What are the most creative cities? Your environment fosters creativity. And creativity is a skill that is coveted by many. According to the Oxford Dictionary, creativity is “the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.” What are the places that allow for an individual’s creative juices to flow? Our friends at Workamajig took a look at which cities are leading the way in taking steps to provide experiences and opportunities that foster creativity among citizens.
They compiled a list of every metropolitan city in the United States with a population of over 100,000 people. From there they analyzed factors associated with creativity, such as the number of museums per capita, the number of Cannes Lions Winners in 2022, the number of creative jobs in industries such as Marketing, Arts, and Design, the number of artists and musicians, as well as the number of film and music festivals per capita.
They then created an index to identify and rank the most creative cities in the country. The list ranks each of the cities on their creative economy. And from that list the most creative city in North Carolina was determined to be Charlotte. Charlotte’s cultural scene has certainly grown and will continue to grow. Even still we are only ranked at #28 so there is work to be done. Keep reading to see the top 10 most creative cities and where to rest of the Carolina cities are ranked. You can view the full Workamajig study here.
1. Atlanta, GA
Population: 496,461
Museums: 8
Artists: 1,325
Music Festivals: 23
Film Festivals: 6
2. Miami, FL
Population: 439,890
Museums: 9
Artists: 909
Music Festivals: 31
Film Festivals: 4
3. Portland, OR
Population: 641,162
Museums: 8
Artists: 801
Music Festivals: 5
Film Festivals: 3
4. Pasadena, CA
Population: 135,732
Museums: 11
Artists: 36,378
Music Festivals: 5
Film Festivals: 1
5. Berkeley, CA
Views from the trails of Tilden Park
Population:
Museums:
Artists:
Music Festivals:
Film Festivals:
6. Los Angeles, CA
Population: 3,849,297
Museums: 2
Artists: 1,286
Music Festivals: 3
Film Festivals: 3
7. Chicago, IL
Population: 2,696,555
Museums: 4
Artists: 550
Music Festivals: 4
Film Festivals: 2
8. Glendale, CA
Population: 192,366
Museums: 2
Artists: 25,703
Music Festivals: 1
Film Festivals: 1
9. New Haven, CT
Population: 135,081
Museums: 16
Artists: 41,364
Music Festivals: 4
Film Festivals: 4
10. Lansing, MI
Population: 112,684
Museums: 16
Artists: 7,241
Music Festivals: 4
Film Festivals: 3
28. Charlotte, NC
Population: 879,709
Museums: 3
Artists: 254
Music Festivals: 3
Film Festivals: 1
42. Columbia, SC
Population: 137,541
Museums: 12
Artists: 1,804
Music Festivals: 4
Film Festivals: 1
Wilmington, NC
Population: 117,643
Museums: 15
Artists: 13,588
Music Festivals: 0
Film Festivals: 5
71. Raleigh, NC
Population: 469,124
Museums: 7
Artists: 547
Music Festivals: 6
Film Festivals: 1
81. Durham, NC
Population: 285,527
Museums: 3
Artists: 954
Music Festivals: 2
Film Festivals: 3
133. North Charleston, SC
Population: 117,472
Museums: 0
Artists: 684
Music Festivals: 8
Film Festivals: 3
147. Charleston, SC
Population: 151,612
Museums: 15
Artists: 434
Music Festivals: 6
Film Festivals: 0
153. Fayetteville, NC
Population: 208,778
Museums: 2
Artists: 407
Music Festivals: 1
Film Festivals: 1
176. Greensboro, NC
Population: 298,263
Museums: 5
Artists: 1,219
Music Festivals: 1
Film Festivals: 0
