# Most Underrated Cities in the World



## musiccity

What are some of the most fun, interesting, and beautiful cities that are underrated?


For me (just two examples for now)

*Lviv, Ukraine*


lviv: an interlude by alexei_322, on Flickr


Lviv by Qba from Poland, on Flickr


lviv by marina.shakleina, on Flickr


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## rafark

Mexico City.


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## musiccity

*Leuven, Belgium*


Leuven by William Krusche, on Flickr

The night is coming over "Grote markt", Leuven, Belgium by Batistini Gaston, on Flickr


City Hall and Sint Pieter church, Leuven, Belgium by Batistini Gaston, on Flickr


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## isakres

Belgium has such beautiful towns.


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## Xusein

Tashkent, Uzbekistan.


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## musiccity

Ewwww Xusein disagree 



Bukhara on the other hand, yes. And Samarkand


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## Xusein

Didn't know this was "musiccity's list of underrated cities".  I have heard almost NOTHING about this city until recently and it's a shame considering the major history it has.

If only the Soviet Union didn't throw all those nasty looking commieblocks everywhere.


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## BringMe

I think most south american cities are underrated.


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## musiccity

Underrated means not well known and nice/fun/beautiful


Tashkent is not very nice


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## BringMe

if we talk about underrated cities we have to talk about most French cities that are completely forgotten and outshined by Paris for example: Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille.


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## Xusein

Cochabamba, Bolivia. Seems like an interesting place to me.


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## Marbur66

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada:






Zadar, Croatia:






Torun, Poland:


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## BringMe

When it comes to italy I think the southern cities are the most underrated starting with Naples and its steriotype of being dirty, full of mafia and ugly. then Verona, Trieste, Catania and Vari.


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## Yellow Fever

HK and Vancouver.


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## xerxesjc28

I am pretty sure there must be tons of underated Asian cities. Take away the top 5 or so Chinese cities (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, etc) and I know close to nothing of the rest. I especially like the few remaining traditional areas of China, which are sadly being destroyed to make way for newer buildings.


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## ukiyo

Shouldn't this be in the citytalk and urban issues forum or something? Not that I particularly care though.


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## xerxesjc28

^^ BTW, you remind me that Japan (I think) has preserved quite a lot of traditional cites/areas of cities, right? 

Even those that might have been destroyed by war/earthquake get rebuilt.


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## ukiyo

You are correct, not that much in Tokyo though but there's still some.


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## Rainbow Boy

Yellow Fever said:


> HK and Vancouver.



How so?

HK is super popular and known for its dense skyline and economy.

Vancouver is known fot its high development and quality of life.


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## Gatech12

Atlanta is underrated!


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## Levathian

Baku, Azerbaijan!!


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## Adrian12345Lugo

*Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico*









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxco#mediaviewer/File:PanCenterTaxco.JPG









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_...#mediaviewer/File:Fachada_de_santa_prisca.JPG

México. Taxco. Templo de Santa Prisca. by josemazcona, on Flickr


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## Stuck in Bama

Gatech12 said:


> Atlanta is underrated!


:lol:


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## Adrian12345Lugo

*Cusco, Peru*

Cusco morada de los dioses. by Marcelo Jaramillo Cisneros, on Flickr

Cuzco (2) by c3nes, on Flickr

Ciudad del Cusco by -Qatsi-, on Flickr


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## Yellow Fever

Rainbow Boy said:


> How so?
> 
> HK is super popular and known for its dense skyline and economy.
> 
> Vancouver is known fot its high development and quality of life.


I just want to get the extra attention, thats all.


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## .D.

Sapporo, Japan. Their beer is delicious.


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## Rainbow Boy

Yellow Fever said:


> I just want to get the extra attention, thats all.



Oh you don't have to write nonsense to call our attention, that cute moustache already catches our eye


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## G Callen

Victoria, British Columbia :cheers:


The Empress Hotel Reflected by Brandon Godfrey, on Flickr


British Columbia Parliament Buildings, Victoria BC Canada by TOTORORO.RORO, on Flickr


2014 - Victoria - The Empress by Ted's photos - For me & you, on Flickr


Johnson Street Victoria B.C. 1 - HDR by David Gn Photography, on Flickr


Dusk on the Inner Harbour (FP explored) by Brandon Godfrey, on Flickr


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## rafark

:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:


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## Xusein

Victoria definitely looks nice. More historic than the glass clad condo filled Vancouver. But you need to get there via ferry or plane so it's less accessible from here in Seattle.

Getting up to BC is on my bucket list.


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## koolio

Downtown Victoria is indeed top notch. Best small/mid-sized city in Canada by far.


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## G Callen

Antigua Guatemala


Antigua Guatemala by Rummy M.D. Photography, on Flickr


Street, Antigua, Guatemala by u2giants, on Flickr


Antigua Guatemala by Julio Escoto, on Flickr


Volcan de Agua by szeke, on Flickr


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## G Callen

edit


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## isaidso

Xusein said:


> Victoria definitely looks nice. More historic than the glass clad condo filled Vancouver. But you need to get there via ferry or plane so it's less accessible from here in Seattle.
> 
> Getting up to BC is on my bucket list.


Vancouver has those charming historic buildings as well except they've now been hidden behind a wall of sterile glass condo towers.


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## isaidso

Montreal, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Istanbul, Melbourne, Tokyo.


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## Manila-X

For The Philippines, it would be *Zamboanga*.






It labels itself as *Asia's Latin City* due to its rich Spanish history, heritage and a local dialect with Spanish roots called Chavacano.

But despite the branding, it is still exotic with a strong Muslim influence on its local culture.

Unfortunately, last years invasion by The MNLF ruined parts of the city and is rebuilding itself for the better.


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## HansCity

Osorno is Underrated.


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## AbidM

*DHAKA, BANGLADESH* :banana:


































Maybe a bit of farcry, but heck it will do. It's always portrayed negatively when in fact it's teaming with life, a dynamic city, that has a lot to offer! Offers youths with a lot, currently the city is emerging as one of the largest startup hubs in the world.


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## tpe

For a major city, Chicago is definitely underrated.


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## skymantle

maybe not...


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## alexandru.mircea

BringMe said:


> if we talk about underrated cities we have to talk about most French cities that are completely forgotten and outshined by Paris for example: Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille.


This is interesting. Cities like Lyon, Marseille or Bordeaux are very well known globally in terms of what they represent in France, what are their specificities, their industries etc. However when you visit them you realize that each is a small world in itself that is quite unrelated to the stereotypical view on the cities, extremely intriguing and captivating. For example, I had no idea Lyon has such an amazing historical old town before I visited, even reading on Wiki that Vieux Lyon as a whole is a UNESCO World Heritage site was a surprise to me, when documenting my trip. It would never get mentined like Edinburgh, Strasbourg or Bruges always do but it is worth it. Marseille is fascinating but in a different way that is tougher to explain, basically it provides a time travel back to the times of the open cities of the Mediterranean before they got ethnically homogenous, modern and gentrified. 

Toulouse though is completely underrated, in all senses. Lille too, but I think Toulouse is the most interesting. I've recently became aware of its pink brick architecture and I can't wait to visit ever sine. I can't believe this wonderful feature is not widely known. 

In terms of smaller cities there are underrated gems like Amiens or Aix-en-Provence (and others that I haven't been to yet like Besancon or Metz), Aix-en-Provence may be my favourite place in the world. Amiens will become much more high-profile if a new Eurostar line passing through it is built.

Seeing as the OP has started with Lviv, I'll support the notion that old and typical Central-European cities that have remained in countries that are not considered CE as a whole are being underrated, and I'll add the Saxon cities of Transylvania, especially Sibiu, Brasov and Cluj.


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## DZH22

Boston is underrated, because it gets lumped in with all American cities that have "nice shiny downtowns, but that's it" when it is so much more than that. It's actually considered to be the most "European" big city in North America!

It's also underrated because in New York's shadow, it's a "small" city, but overall it's among the biggest in the US!

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1749615






In a similar vein, I would throw Philadelphia and Montreal in here as underrated gems.


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## Gatech12

isaidso said:


> Montreal, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Istanbul, Melbourne, Tokyo.


I don't think Tokyo is underrated. It is one of the main cities of the world!


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## Somnifor

I wouldn't say that places like Boston, Istanbul, Berlin, Montreal or Tokyo are underrated. In general these places are well thought of and have fairly high national and international profiles.

In the US most of the underrated cities are in the Midwest. Places like Milwaukee, Minneapolis and St Louis. They don't get a lot of visitors. Nobody in the rest of the country knows much about them, and as a result they have very low profiles internationally. But they all have things that tend to surprise the visitors they do get. St Louis has great urban fabric left over from when it was one of the largest cities in the country, Minneapolis is a culturally vibrant cosmopolitan city, and Milwaukee is basically a smaller version of Chicago.


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## Golden Age

Boston is definitely not underrated. Through Harvard, MIT, the Kennedys alone it already gets worldwide attention. It has retained a really nice historic area and is a very pedestrian friendly city (North End!). Anybody who visits New England for Indian Summer, visits Boston. In comparison, Chicago gets much less national and international attention.

In Europe, I would consider Hamburg to be highly underrated. Most tourists who come to Germany, flock to Munich, Berlin and maybe Heidelberg. Among Germans, however, Hamburg is always among the top 2 or 3 cities where people want to live due to its high quality of life and the beautiful architecture throughout the city.


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## DZH22

Golden Age said:


> Boston is definitely not underrated.


Honestly I think it depends on who you are talking to. I'd say within the US itself, particularly outside of the Northeast, it's underrated. I spent a year in North Carolina and many people really didn't know anything about it. 

Same thing with Montreal. It's certainly not underrated from a Bostonian's perspective (close enough that most of us have visited at some point) but the city is so spectacular, that unless you are standing on a pulpit shouting out to the heavens how great Montreal is, you are basically underrating it. :lol:

The difference between northern and southern cities in my country is so stark that you really need to see it to believe it. That's why I say that anybody who uses a "broad brush" for all US cities is severely underrating the northern buildup. 

Midwest cities are underrated in that they tend to have good "bones" in their downtown buildup. However, the ones I have been to just do not have the expansiveness of their coastal brethren. (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Columbus, Indianapolis) Even Chicago, which is obviously unbelievable, doesn't quite measure up in terms of unbroken street level density. (although probably comes closest of all the non-coastal cities)

For all these reasons I stand by my original cities: Boston, Montreal, and Philadelphia.


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## Golden Age

DZH22 said:


> Honestly I think it depends on who you are talking to. I'd say within the US itself, particularly outside of the Northeast, it's underrated. I spent a year in North Carolina and many people really didn't know anything about it.


To be honest, Boston is probably more than happy to fill your definition of "underrated", as it is literally spilling over with tourists in the summer season, specifically the Freedom Trail, which looks more like a moving walkway from afar. Walking around Hanover Street at night was almost a bit annoying, with waiting lines at restaurants taking more than 45 minutes. It took almost 15 minutes to buy cannoli at the famous Mike's Pastry. With other words, Boston is by no means, a "hidden gem" but pretty much in the limelight.


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## Somnifor

DZH22 said:


> Midwest cities are underrated in that they tend to have good "bones" in their downtown buildup. However, the ones I have been to just do not have the expansiveness of their coastal brethren. (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Columbus, Indianapolis) Even Chicago, which is obviously unbelievable, doesn't quite measure up in terms of unbroken street level density. (although probably comes closest of all the non-coastal cities)


 Part of the problem the Midwest has is that all of the cities east of Chicago tend to be crap, and they are the ones people on the east coast visit. A lot of people drive through Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis on their way to somewhere else. Nobody accidently ends up in Minneapolis or Milwaukee, which are probably the two most urban cities in the Midwest besides Chicago. People on the east coast tend to think that all of the Midwest is like Ohio and Indiana.


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## DZH22

Somnifor said:


> Nobody accidently ends up in Minneapolis or Milwaukee, which are probably the two most urban cities in the Midwest besides Chicago. People on the east coast tend to think that all of the Midwest is like Ohio and Indiana.


I actually would like to visit Minneapolis, but I drove out to Chicago and Minneapolis is, what, 8-9 hours further? Unfortunately it was a victim of my limited time.

Milwaukee also looks really cool! I still think East Coast cities have substantially more density/buildup (particularly outside the city cores), but you're right that the closest Midwestern cities to me are among the worst the region has to offer.

Just curious, what would you consider Pittsburgh? It has a Rust Belt identity, but it's really kind of stuck between the coastal and midwest regions.


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## 009

isaidso said:


> Montreal, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Istanbul, Melbourne, Tokyo.


I'll have to agree with this because it sounds almost like a list of my favorite cities lol, although I never really hear anything bad about Melbourne, maybe it's just overshadowed by Sydney


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## EMArg

City of La Plata, in Argentina (very close to Buenos Aires):


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## G Callen

La Plata has a very interesting layout. Argentina is high on my list of countries to visit!


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## EMArg

It really is. It was conceived once as a great capital for the province of Buenos Aires. The infraestructure, the huges palaces, and one of the biggest cathedrals in the world. Despites that and more, it is somehow underrated.


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## alexandru.mircea

Stumbled upon this: http://www.epicdash.com/the-15-most-underrated-cities-in-europe-everyone-must-visit/

I very much agree about some of the mentions, but others aren't underrated at all, especially Edinburgh and Siena, then Formentera and Marseille.


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## Golden Age

*Ignorance is not bliss*

Essentially, if people want to find the "underrated cities" (as well as the hotels, restaurants, and so on) they can buy a typical tour guide before visiting a country. Usually travel books such as Lonely Planet, TimeOut, Michelin, Fodor's, Frommer's or Tripadvisor get it right.

A book on France will definitely tell you to visit Lyon, Marseille or Bordeaux. A book on the US East Coast will make sure you visit Boston, and so on.

Travelers simply have to do their due diligence ahead of time and show some genuine interest in the country they visit. People with mental curiosity usually figure it out. It is really a life attitude. 

If people go only go to the places that conventional wisdom dictate, it's really their loss and I feel sorry for them.


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## sebvill

My city, Lima, is pretty underated in Latin America and abroad. 

Despite being Latin Americas most visited city (5.1 million visitors from abroad according to this ranking: http://m.americaeconomia.com/negocios-industrias/lima-la-ciudad-mas-visitada-de-latinoamerica). Most vacation tourists are on their way to Cusco, Machu Picchu or other Peruvian attractions. Most of them are pretty ignorant about what Lima has to offer; its settlement over a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, its historic centre, once the capital of the whole Spanish territories in South America, its pre-Inca ruins all over the city, its vibrant districts like Miraflores or Barranco and of course its food, the best in Latin America. According to 50 Best Restaurants in Latin America (by Aqua Panna and San Pellegrino), 8/50 best restaurants in Latam are in Lima, including 1. Central, 2. Astrid & Gaston, 7. Maido, 11. Malabar, 15. La Mar, 20.Fiesta.
http://www.theworlds50best.com/latinamerica/en/the-list.html

L I M A


lima por Fernando Stankuns, en Flickr


Plaza de San Martín por Francisco Anzola, en Flickr




























IMG_8960 by Mud Boy, on Flickr

Inmaculado Corazón de María by netog, on Flickr































































​


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## Seoul_Korea

Seoul...


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## the spliff fairy

Pingyao, China, and it's infamously haunted streets


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## the spliff fairy

Quito, Ecuador, with one of the world's biggest Old Cities


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## EMArg

^^

Nice! I love Ecuador


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## RodolfoMedeiros

sebvill said:


> *In Brazil I think Belo Horizonte is very underrated compared to its national pairs*. The fact that it isnt in some heavenly environment in the coast has make this City very unknown for other South Americans, despite being Brazils third largest urban centre with more than 5 million people. Which means the 8th largest metro area in Latin America.


I'm Brazilian. Actually I think Curitiba and Florianópolis are underrated.

Curitiba, capital of Paraná









































Florianópolis, capital of Santa Catarina


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## RodolfoMedeiros

I am in love with this Chinese city. But I don't know its name. Who knows?


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## sebvill

RodolfoMedeiros said:


> I'm Brazilian. Actually I think Curitiba and Florianópolis are underrated.


But Curitiba and Florianopolis are both very reknown in Latam. The first for its good transportation system and quality of life and the second one for its beaches, girls and summer parties. And both are much smaller than BH. BH is very unknown. I cant associate anything to that city and its huge.


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## chilcano

in latin america to underestimate lima - peru, la paz - bolivia, asuncion - paraguay, managua - nicaragua,... hno:


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## alexandru.mircea

Oh damn, in my post above I said Joinville but in my mind I was referring to Florianopolis.

BTW if you're a football fan there's a few things you'll probably know about BH, especially the Mineirao (one of the best stadiums ever to be built) and the two clubs. If you're an arts connaisseur you'll know about the museum area on the other side of the lakes where the sports arenas are.


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## Occit

*VALENCIA

....and not, not Valencia, Spain...*that is the first thing to think why *Valencia, Venezuela* is underrated.
It has almost 2 millions of inhabitants, but nobody knows Valencia, Venezuela abroad, even in LatAm:

Some pics:









































































Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1076513


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## NijmegenUtrecht

All cities in the Netherlands outside of Amsterdam. It sometimes seems people think Amsterdam is the only Dutch city, but there are at least 10 other cities in the country worth visiting. An example is my hometown Nijmegen:


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## PD

*Gold Coast, Australia*









http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennilou101/15143484670


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## EMArg

Coronel Pringles, Argentina:


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## Jaguar

^^ Too small.

*Mar del Plata, Argentina??*
*Population: 614,350*
It's my favorite city in the country but nobody knows about Mar del Plata...


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## Taller Better

I have to say a lot of the cities in this thread are not underated at all, but apparently are just favourites of whoever posts here!


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## the spliff fairy

Busan, South Korea


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## Eric Offereins

^^ Looks like a nice city with good beaches.


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## Arkitexture

I'd say Victoria is one of Canada's most underrated cities but since that has already been detailed, I'll add *Ottawa* to the mix as I think it doesn't get quite the appreciation it deserves. Let's take a look!

It's urban








https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/14807341883


Lots to do in the winter time








https://www.flickr.com/photos/sabriirmak/4393834080

Has a lot of museums, art galleries 








https://www.flickr.com/photos/bdwells1986/9370519727









https://www.flickr.com/photos/aoberg/8101879989

Old a new architecture








https://www.flickr.com/photos/tsaiproject/6704591049

And is the national capital









https://www.flickr.com/photos/chocolatedisco/2937323888


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## Somnifor

From the American perspective I would say that Winnipeg is the most underrated Canadian city. It has no profile what so ever in this country but is actually a pretty cool place with some good urban fabric, strong cultural life, and interesting people.


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## Aceventura

RodolfoMedeiros said:


> I am in love with this Chinese city. But I don't know its name. Who knows?


That looks like Guilin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin

It is a very popular tourist destination in China.


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## RodolfoMedeiros

Aceventura said:


> That looks like Guilin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin
> 
> It is a very popular tourist destination in China.


Population:	4,747,963
It looks like there are a thousand of large metropolis in China.


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## magiar

*Mar del Plata*

¿What is interesting and underrated?

Check the infinite variations on this residential style. Every house has an individual design, and it goes for kilometers and kilometers.
Check the entire city. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.95...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sjA9N3G9ICRqnx0eCCqM3YA!2e0

https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.01...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s3HL_GHm7ojU1JzBSPwc_iQ!2e0

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.96...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sys0QKyBDR3jgBKcCKKc9KQ!2e0

https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.00...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s8RyPwqsVh8TaHOXb5MKIDA!2e0

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.98...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sE5D6JTpdrvpvLdbnoqPpww!2e0

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.98...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sTTgC-hH8Xg48HloGokwv1A!2e0


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## magiar

*Mar del Plata, Argentina*

These are neighbors on the same square

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.96...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s-QXCYINV8IRKDALG6DxVPQ!2e0









https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.00...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sImM2RTtFu2MRESqux_Rq0A!2e0









https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.00...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sXnmxzFpUueyOQ6pOJYuPSQ!2e0









https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.00...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sKr5-9YiYMLiE8iHujGCjsw!2e0









https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.00...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1stV2IjfpLFQHJkmIYXvaaZQ!2e0









https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.00...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sgeG7v3vw3bepNvaiJJxVqA!2e0

https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.00...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s-wiAPY9Kw7H2NXMwPvrIJA!2e0


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## Occit

I dont understand how the hell a house would be representative for a city, my city has several good looking houses, but those ones cannot be considered as representatives. I think city pics should be panoramics or more generalized shots.


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## ssiguy2

brickellresidence said:


> Definitely Mexico City, Amazing Mega City, overshadowed by its bad stereotypes...


I completely agree! 

I loved Mexico City and all of Mexico. MC is a great, vibrant, and beautiful city with a real soul. 

I, like all Canadians, absolutely love Mexico and Mexicans and it's a shame that the country's name is tarnished due to the violence that really is only along the American border. 

The cities are gracious and the people absolutely wonderful.


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## magiar

Occit said:


> I dont understand how the hell a house would be representative for a city, my city has several good looking houses, but those ones cannot be considered as representatives. I think city pics should be panoramics or more generalized shots.


If your city is a large one (like 20 kilometers long), and is full of "good looking" houses, and each one has an individual design, and you think is underrated, then show it.


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## NewOrleansRush

Disturbing Reality said:


> Wow! Quite strong comments there. Baltimore does have its good and bad areas. I'd say it's not as dangerous as people think it is. Also, there's more to Baltimore than the inner harbor. In fact, a lot of things that Baltimore has to offer are not in inner harbor.
> 
> Oh well, the perception of it being a "dangerous city" is probably one of the reasons why it is underrated.


1. I moved to Baltimore a few years ago from Washington via Miami/Houston/New Orleans and fell in love with the city. It is so very charming and people have so much pride living in the city and in the culture they created. This is something that I did not find living in other major cities (except for NOLA). I am not from the Northeast so I did not hear bad about the city. I had no idea that Northeasterners had such hostile/negative feelings about the city, until I moved to Washington for a job. To me growing up in the South, Baltimore was was just a big city on the east coast. I also do not watch TV so I did not get the stereotype the Wire created. Those images that the television show created are so far from my world living in the city. It is completely foreign to me. I guess those things do happen, but they do in every large city.

2. I hear that "Baltimore is scary/ugly outside of the Inner Harbor", often. To locals, the Inner Harbor is a Cheesecake Factory tourist trap. By far most of the stately, charming, and trendy neighborhoods of the city are not in the Inner Harbor. Mount Vernon, Remington, Hampden, Station North, Bolton Hill, Brewers Hill, Guilford, Charles Village, Rolland Park, Butchers Hill, Mount Washington, Homeland, Cross Keys, and Abell are fantastic neighborhoods and are not in the Inner Harbor. I guess I had the same issue when living in New Orleans and people never left the French Quarter.

3. I am kind of glad Baltimore is underrated. It has a affordable cost of living that is rare along the East Coast. That paired with the the high average income for the metro area allows the art community and middle class to thrive. One can buy a nice home in a safe, walkable, and trendy neighborhood for under 300k.


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## goocheslamb

Abu Dhabi 










Sharjah


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## Eric Offereins

> Urbanism Awards: Rotterdam takes top prize
> 
> 
> November 14, 2014/
> 
> 
> ROTTERDAM NAMED EUROPE’S BEST CITY AT THE 2015 URBANISM AWARDS
> 
> Rotterdam has been crowned as the best city in Europe at today’s Urbanism Awards. The post-industrial city in the Netherlands beat off strong competition from Aarhus in Denmark and Turin in Italy.
> 
> The award is one of five given out annually by the Academy to recognise the best, most enduring or most improved urban environments. Voted on by Academicians, each award covers a number of social, economic and environmental factors, including good governance and commercial success.
> ..


more here:
http://www.academyofurbanism.org.uk/urbanism-awards-rotterdam-takes-top-prize/


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## weava

of the cities I've been to, Nashville Tennessee is the most underrated.


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## the spliff fairy

Budapest. The Havana of Europe imo.

Cheap, affordable, dynamic, beautiful.









http://thehungariangirl.com









http://gotohungary.com









www.nationalgeographic.com
















http://streetphotographycourses.co.uk









http://budnews.hu








www.budapest-travel-tips.com


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## Slartibartfas

Is Budapest still underrated? I thought it was already a big destination? Well, maybe in the English speaking world things are still lagging behind a bit, I don't know.


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## ShadderdGlass

musiccity said:


> What are some of the most fun, interesting, and beautiful cities that are underrated?
> 
> 
> 
> For me (just two examples for now)
> 
> *Lviv, Ukraine*
> 
> 
> lviv: an interlude by alexei_322, on Flickr
> 
> 
> Lviv by Qba from Poland, on Flickr
> 
> 
> lviv by marina.shakleina, on Flickr


 Very beautiful! :nuts:


----------



## ssiguy2

I'm not really sure if English cities , except of course London, are underrated because they are hardly even rated. 

You NEVER see anything from England/Wales over here that does not start and stop in London. 

From business to tourism, if England/Wales were to fall off the planet as long as London remained it probably would even make the news. Except for the recent referendum, the exact same is true of Scotland.


----------



## Mollywood

koolio said:


> Downtown Victoria is indeed top notch. Best small/mid-sized city in Canada by far.


Did you forget about Quebec City? I think it competes very nicely with Victoria. (or possibly beats it) No other city in North America has the old world charm of Quebec City.


----------



## Mr Bricks

ssiguy2 said:


> I'm not really sure if English cities , except of course London, are underrated because they are hardly even rated.
> 
> You NEVER see anything from England/Wales over here that does not start and stop in London.
> 
> From business to tourism, if England/Wales were to fall off the planet as long as London remained it probably would even make the news. Except for the recent referendum, the exact same is true of Scotland.


Scotland is quite popular among tourists. Edinburgh is probably the most visited British city outside London.


----------



## AUTOTHRILL

ssiguy2 said:


> I'm not really sure if English cities , except of course London, are underrated because they are hardly even rated.
> 
> You NEVER see anything from England/Wales over here that does not start and stop in London.
> 
> From business to tourism, if England/Wales were to fall off the planet as long as London remained it probably would even make the news. Except for the recent referendum, the exact same is true of Scotland.


More utter bollocks from the ignorant. look up manchester and liverpool, might surprise you. Along with newcastle, bristol, bath, newport and smaller gems like tenby. you clearly have zero knowledge of the British isles. in terms of architecure and cultural offer, uk cities generally far outclass the majority of american cites bar the major ones (which is understandable given the population difference) the very definition of underrated. fool


----------



## NordikNerd

Slartibartfas said:


> Is Budapest still underrated? I thought it was already a big destination? Well, maybe in the English speaking world things are still lagging behind a bit, I don't know.


Budapest is still in the shadow of Prague as a tourist destination, especially for scandinavians. I wouldnt call Budapest underrated though. 

An underrated city is Lviv, Ukraine. It's like Prague but few have heard about it, most people tend to associate Ukraine with drab soviet architecture.


----------



## the spliff fairy

Prague is overrun with tourism, Budapest isn't (yet).


----------



## gmacruyff

Mr Bricks said:


> Scotland is quite popular among tourists. Edinburgh is probably the most visited British city outside London.


www.roughguides.com

Glasgow- Worlds friendliest city 2014


----------



## ssiguy2

AUTOTHRILL said:


> More utter bollocks from the ignorant. look up manchester and liverpool, might surprise you. Along with newcastle, bristol, bath, newport and smaller gems like tenby. you clearly have zero knowledge of the British isles. in terms of architecure and cultural offer, uk cities generally far outclass the majority of american cites bar the major ones (which is understandable given the population difference) the very definition of underrated. fool


Stop being insecure. Did I say there was nothing good about the UK outside of London? 

There are many great things outside London but you never hear of anything outside of London. All the British tourism ads over here might as well be just London tourism ads. This is exactly why I said UK cities are under or not even rated.............they don't get the respect or attention they deserve.


----------



## PD

Occit said:


> I dont understand how the hell a house would be representative for a city, my city has several good looking houses, but those ones cannot be considered as representatives. I think city pics should be panoramics or more generalized shots.


He needs to prove that Argentina can into western suburbia.


----------



## FritzMitWitz

Well I would say that the region of South or South-West Germany as well as the northern part of Switzerland and cities like Konstanz, where I grew up, are kind of underrated in Europe. The Black Forest and its Cuckoo clocks is well known by American tourists but our family and friends were always surprised when they visited us at the Lake of Constance about the beauty of the Region and its small cities. Due to their proximity to Switzerland Allies were afraid to bomb those cities in WW2. Even though we have some German, Swiss or European tourists in our region international tourists rarely stop by when visiting cities like Munich, Zürich or the Bavarian countryside(Castle Neuschwanstein). 

The German city Konstanz








Source: http://www.langenargen-tourismus.de/uploads/pics/Konstanz_Format_4-3.jpg


The Swiss City Stein am Rhein at he Lake of Constance


----------



## DarkLite

Lisbon seems to be underrated in Europe.

I would also argue that Sao Paulo is underrated in Latin America.


----------



## MarkoUtr

thebank24h said:


> if we talk about underrated cities we have to talk about most French cities that are completely forgotten and outshined by Paris for example: Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille.


True. Last year I visited Nantes without any big expectations, but is was a great city. Not big, but it had a beautiful innercity and has a good athmosphere. Verry underrated.
Also Nice and St Malo are very underrated in my opinion.


----------



## El_Greco

edward222 said:


> what an amazing place is this...


Well, maybe if it was easier to get in, it wouldn't be so underrated...


----------



## I(L)WTC

Yuri S Andrade said:


> ^^
> Yet, São Paulo is twice as bigger and wealthier than Rio, and its influence over the country is several times stronger.
> 
> The other megacities in Americas are Mexico City and Buenos Aires, even though less cosmopolitan and wealthier than São Paulo, are widely recognised due their architecture and history. The other two, New York and Los Angeles, would be the last ones to be featured in this thread.
> 
> That's why I believe there aren't many cities out there more underrated than São Paulo.


Buenos Aires it's more multicultural and cosmopolitan than Sao Paulo


----------



## Pennypacker

buenosaireseze said:


> *Santiago de Chile​*...


Are there other areas of Chile with high levels of deprivation? Because whenever I see pictures of Santiago it looks incredibly developed and attractive. Definitely at the top of my list of cities to visit in South America, after Buenos Aires.


----------



## mopc

Easily Sao Paulo, 3rd largest city in the world, largest Japanese/Lebanese/Portuguese cumminities on Earth, large Italian, Jewish, German, Polish, Bolivian communities, home of the oldest skyscrapers in the world outside the USA

And yet most people around the world would be uncapable of identifying a single picture of it or name any feature of the city.

*São Paulo: The Most Underrated City in the World*


----------



## El_Greco

Must have something to do with the dreadfully high crime there?


----------



## alexandru.mircea

thebank24h said:


> if we talk about underrated cities we have to talk about most French cities that are completely forgotten and outshined by Paris for example: Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille.


Also applies to British cities that are not London and Edinburgh. I can't praise Glasgow highly enough, and I'm really keen on visiting a few others, especially Nottingham and Liverpool.


----------



## mopc

El_Greco said:


> Must have something to do with the dreadfully high crime there?


The crime rate in Sao Paulo has been declinining since the year 2000 and now Sao Paulo is the safest large city in Brazil, with a statewide crime rate of 11 murders per 100,000 (average United States crime rate 6 per 100,000).

Beside Sao Paulo was even more impressive in the past, what other city has an ocean of highrises built before 1965?

























































Sao Paulo is underrated because it does not fit the stereotype of what a "South American" city should be.

It was a mega second to none outside North America until the 90s, back when Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur were hickster villages.


----------



## El_Greco

Please. Brazil remains one of the most dangerous destinations on the planet. Crime is a fact of life there.


----------



## mopc

Don't change the subject. First, Sao Paulo is not "Brazil". Second. if crime is the reason, then why was Sao Paulo underrated in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, when it was safer than NY?


----------



## El_Greco

I'm not. Brazil is a dangerous destination - none of its major cities are safe, including SP. 

It was underrated then because those weren't the days of cheap flights and SP didn't have any glamour attached to its image. It is underrated now because of crime.


----------



## alexandru.mircea

Isn't rather the more picturesque and poorer north-east of Brazil the one where crime bligths tourism? Since I've first seen images of Salvador in the World Cup build-up I've been wanting to go there & visit, but the warnings that come attached are quite strong.


----------



## Rekarte

I don't think São Paulo is underrated but I'm brazilian, it's not a attractive city, it's big..ok! but if it's a question of population...so Manila, Jakarta, Karachi, Lagos is very underrated!

alexandru.mircea - Salvador is a horrible city, rlly dangerous even for native and worse for foreign and 80% is slum


----------



## Brazilian001

Rekarte said:


> alexandru.mircea - Salvador is a horrible city, rlly dangerous even for native and worse for foreign and 80% is slum


Come on, Salvador is one of the most interesting capital cities in Brazil. Obviously one must be careful where they walk, but I would never say it is a destination to be avoided.


----------



## Brazilian001

El_Greco said:


> I'm not. Brazil is a dangerous destination - none of its major cities are safe, including SP.
> 
> It was underrated then because those weren't the days of cheap flights and SP didn't have any glamour attached to its image. It is underrated now because of crime.


It's not underrated because of the crime, otherwise all Brazilian capital cities would be for the same reason, as SP is considered today as being the major major city in the country. As mopc said, it's underrated because it doesn't fit the stereotype of what a South American city should be.


----------



## rafark

Yuri S Andrade said:


> ^^
> Yet, São Paulo is twice as bigger and wealthier than Rio, and its influence over the country is several times stronger.
> 
> The other megacities in Americas are Mexico City and Buenos Aires, even though less cosmopolitan and wealthier than São Paulo, are widely recognised due their architecture and history. The other two, New York and Los Angeles, would be the last ones to be featured in this thread.
> 
> That's why I believe there aren't many cities out there more underrated than São Paulo.


Mexico City is wealthier than Sao paulo. And I wouldn't say Sao Paulo is more cosmopolitan than Mexico City. Sao Paolo is just a bunch of skyscrapers wich by the way sp happens to have half office space in sq ft than Mexico City. 

In short, I wouldn't say Sao Paulo is underrated. It is well recognized in many places. And it would be nice to stop trying to compare cities because it encourages those dirty versus that no one likes.


----------



## Rekarte

brazilian001 said:


> Come on, Salvador is one of the most interesting capital cities in Brazil. Obviously one must be careful where they walk, but I would never say it is a destination to be avoided.


I live here...Salvador is a slum from India with people from Africa


----------



## HRLR

rafark said:


> Mexico City is wealthier than Sao paulo.


*GDP*

*São Paulo* - $ 430,510 million

*Mexico City* - $ 403,561 million

*Buenos Aires* - $ 315,885 million

http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2015/01/22-global-metro-monitor


----------



## Brazilian001

Rekarte said:


> I live here...Salvador is a slum from India with people from Africa


:nuts: :nuts:


----------



## Yellow Fever

guys, please stop the city vs city talk, thanks!


----------



## alexandru.mircea

I think the reason why certain Asian cities have not become smash hits is because what they build may not be _that_ great really. Shanghai has certainly built itself an iconic skyline, Tokyo is building what promises to be one of the greatest stadiums ever, but I can't think of much else of this level, so I think there's still space for other cities like Sao Paolo to make bold statements. BTW there is one such landmark already, the Corinthians stadium is considered one of the best new football stadiums in the world, check out the dedicated thread in the stadium section for the comments of the SSC users. It's just not very large, and therefore it doesn't really compete with the best and most famous in this category.
Also, I don't think that building reputation by landmarks is a thing of the past, the Bilbao effect that I mentioned is a new phenomenon. But I agree that a city mustn't focus solely / too much on architectural landmarks, as they are extremely expensive and too often are just empty vanity projects - the legacy, the usage, the actual contents at the inside matter a lot.


----------



## openlyJane

mopc said:


> oh yea Liverpool and Yekateringburg, the most underrated in the galaxy!
> 
> once you truly meet them you'll fall in love with their uh well their y'know... special charm! And stuff...


You are clearly attempting sarcasm....? hno: Liverpool, certainly, in British terms is very much an under-rated city. A world heritage city which was at one time the second city of The British Empire. Also consistently voted Britain's friendliest city:


----------



## Nikom

Maria_Helena JF said:


> *the largest populations of Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Spanish, Armenian, Lebanese and Arabic outside of their respective countries*


I don't think that is true, regarding the portuguese. The Portuguese diaspora is higher in Paris


----------



## LosAngelesSportsFan

Nikom said:


> I don't think that is true, regarding the portuguese. The Portuguese diaspora is higher in Paris


Definitely not true about Armenians either, that would be Los Angeles


----------



## 009

LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> Definitely not true about Armenians either, that would be Los Angeles


Definitely wrong for Spaniards too, I wonder if any of them are actually right :lol:


----------



## abrandao

Nikom said:


> I don't think that is true, regarding the portuguese. The Portuguese diaspora is higher in Paris


You really think that there are more people of Portuguese origin in Paris than in Sao Paulo? :lol:

You are comparing two different things: one that has started some 50 years ago (to France) and another one, much bigger, that has started some 5 centuries ago.


----------



## abrandao

LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> Definitely not true about Armenians either, that would be Los Angeles


How many in the city of LA? 
In the city of Sao Paulo I've heard that the number of Armenians reaches 35,000 people.


----------



## abrandao

009 said:


> Definitely wrong for Spaniards too, I wonder if any of them are actually right :lol:


That could be LA too...I mean, LA could be the biggest Mexican city outside Mexico, am I right?


----------



## Phencyclidine

Maria_Helena JF said:


> 1) This is not true. São Paulo is richer than Mexico City and Buenos Aires. Moreover, all this wealth come merely from the financial and industrial sector, as Sao Paulo, unlike Mexico City and Buenos Aires, is not capital of the country. The GDP of Brasilia is around $ 140 billion, almost all of that money comes from the government since the city does not have weight industries. The GDP of Rio is around $ 180 billion, and comes mainly from the oil industry (the headquarters of Petrobras, Vale ... are in Rio) and culture (is home Organizations GLOBE, the fourth largest emitter of TV on the planet, is the most sought after tourist destination in the country ...). Obviously, if São Paulo was the capital, would be even richer, but has to share with Rio and Brasilia this concentration of wealth. Unlike Mexico City and Buenos Aires, which account for much of the industrial GDP, administrative, financial and cultural of their countries.
> 
> 2) Not sure what you mean by the term "cosmopolitan". São Paulo is one of the most multicultural and multiracial cities on the planet. We can find in the city huge communities of different ethnicities, cultures, religions, tribes ... Currently, it is the city with *the largest populations of Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Spanish, Armenian, Lebanese and Arabic outside of their respective countries*. São Paulo has more descendants of Italian than any other Italian city (6 million, against 2.5 million in Rome). Live in the city about 450,000 Asians, where 340,000 are of Japanese origin. The biggest Orthodox cathedral in Latin America is in São Paulo. Also, in its metropolitan area have the largest Buddhist temple in Latin America, and in the old center, the fourth largest Catholic church in the world (Sé Cathedral). The São Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) is the largest fashion event in Brazil and *the largest in Latin America, the Southern Hemisphere and the fifth largest fashion week in the world*, after Paris, Milan, New York, London. The Oscar Freire street, according to the Mystery Shopping International, was named one of *the eight most luxurious streets in the world.* The Motor Show of São Paulo is considered *the largest and most important in Latin America and one of the 10 largest in the world.* SP is also the only city in Latinamerica to receive the Formula 1 annually, and is considered one of the most traditional circuits of the race. The International Biennial of Art is considered *one of the three main events in the international art circuit*, with the Venice Biennale and Documenta in Kassel.



Okay so that's cute you re defending your city. Now may I ask for some sources about what you say ?
For example you say it’s the city with the largest population of Italians ( doubt it very much), Portuguese (possible, as brazil was in the empire,), Japanese I doubt it, Spanish I doubt it, wtf would Spanish people go to a Portuguese speaking country when you have Buenos Aires down south or Mexico city up north ? I’ll just laugh for the three others.

Fifth largest fashion week, so Sao Paulo is in front of Tokyo for example? According to this topyaps.com/top-10-famous-fashion-shows-of-the-world you are not even top 10, and you are not better placed, if not mentioned in many other rankings. But I’ll give it to you for the largest fashion week in Latin America.

I doubt that streets from Sao Paulo makes top 10 of the most expensive streets in the world, I mean I could give you 5 streets just in Paris. Come on now...

Finally the most important city in Latin America and top 10 in the world, yet on the Global city lists… :
-GaWC study (2012), puts Sao Paulo as an Alpha city, there are already 10 cities in Alpha+ and Alpha ++
- Global City Index (2014), The only city in of Latin America in the top 20 is Buenos Aires, and it comes 20th, Sao Paulo ? 34th.
- Global Economic Power Index (2015) not even mentioned in top 15.
- The Wealth report (2013) Sao Paulo 36th.
- Global City competitiveness (2012), Sao Paulo 62nd.

And could continue on and on but No point. So yeah Brazil is an emerging country and Sao Paulo in emerging metropolis, but it’s still a dwarf in influence and power compared to other cities. As for the Latin countries, I think Buenos Aires is still seen more influent and powerfull than Sao Paulo, even though Sao Paulo should take the head of the ranking in the years to come, if Mexico City doesn’t catch up by then.


I don't think it's underated.


----------



## alexandru.mircea

I think that mention of "communities" in Sao Paolo is referring to people of certain descent (going back to the earliest settlers), not to actual diasporas. If that's the case, then it probably is correct.


----------



## Baitalon

I think São Paulo is underrated because it is in many lists as the ugliest cities in the world, also looking above it looks really ugly because of the buildings, but looking at the street level its actually a good looking city


----------



## Jonesy55

abrandao said:


> You really think that there are more people of Portuguese origin in Paris than in Sao Paulo? :lol:.


Yeah, but most of those in Sao Paolo are just descended from Portuguese people, they are not actually Portuguese.


----------



## Phencyclidine

alexandru.mircea said:


> I think that mention of "communities" in Sao Paolo is referring to people of certain descent (going back to the earliest settlers), not to actual diasporas. If that's the case, then it probably is correct.


That's shit, you can't say that X people are italian just because their great grand father was italian, that's bullcrap. Otherwise Chicago is the biggest Italian city, and Boston is the capital of all the Irish....


----------



## Jonesy55

There might be 100m British people in the US today if that's the criteria, but nobody seriously claims that, they are not British, they are Americans, they just have some British ancestors a couple of centuries ago.


----------



## Svartmetall

NOTE: Please don't turn this into a "Brazil vs. the world" thread. It was going okay before with many different cities being showcased. Try not to get too bogged down in subjective views.


----------



## alexandru.mircea

Phencyclidine said:


> That's shit, you can't say that X people are italian just because their great grand father was italian, that's bullcrap. Otherwise Chicago is the biggest Italian city, and Boston is the capital of all the Irish....


It depends, some communities keep their old ethnic / national identity very much alive, even after generations. Especially Italians, Greeks, Irish, Portuguese etc. Chicago being a bigger "Irish" city (in this extended sense) than Dublin is a known fact (although Boston is indeed a more iconic Irish-American city).


----------



## Brazilian001

alexandru.mircea said:


> I think that mention of "communities" in Sao Paolo is referring to people of certain descent (going back to the earliest settlers), not to actual diasporas. If that's the case, then it probably is correct.


That's it, otherwise it wouldn't make sense her statement "São Paulo has more descendants of Italian than any other Italian city" 



Phencyclidine said:


> That's shit, you can't say that X people are italian just because their great grand father was italian, that's bullcrap. *Otherwise Chicago is the biggest Italian city*, and Boston is the capital of all the Irish....


I don't think so, how many Italians/Italian descents are there in Chicago? In São Paulo they are about 6 million.


----------



## Rekarte

alexandru.mircea said:


> I think that mention of "communities" in Sao Paolo is referring to people of certain descent (going back to the earliest settlers), not to actual diasporas. If that's the case, then it probably is correct.


exactly! more than 90% os brazilians has any kind of portuguese ancestry, many of them don't even know about that or even where Portugl is:lol:

The "italians" are people with italians ancestry, italians come to Brazil in the end of XIX and beg. XX century, like the syrian/lebanese, spanish...and after them in the beg. XX the japaneses
Armenians are relly few in Brazil, even people with armenian ancestry is a small number, the largest armenian comunity in Latin America is Argentina


----------



## Phencyclidine

Brazilian => It seems that you are right. I think there are ~500 000 for Chicago, even though I feel this is very underestimated, just as the one is saopaulo is over estimated.

I guess it depends how far away goes the descent idea. In my opinion it goes up to grand parents, not higher, otherwise it just gets stupid.

In the 1890s the Italian represented ~~ 52% of the population (according to World Population review). SO I guess it's you're right on that, event though it depends how far you go on the descent..


----------



## Nikom

abrandao said:


> You really think that there are more people of Portuguese origin in Paris than in Sao Paulo? :lol:
> 
> You are comparing two different things: one that has started some 50 years ago (to France) and another one, much bigger, that has started some 5 centuries ago.


Well, maybe diaspora was not the right word to use kay: But regarding immigrants it's definitely not true, otherwise it obvious there are more people with portuguese origins in Sao Paulo than in other city in the world, even Lisbon :nuts:


----------



## LosAngelesSportsFan

abrandao said:


> How many in the city of LA?
> In the city of Sao Paulo I've heard that the number of Armenians reaches 35,000 people.


Hundreds of Thousands. I should know, i am one 

Here is a pic from yesterdays Armenian Genocide march in Hollywood

Estimated crowd at 130,000










anyways, back on topic


----------



## LosAngelesSportsFan

abrandao said:


> That could be LA too...I mean, LA could be the biggest Mexican city outside Mexico, am I right?


I believe LA is the second largest Mexican city as well.

Largest groups outside of their home countries in LA include

Armenians
Mexicans
Koreans
Filipinos
Salvadorians
Burmese
Cambodian
Chinese
Indonesian
Sri Lankan
Thai
Iranians

LA is definitely underrated by a lot of people. They have different expectations based on what they see on TV / Movies and the reality here is not all glitz and glam. LA has a lot of grit, amazing diversity (See above), perhaps the best food scene in the world right now, a top notch art scene that is only growing and our best asset is our topographical diversity. I have done the snowboarding and the beach in the same day. We have deserts, forests, beaches and everything else all within 1 hour. We have dense urban and we have gated suburban. I love that i can go 20 minutes from downtown LA and be hiking in forests with waterfalls, bears and mountain lions lurking.

LA is sometimes hard to experience as a tourist due to the vast size, but as a resident, you have the world at your feet.


----------



## Kolony

LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> I believe LA is the second largest Mexican city as well.
> 
> Largest groups outside of their home countries in LA include
> 
> Armenians
> Mexicans
> Koreans
> Filipinos
> Salvadorians
> Burmese
> Cambodian
> Chinese
> Indonesian
> Sri Lankan
> Thai
> Iranians
> 
> LA is definitely underrated by a lot of people. They have different expectations based on what they see on TV / Movies and the reality here is not all glitz and glam. LA has a lot of grit, amazing diversity (See above), perhaps the best food scene in the world right now, a top notch art scene that is only growing and our best asset is our topographical diversity. I have done the snowboarding and the beach in the same day. We have deserts, forests, beaches and everything else all within 1 hour. We have dense urban and we have gated suburban. I love that i can go 20 minutes from downtown LA and be hiking in forests with waterfalls, bears and mountain lions lurking.
> 
> LA is sometimes hard to experience as a tourist due to the vast size, but as a resident, you have the world at your feet.


The Russian community in LA is very large as well. Ithink it should be included in the list as well.


----------



## LosAngelesSportsFan

Kolony said:


> The Russian community in LA is very large as well. Ithink it should be included in the list as well.


Russian community is definitely large here, as are numerous others i didnt list. The ones on the list are only the communities that are the largest outside of their respective countries. Not sure if LA's Russian community is the largest outside of Russia.


----------



## Baitalon

LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> I believe LA is the second largest Mexican city as well.
> 
> Largest groups outside of their home countries in LA include
> 
> Armenians
> Mexicans
> Koreans
> Filipinos
> Salvadorians
> Burmese
> Cambodian
> Chinese
> Indonesian
> Sri Lankan
> Thai
> Iranians
> 
> LA is definitely underrated by a lot of people. They have different expectations based on what they see on TV / Movies and the reality here is not all glitz and glam. LA has a lot of grit, amazing diversity (See above), perhaps the best food scene in the world right now, a top notch art scene that is only growing and our best asset is our topographical diversity. I have done the snowboarding and the beach in the same day. We have deserts, forests, beaches and everything else all within 1 hour. We have dense urban and we have gated suburban. I love that i can go 20 minutes from downtown LA and be hiking in forests with waterfalls, bears and mountain lions lurking.
> 
> LA is sometimes hard to experience as a tourist due to the vast size, but as a resident, you have the world at your feet.


Never thought someone would say Los Angeles is underrated.... for me it is one of the most overrated cities in the world, its probably the 2nd most known american city in the world


----------



## openlyJane

_The under-rated British city of *Liverpool *hosts a series of the world's/Europe's largests, firsts etc_:




_The *world's largest brick built building* - the monumental Tobacco Warehouse ( currently in the process of renovation and conversion):
_





Europe's *largest anglican cathedral *( 5th largest cathedral in the world):









The *world's most successful pop group* of all time:





Europe's* first building made from a steel structure *and re-inforced concrete ( early skyscraper technology):









_At the time of construction, the world's *longest underwater road tunnel*:_







_The *world's first passenger railway line:*_



_Arguably *Europe's finest neo-classical building *- St George's Hall:_









_Europe's *oldest chinese community*:_








...and so on.....


----------



## openlyJane

_Continued: The *world's first wet dock warehousing complex* - The Albert Dock:
_


----------



## Mokamal

I would add Potsdam to the list. 
Close to Berlin, Germany, the historic importance is amazing, together with the highest concentration of castles and palaces I've ever seen. Stunning (and still unknown)


----------



## Kolony

LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> Russian community is definitely large here, as are numerous others i didnt list. The ones on the list are only the communities that are the largest outside of their respective countries. Not sure if LA's Russian community is the largest outside of Russia.



The Russian community in Los Angeles is one of the three biggest in the world outside of Russia for sure, most likely on par with Berlin and New York City.


----------



## LosAngelesSportsFan

Kolony said:


> The Russian community in Los Angeles is one of the three biggest in the world outside of Russia for sure, most likely on par with Berlin and New York City.


add in the thousands of non Russians from Russia that live out here as well and that number really grows.


----------



## jacint.mif

LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> Largest groups outside of their home countries in LA include
> 
> Armenians
> .


That is not true, The biggest concentration of Armenians outside of armenia is in Moscow, estimated at around 700000 Armenians.


----------



## LosAngelesSportsFan

Everything I have ever read says LA is first, Moscow 2nd. Do you have a source?


----------



## LFXDN

I think that most middle sized cities in the Netherlands are underrated


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## bodegavendetta

LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> I believe LA is the second largest Mexican city as well.
> 
> Largest groups outside of their home countries in LA include
> 
> Armenians
> Mexicans
> Koreans
> Filipinos
> Salvadorians
> Burmese
> Cambodian
> Chinese
> Indonesian
> Sri Lankan
> Thai
> Iranians
> 
> LA is sometimes hard to experience as a tourist due to the vast size, but as a resident, you have the world at your feet.


Actually I believe New York has the largest population of Sri Lankans and Chinese in the US outside Sri Lanka and China. Otherwise I agree with what you said. LA is a pretty interesting and incredibly diverse place but the touristy parts that people tend to visit don't give a good impression of the city at all. I know people say that about all tourist traps everywhere but I feel like LA's are especially bad at representing the city.


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## the spliff fairy

^bear in mind Sri Lankan High Commission puts it at 500,000 in the UK, mostly in the London area.

Also city-wise for the largest Chinese populations outside China are of course in SE Asia - Singapore (75%, or 2.8 million ethnic Chinese), Bangkok - no estimate but 14% of Thais (9.4 million) are of significant Chinese heritage, and 40% (26 million) are of part Chinese ancestry. Translated that to Bangkok and that would be 2 million and 5.6 million respectively, although that number is probably higher due to the Chinese population being more urban. Jakarta counts about 560,000 in the city limits and far higher (into the millions) for the urban area, likewise Manila.


**edit sorry, reread your post: " largest population of Sri Lankans and Chinese* in the US* outside Sri Lanka and China"


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## Andre Goth

Yuri S Andrade said:


> And just to make it clear, São Paulo is underrated internationally only.
> 
> Domestically, it's all about São Paulo. São Paulo has no competition whatsoever. It's São Paulo and the rest, as it influences every corner of the country.


Not so far, dear friend...the metropolitan area of São Paulo, represents around 15% of the brazilian GDP, and Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area represents 8,04% of the GDP, but, the share of the population of São Paulo's Metro in the brazilian population is 9,1% and Rio's is 5,8%...nothing so far, and, in the right proportion are almost equivalent in GDP per Capita...

We must not forget that Rio de Janeiro is also the cultural capital of Brazil and a metropolis of 12 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area ... the proportion that exists is like that between NY and LA


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## RodolfoMedeiros

Andre Goth said:


> We must not forget that Rio de Janeiro is also the cultural capital of Brazil and a metropolis of 12 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area ... the proportion that exists is like that between NY and LA


Why Rio would be the cultural capital of Brazil?


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## jacint.mif

LosAngelesSportsFan said:


> Everything I have ever read says LA is first, Moscow 2nd. Do you have a source?


http://agbu.org/news-item/moscow-home-of-the-largest-armenian-diaspora-community/

And i would say the number is a bit underestimated, since a lot of them, so-called oldtimers, or people of mixed Armenian ancestry no longer identify as Armenian.


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## mopc

jacint.mif said:


> Well, it is underrated in my opinion cause it is not really unique, most of those buildings look very generic and quite ugly.
> 
> What a south american should be? and how does sao paulo not fit the mold?
> 
> And i cannot really see how sao paulo, till the 90's was any better than big european cities, or than Tokyo or buenos aires or Mexico city? Please explain yourself ...


Because it's about being UNDERRATED. Everybody knows about the existence of Tokyo and Mexico City, they are the capital of their countries and are "obvious" cities. 

We are talking about UNDERRATED. That means what the world thinks of it VS. what it really is. 

Sao Paulo is the largest city in South America. Yet most people in the US/Europe/Asia heard a thousand times more about Rio, Buenos Aires and Machu Pichu. 

I know it because I have been a tour guide here for 15 years. Foreigners 99% of them think Rio is the largest city in Brazil. They are 100% unaware of the existance of a city created by Italian, Japanese, Lebanese, German and Jewish immigrants that is wealthier than Chicago.

THAT IS THE MEANING OF UNDERRATED.

Yes Mexico CIty, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Liverpool, Yekaterinburg, Manila, they may all be fantastic fabulos cities. But none of them is as underrated (FAME vs REALITY) as Sao Paulo is.

As to the losers who think Sao Paulo is just an ocean of "generic" buildings open your eyes, you are just reinforcing the fact that Sao Paulo is underrated - by underrating it!

How many cities looked like this in 1953?










Yekaterinburg? Manila? Shanghai? Liverpool? :lol: Plz...



Or like this in 1928... NINETEEN TWENTY-EIGHT FOR CHRISSAKE










No oil sheyk or commie bastard has the cash to buy this! They can built their fake slave-labor towers all the way to low earth orbit but they will never have the dreams of Sao Paulo's pioneers!!


Here, more "GENERIC CRAP" for you Sao Paulo 2015























































*Even in absolute terms, the more "generic" decadent parts of the city easily dickslap any of the multifarious kitsch fake soulless crappy Asian nouveaux-rich communist pagoda islamic shithole metropolises they are mass producing a dime a dozen anywhere now.*


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## cameronpaul

mopc said:


> Because it's about being UNDERRATED. Everybody knows about the existence of Tokyo and Mexico City, they are the capital of their countries and are "obvious" cities.
> 
> We are talking about UNDERRATED. That means what the world thinks of it VS. what it really is.
> 
> Sao Paulo is the largest city in South America. Yet most people in the US/Europe/Asia heard a thousand times more about Rio, Buenos Aires and Machu Pichu.
> 
> I know it because I have been a tour guide here for 15 years. Foreigners 99% of them think Rio is the largest city in Brazil. They are 100% unaware of the existance of a city created by Italian, Japanese, Lebanese, German and Jewish immigrants that is wealthier than Chicago.
> 
> THAT IS THE MEANING OF UNDERRATED.
> 
> Yes Mexico CIty, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Liverpool, Yekaterinburg, Manila, they may all be fantastic fabulos cities. But none of them is as underrated (FAME vs REALITY) as Sao Paulo is.
> 
> As to the losers who think Sao Paulo is just an ocean of "generic" buildings open your eyes, you are just reinforcing the fact that Sao Paulo is underrated - by underrating it!
> 
> How many cities looked like this in 1953?
> 
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> 
> Yekaterinburg? Manila? Shanghai? Liverpool? :lol: Plz...
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> Or like this in 1928... NINETEEN TWENTY-EIGHT FOR CHRISSAKE
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> Here, more "GENERIC CRAP" for you Sao Paulo 2015
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> Even in absolute the more "generic" decadent parts of the city easily dickslaps any of the multifarious kitsch fake soulless crappy Asian nouveaux-rich communist pagoda islamic shithole metropolis


The problem with Sao Paulo is that it's wonderful architectural heritage has been so very UNERRATED by the City Authorities it has fallen into appalling disrepair and as a result the most interesting part of the old city is now very rundown. Recently there has been a plan to restore much of this but I wonder if it's too little too late. The city has some real gems comparable to anywhere else but overall it is very ugly I'm afraid (never seen so much graffiti) at least from a European point of view. This is a realistic view and I'm not suggesting people should not visit there, it certainly is worth seeing and yes, from an international standing it probably is underrated.


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