Largest city in your own country not yet visited

Same for me Dallas and Houston.

Houston is the largest city and metropolitan area (also not counting changing planes at IAH). I spent a month in Dallas a few years ago.

In the USA, it's Houston, although I have no desire to visit that particular city. Philadelphia on the other hand, the next one down, does pique my interest due to its significant history.

In Spain, my home country, it's Málaga and Murcia. I'd like to visit Málaga, Murcia could perhaps wait.

Austin is the only one of the top 33 I haven't visited.

I will say Chicago. I was there when young, but we didn’t spend days looking at all of the vacation downtown spots, so it’s on my list. I will need several days just to savor their authentic Chicago pizza (not that stuff available everywhere called Chicago pizza), my favorite!

I guess it depends on how you define a visit. I’ve had lots of places I’ve stayed over for a night after arriving in the afternoon by car and so saw a bit of the city that day.

I’ll go with Philadelphia, only either driven straight through on the way to New Jersey or changed planes in the airport

New Orleans

New York.

Was supposed to visit one year, events of that year put a damper on tourist visits. Just haven't had a chance to plan a visit since. Have been through all of the airports there.

From this Wikipedia list, it's Phoenix.

Yeah, yeah. We've lived in AZ for 15 years, but Phoenix for us is a place to drive around, not even through, much less to spend any time visiting there.

There’s also the metro area list

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_statistical_areas

Since some smaller metro areas like Jacksonville can have very large core cities, and some larger metro areas have small core cities, like St. Louis.

Our largest city is Toronto , then Montreal , then Vancouver .

I have only ever transited through Toronto but have no desire to visit it .

I would like to visit Montreal and Quebec City , many good restaurants.

Vancouver we visit 3-4 times a year - family - wouldn’t want to live there but it’s nice for a day or two

Tom from your metropolitan area list I started at the top and for a long way I could say that I had been to and spent some time in 9 out of 10 cities. To make it more challenging I went to #384 at the bottom and worked my way up. The tables were turned to about 1 in 10 but I was surprised at how many of the obscure, smaller places I’d been to. We camped around US a lot when I was growing up and then as we were going to university and starting out in life we lived on both coasts and 3 places in the “middle”.

Now I don’t feel so guilty about wanting to always go to Europe. I have seen a lot of my own country and enjoyed it across the years.

San Jose for me (and I have been to more world capitals (15) than state capitals (13)).

Largest city in England I haven't spent much time in is the centre of is Manchester. I'll get there one day. I enjoyed my time in Salford, one of the districts, and I love the nearby countryside.

Strange things you learn while pondering a question.
How do you distinguish between the actual cities and their environs. If you just take the City of Manchester, it is smaller than Sheffield , Bradford and Leeds.

If you include the surrounding areas, then the biggest city in the UK that I've not yet visited is Sheffield.

I decided I'd set my criteria for "been a tourist or lived in" as opposed to having "been there/slept there/drove through there". I found that I have been a tourist in 15 of the top 20. Although I've been to Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Tampa, and St. Louis---I never lived there nor went sightseeing there. Detroit is the only one I haven't been to----and ironically, we were booked to stay there for 2 weeks this June/July at the start of our 2-month vacation touring eastern Canada!! We were all booked to attend the International AA Convention in Detroit, then travel to Toronto, Niagara Falls, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City. Spent months planning it. (like everyone else here, had to cancel)

Many of them I saw on our 2-month vacation last summer--Richmond, Washington DC, Philly, NYC, Boston-- 7-10 days at each, then 7 days at the end traveling by rental car seeing the Oct. fall foliage in Maine, NH, Vermont, Mass.

I was surprised to see my city on the top 20---Riverside, CA!!! Has anyone been here as a tourist???

I'm not sure I have much interest in visiting some of these cities other than, say, Johnson Space Center in Houston or something along those lines. I'll admit this could be due to ignorance as maybe there is something really worth seeing in Riverside. Would I fly there specifically to see it? Is it a destination city? I live near Richmond and have spent a lot of time there, but I wouldn't advise visiting it unless it's on your way to someplace like Williamsburg or the beach. Having said that Richmond has its charms, but so does Trenton I guess.

We're hopeful of visiting Philly in July as it seems they "might" be in the green phase by then. Mainly interested in the history and Valley Forge is nearby. Thinking about a day using the Big Bus.

Philadelphia

For Riverside, CA as a tourist, yes, kinda. I used to do minor league baseball tours and one year picked Southern California. If I remember correctly, I went to Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino.

In the US, I've never been to Texas - so I guess Houston.

In the UK I've not been to Glasgow. Narrowing it down to England, I've never been to Leeds - and cant think why I would want to go there.

Minneapolis-St. Paul, Cleveland, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Tampa, Milwaukee, Jacksonville (am not counting driving through on interstate). But for Covid-19, a good baseball trip through the Midwest sounds good. There is a diversity and richness of culture in this country that we tend to overlook.

In the US the top 5 are NY, LA, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix. I have been to all of those except Houston. Going down the list, next for me is San Antonio. There are a few other Texas cities in the top 20 that I’ve also missed. I’ve been to Dallas as a child but that’s it for me and Texas. Other than Texas I’ve got most major US cities.

Also depends on definition of “been to”. Spent time exploring? Spent time in a work conference room? Drove through on a road trip? Regardless, Houston for me. I’ve been to the other top 4 for at least a long weekend each, seeing highlights and hanging out.

@Katy Kirkstall Abbey alone is a decent reason to visit Leeds. https://www.yorkshire.com/view/attractions/leeds/kirkstall-abbey-125603

Chicago....

thanks Dale. Will look into Kirkstall Abbey. Think I'm only likely to get a staycation maybe sometime later this year and already had an idea to go to Beverley in Yorkshire (ancestry and has the local archives - ie, things I've been doing in lockdown) - so may make it a Yorkshire trip. Love York, and there's other places to visit.

It seems hard to get a definitive list of England's most populous cities since there are so many definitions. One web list I found had Wakefield in the top five, which seems unlikely.

But I've never been to Nottingham or Leicester. In fact other than driving through on the motorway, I'm not sure I've been to anywhere in that region.

Apart from airport hotels, it's over 30 years since I stopped overnight in London, but I did go to Lord's as a day trip about 5 years ago so I guess I cant include it as never visited.

For me it's Los Angeles -- LA, City of Angels, LALA Land.

Canada's #9 spot - Hamilton. I would not put it as a tourist destination and in my mind and experience, it is just a large suburb with a port and businesses. You have to drive through it to get to Niagara Falls from Toronto.

Sunderland and Ely are the only cities in the U.K. that I haven’t visited. I may visit Ely, but I can’t think of much reason to visit Sunderland, other than hearing the great local accents!

In terms of population, it would be San Jose
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population

In Tom's Wikipedia top 10, Dallas, Houston, and Miami. We currently have plane tickets to Miami, from our cancelled trip to Panama. I have been to San Antonio, which I think is the more interesting city in Texas. Unfortunately, I have to drive through the city-state of Atlanta anytime I go to see my family in GA or to our favorite beaches, which are in SC. Metro Atlanta literally covers at least half the width of the northern part of the state.
EDITED: And anyone who lives in the Southeast and does much travel by plane has been to the Atlanta airport. And most of us travelers believe that those who don't travel will still change planes there on their way to heaven.

Never been to San Francisco.

For me, New York tops the list, have flown through JFK, been to a number of areas on the margin in New York and New Jersey, but never in New York City proper. I would like to spend some time there, but not much.

As for other cities, Houston is up there, I would like to go, they have a really vibrant food scene. Then I have been to many of the others, the ones I do want to yet hit would be Portland, OR and Seattle.

I've done Toronto and Montreal, so I guess Vancouver- might just get out there this summer, but who knows.

Montreal, been through the airport, but no further. My wife and I considered a trip to Ottawa and Montreal at one point, but plans changed and we flew to Quebec City instead. No regrets about that. Quebec City may be the most outstanding city I've been to in North America.

Out of curiosity I looked at the US as well and it would be San Antonio. If I add Europe it's Moscow; it appears I've only been to 3 of the top 10 in Europe-London, Paris and Barcelona (based on metropolitan areas).

Chicago for us!

New York - but I have quite a few places on my list ahead of there!

Houston, Atlanta, Minneapolis (just airport) Denver (just airport)

Phoenix and Philadelphia phor me. Thanks phor posting something phun.

Honolulu...

New Orleans cuz other than Florida and W Virginia never visited the South.

Interesting question. I've been to many of the top 40 plus American MSAs, mostly because I had to (business). While I have targeted the large cities in my foreign travels, my preference is to avoid the large American cities/MSAs in my domestic pleasure travels.

Chicago and Philadelphia, both cities I want to visit.

In Canada: Toronto.
I was born there, but only lived there till I was two.
Took my Mum back there in 2004 for a few days, to see her old Army friend, but I really didn't care for it much!
SO flat!!!! and highways everywhere.
We can see mountains all around us here at home, so it felt very strange to have none.
I won't be going back....

West Virginia is not a Southern state. We seceded from the Confederate States in 1863. Appalachia and the South are two distinct cultures.

Jacksonville for me, per the Wikipedia city list. Amazed to learn it's twice the population of Miami. Next would be Nashville, not counting a pit stop on an overnight Greyhound 56 years ago. Followed by Oklahoma City (the only state I haven't been in).

For me, it’s Houston.

And Luftmensch - even i have been to Nyíregyháza! Even spent the night . . .

Chicago (other than spending a lot of time in the airport). Planned to visit when my brother lived there but he moved before I had the chance. Maybe someday...

I haven't yet been to Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City or Ottawa yet although I have transited through a couple of them. Although domestic travel is starting to open up, it's probably not a good idea to go to Ontario or Quebec this summer as they're still having some trouble getting the pandemic under control. I'll be safer here in B.C. as the virus numbers are much lower.

FYI, Jacksonville is a city-county. All of Duval county is Jacksonville, this is the reason for the large population for a city that’s probably off your radar.

There was a push in the 1980s? or so to consolidate city governments with county governments to make them more efficient. I don’t remember a ton, but JAX was covered in detail back when I studied political science at Florida State.

As far as being a tourist attraction, I lived in Florida 8 years (admittedly high school and college) and can’t think of a reason to go to JAX unless you’re catching a football game.

Meant in good humour, but Ottawa has a 1% covid positivity and there are many other regions of Ontario that have it under control. Avoiding Toronto, yes. All of Ontario, not so much. The down side of a 1% positivity rate is for the residents.Next time around, we will continue to have a high risk of catching it and put yet another strain on our health care system in town. So in some ways, now is a good time to visit us. I wouldn't recommend November.

... back when I studied political science at Florida State.

Go Noles! FSU Economics 1997.

Maria,

"So in some ways, now is a good time to visit us."

That's a good point. Some parts of Ontario are managing the virus quite well. If I could get a direct flight to Ottawa a trip might be possible, but if I have to transit through Toronto that's not an attractive option. Flight availability and prices will also be factors, as well as availability of hotels, restaurants and the sites I want to see there. I'll probably wait until things settle down a bit more.

Ken, direct flights should be feasible. Attractions less so. Just watch the updates and jump on it if it looks good. Ottawa has so many festivals in the summer, so a shame that won't be the case this summer.

I think I've done fairly well, have hit almost all the big cities in Canada. Next on my list is Halifax. I've also not been to Saskatoon. Ken, you should be able to find direct flights to Ottawa, I did last year from Calgary.

Ken, I wrote about Ottawa on the Alphabet thread highlighting all you can do outside of museums. Maybe taking a houseboat down the Rideau Canal catches your fancy.

"Ken, you should be able to find direct flights to Ottawa"

I haven't checked but finding direct flights from Kelowna to Ottawa may be more challenging. At least for the rest of this year, the predictions are that airlines will have limited routes and more layovers will be necessary.

The other issue I'll have to check into is the cost of travel medical insurance, which may not include coverage for COVID-19. I know someone here who was visiting Ontario and his wife sustained a serious fall. He was hit with a huge medical bill for the portion of care that B.C. Medical didn't cover.

One of these trips, I have got to make it to Chicago.

Well from the US Wikipedia list above I got down to 35, Mesa, before I found one I hadn’t visited. Had to go to 52 to get thee next one, Bakersfield

Carol:

Well done! I have shopped twice in Mesa and driven through Bakersfield, so perhaps ahead of you there, but still I'm missing some big cities. You must travel broadly for work to hit so many places.

I've never been to Houston. I think that's the only large American city I haven't spent at least a day or two in.

I hadn't been to New York City, other than changing planes, until several years ago. I'd been to Boston and Philadelphia and wasn't impressed with the locals' attitudes (Not to offend. If you're from there, you know what I'm talking about). I thought if NYC is between the two, it must be awful. I was pleasantly surprised and have gone to several Broadway shows/Christmas decorations since.

I have visited many cities. I have been in 47 of the 50 USA states.

We visited Houston in 2015. I can say, without a doubt, that there is no city in the world that I disliked more than Houston. It was COMPLETELY uninteresting. It was repellent. There is one "famous" site - the hideous and horrible Black Church done by Mark Rothko. Of all the artists in the world, I dislike Rothko more than any, except Helen Frankenthaler. There is a completely uninteresting art museum. There are several decent Tex-Mex restaurants, and probably good bar-b-q.

So, if you are planning on visiting Houston, go anywhere else.

If you haven't visited Cincinatti or Kansas City or Omaha or Des Moines or Milwaukee or Columbus (OH) or Cleveland, ANY of those are better than Houston. I grew up around Chicago, so have a great affection for it. It's no longer as nice as when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s, however.

It was COMPLETELY uninteresting. It was repellent.

Wow. The drama. The hyperbole.

Houston is said to be a mirror of what the US will look like demographically in the future more than any other major city, and I can't disagree with that - it's a true melting pot of cultures. At the same time, it has more Fortune 500 companies than most major cities, so it's both sophisticated and down-to-earth. I say "go, and go with an open mind" - you may be surprised. The Rothko Chapel needs some refreshing (too dark) but I thought it was a nice, contemplative space (if the Dalai Lama thought it worthy of a visit, maybe it's good enough to check out). Good museums such as Menil Collection (although it's contemporary art that doesn't appeal to everyone) and the Museum of Fine Arts, and tons of stuff for kids that I didn't partake of. I really enjoyed the James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyspace at Rice University, and checked it out during sunrise and after sunset - there was something magical about it. Plus, Houston has a terrific diversity of food and people and some absolutely gorgeous oak-lined neighborhoods (and good high-end shopping for those who like to shop). The only thing I didn't like about it was driving a normal-sized rental was a bit stressful due to giant SUVs going at full speed everywhere, so visibility was a bit tough. It's pretty much car culture writ large (and the dead-est downtown of any major city of that size) but still some neat smaller neighborhoods, very nice people, and easy-going vibe. And truly great food - an incredible ethnic variety for any palate and price point. I wasn't initially interested and it took me a long time to get there, but I'm glad I finally did on a long 3-day weekend coupled with side trips to Galveston and the Johnson Space Center. The sprawl itself was something else, and I'm from LA.

Here's why I found Houston to be repellent, and still do: There is no zoning in Houston, never has been, they are not interested. It's an endless sequence of cruddy strip malls, upscale housing developments, and factories, all mixed together. Yuck. And as to the mix of foods - you can get that in almost every USA city today.

The lack of zoning is the reason that Houston floods, every single year. Because they put the city on a flat plain that drains slowly, have no plans for the yearly rains that happen as sure as anything, and have not made plans to fix this in the future. The only slight positive here is that they process of purchasing the thousands of homes that have flooded 2x has begun.

Here's another annoying thing - there are 3-4 tollways in the city, each under a different toll authority. If you are from out of town, you only learn about this when you get the $60 "overdue toll" bill. SOOOO annoying. And all the expressways are high-express - everyone drives 85 MPH bumper-to-bumper.

Save your money. Visit Cincinnati or Chicago. Skip Houston. You'll thank me later. I do agree with Agnes about Galveston - that's worth a visit.

And as to the mix of foods - you can get that in almost every USA city
today.

I wish. I can't even get it in DC (it's too corporate, and definitely no good Tex-Mex to be found anywhere). The point is that Houston (like Los Angeles) actually has people of all ethnic backgrounds living there and their culinary traditions make the food so good (plus, Houston has some great upscale options and some world class chefs). Not every USA city is that diverse by a long shot.

Galveston was neat (I liked the architecture and the old neighborhoods), but quite a bit worn and sad (I wouldn't come back, although I'm glad I saw it once). Crazy SUVs everywhere, so even more stressful because hardly any street lights. You have to be an aggressive driver (and I am, although that's not what I'm seeking on vacation).

One good thing about Houston and Galveston, it was the cheapest place I've ever stayed at in terms of lodging, especially for a big US city. Lots of hotels to choose from at every price point.

When I was younger and traveled for business, I used to think all major US cities (with some exceptions) were pretty much alike - same chain hotels, chain restaurants, dirty, dead and dangerous downtowns, etc. But I've come to appreciate the deeper regional differences and subtleties now, and with a little bit of preparation, I think you can find things of interest anywhere. But, I've never been to Houston, so maybe there's an exception . . .🙂.

What Stan said. I've been in some cities where I never got outside unless it was in a taxi line and so I was never seeing what a city could offer. I flew in and out of Portland on the same day and saw nothing but airport-car rental desk-freeway-office building-freeway-airport. In Chicago I've had trips where I never left O'Hare. Once I had a meeting at the Hilton connected to the airport then caught a flight to New York, stayed in a hotel near the airport, took a cab to Manhattan, straight to a meeting, back in a cab to the airport and flew home. Trips like that made me hate traveling, but I've been back to each of those cities for leisure and loved them.

There is a sameness to American cities with the usual chains, soulless strip malls, and so forth. You can "search out regional differences" and I recommend that, but yes there is a rather familiar look to many US cities.

there is a rather familiar look to many US cities

Outside of the historic centers this is true of Europe also.

I have been to a number of big cities in the US and some small cities. I would like to viist Savannah, GA - I know it is not a big city but from what I read and talked to people, it seems like it would be charming and nice to visit.

I have been to Charleston, SC, live in NYC, Philadephia, Chicago, Boston, San Francsico, Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, New Orleans, Detroit and Minneapolis.

I would like to see more of the USA.

Ann, we visited Savannah, along with Charleston and Myrtle Beach about five years ago in April. We both really enjoyed that vacation. I reserved a B&B in Savannah to begin the trip with a Southern hospitality environment, and the hosts, home and experience were wonderful. It was the Forsyth Inn B&B, right across the street from the park with the same name.

If you’re interested in golf, my husband took a day to go to Augusta to watch the players practicing for the Masters.

I response to the negative comments about Houston, I haven’t been there, so I can’t weigh in one way or the other. But, usually participating in a Food Tour or similar city activity will give you a positive feeling of a city - both from the activity and the locals who share their love of the city and the history & culture.

Phoenix and Dallas. Been through Dallas airport and visited friends in Surprise outside Phoenix but have no interest in a longer visit. Have enjoyed the other top 10 cities by population.
Each have their own experiences and personalities. Some we spend time in because of family, for example San Jose, California. It’s only reason to visit is that it is near San Francisco and the coastal areas nearby. Other cities are unique-San Antonio, NYC, Philadelphia and San Diego. This is a good time to travel in our country.

Racquet588 since you know the way to San Jose have you ventured to the Rosicrucian Museum and the Rose Garden? Had diner at Original Joe’s or Henry’s World Famous Hi Life?

Visited the San Jose State University campus?

Driven over Hwy 17 to Santa Cruz?

Gotten tickets to see the SF Forty Niners play football at Levi Stadium?

Or driven up Hwy 9 from Saratoga up to Skyline Blvd and then to Apple Jack’s in La Honda for a pit stop. You could stop to visit the Methuselah Redwood tree by Woodside.

Just saying you don’t have travel all the way to SF.

Los Angeles-airport was all I saw

Regarding San Jose-Been to a the museums, Winchester haunted house and kids hands on museum. Travelled multiple times to Santa Cruz and aquarium in Monterey. Eat at home since have children who make an expensive meal heartburn. The Filoli house and gardens in Woodside is a favorite. I have had family in San Jose for 50 years so have covered the area within driving distance often. Still don’t consider San Jose a tourist destination. The Bay Area has many sites and activities. San Franciso has great buses, Uber types and is small enough to get around without a car. Outside of the city it becomes more difficult to get to sites. We use Caltrain and Bart trains to get from SFO and SJO airports and between north and South Bay.

Poor Houston! ;-)

Actually I plan to visit there as soon as feasible – oddly enough, to indulge a hobby my husband and I picked up in England (bell ringing). Yes, the closest bell towers to us are in Houston (!). We will not go during the summer, however; I don't think i could handle the heat and humidity. But I'm looking forward to seeing a bit of Texas. I've only driven through the upper bit (barreling through Amarillo driving a U-Haul) on my way to Oklahoma.

Oh, and Houston is the largest city I've not yet visited (except for changing planes). Having lived on both coasts and having driven cross-country (and taken a Greyhound bus from SF to Buffalo and back), I've been to most major cities. But nothing in Texas or Florida yet.

racquet588 – just saw your post. Yes, I love Filoli!

New York City.

Not a huge amount of curiosity about it, but I figure I should probably stop by sometime just to check the box.

It's always been located a long way from where I've lived, and there's nothing particularly compelling about it, in my opinion, to make me want to invest the time and money to go there.

On the occasions when I've interacted with them, New York city residents remind me of Texans -- their locale, to them, seems like the center of the universe and is the place everyone should absolutely have to see.

In both cases, the boosterism is quite off-putting.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit many Provincial and Territorial capitals in Canada...missing Quebec City, Charlottetown and Saskatoon, and Yellowknife, NWT capital and Iqaluit, Nunavut’s Capital. Kind of interested in Churchill, Manitoba for the polar bear sightings and an interesting train journey to get there.

Going to Philly for the first time with an interest in the places related to the founding of the country.

Must be Montreal for me. I once changed trains there but didn't get off the platform. That was way back in 2003, on the way to Quebec City for a union convention.