Places outside the U.S. that most resemble the U.S.

Acajack · #1 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 5:04 PM**

We often have threads about which places outside Europe most resemble Europe, so how about places that most resemble the U.S., outside the U.S.?

Obviously Canada will feature prominently as will Australia and some other usual suspects - and that's fine.

But try to go off the beaten path, too.

isaidso · #2 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 5:21 PM**

I found suburban Finland surprisingly similar. I saw a lot of large modern houses on big lots, 2-3 cars in the drive way, and that sprawl went on for quite a bit. The architecture was a little different but it felt more North American than European.

iheartthed · #3 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 5:33 PM**

Eastern Germany. This might get a little pushback, but Berlin feels a little like a Midwest Great Lakes city to me.

Santiago de Chile feels like it could be in California.

Vienna reminds me of San Francisco.

hipster duck · #4 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 5:39 PM**

The centre of Glasgow is built on a grid and has some turn of the century “high rises”.

Acajack · #5 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 5:40 PM**

I find the CBDs of Frankurt-am-Main, Germany and also second-tier British cities like Manchester and Birmingham have a lot of Americanesque traits.

Please post streetviews if possible. (I should follow my own advice I guess.)

10023 · #6 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 5:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Eastern Germany. This might get a little pushback, but Berlin feels a little like a Midwest Great Lakes city to me.

Santiago de Chile feels like it could be in California.

Vienna reminds me of San Francisco.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...hicago&f=false

Quote:

[Walther] Rathenau presented Berlin as the most American of all European cities and summarized it with the now famous words: “Athens on the Spree is dead, yet Chicago on the Spree is rising.”

You’re not the first.

hipster duck · #7 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 5:49 PM**

This scene doesn’t really resemble an American city, but the architecture of some of these buildings is kind of American (like that flat-topped building with the Beaux Arts cornice).

muertecaza · #8 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 6:17 PM**

Unfortunately they don't have streetview to refresh my recollection, but I remember Panama City feeling like a US city in places, with its freeways, malls and coastal towers (including its Trump Tower).

edale · #9 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 6:48 PM**

The CBD in Singapore felt like a tropical version of Chicago's Loop to me. Huge skyscraper canyons, lots of office workers, very clean, kind of dead at night.

https://www.google.com/maps/@1.28193...7i16384!8i8192

Pedestrian · #10 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 6:55 PM**

Almost anywhere in Australia.

JManc · #11 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 7:03 PM**

Besides Canada, northern Mexico and Australia, I found parts of Germany similar to US cities; bigger houses, neighborhoods, etc.

MolsonExport · #12 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 7:05 PM**

Ouagadogou

Minato Ku · #13 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 7:14 PM**

The area of Berlin in Mitte around Friedrichstraße and Unter den Linden has quite a Washington DC feel.
A grid, many modern office buildings of the same size and many government agencies and embassies.

PoshSteve · #14 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 8:27 PM**

Viewed from the air, cities in South Africa (excluding the townships) could easily be mistaken for American cities. Then you get on the ground and see all of the houses are surrounded by walls.

I was driving through Bratenahl, Ohio the other day for the first time. Its a very small, very wealthy, independent city on the lake that is otherwise completely surrounded by Cleveland. Massive houses all surrounded by walls and gates. I actually said to myself "this almost feels like Sandton".

dc_denizen · #15 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 8:32 PM**

Does anywhere outside the US look like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5390...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8853...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0670...7i13312!8i6656

the heavy tree cover, 75-150 year old victorian / craftsman , midwestern homes on a grid with 1/4 acre lots...

seems uniquely american, a function of the homebuilding trends of the time, wealth, and space to build.

SIGSEGV · #16 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 8:37 PM**

Suburban Christchurch could be mistaken for suburban California:

https://www.google.com/maps/@-43.575...7i16384!8i8192

Pedestrian · #17 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 8:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

Does anywhere outside the US look like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5390...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8853...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0670...7i13312!8i6656

the heavy tree cover, 75-150 year old victorian / craftsman , midwestern homes on a grid with 1/4 acre lots...

seems uniquely american, a function of the homebuilding trends of the time, wealth, and space to build.

The midwest:

https://www.google.com/search?rls=en...pIqLPa76JOCkrM

or . . . Melbourne (OK--you guessed because the cars are facing the "wrong" way).

Much of Australia grew up at the same time and subject to the same trends.

Pedestrian · #18 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 8:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

Suburban Christchurch could be mistaken for suburban California:

https://www.google.com/maps/@-43.575...7i16384!8i8192

Christchurch always seemed to me more English than American, though (I lived there for 3 months). Maybe it was because I got trapped in a department store once when they unexpectedly (to me) closed at 4 PM for tea time. But also it was because so many middle aged men wore shorts (and knee socks), "race day" was a thing and central heating largely wasn't (learned to love New Zealand wool sweaters). Also, nowhere is America has so many sheep. Nowhere in the world, in fact.

Acajack · #19 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 8:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

Does anywhere outside the US look like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5390...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8853...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0670...7i13312!8i6656

the heavy tree cover, 75-150 year old victorian / craftsman , midwestern homes on a grid with 1/4 acre lots...

seems uniquely american, a function of the homebuilding trends of the time, wealth, and space to build.

It's typically American for sure, but certainly not impossible to find in areas of Canada here and there.

Don't have to time to search unfortunately. Perhaps someone else will.

dc_denizen · #20 Posted **Jul 9, 2020, 8:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's typically American for sure, but certainly not impossible to find in areas of Canada here and there.

Don't have to time to search unfortunately. Perhaps someone else will.

remember though part which makes these areas special is the age and character of the homes.

It's not 'random suburban street', but rather, old homes with character, grid, big trees.

basically, the domicile of the educated american upper-middle class.