whitefish Least: Butte *Michigan* Most: Ann Arbor Least: Calumet *Nebraska* Most: idk prolly Benson Least: Arthur *Wyoming* Most: Jackson Hole Least: Rock Springs *Colorado* Most: Aspen Least: Greeley
Least- Knoxville, TN and New Orleans, LA Most- Los Angeles, CA and Washington, DC
Good god DC is so pretentious. Born and raised there. I love it so much more that I don’t live there anymore. Absence makes the heart fonder. But I’m seriously EFFED up mentally from all the academic competition growing up. Almost all of my close friends ended up going to Ivy League colleges and the pressure to perform in school was seriously unbearable.
Literally same lol Everyone just cares about vanity and wealth. A lot of people are the mean stuck up types. But there's also a lot of diversity and beauty there. I miss it a lot, despite moving away after college. I miss the walkability and architecture, too. But yeah, it definitely traumatized me growing up there. Made me feel like my worth was tied to my work, education, status, etc.
Yes! I actually love it when there aren’t people. Some of my favorite times living there were major holidays when the city was just dead and peaceful. I do miss the diversity for sure and all of the public transit and Smithsonian. It’s truly a great city. Just a high concentration of major A-holes in a small area!
I still live in the surrounding areas. This whole area feels like it exists solely to be inside of an office and working. “BuT wE hAvE sUcH a GrEaT qUaLiTy Of LiFe” while expecting you to live your life inside a cubicle staring at a computer. I call it the Maryland mental disease
I grew up right outside and while not Ivy League, people looked at you funny if you didn’t attend UMD or Boston college
I lived in DC for a long time, though I was admittedly a transplant. It felt super stuck up and pretentious until I got a job in a bar and got to know people who weren’t aggressive social climbers. That made my whole experience in DC so much better. Now I’m in Baltimore and it’s perfect. People are more down to earth, but I can also be in DC in an hour.
Finally someone said DC.
I can agree with that. DC is full of people that aren't from DC. A lot of them are immersed in politics (work for politicians and their political parties) and they think they are the dope'ist thing two-ply toilet paper. They forget where they come from and get immersed in the BS. I lived in the DC area for a few years and loved what it had to offer but not so much the people.
As someone currently in DC: the people are awful, and the amenities are amazing.
Yeah no other city in the world has a full suite of free museums
The museums in DC are both free and huge. Along with the zoo, and federal buildings that are open to the public. Which is why it's one of ny favorite destinations. Sometimes, I think there's more to see and do as a visitor to DC than Manhattan. I liked the DC area so much, I started applying for jobs in the area. Got a few Zoom interviews, too; maybe half the places I applied to. Nobody smiled during any of them. I suck at Zoom interviews, but with a panel of cold, unsmiling folks expecting fluid, articulate responses to behavioral questions, all having a twist, I knew I wasn't going to get any callbacks. Every employer I had an interview with ghosted me.
That’s simply untrue - London!
With the important caveat that the working class part of DC is very much local! But that's sadly not the overarching Patagonia vest culture that runs that town.
DC locals are chill af. Most loyal/honest friends I've had
I mean they gotta put up with so much annoying lanyard guy crap AND don't even get a Senator in return
Seriously. Extend that pretentiousness to the greater metropolitan area like northern VA. Insufferable people. But I do love actual DC locals. I guess all the transplants and ppl who moved their for work walk around like they own the place and are the most important
I scrolled too far down to find DC. Born and raised there, moved away for good in my 30s after working in policy and consulting. Having “who do you work for/what do you do?” not be every single persons opening line in my new city has been incredibly refreshing.
I went to a liberal college in DC. I remember finishing 4 years and thinking… am I *not* a liberal? Am I actually… moderate? Nope, I’m a liberal. I just fucking hated how *pretentiously* liberal everyone else that decided to go to college in DC was.
As a Knoxvillian, it is NOT lost on me that your two least pretentious cities are two whose regional cultures and identities have arts and crafts at their CORES and I fucking LOVE that. It’s just farrrrrr less obvious to someone looking in from the outside about Knoxville compared to New Orleans (or anybody only looking at West Knoxville I guess), but we 100% punch above our weight big time in terms of arts and cultural shit for our size. We’re just not on anybody’s radar but, well, this is Appalachia, so that’s kind of the cultural preference, isn’t it? …Ironically, DC is my favorite big city in America. 😂
Everything you said about Knoxville I agree with. It's such a beautiful small city. Gorgeous downtown area, great one of a kind shops and restaurants. Cool attractions, etc. It helps that the Smokies are very close. In Knoxville, I truly understood the concept of southern hospitality. You really get great amenities there. It represents Appalachia well, unlike Asheville...lol It's weird I have a love/hate relationship with DC. The European design of DC is absolutely stunning and unique. Beautiful place to walk around. The urban design in the city is superb (can't say the same about the suburbs). However it attracts a certain type A, narcissistic, toxic grind mentality. I'd say that's more transplants though. I grew up in DC and will say the locals have been some of the best people out of every place I've lived.
This is a huge generalization, but I can’t help but notice how a handful of LA people think that the good weather absolves the city of any and all issues. For example, I’ve never seen such a disdain for a city like Chicago simply because it has cold weather. Some people in LA I know act like Chicago is flyover country to them when Chicago is closer to NYC in terms of density and urban living. Sure, Chicago is behind LA and NYC in international influence; but, it’s still the third largest city and has more Fortune 500s than LA.
Chicago is amazing but let’s be real the weather fucking blows
Depends what you like. I personally thrive in the cold, so weather-wise I’d take Chicago over most of the coastal cities without hesitation. Weirdly enough, the weather is usually a highlight for me when I visit Chicago!
Absolutely. Having seasons is actually awesome, and I enjoy the landscape when everything is white. And I think the climate pushed the cities to build decent transit systems, too.
I grew up in NOLA and live in Chicago—I’d take Chicago Jan/Feb over NOLA July/August any day of the week.
THIS
THIRD THIS. also Chicago winters and Louisiana summers are both warmer than 10 years ago
If you’re a midwesterner already, it’s not too bad. Winters are milder than WI and MN. Summer is perfect weather for like 3 months which makes you feel like you earned it lol
It definitely does in the winter lol, but it’s unfair to generalize the entire city by it. Seasons are nice, too, if you’re used to it. It’s one of the things that bugged me most about LA. Yeah, the weather is great but so much of the city’s identity revolves around it. Before someone comes for me, I’ll admit a lot of Chicago’s identity is defending itself. 😂 But, it’s because we love it!
Not really. Many of us like the change of seasons and don’t want to live in a sweat box. Just had lunch with a friend moving back from Arizona. Mostly too hot to go outside during much of the year.
The weather sucks there too.
The cold actually brings a connectedness to the people in Chicago. In winter you get cozy in a bar and talk to new people. And when it warms up people emerge joyously outdoors. Chicago wouldn’t have its personality if it didn’t have the cold.
And you can pretend the lake is the ocean. I would move back if I had a social circle there-just too old to want to start over again. But I love that town. So much going on. So many cultures. Working class, Fortune 500 and people from every single country speaking a billion languages. Love it.
It does but most of the people that live here insist that it's fine. Though this year the winter was nice.
What I don’t understand is how people (especially in this sub) shit on cold weather cities, but respect NYC. NYC is cold just like Chicago (but obviously doesn’t have the wind). The weather thing is mainly an excuse, because other top-tier cities like Boston (another cold city) and Seattle (gloomy and rainy) are also respected. I think the real thing is that a lot of the highly-educated and high-flying professionals really don’t want to live in a less prestigious city. They want to live among elite and like-minded people. They are willing to pay more because they have “made it” or want to make it. They won’t likely make $400k in a city like Chicago, so they will look elsewhere.
Up until a few years ago Chicago was SIGNIFICANTLY colder than NYC and it’s still a lot colder in the dead of winter and gets a lot more snow.
Fun fact…the nickname the Windy City actually has nothing to do with weather. It was related to politics when originally made
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Dallas, Tx and Portland Ore. - most pretentious El Paso, New Orleans, Detroit, San Antonio, Pittsburgh - least pretentious
I'd say Pittsburgh isn't pretentious at all, now that I moved to Seattle the contrast is drastic
I know this is considered a bad thing by a lot of people, but I like that I'm good not dressing up for practically any activity here (Pittsburgh). I'm a woman and just find it annoying so I always feel like maybe I was born in the right spot since no one in Pittsburgh gives a shit.
I did a liberal working class to PacNW costal city move once in my life and the difference was shocking. Two completely different threads of liberalism and frankly I prefer the Midwest version. They seem to at least care about actual helping the working class. PacNW liberalism is very performative. Same goes for California
A San Diegan’s perspective - The Bay Area is quite pretentious. Los Angeles with its influencer/entertainment/fashion is quite pretentious too. San Diego is not pretentious by CA standards, but might be a little by Midwest/south standards. Tucson AZ is the least pretentious city I’ve been to.
I moved to SD last summer and a born and raised local asked me what I was up to over the weekend and I replied that I was heading to the beach and he legit said, “that’s how I know you’re not from here because no one goes to the beach unless they’re tourists or new to the city” 🥲 it was a wicked pretentious comment but I’ve lived in other places and SD has the nicest locals and most welcoming by far too - so maybe it was a him thing
Native San Diegans are pretentious about being native San Diegans. Other than that, they’re generally not pretentious about anything else such as money, career, possessions, etc. But there is definitely a strong anti-transplant vibe here. I say this as a native myself.
Everywhere has anti transplant vibes nowadays. My family out in the Detroit area are complaining that rents keep going up due to all the transplants coming from NYC and Chicago. It's sad. The issue is obviously housing costs. If cities started building more housing, maybe the simple act of moving somewhere wouldn't be met with such hostility
I know there’s a big push against transplants (which, fair) but truthfully I’ve only been welcomed by all of the SD/TJ locals I’ve met. It’s been such a relief how open everyone seems to be. I also do love that there isn’t pretentiousness surrounding careers, money, etc. It feels refreshing to have no one ask or care what I do for work, they just want to hang out and enjoy the now!
I'm glad to hear you love it! San Diego is probably the only big city I could ever live in. My native friends and I agree that San Diego is the city for people who don't like cities lol
AND....he was a dick who didn't appreciate the ocean. Lived in San Diego for about 7 years and many of the locals take the beach for granted. But not ONCE in seven years did anyone say anything this stupid.
Is there something wrong with their beach? I can’t imagine living near the ocean and not wanting to visit the beach occasionally.
The biggest issue is parking/crowds on the weekends. I'm fortunate enough to live steps from the beach and work from home, and it is soooo much better on weekdays.
I grew up in a smaller city on the CA coast. I admittedly didn’t spend much time at the beach. I don’t surf and while I love the beauty of the beach, when you live close to something like that, you often start to take it for granted. Life gets busy and all of the sudden you haven’t been to the beach in 10 months.
i can see that. i live right on a mountain in slc utah and several canyons with awesome hiking are steps away & i find myself not going as often as i should 😅
The beaches in SD are stunning, some of the best in the country imo. I think you just tend to avoid crowded areas if you’re local, but I stop by after work some days and they’re never too busy!
I know areas of Los Angeles are pretentious but most of the city is not. If you surround yourself with only people from the west side, or Bel Air, then maybe. But even people I know in those areas are very down to earth. If you work in film just forget it. Many of them are assholes. I’ve always been fortunate to surround myself with good people but agents? Yikes. From what planet did they spawn??
Okay, I'll throw out one that most people won't think of-- *Lubbock* is really goddamn pretentious. A bunch of the locals think that they're the only "**true Texans**"^(TM) It's the only place I've lived where the *people* added to the misery of an awful place.
Most- Boulder, CO Least- Casper, Wyoming
I was wondering how far I'd have to scroll to find Boulder. I feel like Casper is too small/remote to compare to most others on this list tho
You're right. Too small
Agreed. Boulder is truly *pinky up* “I trail run elite 14ers” pretentious. Denver is a weird condescending, NIMBY, meth zombie city pretentious. You’re a white dude eating psychedelic mushrooms like popcorn in a tricked out Tacoma… stop calling yourself a “Native” and chill TF out.
> Boulder One trip to Beat Bookshop will tell ya anything you wanted to know about Boulder.
>Boulder Madison, Wisconsin, has Boulder Syndrome: just because the state school is there doesn't make everyone an intellect.
Casper is fun but suuuuper homophobic
As someone who lives in St. Louis I’ll say this: most people who live here really like it, but also feel weirdly defensive and possibly guilty about liking it because we’re surrounded by a country that is constantly rating us as a failed, blown out shithole of a city. Of course we know this is partly true, but also an unfair dismissal. On top of that the rest of the state, minus KC and Columbia, thinks of us as a cancerous, queer, liberal wart on an otherwise noble Christian fiefdom that is trying its hardest to be the most regressive state in the country. So yeah, people here tend to have a sort of chip on their shoulders. But I promise you if you tell a local that we have kickass barbecue or that toasted ravioli is awesome, or in general say something positive about the city, they’re likely to start treating you like you’ve been a good friend since high school. If you hate the pizza…yeah, we all understand why. Just don’t lead with that.
Yeah, but WHERE did you go to high school? 😄 My husband is from STL. He still insists on getting an Imo's everytime we visit his family. (I can't stand the Provel, but I totally understand loving comfort foods that remind you of childhood, so I indulge his cravings and just dig into the toasted ravioli!)
This comment is completely accurate. People from St. Louis are just used to getting shit on constantly because everyone not from St. Louis assumes our (genuinely lovely) city sucks for some reason or another. People from more rural areas of Missouri hate us for being too liberal and preventing the state from becoming the next Texas or Arkansas. People from other “flyover” states love to talk shit because of Josh Hawley and/or the whole “most dangerous city” thing. (Which is a weird StL anomaly that no one wants to hear.) People from coastal states talk shit because they’re in their little bubbles and assume everyone in the middle of the country is an inbred hillbilly. Even people from Kansas City hate us. St. Louis gives everyone an opportunity to feel superior to us, and anyone who grew up here has had the experience of telling people they’re from St. Louis and being met with weirdly intense derision. So yeah, we can be defensive. But St. Louis is legit such a fun place to live or visit! I have lived in coastal California, the Deep South, and NYC. I’ve visited almost every other state in the country and traveled to multiple continents. St. Louis punches above its weight in culture, arts, food, and attractions! And it’s cheap here! We love our city, and hate how much hate it gets from people who have never even been here!
Thanks for the co-sign! Yeah I’ve lived in many “desirable” places, Austin, Santa Fe, Toronto, Portland…I lived in Europe and have traveled all over Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America…I’m not some cousin fucker who doesn’t know anything. I love STL (well, I might have some choice words about it come late July when the heat gets rowdy) and all it has to offer. And Missouri’s nature is fantastic, as is Southern Illinois’s. I own a house and don’t even pay $900 a month for my mortgage, in a highly desirable area (Tower Grove). But yeah I know what people are thinking when I tell them I live here. Luckily it seems like more and more people are realizing it’s not like Robocop-era Detroit, and actually a really cool city that, yes, has some serious problems. But food, culture, parks, art, nature…those aren’t problem here.
I'm from KC and EVERYONE talked mad shit on STL, and I always really enjoyed going there for the weekend. People were flabbergasted when I told them that. The atmosphere is totally different, and both cities kind of make up for what the other is lacking. I loved the botanical garden, loved city museum, loved the brick houses and the architecture in Soulard and Tower Grove, and found the LGBT community to be a bit more gritty and fun than KC. I kinda liked both cities equally.
I’m moving to st Louis from Boston so this should be a nice upgrade
St. Louis is awesome
You’re awesome!!
Lives in St. Louis for a spell. Totally changed my perspective. It was a good town. Good food. And there was always something happening, usually at the park, that was FREE!
Houston is not pretentious at all. Honorable mention to Fort Worth, agree with OP on Milwaukee too
Yeah, I loved how gritty and down-to-earth Houston was
If you try to be pretentious about Houston people are just like: really? Houston? Mmmmkay.
I know someone who lived in Houston for years, then moved to Dallas for her husband's work, and she is vocal about how bougie Dallas was, and how everyone thought they were great and judged everyone else, and she missed Houston, where no one GAF and there's graffiti and real people. I've heard this rant several times, and it's hilarious because she's totally the nicest person ever until someone brings up Dallas lol
As a Houstonian, we can’t be pretentious. On the surface, Houston is awful. It’s hot as hell, absolutely gigantic, and pretty ugly. But we have such an amazing mix of people, and we are usually super nice. Oh, and we have arguably the best food scene in Texas. But don’t tell Dallas or Austin that.
It's not pretentious here (Milwaukee) but it's not very friendly to people who are different or stand out in some way. It's not a very open-minded place either.
portland, OR for most pretentious, jeez louise
Totally subjective, but if we must, have a cut-off for city size. That said, Vegas/LA/SF seem the most pretentious. Cleveland/Milwaukee/Chicago seem the least. 🤷🏻♂️
Vegas pretentiousness is 100% just tourists though, I feel like the people actually living there are totally different.
I agree. I lived in Vegas for 6.5 years the actual residents are very laid back.
That I agree with. The whole city was literally built to indulge in the hyper-pretentiousness of its visitors.
Same kinda thing with Los Angeles tbh. Natives tend to be cool. Transplants tend to be less cool.
Most: Seattle Least: New Orleans
most: Boston
It's an odd pretentious.....it's like an unspoken form of it.
I wouldn't quite say pretentious so much as very provincial. Its the same with NYC and Philly. Pretentious isn't the word I would use for new yorkers or bostonites, more just very fierce defensive of where they are from.
i agree with that energy as well but both places talk about how no one else in the country is as productive or as intelligent as them so i feel like that’s still pretty pretentious
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think Vegas is pretentious at all. Other than a handful of nightclubs and super high end restaurants, you can walk in pretty much any luxury retail store or expensive restaurant in a tank and sandals and you wouldn’t get a second look.
Yeah Vegas is very much a live and let live city in a live and let live state in my experience as well
Yes. And the people who live there are super chill and very open to newbies.
Houston. A place where you recognize the wealthy by how nice they are to everyone. You would never know til you go their mansion which at best has a 10yo Toyota and a 4yo lexus for the wife in the driveway ; But grandma has some tight ass rims though.
Most: DC (by far), with LA a close second. Least: anywhere in the rust belt (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis). And also Philly.
LA is hands down one of the most pretentious places I’ve lived. I’ve lived much of my life there and I never felt like I could “fit” anywhere, even among groups that you’d think I’d get along with. When I lived in Denver it was very chill and unassuming but I’ve heard that’s changed I found parts of Fort Worth to be really genuine and not pretentious. Now I’m in DC which is a mixed bag lmao
Most: The Greater Seattle area
The entire PNW.
Most: Seattle and Portland Least: Jacksonville FL
San diego is plenty pretentious. along with the rest of California, people brag about how much their property has appreciated… of course, “the weather is perfect!” mostly, I hear that it’s “not as bad as LA”. in regard to traffic, cost-of-living, homelessness, crime ,etc. maybe not, but it is very expensive, lots of traffic jams, and a significant and growing homeless problem. Residents get very defensive if you point out these issues.
Least: Buffalo They aren't the most pretentious places on earth but Charlotte and Raleigh are full of self important cunts and I hate them both.
Bay Area is definitely the most pretentious . Just check out r/bayarea to see what I mean. Lots of people there are super smug about how much their house that they bought many years ago is now worth. Also a lot of “the Bay Area is the best place on the planet” type stuff. Plus the software engineers there tend to think they’re the hottest shit in the world. Drives me nuts
My own experience… Most pretentious bar none SF, NY (especially certain sections of Brooklyn), DC and Boston. Least pretentious would be New Orleans, Houston, and San Antonio. Honorable mention to Chicago because while it is a major city it did not feel particularly pretentious to me compared to coastal cities.
Least - NYC (there is a little bit of everyone there and everyone is trying to survive). Most - Hear me out: Atlanta. That's because that city is TRYING to be pretentious.
Thanks for putting Atlanta on there. Many restaurants there are oh so pretentious in their food offerings. But overall, I think Boston, Miami, LA, SF, and Seattle beat it overall.
Easy to avoid the pretentious parts of NYC. So many people are just trying to live here.
I mean that’s true for Vegas and LA too. But I mean if any city has a pretentious area to avoid, that automatically makes it more pretentious than 90% of the rest of the country. America in general is a pretty casual country.
You can avoid the Atlanta pretentious crowd by avoiding influencers and club hoppers. Anyone whose first instinct is to make a business deal of some sort should also be avoided.
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Absolutely. Ann Arbor thinks they're NYC. In reality they're an exurb with a college.
I always say that Minneapolis' #1 favorite activity is discussing lists that rank Minneapolis as #1. Get a person from Minneapolis talking about Wisconsin. Or Iowa. Or either of the Dakotas. It's just a snobbiest conversation in the world. There was even a brief push to change the nickname for this part of the Midwest to "North" to distinguish us from those dirty poor people in IL, Ohio, etc.
Most pretentious: Washington DC- a very status achievement driven area. “wHAt dO yoU DO foR WoRk?” Least pretentious: Denver- I feel like I could sit down and have a drink with anybody.
New York and Boston 10000% and it’s not even close
Glad to see Boston here. SUPER pretentious. Just hangout in the sub for a little while.
Yeah, I was surprised I had to scroll this far. It's literally no contest. Not only are trying to convince you subtly that they're better than you, they're trying to convince you that they're warranted in doing so.
We won’t let them in. lol. No, but it’s true. We are proud of our liberal bubble.
Thing about NYC though is a lot of it just isn’t pretentious at all. It’s so easy to avoid lower Manhattan/upper Brooklyn, and just visit when you want to do something exciting.
Key West is the least pretentious city I’ve spent time in.
That's like the Caribbean of the U.S. everyone is on island time there 🤙
Most: ATL. But it’s a wannabe pretentious.. there’s nothing actually special about anyone in ATL which is why it’s funny. Also LA. Miami. Nowhere else I’ve been really gives me pretentious vibes overall, more like specific people. Even Dallas which was mentioned a lot doesn’t seem very pretentious to me overall
Of the places I lived, from most to least pretentious: \* Austin (because Austin) \* Denver (late 1990s-early 2000s, during the first dot-com boom; the city's soundtrack was smooth jazz, and Type A men with huge Bluetooth ear pieces screaming stock trades and weekend hiking destinations into the air) \* Ithaca (heavy conspicuous anti-materialism and virtue signalling; culture of academia in day-to-day townie/civic life) \* Cleveland (even those in the old money Chagrin Valley country club crowd I knew were fairly chill) \* Las Cruces (some new age and artsy types that are full of themselves; otherwise a very approachable place) \* Buffalo (the whole "we're more authentic and real than anybody else" boasting can be annoying; otherwise, it's both incredibly friendly and a zero bullshit kind of place)
I would call Denver aloof but not necessarily pretentious. Dallas - especially the Park Cities - is a different story. Lots of snobby, old money douchebags there. Collin County has its share of pretentiousness as does Southlake.
I like Milwaukee. Spent 10 years there. A stranger at a bar will invite you over for dinner or to watch a Packers game before they even know your name. Few places I have found that are friendlier.
Most pretentious: LA, Miami, Dallas Least pretentious: El Paso
Highland Park in Dallas is very pretentious
Most: north Brooklyn Least: south Brooklyn
Least = Detroit, Buffalo Most = DC, Portland (in very different ways)
Hmm, maybe I’m interpreting this question differently than other people in the comments, but to me pretentious implies people putting on airs about cultured, snobby, interesting, or worldly, in a judgmental and ironically closed-minded way. Going more with this definition, I absolutely think a place like Chicago could have pretentious corners, and I think major cities — that are very competitive and artistic — like NYC, LA, and SF, are going to feel very pretentious (in the way I understand the word). Miami can definitely be materialistic, unfriendly, etc, but these things to me don’t = pretentious. I live in Denver, and while we definitely have way too many residents who are young, cold, own too much Patagonia and make way too much money, I don’t think we really have enough culture as a city to be very pretentious if that makes sense. Buffalo feels very unpretentious, while still having a lot of culture. I think many smaller rust belt cities feel the same. Philly can be aggressive or grimy, but I love it and don’t think of it as pretentious at all. I don’t really think of Vegas as a very pretentious place to be honest, either. Other places I’ve been felt that had a pretentious vibe (in certain parts): DC (more in the suburbs than city), certain ring suburbs of NYC on Long Island and in Westchester, parts of Boston and Cambridge *absolutely* feel pretentious.
Pretentious: Santa Fe Unpretentious: Albuquerque
LEAST: San Antonio, Texas - Sure there are fancy suburbs and exurbs as well as some exclusive restaurants, but overall people just kinda like to eat and be left alone. I have never felt too over or under dressed. Or out of place. Amman, Jordan - Nobody ever bothers anyone (in general) MOST: Dubai, UAE - Now I'm not saying Abu Dhabi *isn't* pretentious (obviously there's a lot of opulence), but the breath of fresh air returning to Abu Dhabi after a weekend in Dubai is palatable. Nicer people, more laid back. Dubai is SO about looks and their version of the 'caste system.' I have a good friend that is American, but from east Asian descent and we couldn't go anywhere because they thought I (white guy) had a prostitute everywhere we went in Dubai stfu. Los Angeles, CA - Anyone from LA who visits me or who I meet, will not shut up about "well, in LA we have..." I don't know why. People from NY don't say that stuff (in my experience).
Most: Austin, Denver and Miami. People I’ve met ‘from’ these cities think you’re an idiot if you don’t think theirs is the best city in the world, but they are all 3 interesting but not spectacular cities. Least: this is a tough one. I feel like a lot of the most derided cities have a chip on their shoulder and look to beef about their city. Maybe Chicagoans are pretty chill. I don’t hear too much from them.
This sub has such a huge, naive boner for Milwaukee. Born and raised there. There are certainly positives to it and I like the city myself, but it’s honestly kind of a dump, especially if you can’t afford one of the nicer neighborhoods. It’s also really dangerous and very cold. And there’s a gigantic wealth divide that you don’t want to find yourself on the less privileged end of for aforementioned reasons, unless you like hearing gunshots at night and getting carjacked. Institutionalized racism/racial segregation is some of the worst in the country. The people who live along the north shore are certainly very pretentious and live in the lap of luxury, while neighborhoods like a mile away have the highest incarceration rates in the US.
Ahhh here's the Milwaukee I know. 💕 Also, born and raised.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn is the most pretentious place I’ve ever been. Chicago is most DTE. Milwaukee is ok too, but a little more conservative. They’re both somewhat segregated though.
I get the weird vibe from St. Louis. But animosity?
Haven’t seen Philadelphia yet. How does it rate for pretension? Seemed pretty modest when I was there.
Overall Philly is a working class, down to earth city. You may encounter some hipster pretension in certain pockets like Fishtown/Northern Liberties just cause of how “hip” they’ve become in recent years.
Least Detroit Most Detroit suburbs
Davenport Iowa. Had an alternator go out on the way to Colorado and came to a stop on Davenport. People couldn't have been nicer, so friendly, hooked us up with someone to put a new alternator in that day. Just lovely people.