Insider Monkey
50 Most Beautiful Cities in the US
Zsuzsanna Pengo
17 min read

In This Article:

In this article we take a look at the 50 Most Beautiful Cities in the US. Click to skip ahead and jump to the 10 Most Beautiful Cities in the US.

What else can be more pleasant pastime in these pandemic-stricken times than read about the 50 most beautiful cities in the US? In order to enjoy this trip you don't need to take even one step, as this virtual tour will fly you across America. So nestle into your favorite armchair with a glass of wine in hand and check out these gorgeous, emerald-necklaced cities.

At first let's make clear what beauty is. It's an attribute of an entity that is in balance with nature and harmony, which results emotional well-being and attraction. Undoubtedly, a beautiful city is attractive. But how did it begin? There was a famous campaign, called the City Beautiful Movement. It was not only a social, but an architectural reform, too, which started in the America of 1890s and flourished in the 1900s. The purpose was to introduce that beauty didn't only stand for itself, didn't only exist for its own sake but to combine beauty with architecture would create something new, something moral and would show the civic virtue of the modern urban residents. Initially, the movement could be linked to four cities: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Washington D.C. (Obviously, you can find all of them on this list. Actually, Cleveland is on the 30th, Detroit is on the 15th, Chicago is on the 8th and Washington D.C. is on the 3rd spot.) It's not surprising, since as you can see in our former article, the 20 cities with the most skyscrapers in the world, Chicago was home to the first modern skyscraper, the recently demolished Home Insurance Building that was built in 1885. Thus, we can see how progressive Chicago was as early as in the late 19th century. However, the movement was a response to urbanization, increased immigration and number of births. The movement was widely introduced to public during the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, and the popularization continued on the Louisiana Purchase Exposition 1904. From this time the beautification movement spread unstoppably across America. Lots of cities joined the movement, such as Des Moines, Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia - just to name a few. All these cities will be familiar while reading through this compilation. Yes, descendants followed the examples of their ancestors. Supporters of this philosophy thought that the movement would result a more harmonious society with higher quality of life; while its critics opinionated the whole beautification was highly "overhyped". We think the truth is somewhere in the middle. The futurity has come, and has made its verdict.

Terms and Privacy Policy
Your Privacy Choices
Utah Privacy Notice

Recommended Stories