Describe the city/town where you come from

A little idea that I had. Feel free to talk about your place.

1 - Indicate name of the city/town and then country;

2 - Describe it a little bit, through its history or culture, architecture, economical importance, etc. Talk about what you want, basically. Links are welcome and helpful.

My city:

1 - Guimarães, Portugal [it's pronounced ɡimɐˈɾɐ̃jʃ ]

2 - It's the place where Portugal started. It's called by its inhabitants 'The Cradle City', because it's where Portugal started, through the action of our first King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, in the Reconquista period.

It's also famous because of its football club (one of the most famous in Portugal, because of their strong fanbase and iconic status), its status as an European Capital of Culture in 2012 and a strong hospitality, possibly even more than the usual Portuguese hospitality.

We also have a big regional rivalry with Braga (aka "The City of the Archbishops") and a national one with Lisbon (mostly because it's the capital and because of its former status as one of the most famous Moorish cities which was conquered by the first King).

Feel free to discover more and maybe visit my city.

By the way, you don't have to be so detailed about your city/town. You're free to show and tell.

Here's an image of the castle ◊.

EDIT: In terms of the historical part of my city, it's a cross between medieval and renaissance styles. It's a really good city for those interested in historical/cultural tourism. It also had a great industry which is now practically decadent (such decadence began in the early 90's).

edited 20th Jan '13 2:52:37 PM by Quag15

Port Talbot, South Wales is a fairly crap industrial town between Swansea and Cardiff. Distinguishing features include a massive steelworks and a psychiatric unit in the hospital. Most people around here are fairly unimportant, except for a few actors who came from around here.

Mexicali Baja California is the state capital and also the most boring city in the state. In fact, it is only notable because of how much freaking hot it gets in summer. I would not recommend it if you are an outdoors person, or an indoors person, or simply a person. In fact, I only live here because the opportunity to be somewhere else hasn't presented itself.

Seriously, who decided here was the best place to live? "Hey look, its murderously hot here, we should settle here and DIE" and they seriously suck at dying cause 110 years later BOOM city still here.

Can I crash at your place for a while?

edited 20th Jan '13 12:13:54 PM by ElRigo

Glasgow, Scotland.

I see this city as being a place of self-contradictions.

The weather is crap, but relatively good. Most of the city is an ugly, forgettable, Stalin-gray but famous for its uniqueness and its character. It's violent and rough but welcoming and friendly. It's our economic heart but rife with unemployment. This city has always been wealthy, but its people have always been poor. We always settle far away from it, but we always miss it. We're proud of this place, but half of us gather under the Irish tricolour and other half the Red Hand of Ulster. You could be walking down what looks like a street in Vienna then go around the corner and find yourself in Detroit.

Glasgow is my childhood home. Known as "The Second City of The British Empire" and "The Workshop of the World", Glasgow, or "Glesgae" to her inhabitants, was a powerhouse of the industrial revolution and site of an ancient university, where Adam Smith, the father of capitalism, studied. In 1900, the famous shipyards of the Clyde produced more ships that the United States, Germany, and Russia combined. Now, however, the city stands, still there, still relevant, upon the ruins and carcasses of its former splendour and glory. The people from the city speak, to varying degrees, a fusion of old Scots dialect and Cockney rhyming slang picked up from Eastenders called the Patter. The largest city in Scotland and the third largest in Britain, the city faces many social problems, including violent crime and social inequality. Until recently, this metropolis of 2.4 million was the murder capital of Europe (new Europe included), though it has since lost the title to Limerick. It is the definitive City Noir setting in British media, and it is also one of the nicest cities to live in, full of great people. It is also always, always, fucking raining.

edited 20th Jan '13 2:38:03 PM by Achaemenid

El Rigo, sure you can crash here xD. Just warn in advance. : )

edited 20th Jan '13 2:10:52 PM by Quag15

It's a pretty stereotypical suburb where I am now, an average-sized town in Central NJ. Almost directly in the center of NJ, in fact. I dorm at Monmouth University during the school year, which is in a pretty alright area right on the Jersey shore. (No, not the one you're thinking of, and I resent that show because of that. This part of the shore is actually really nice...though that part of the shore is actually completely destroyed because of Hurricane Sandy now, and they're trying to get an effort started to rebuild.)

I used to live in Staten Island, until I was four years old. I don't quite remember so many guidos being there then. It's a pretty nice place other than that, though I don't know if I'd ever move back there. Despite that, my family and I still go back regularly, since that's where my doctor and dentist are and that's where we get haircuts. (A friend of ours who lives there is a hairdresser.)

edited 20th Jan '13 2:13:16 PM by 0dd1

Pembroke, USA. Remarkably unremarkable. Hard to find any sort of map that marks it. Even the map of my county marks us as "Suncook", which is the collective name of a few different tiny towns. A suburb of my state capital. It's quiet here, which suits me just fine. There isn't a lot of light pollution, the houses are spaced apart, the backyards sometimes stretch for half a mile, the snow piles high in winter and the trees change color in the fall. Not a bad place to escape from the world.

edited 20th Jan '13 2:22:11 PM by Haldo

I think I found it just by googling it.

You sure you have the right state?

I'd ask, though if it's right I'm not sure if you want that to be all public here.

You can PM your guess if you'd like, and I'll tell you if you got it right.

In case there are more cities of the same name in your country, please say your state/district.

edited 20th Jan '13 2:52:55 PM by Quag15

PM'd.

Nice, but every five months, the ghosts of trees suddenly start haunting the streets and exploding. It's kind of annoying really.

...do you live in Earth Bound or something?

Graz, Austria!

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Booooooooring.

But you see Mozart walking on the street every day on the way to school, how is that boring?

Side note: I don't know any Austrian stereotypes, aside from Ahnuld.

edited 20th Jan '13 2:50:24 PM by 0dd1

Oddity: That would explain the flying saucers with ribbons and the mushrooms that start growing on people's heads and screw around with their motor skills! :3

Hey, as long as you stay away from Moonside

Just boring, kay4today? Is there something interesting or worthy of note in Graz?

edited 20th Jan '13 2:56:54 PM by Quag15

No.

Do mean where I was born or where I grew up?

Geek mode on

Are you sure, kay?

Geek mode off

edited 20th Jan '13 3:16:08 PM by Quag15

Slendid, choose what you like. Or maybe both.