by Andre Sarkissian
When people tend to think of America, they think of two places: Los Angeles and New York. These two completely different cities dominate the economy of the country and bring in millions of tourists every year. However, it’s time to settle this debate now. Which city is better? Los Angeles or New York? I pick five categories to examine and winning a category is worth two points
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1. History
Winner: New York
Score: LA 0-2 NY
New York is the clear winner of this one, owing to the fact that it was founded long before its western counterpart. Formerly called “New Amsterdam”, the Big Apple was founded in 1624 and was the country’s capital from 1789 to 1790, when the city and the state of New York were part of the Thirteen Colonies which fought the British in the American Revolution. However, Los Angeles was founded over one hundred years later in 1781, when settlers known as “Los Pobladores” came to Los Angeles and broke ground on the city.
2. Culture
Winner: Draw
Score: LA 1-3 NY
Both cities have extremely diverse populations and have cultural ties based on their history.. Los Angeles is home to the largest Mexican population in the country, and the city takes a large influence from our southern neighbors. New York, on the other hand, has a lot of European vibes to its lifestyle, owing to the fact that European countries settled the area in the colonial times of the country. As a result of the cities’ multiculturalism, many people from all across the world come to these areas in search of better lives for them and their families. Each city has its own cultural aspect and both are worth witnessing for any traveler. LA and New York share the points for this one.
3. Sports
Winner: New York
Score: LA 1-5 NY
New York is the clear winner, with the most major sports championships in the country, with a whopping 50 titles to their teams’ names, while Los Angeles is at a disappointing sixth. The last time Los Angeles won a major title, however, was in 2014 (the Los Angeles Kings defeating the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final, how ironic), while New York’s was a disencouraging six years ago in Super Bowl XLVI (when the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots). While both cities’ sporting records in recent times are nothing short of abysmal, New York has to win because of its rich sporting history.
4. Weather
Winner: Los Angeles
Score: LA 3-5 NY
Weather in the Big Apple is nothing compared to that of the City of Angels, with Los Angeles’ year-round warm weather a hotspot for east coasters trying to make their way to better climates. New York, however, can get extremely cold in the winter, and some residents can’t bear it. Los Angeles’ mean temperature in December is a considerably high 57 degrees, while in New York, it’s a slumping 43. Los Angeles has completely stolen the show for this category.
5. Theme Parks
Winner: Los Angeles
Score: LA 5-5 NY
This is probably the easiest decision in this article, with Los Angeles blowing out its eastern rivals for the final category of the bout. Parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios put New York to shame, in part because of LA’s humongous entertainment industry. Fact of the matter is, New York simply has no space for amazing wonderlands like the California powerhouse does. The state of New York in particular is small, while these parks truly cherish what California has to offer. Los Angeles had this one from the get-go, and it pegs back to a draw with its amazing theme parks.
Final score: Los Angeles 5-5 New York
It’s a draw! Both cities should be on anyone’s bucket list of places to travel, and while they may hate each other, it must be said that nothing personifies the United States like the culture of these two cities. Which one is better? Give us your thoughts!
