Some of you may have of heard a question like this before, but I was just curious on you guys opinions of U.S. best fitting for the feel of the early, mid, and late 90s and if you think my pairings are accurate. Well here we go

Cities best fitting for the early 90s(not too sure about the early 90s so it's just a guess but I believe it was a very laid back time period)- Seattle, Washington, Cleveland, Ohio, Memphis, Tennessee, Phoenix, Arizona and Portland Oregan


Cities best fitting for the mid 90s(gritty, dark, grim and bleak period)- Brooklyn, New York(I actually lived here during the mid 90s as a child), Baltimore, Maryland, Chicago, Illinois, South Los Angeles, California, Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area in California, Detroit, Michigan Philadelphia,Pennsylvania would probably throw in the Bronx, New York, but I honestly tend to think of the Bronx, as more fitting for the mid to late 80s crack cocaine era and lastly Newark, New Jersey


Cities best fitting for the late 90s(sunny, upbeat, polished and optimistic time period)- San Diego, California, Hollywood, California, Miami, Florida, Orlando, Florida, San Jose, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Some of the places I listed aren't exactly cites but locations within cities.

So let me hear your opinions guys and let me know if I left out any U.S cities.

Some of you may have of heard a question like this before, but I was just curious on you guys opinions of U.S. best fitting for the early, mid, and late 90s and if you think my pairings are accurate. Well here we go

Cities best fitting for the early 90s(not too sure about the early 90s so it's just a guess but I believe it was a very laid back time period)- Seattle, Washington, Cleveland, Ohio, Memphis, Tennessee, Phoenix, Arizona and Portland Oregan


Cities best fitting for the mid 90s(gritty, dark, grim and bleak period)- Brooklyn, New York(I actually lived here during the mid 90s as a child), Baltimore, Maryland, Chicago, Ill, South Los Angeles, California, Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area in California, Detroit, Michigan Philadelphia,Pennsylvania would probably throw in the Bronx, but I honestly tend to think of the Bronx, as more fitting for the mid to late 80s crack cocaine era and lastly Newark, New Jersey


Cities best fitting for the late 90s(sunny, upbeat, polished and optimistic time period)- San Diego, California, Hollywood, California, Miami, Florida, Orlando, Florida, San Jose, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Some of the places I listed aren't exactly cites but locations within cities.

So let hear your opinions guys and let me know if I left out any U.S cities.


San Jose Uber Alles! I grew up there and that area definitely represents the extreme angsty summertime feel of the late 90's and early 00's.

Anyone would include Atlanta, Georgia? At least when it comes to sports! It was definitely a big decade, and with the stuff that debuted as well!

Some of you may have of heard a question like this before, but I was just curious on you guys opinions of U.S. best fitting for the feel of the early, mid, and late 90s and if you think my pairings are accurate. Well here we go

Cities best fitting for the early 90s(not too sure about the early 90s so it's just a guess but I believe it was a very laid back time period)- Seattle, Washington, Cleveland, Ohio, Memphis, Tennessee, Phoenix, Arizona and Portland Oregan


Cities best fitting for the mid 90s(gritty, dark, grim and bleak period)- Brooklyn, New York(I actually lived here during the mid 90s as a child), Baltimore, Maryland, Chicago, Illinois, South Los Angeles, California, Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area in California, Detroit, Michigan Philadelphia,Pennsylvania would probably throw in the Bronx, New York, but I honestly tend to think of the Bronx, as more fitting for the mid to late 80s crack cocaine era and lastly Newark, New Jersey


Cities best fitting for the late 90s(sunny, upbeat, polished and optimistic time period)- San Diego, California, Hollywood, California, Miami, Florida, Orlando, Florida, San Jose, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Some of the places I listed aren't exactly cites but locations within cities.

So let me hear your opinions guys and let me know if I left out any U.S cities.

Where would St.Louis fit?

Of course the most popular states would be listed haha

I love the idea of this thread, so I'm going to go beyond just the 90s and define all early/mid/late decade eras from the 60s to present day.

Early 60s:  Washington, D.C. - This was the height of both the Cold War, as well as the Black Civil Rights Movement, which had its famous march in this city.  At this point in time, America was under more pressure than ever to reaffirm what it truly stood for.

Mid-60s:  Detroit Michigan - Motown, of course.  Also, a tumultuous time for African Americans, who had a significant presence in Detroit.

Late 60s:  San Francisco, California - This was where hippie culture was most prominent.  Can also extend to nearby Berkeley.

Early 70s:  London, England - Early hard rock bands, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Mid-70s & Late 70s:  New York, New York - Disco, Saturday Night Fever, Saturday Night Live, and new wave.

Early 80s:  Houston, Texas - Resurgence of conservatism, expansion of big business, ZZ Top, country & Americana music.

Mid 80s:  Los Angeles, California - Particularly the San Fernando Valley.  The southern areas will come later.

Late 80s:  Boston, Massachusetts - Home of New Kids on the Block and new-jack swing.

Early 90s:  Seattle, Washington - Defined by grunge, forward-thinking ideals, and computers, all of which came to prominence during this era.  It was also the setting for Sleepless in Seattle (of course).

Mid-90s:  Los Angeles, California - In addition to the gangsta rap coming out of Compton and South Central L.A. that influenced music in general during this period, the mid-90s were an extremely diverse, cosmopolitan period.  Pop culture was undergoing an identity crisis during this time, much as people from Los Angeles are, but in-turn produced a lot of colorful culture.  The Los Angeles definition can also easily extend to Orange County, which represents the global shift towards neoliberal politics and produced iconic mid-90s bands like The Offspring, No Doubt, and Sublime.

Late 90s:  Orlando, Florida - In addition to this being the hometown of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, it's fitting for the amusement park capital of America to also represent the happy, bubbly, carefree, and almost callous (due to Orlando having a lot of overlooked internal problems) phase of the 1990s.  This was also the time that the Dirty South overtook Los Angeles as New York's main rival in hip hop, though No Limit Records was based in New Orleans.  Orlando also has a huge Hispanic population, in keeping true with the Latin craze of the millennial era, although it's mostly comprised of Cuban Americans instead of Puerto Ricans, who were the main proponents of Latin pop.

Early 2000s:  San Diego, California - This was when bands like P.O.D., blink-182, and Switchfoot released their most significant work.  Additionally, Nick Cannon was at his most popular during this period.  The city being a Military hub is also fitting with the post-9/11 patriotism that dominated the world at the time.

Mid 2000s:  Atlanta, Georgia - This was the era of Dirty South rap, and Atlanta was the main hub for Dirty South hip hop in the 2000s.

Late 2000s:  Chicago, Illinois - Hometown of Kanye West and Barack Obama.

Early 2010s:  Portland, Oregon - The hipster capital of the world.

Mid-2010s:  San Jose, California - A place known overwhelmingly for its technology, but not much else.

Iḿ very bad at US cities. MM needs more of a Geography lesson!

But 1990 to 1992 really reminds me of New York city. Id say the the second half of the 70s up to the early 90s really had that New York feel to it.

Like 1976/1977 to 1992.

1993 is Chicago?

1994 to 1999 is very California!

I love the idea of this thread, so I'm going to go beyond just the 90s and define all early/mid/late decade eras from the 60s to present day.

Early 60s:  Washington, D.C. - This was the height of both the Cold War, as well as the Black Civil Rights Movement, which had its famous march in this city.  At this point in time, America was under more pressure than ever to reaffirm what it truly stood for.

Mid-60s:  Detroit Michigan - Motown, of course.  Also, a tumultuous time for African Americans, who had a significant presence in Detroit.

Late 60s:  San Francisco, California - This was where hippie culture was most prominent.  Can also extend to nearby Berkeley.

Early 70s:  London, England - Early hard rock bands, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Mid-70s & Late 70s:  New York, New York - Disco, Saturday Night Fever, Saturday Night Live, and new wave.

Early 80s:  Houston, Texas - Resurgence of conservatism, expansion of big business, ZZ Top, country & Americana music.

Mid 80s:  Los Angeles, California - Particularly the San Fernando Valley.  The southern areas will come later.

b]Late 80s:  Boston, Massachusetts - Home of New Kids on the Block and new-jack swing.

Early 90s:  Seattle, Washington - Defined by grunge, forward-thinking ideals, and computers, all of which came to prominence during this era.  It was also the setting for Sleepless in Seattle (of course).

Mid-90s:  Los Angeles, California - In addition to the gangsta rap coming out of Compton and South Central L.A. that influenced music in general during this period, the mid-90s were an extremely diverse, cosmopolitan period.  Pop culture was undergoing an identity crisis during this time, much as people from Los Angeles are, but in-turn produced a lot of colorful culture.  The Los Angeles definition can also easily extend to Orange County, which represents the global shift towards neoliberal politics and produced iconic mid-90s bands like The Offspring, No Doubt, and Sublime.

Late 90s:  Orlando, Florida - In addition to this being the hometown of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, it's fitting for the amusement park capital of America to also represent the happy, bubbly, carefree, and almost callous (due to Orlando having a lot of overlooked internal problems) phase of the 1990s.  This was also the time that the Dirty South overtook Los Angeles as New York's main rival in hip hop, though No Limit Records was based in New Orleans.  Orlando also has a huge Hispanic population, in keeping true with the Latin craze of the millennial era, although it's mostly comprised of Cuban Americans instead of Puerto Ricans, who were the main proponents of Latin pop.

Early 2000s:  San Diego, California - This was when bands like P.O.D., blink-182, and Switchfoot released their most significant work.  Additionally, Nick Cannon was at his most popular during this period.  The city being a Military hub is also fitting with the post-9/11 patriotism that dominated the world at the time.

Mid 2000s:  Atlanta, Georgia - This was the era of Dirty South rap, and Atlanta was the main hub for Dirty South hip hop in the 2000s.

Late 2000s:  Chicago, Illinois - Hometown of Kanye West and Barack Obama.

Early 2010s:  Portland, Oregon - The hipster capital of the world.

Mid-2010s:  San Jose, California - A place known overwhelmingly for its technology, but not much else.
You actually beat me to Boston, Massachusetts lol. I'd actually associate that city more with the entire late 80s early 90s era because just as you said it is the home of New Jack Swing and also home to popular artists during the early 90s such as Bobby Brown and the hip hop/pop band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch at the time and the grunge scene of the early 90s is also exactly the reason I listed Seattle, Washington. Great input for the other decades by the way especially with paring Detroit, Michigan with the mid 60s which is home to bands like the Temptations and the Contours.

Iḿ very bad at US cities. MM needs more of a Geography lesson!

But 1990 to 1992 really reminds me of New York city. Id say the the second half of the 70s up to the early 90s really had that New York feel to it.

Like 1976/1977 to 1992.

1993 is Chicago?
I agree with you! New York as a whole definitely has that late 70s to early 90s feel to it, although I tend to think of Brooklyn in particular having more of a mid 90s feel, maybe it's because I lived there at the time. With that said I tend to think of much of California with the exception of the southern part of Los Angeles as having more of a late 90s or millennium era feel due to its very happy environment.

Here are my thoughts:


I love the idea of this thread, so I'm going to go beyond just the 90s and define all early/mid/late decade eras from the 60s to present day.

I agree with the 60s selections.

Early 70s:  London, England - Early hard rock bands, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Since the topic mentions U.S. cities, I associate London more with the 60s and early 80s anyways.

Mid-70s & Late 70s:  New York, New York - Disco, Saturday Night Fever, Saturday Night Live, and new wave.

I'd make Mid-70s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was wen TSOP/Soul Train peaked in popularity, and you had the Bicentennial celebrations which really carried through 1975 and 1976. Don't forget punk and the birth of hip-hop for NYC as well for the late 70s.

Early 80s:  Houston, Texas - Resurgence of conservatism, expansion of big business, ZZ Top, country & Americana music.

I'd pair that with Dallas with the TV show, Urban Cowboy, and similar expansion of business.

Mid 80s:  Los Angeles, California - Particularly the San Fernando Valley.  The southern areas will come later.

Don't forget the Olympics, too. Glam metal was already big (Ratt, Quiet Riot, etc.) while it was still a couple years away in the rest of the world.

Late 80s:  Boston, Massachusetts - Home of New Kids on the Block and new-jack swing.

Cheers was also right in the middle of its run, too.

Early 90s:  Seattle, Washington - Defined by grunge, forward-thinking ideals, and computers, all of which came to prominence during this era.  It was also the setting for Sleepless in Seattle (of course).

Agree.

Mid-90s:  Los Angeles, California - In addition to the gangsta rap coming out of Compton and South Central L.A. that influenced music in general during this period, the mid-90s were an extremely diverse, cosmopolitan period.  Pop culture was undergoing an identity crisis during this time, much as people from Los Angeles are, but in-turn produced a lot of colorful culture.  The Los Angeles definition can also easily extend to Orange County, which represents the global shift towards neoliberal politics and produced iconic mid-90s bands like The Offspring, No Doubt, and Sublime.

Mid-90s were sort of a crossroads, and you could easily say New York since that was when Giuliani became mayor and the city started to gentrify in earnest. Wall Street was starting its strongest bull market, East Coast rap peaked, and although taped in LA, most associate Seinfeld/Friends with NYC.

Late 90s:  Orlando, Florida - In addition to this being the hometown of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, it's fitting for the amusement park capital of America to also represent the happy, bubbly, carefree, and almost callous (due to Orlando having a lot of overlooked internal problems) phase of the 1990s.  This was also the time that the Dirty South overtook Los Angeles as New York's main rival in hip hop, though No Limit Records was based in New Orleans.  Orlando also has a huge Hispanic population, in keeping true with the Latin craze of the millennial era, although it's mostly comprised of Cuban Americans instead of Puerto Ricans, who were the main proponents of Latin pop.

Nickelodeon was still going strong in Universal Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom opened up too.

Early 2000s:  San Diego, California - This was when bands like P.O.D., blink-182, and Switchfoot released their most significant work.  Additionally, Nick Cannon was at his most popular during this period.  The city being a Military hub is also fitting with the post-9/11 patriotism that dominated the world at the time.

My cousin even moved across country for a few years around that time to San Diego.

Mid 2000s:  Atlanta, Georgia - This was the era of Dirty South rap, and Atlanta was the main hub for Dirty South hip hop in the 2000s.

Las Vegas is another good candidate since this was the time of the housing bubble, and while it has recovered since, made its biggest amount of growth in terms of quantity then.

Late 2000s:  Chicago, Illinois - Hometown of Kanye West and Barack Obama.

No comment.

Early 2010s:  Portland, Oregon - The hipster capital of the world.

I'd make that Austin, Texas instead since that didn't really come into hipster prominence until then, whereas Portland was already established and getting a new wave (hipsters instead of preppies in the early '90s)
Mid-2010s:  San Jose, California - A place known overwhelmingly for its technology, but not much else.

I don't see much about San Jose in terms of being "cool", but Atlanta seems to be having another "hot" phase with many media companies moving there. However, many other cities have their own offerings.

The vast bulk of American popular culture comes out of Los Angeles and New York, which is why I wanted to limit how many times I associated them with the decade sub-eras.  My only excuse for bringing up Los Angeles twice is that my focus was two different regions, even though the San Fernando Valley can easily apply to the mid-90s as well thanks to Clueless.  Alternatively, Chicago, Illinois represents the mid-80s pretty effectively because that was the setting of many of the period's teen flicks (the band Chicago was also still really popular at the time), although that would also mean I would have to choose a different city for the late 2000s.  I suppose Philadelphia is one possibility, since that was when It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Angry Video Game Nerd were in their prime, but really, the late 2000s are the period I have the most trouble with besides the early 70s (if London doesn't count).

You actually beat me to Boston, Massachusetts lol. I'd actually associate that city more with the entire late 80s early 90s era because just as you said it is the home of New Jack Swing and also home to popular artists during the early 90s such as Bobby Brown and the hip hop/pop band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch at the time and the grunge scene of the early 90s is also exactly the reason I listed Seattle, Washington. Great input for the other decades by the way especially with paring Detroit, Michigan with the mid 60s which is home to bands like the Temptations and the Contours.I agree with you! New York as a whole definitely has that late 70s to early 90s feel to it, although I tend to think of Brooklyn in particular having more of a mid 90s feel, maybe it's because I lived there at the time. With that said I tend to think of much of California with the exception of the southern part of Los Angeles as having more of a late 90s or millennium era feel due to its very happy environment.


Yeah, I thought that Chicago was a bad choice. Haha! It had to be another place!

I know we're using cities but how about states?

For instance:

Early 90's: Washington - Grunge Movement/Beginning of Modern Liberal Views

Mid 90's: California - Clueless/Rise in Silicon Valley/Gangst Rap boom with Tupac

Late 90's: New York - The peak in technological boom/prosperity/tech bubble

Early 00's: Texas - Rise in Modern Conservatism/Bushs Home State

Mid 00's: Georgia - Peak on Mosern Conservatism/Southern Rap/Housing Bubble

Late 00's: Michigan - Decreasing Economy/Pessimism/Obamas Home State

Early 10's: New Jersey - 'Jersey Shore'/Escapism/Hurricaine Sandy/Economic Growth

Mid 10's: I'm not too sure but I guess Oregon since we've entered a new peak of progressive view in this country and Oregon is very progressive state

What do you guys think?

For the '80s I would say Manhattan deserves a mention.

The Cosby Show was set in Manhattan.
Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Friday the 13th Part XIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
TMNT took place in New York City, though I'm not sure which part.
Super Mario Bros. Super Show live skits were set in Brooklyn.

What's interesting here is the theme of sewers, plumbing, and toxic waste that connect those latter three...

Mid-70s & Late 70s:  New York, New York - Disco, Saturday Night Fever, Saturday Night Live, and new wave.

I definitely agree with this one cause New York was the heart of dance clubs in the 70's.

Hey guys, where does St. Louis(my Hometown) fit in the ''eras''?

Hey guys, where does St. Louis(my Hometown) fit in the ''eras''?


Either the cusp of the early and mid-2000s, when rappers like Nelly, J-Kwon, Chingy were at their most popular, or our current era, which has been defined by a resurgence of black civil rights consciousness, especially in Ferguson, a city in the metropolitan area of St. Louis.

Yeah, I thought that Chicago was a bad choice. Haha! It had to be another place!
I think Chicago could definitely be a candidate for the representation of the mid 90s as well


Hey guys, where does St. Louis(my Hometown) fit in the ''eras''?
If we are talking 90s probably the early 90s.

Hey guys, where does St. Louis(my Hometown) fit in the ''eras''?


That would be a strong candidate for the modern era with the recent resurgence in Civil Rights

What phase of the 90s would you see Las Vegas as being a good representation of?

For music specifically...

Early 90s: This was when Grunge was big. And Alternative started its popularity. So Seattle. And a lot of the Alternative bands come from California such Red Hot Chili Peppers. Also from that state are the artists of Death Row Records such as Snoop Dogg. That was a big label at the time.

Mid 90s: There was a lot of Europeon music popular at this time, in particular House. But since this is about the States I'm going with New York. Several solo artists from that area came out with music then. Fiona Apple is one. At this time Death Row was loosing its rank as top Hip Hop label and its rival Bad Boy I.E Puff Daddy and Mase were all over the radio. Faith Evans, who is not from NY, was a very strong part of that label back then.

Late 90s: New Orleans. No Limit and Can Money were all over the charts. Also from Louisiana is Britney Spears. Florida. The Backstreet Boys in their prime and Nsync. Mandy Moore.

1960s---Washington DC  (political upheaval during this period)
Late 60s---San Francisco (hippies)
Mid 70s---Philadelphia
1980s---New York City (80s fashion was very New York looking) and Boston (preppies)
1990s---LA
Early/Mid 90s---Seattle (grunge)
Late 90s---Silicon Valley (Internet boom)
2000s---NYC and DC

I'm just going to go from the early 1990's to today. I'll include some foreign cities as well if I feel they represent an era than an American city can. If I really feel a city can't represent an era, I'll just do counties.

Early 1990's: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - East coast, fast-paced, cosmopolitan, hyperactive, not to mention The Fresh Prince!
Mid 1990's: Los Angeles, California - West coast, relaxed, where Gangsta Rap/G-Funk originated.
Late 1990's: Orlando, Florida - As others have said, where Backstreet Boys and NSYNC come from.

Pre-9/11 Early 2000's: San Diego, California - Safe, boring, little variety.
Post-9/11 Early 2000's: Brooklyn, New York City, New York - I don't know why i chose this. 🙃
Mid 2000's: Atlanta, Georgia - Crunk anyone?
Late 2000's: Las Vegas, Nevada - Stuff like Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Nelly Furtado were meant for this place.

Early 2010's: Seaside Heights, New Jersey - Where Jersey Shore was mostly filmed, Guido culture, lots of party culture, perfect for the music of the day.
Mid 2010's: Austin, Texas - Cosmopolitan, international, diverse, hosts several prestigious festivals (both film and music), Indie-oriented, generally an interesting albeit overeducated city.

Early '90s: New York City, New York/Los Angeles, California (surfer/tourist phase)

Mid '90s: Seattle, Washington (Grunge era)

Late '90s: Silicon Valley (Internet age)

I don't know much about Americans cities so sorry if it sounds like I'm stereotyping

Early '90s: Brooklyn. When I think early '90s I think recession, and Brooklyn has a very working class vibe to me.

Mid '90s: Philadelphia because of Fresh Prince LOL

Late '90s: Silicon Valley for the tech boom. This one's a hard one.

If I had to do a Canadian one...

Early 1990s: Edmonton. Same reasons as above for Brooklyn. Working class.

Mid 1990s: Vancouver for the Grunge and Starbucks.

Late 1990s: Kitchener-Waterloo for the tech boom.

Early 2000s: Oshawa. Garage and punk rock  with the working class grit.

Mid-2000s: Calgary. Economic boom, oil, and conservatives.

Late 2000s: Winnipeg. Poverty and brutalism, but with bite and fight.

Early 2010s: Montréal! Grit, hipsters and hardcore socialism with a joie de vivre!

Mid-2010s: Victoria. Hipsters, liberalism, indie and yoga.

Early '90s: Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles, California (grunge and gangsta rap)

Mid '90s: Chicago, Illinois, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Michael Jordan's hype and Fresh Prince)

Late '90s: Orlando, Florida (the rise of teen top)

Early 2000s: New York City, New York (9/11, and the peak of the Joe Torre Yankee dynasty)

Mid 2000s: Atlanta, Georgia (crunk rap)

Late 2000s: Washington, DC (the recession, backlash of George W. Bush, etc.)

Early-Mid 2010s: Los Angeles, California (Kendrick Lamar, west coast hip hop revival, Silicon Valley boom, etc.)