Best & worst US cities for hipsters

From Morf Morford

Tacoma daily index

Aside from the well-coiffed beard and obsession with artisanal coffee, I have to admit that every day I understand less what a hipster is.

There seems to be a well-defined aesthetic with a variety of “lignings” from vegan to ironwork to vintage bicycles and worn bricks.

Otherwise I’m not so sure.

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But some cities maintain a hipster vibe (maybe not always on purpose).

Movies and television could tell us that Brooklyn is the hipster mecca.

But we on the west coast know that Portland and San Francisco both set the bar for hipsters (for better or for worse).

And yes, there are (semi) measurable criteria – mostly second-hand shops, farmers’ markets, record shops, tattoo studios, urban gardening – and of course bike-friendliness. Details can be found here: https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/most-hipster-cities/

And since these are the deliberately controversial 2020s, there may not be the most concise definition of what a “hipster” is or what he represents or what he believes in, but there is a coffee chain with a specially defined “anti-hipster” – Identity: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-black-rifle-coffee-company-2021-7.

Hipsters, perhaps like any ethnicity or emerging subculture, seem to struggle to put distinctive beliefs or icons together.

In some circles, for example, Starbucks is the ultimate hipster mecca full of “latte liberals”.

For others, Starbucks couldn’t be further from the hipster motif – and I’m clearly not a coffee bean connoisseur or political analyst to see what “liberals” and “lattes” have in common. (But I wonder how the age-old chicken and egg question that came first …)

By whatever definition, some cities are more “hipster friendly” than others.

“Hipsters” almost by definition have a targeted disposable income – especially in the above-mentioned categories of farmers’ markets, record shops, tattoo studios, urban gardening – and of course their custom-made bicycles and arcane coffee preparations.

They also reclaim or reclaim areas of entrepreneurship that have long been neglected by standard markets.

Consider this social media release from an entrepreneur intending to open a “breakfast only” restaurant – in search of investors and business partners;

I’m opening a cereal restaurant. Hipster ambience. Dim light. Rustic wood and leather furniture. Fast & friendly service staff. Dine in. Full variety of milk, from organic to Kobe. Complete suite of all cereals.

Is this the ultimate in comfort food appeal or, in typical hipster logic, is it a glimpse into the future by ironically (or not) referring to an idyllic and innocent childhood past?

Hipsters and those who care for them have a motive, a recurring set of themes to work towards.

Well-worn industrial environments, with lots of exposed brick and iron or tile with just the right amount of rust and patina showing a high level of craftsmanship and wear and tear, have an inherent appeal – largely due to the untold stories behind every broken or reused tool.

Private cars may be a necessity for most of us, but all other modes of transport have priority for hipsters.

From rail to bike to old-fashioned long-distance hiking, personal (not automated) mobility is the highest and purest expression of freedom.

This could explain why the cities that are most conducive to car-free traffic are also considered to be the most hipster-friendly.

Those would be the usual suspects; San Francisco, Seattle, Oakland and Portland.

A few other California cities round out the top ten car-free cities (San Jose # 6, Fremont # 8, and Santa Rosa # 10).

A few cities outside the West Coast are on the list – Madison, Wisconsin (# 5), Minneapolis (# 7), and Boston (# 9) make up the other three.

The details and methodology for car-free cities can be found here – https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-cities-carless-weekend-trips/.

If using or renting a car is part of your travel routine, make sure you have one handy before visiting the cities at the bottom of the list. They too tend to group themselves mainly in the southern states for whatever reason.

Some of the last places are Little Rock, Arkansas, 142, Jacksonville, Florida, 144, Memphis, 146, and finally Mobile, Alabama, at number 150 out of 150.

It remains to be seen whether the hipster ethic will prevail or fade or, like many previous cultural movements, barely noticeably merge with what’s next.

But for now, as you may have noticed, most cities are basing the majority of their marketing on the hipster icons of microbreweries, artisanal coffees, and extra-urban entrepreneurship.

It is seldom a losing proposition for a city, its identity and economic future to rely on young people, the only question any city has to answer is how true this picture corresponds to reality.

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You may have noticed that the city of Tacoma is barely on the measurable hipster scale – Tacoma is number 40 compared (almost) to Spokane at number 30 (https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/ most-hipster-cities /).

Oddly enough, San Diego ranks 54th, with Las Vegas at 55, Los Angeles at 81, and Chicago at 84.

Hipsterness, like many things, is perhaps just another example of being in the eye of the beholder despite such research.