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Originally Posted by Musicman215
Hi, I'm new here and I thought I might start a discussion. I've noticed some other countries (esp. in Europe) have declared cultural capitals but AFAIK the US doesn't officially have one or never had one nominated. I think my city Philadelphia is the perfect choice, since it has the best museums in the country and undoubtedly offers the finest musical ensembles and it's considered ground zero for classical music and high arts. Yes, you can say NYC has the largest collection of artistic activities and most money but most of it is bought rather than homegrown, where Philly excels at homegrown arts and culture. Same with DC, the federal gov't funds the arts and culture there and anything in DC most likely didn't originate locally.
I don't want to make a 1st post too long, so I'll nominate Philly to be the US's cultural capital for its excellent and extremely vibrant artistic scene that's second to none in quality and diversity. If you disagree, what other cities should be considered?
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You should have expanded upon your thoughts more in your initial post because I would be curious on why you were prompted to make the thread. Also I don't really agree the 'high arts' are any less or more organic in Philadelphia than NYC. I agree DC does benefit more from the collective wealth and prestige of the country in terms of it's museum and arts culture being the capitol city.
When trying to determine cultural relevancy, I believe there is a fine line between just describing aspects of a place you like versus actually explaining why something is culturally relevant outside of it's own region. Food, language, music, entertainment, popular media depictions and more can contribute to one place's 'exported' image. Then there is the more subliminal influence places have through the industrial power located in and around them such a finance, education, fashion, technology, etc.
I think a good case can be made for many of the large cities in the US. If I were asked to make a case for Philadelphia: You can eat Philly cheesesteaks in all corners of the world. Some countries simply call Cream Cheese 'Philadelphia'. There's Philadelphia-themed chain bar/restaurants in London and NYC. 80% of Pretzels in the US come from PA and iconic brands such as Auntie Anne's and Super Pretzel came from the Philadelphia metro. Hershey's Chocolate started on Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia.
In terms of media depictions; Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the longest running live-action Comedy Sitcom in US TV history that has achieved international popularity. Abbott Elementry and The Goldbergs are two other emmy-winning sitcoms still on set in Philadelphia. The city also exists in the fictional worlds of DC and Marvel with DC's Shazam movies most recently being based there. Netflix has several movies set in Philadelphia including last year's Adam Sandler movie Hustle. By a lot of measurements, Comcast is the largest media company in the world producing hits like Super Mario Bros. The Movie and Fast and the Furious 10. It owns news networks around the world and has a say in a lot of different affairs and a variety of outlets to expand their cultural influence (even if it is hating them lol).
From a fashion point, it's hard to deny the contribution the URBN companies had in helping define the 2010s more hipster aesthetic through their Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People stores. One of the more random facts a lot of people do not know is that the Philadelphia-Wilmington area was originally colonized by the Swedish and given the name New Sweden. Not much is left beyond a few very old structures, a museum, and the city and country sharing the same official colors. However, the Swedes did gift us with one thing: the US HQ of IKEA, a very cultural influential furniture brand. Center City-based Five Below has also thrived in retail while others have went bankrupt having it made it big capitalizing on crazes like the Fidget Spinner and still growing fast across the US.
In terms of other random celebrities/entertainers that could be perceived as having or having been pretty influential who claim/ed the Philadelphia metro as their hometown/origin place: Kevin Hart, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant (RIP), Taylor Swift, Joe Biden, Pink, Bradley Cooper, Kevin Bacon, Marshmellow, Diplo, plenty of other rappers, rock bands, indie rock, etc. We don't talk about Bill Cosby anymore, but it's hard to deny through many different mediums, Bill was culturally influential. Dick Clark's American Bandstand in West Philadelphia changed the music industry forever and contributed to evolving American culture in the 20th century. The Sound of Philadelphia in the 1970s. Boyz to Men. You can go decade by decade and find contributions from artists in the city.
A thing that separates Philadelphia (and other legacy cities who have never been out of the top 5 in US history in size) is the cultural longevity too. Prince Albert, the reigning Monarch of Monaco is the son of, proud Philadelphian, Princess Grace Kelly. Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel, said the reason he is a tough and gritty guy is because he's from Philadelphia. Many other influential and powerful people such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump spend their college years living and socializing in Philadelphia.
Sports: one of the great sports cities of America and known for the crazy fans. Have had cultural super stars like Wilt Chamberlain, Dr. J, Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley. While Philly isn't on the beach or in the mountains, it did carve itself a name in late-1990s and early 2000s with skateboarding and being known as a gritty-punk skate hotspot. With homegrown stars like Bam Margera, Philly was the first place outside of LA that hosted the X Games.
Lol I wrote this in two sittings but felt Philly deserved it's due. I could also tell you how the midland accent technically originated from the Philadelphia area and how Vanguard controls a lot of the financial world indirectly lol, but I am tired of writing and you guys probably don't care. But as I said at the start too, I think you can make a point for lots of places.