NYC snubbed on list of the 'most cultured' cities in the US

New York Post

29-04-2025

The Big Apple's got no juice.
On a new list of the most cultured cities in the United States, New York was crowded out by a bunch of bizarre picks including at least one Rust Belt burg — and a city way out west known more for lei-ing around than lining up for the opera.
8 NYC ranked far below other less popular cities in a surprising new list of American cultural capitals.
Christopher Sadowski
According to Europe-based eSIM provider Holafly's US Culture Index, the concrete jungle where dreams are made of sounds more like a nightmare for true sophisticates.
The self-styled smarty-pants survey ranked each of the country's top 100 most populous cities — based on the number of museums, live music venues, art galleries, landmarks and theaters per capita.
Despite having some of the world's most popular museums, music venues, art galleries — not to mention landmarks around every corner and lines of people waiting for Broadway tickets — Gotham didn't even make the list of the top 40 'most cultured' places.
In fact, the center of the known universe only managed to squeak its way onto the surprising list at number 43.
Instead, swampy New Orleans was crowned the country's cultural capital.
8 The Big Easy scored the number one spot on the bizarre list of cities.
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'More people are broadening their horizons when it comes to picking that next city break and opting for more culture-filled experiences,' Juan David Soler from Holafly said in a statement.
'Whether it's the bustling music scenes of New Orleans and Nashville, to the sandy beaches and Pacific coastline of Honolulu, the US is home to some cultural gems.'
8 The list touted the beaches of Hawaii's largest city as a 'cultural gem.'
REUTERS
Regardless of any wacky lists, real New Yorkers know where their creative and intellectual bread is buttered.
And plenty of travelers do, too, apparently — with a staggering 64.3 million visitors wanting to wake up in the city that doesn't sleep in 2024.
That makes last year the second-best in city history, visit-wise — reflecting a 3.5% increase from 2023, according to a report from the city's tourism and convention bureau.
'New York remains the most visited city in the United States and a top destination for international markets and major events,' the organization claimed in a December report.
Here are the top five places the survey authors said were the best in the country for culture vultures — do you agree?
New Orleans, Louisiana – Culture Score = 126.07
8 New Orleans topped the list with the most cultural attractions and experiences per capita.
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Museums per 100,000: 15.65
Music Venues per 100,000: 23.62
Landmarks per 100,000: 38.99
Art Galleries per 100,000: 42.97
Theatres per 100,000: 4.84
San Francisco, California – Culture Score = 116.93
8 The city of San Francisco was ranked second, mostly thanks to its many landmarks, including the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
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Museums per 100,000: 11.98
Music Venues per 100,000: 30.34
Landmarks per 100,000: 41.54
Art Galleries per 100,000: 25.39
Theatres per 100,000: 7.68
Nashville, Tennessee – Culture Score = 63.95
8 Although well-known for its music scene, Nashville also has a high concentration of museums.
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Museums per 100,000: 31.32
Music Venues per 100,000: 18.06
Landmarks per 100,000: 4.22
Art Galleries per 100,000: 7.28
Theatres per 100,000: 3.06
St. Louis, Missouri – Culture Score = 60.54
8 St. Louis, Missouri comes in fourth place with a culture score of 60.54.
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Museums per 100,000: 13.00
Music Venues per 100,000: 7.80
Landmarks per 100,000: 8.91
Art Galleries per 100,000: 22.28
Theatres per 100,000: 8.54
Honolulu, Hawaii – Culture Score = 60.47
8 Rounding out the top five most cultural cities in the US is Honolulu, despite not having many theaters.
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Museums per 100,000: 10.97
Music Venues per 100,000: 17.19
Landmarks per 100,000: 17.49
Art Galleries per 100,000: 11.86
Theatres per 100,000: 2.96