Which city impressed you on the first visit?

[Charlotteman]

We've all been somewhere that we didn't expect much before we arrived, but ended up being totally charmed by:)

For me, I'm still blown away by Wilmington. Before I ever visited there, I just knew of it as the home of the USS North Carolina.

When I first visited I was blown away with the city. The architecture, history, geography, lovely people, terrific food and service........wow!

Even though lots of people have discovered Wilmington, it's still not well known nationally. That's too bad because you couldn't ask for a nicer city to visit:)

[krazeeboi]

Since this is a geographical Southern city, I'll post it here: Washington. I really only knew about the city from a political standpoint and all of the monuments and things of that nature, but I had no idea the city was so alive at night and so totally urban. Along with all of the cultural amenities, that makes for one pretty well-rounded city.

[erdogs]

Austin TX is my choice. The night life for that size of a city is amazing. The cultural mix of the city just enhances the experience. Add the all the construction projects in the works make it a cool place for me. DC also was one. But my first time there was over 20 years ago.

[gs3]

Greenville South Carolina.....It impressed me so I ended moving myself and some employees here.

Now that I live in Greenville, cities I have traveled to since that time that impressed me greatly on the first visit were Charlottesville, VA and Boise, Idaho. Both incredible places with great vibes!

[krazeeboi]

Boise? Really? Interesting.

[Charlotteman]

I've been through Boise once, and it's one of the tidiest and most beautiful cities you could hope to visit.

[GvilleSC]

I was really impressed with Anapolis, Maryland. It's southern, although not culturally. I'm not entirely sure why other than it was neat to visit. Just something about that place...

And I'm with Krazee on Washington! The city blew me away on the first visit! I found it to be very clean and urban. I've been to Paris and done all that and I must say that I'm very proud of our nation's capitol!

[AuLukey]

I must say this is probably a very cliche answer for this on this forum; but I was extremely impressed with Winston-Salem the first time I ever visited it. It has a lot of variety and a gorgeous skyline for a city its size.

Even though I can't recall the first time I ever visited it, I am impressed with St. Augustine, FL every time I visit. It is a very laid back, touristy town with a lot to offer and close proximity to Jacksonville's beaches for adequate nightlife.

[krazeeboi]

Oh yeah, I've got to add Cincinatti to the list as well. An underrated city, IMO. Coming out of Kentucky, you come around the bend on the interstate and BAM! The skyline just all of a sudden hits you; it's breathtaking, and it's pleasant at the street level too.

Birmingham gets a nod too. I found downtown to be rather pleasant and walkable.

[Charlotteman]

I remember the first time I ever went to High Springs, Florida. I was gonna make a delivery there, and all I knew was that it was a village in the north central part of the state.

Man was I blown away right off the bat......a really really cute downtown, about three blocks long, lined with wonderful antique shoppes, antique auction houses, a florist, candy shoppes, restaurants, etc The downtown has been all preserved, and it's truly a charming place!

It must be a well kept secret. I had lived in Florida 10 years before I even knew High Springs existed:)

If ya love small town charm and antiques, High Springs is the place for you.

[dimebag1980]

Southern cities that I wasn't expecting to be impressed by but was... Baton Rouge, Little Rock, Tyler, TX (nice skyline for a city of under 100,000,) Lafayette, LA. You typically can't expect to be impressed by suburbs, but many of the suburbs of Houston and Dallas really impressed me the first time I visited some of them, and still do today.

[RestedTraveler]

I was so impressed by my first visit to Greenville, South Carolina, that I moved there within a matter of months after visiting (keep in mind I had originally planned to visit because of family in the area without even the slightest thought of moving there).

...Tyler, TX (nice skyline for a city of under 100,000,)...

I'm going to visit Tyler (and Chandler) for the first time in a couple of weeks. You've now set my expectations very high, Brian.

[Jerseyman4]

Im going with Krazee's vote as well

Washington

[dimebag1980]

I'm going to visit Tyler (and Chandler) for the first time in a couple of weeks. You've now set my expectations very high, Brian.

Just keep in mind that it all depends on who you ask. I personally think the downtown skyline of Tyler is very decent for a city its size but I've actually heard people say they didn't like it. The first thing you will likely notice about downtown Tyler's skyline is that its tallest building is like a 20+ story Sears Tower. I believe the design was actually modeled after the Sears Tower, though not identical. You can definitely see the inspiration, though.

It also has quite a little shopping area near its mall; and there is more home building competition in Tyler than in most cities its size, including Shreveport. There's not necessarily more construction going on, just more competition between national and regional home builders.

The thing about Tyler that will likely throw you off is that it's not right off I-20... it's quite a bit south. Very surprising!

I have a friend who is an architect in Tyler and he really loves it over there.

[goodbye]

I was so impressed by my first visit to Greenville, South Carolina, that I moved there within a matter of months after visiting (keep in mind I had originally planned to visit because of family in the area without even the slightest thought of moving there).

...

And you should emphasize how you later chose to STAY in Greenville against the wishes of your boss. That took real love and commitment!

[CorgiMatt]

Im going with Krazee's vote as well

Washington

I lived in Washington from July 1979 through November 1983. I always hated the Washington Monument and the buildings were too boxy for me. Driving into DC from South Carolina, where I would visit Columbia and note the skyline (even back then), it was always such a let-down to see the flattened DC skyline with the ugly Washington Monument sticking up. But a skyline isn't everything.

[AmandaHugginkiss]

Atlanta, New Orleans, and Memphis

[mcheiss]

Portland, Ore.

Such a clean Downtown oriented city.

[krazeeboi]

I lived in Washington from July 1979 through November 1983. I always hated the Washington Monument and the buildings were too boxy for me. Driving into DC from South Carolina, where I would visit Columbia and note the skyline (even back then), it was always such a let-down to see the flattened DC skyline with the ugly Washington Monument sticking up. But a skyline isn't everything.

You're right; if you like to judge cities based on skylines, you'd be doing yourself a real disservice in the case of Washington (as well as other cities). I think it's rather neat to see how architects and developers bring variety to the cityscape in light of the height restrictions. The buildings are boxes, but they aren't boring boxes.

[Charlotteman]

I must agree with the sentiment here--D.C. is a very very surprising place on the first visit.

I expected government government government....but guess what, there's a whole city there! And not just a city, but a FUN city with lots of non-political things to do:)

And it absolutely felt like a Southern city to me. Southern with an enormous positive energy!

The nightlife was truly a blast.

[Aporkalypse]

Kansas City, MO surprised me with what a wonderful and beautiful city it is. It has nice rolling hills, fountains and sculptures on broad avenues, and wonderfully artistic freeways. It may not be Southern but it's the one that comes to mind most as a "surprise".

The first time I visited Nashville I was surprised how much I liked it. It is well-designed, attractive, and has a lot to do for a city that size.

[Greenville]

Chicago really impressed me when I visited it for the first time last summer. I wasn't expecting to dislike it, but I had no idea that such a big city could be so clean and well-preserved. Although the skyline's height and breadth might give New York a run for its money, what really sets it apart from other metros is the urban fabric on street level. And there is so much to do!

Perhaps the bitterly cold winters would become tiresome, but based on the city I could definitely live there.

And of course, living in DC was an amazing experience for me. There is no other place like it. I was surprised at what a polished city it is. It is a very underrated city in terms of urbanity, livability, and nightlife.

[goodbye]

You're right; if you like to judge cities based on skylines, you'd be doing yourself a real disservice in the case of Washington (as well as other cities). I think it's rather neat to see how architects and developers bring variety to the cityscape in light of the height restrictions. The buildings are boxes, but they aren't boring boxes.

That is precisely the case with Greenville! People could care less about the skyline (except us anxious natives), but the charm and beauty on the street-level is infectious, easily casting a spell on visitors upon each trip into the city. I have been very impressed with how many people move to Greenville because of its beauty and comfortable liveability. So skylines are definitely NOT what makes a city great, unless you're looking at them from a distance - the suburbs.

[803metlife]

A city that impressed me on the first visit has to be Seattle. I had no ideal Seattle was that huge!!Probally because I never really heard alot about it. Nice skyline that strecths across the water with a huge Moutain in the background. You definetly can't get that in any east coast city. I was just surprise about the city itself. I would recommend it to anyone.

[krazeeboi]

I have a real urge to visit Seattle; I hope to be able to go within a year or so.