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North Carolina City Mentioned Among The Most Creative Cities In The Country

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…

Creative cities
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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.

Top 10 Most Creative Cities

1. Atlanta, GA

Atlanta

Population: 496,461

Museums: 8

Artists: 1,325

Music Festivals: 23

Film Festivals: 6

2. Miami, FL

Miami

Population: 439,890

Museums: 9

Artists: 909

Music Festivals: 31

Film Festivals: 4

3. Portland, OR

Portland OR

Population: 641,162

Museums: 8

Artists: 801

Music Festivals: 5

Film Festivals: 3

4. Pasadena, CA

Pasadena

Population: 135,732

Museums: 11

Artists: 36,378

Music Festivals: 5

Film Festivals: 1

5. Berkeley, CA

Berkeley CA

Views from the trails of Tilden Park

Population:

Museums:

Artists:

Music Festivals:

Film Festivals:

6. Los Angeles, CA

LA Skyline Los Angeles

Population: 3,849,297

Museums: 2

Artists: 1,286

Music Festivals: 3

Film Festivals: 3

7. Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

Population: 2,696,555

Museums: 4

Artists: 550

Music Festivals: 4

Film Festivals: 2

8. Glendale, CA

Glendale CA

Population: 192,366

Museums: 2

Artists: 25,703

Music Festivals: 1

Film Festivals: 1

9. New Haven, CT

New Haven

Population: 135,081

Museums: 16

Artists: 41,364

Music Festivals: 4

Film Festivals: 4

10. Lansing, MI

Landing

Population: 112,684

Museums: 16

Artists: 7,241

Music Festivals: 4

Film Festivals: 3

Where North and South Carolina Cities Rank

28. Charlotte, NC

North Carolina affordable
Landing

Population: 879,709

Museums: 3

Artists: 254

Music Festivals: 3

Film Festivals: 1

42. Columbia, SC

Columbia, SC

Population: 137,541

Museums: 12

Artists: 1,804

Music Festivals: 4

Film Festivals: 1

Wilmington, NC

Things I Wish I Knew Wilmington

Population: 117,643

Museums: 15

Artists: 13,588

Music Festivals: 0

Film Festivals: 5

71. Raleigh, NC

raleigh

Population: 469,124

Museums: 7

Artists: 547

Music Festivals: 6

Film Festivals: 1

81. Durham, NC

Durham NC

Population: 285,527

Museums: 3

Artists: 954

Music Festivals: 2

Film Festivals: 3

133. North Charleston, SC

Charleston

Population: 117,472

Museums: 0

Artists: 684

Music Festivals: 8

Film Festivals: 3

147. Charleston, SC

Charleston

Population: 151,612

Museums: 15

Artists: 434

Music Festivals: 6

Film Festivals: 0

153. Fayetteville, NC

Fayettevile

Population: 208,778

Museums: 2

Artists: 407

Music Festivals: 1

Film Festivals: 1

176. Greensboro, NC

Greensboro skyline

Population: 298,263

Museums: 5

Artists: 1,219

Music Festivals: 1

Film Festivals: 0

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.