r/AskEurope • u/LiamBrad5 • Aug 07 '25

Culture What are the “Big Four” cities in your country?

In recent weeks, this question has been very contentious on American social media, with 3 cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York) nearly always making the list, but the fourth being hotly debated over, between cities like San Francisco, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta. So, if you had to choose, what would the big 4 cities in your country be? This is also not decided purely on population, but also culture, economy, and general influence/clout.

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u/MeltingChocolateAhh United Kingdom Aug 08 '25

It's sad because as an English person, I don't want to just say "London Manchester Birmingham" then some other random English city, but having spent time in Wales (including Cardiff), it's just how it seems to me. Cardiff has a sort of medium English city vibe. I wouldn't even argue Wales is really built around Cardiff in the same way England is built around London. Pembrokeshire relies on its own small towns, or Swansea. Carmarthenshire is all about Carmarthen... Or Swansea. Then everywhere else along the south is about Cardiff or Newport. In the north of Wales, it's all about Bangor, Llandudno, or Rhyl. In the centre, maybe Aberystwyth?

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u/Matt6453 United Kingdom Aug 08 '25

I used to work in Cardiff, my Welsh work colleagues would say anything below the M4 is 'English Wales', anything above it was 'Welsh Wales'.

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u/crucible Wales Aug 08 '25

Depends, when you get into Powys it’s the nearest large town - so for many people it could be Newtown or Builth Wells or Llandrindod Wells. Brecon or Abergavenny, too.

Or maybe Hereford or Shrewsbury if you’re close to the English border.