Recently I took a trip to Warsaw, Poland. The city is mostly modern as it had risen from the literal ashes of World War 2 to become one of the gems of Eastern Europe. This contrasted heavily with my visit to Krakow, Poland a few days later. Krakow is still very much a medieval city, with many of its original architecture still intact from the 13th century as it was spared from the war. Many Poles will be quick to tell you that Krakow is the cultural hub of Poland, Warsaw is a business city! The term is hardly exclusive to Eastern Europe; it is used frequently here in the United States. Boston, New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Atlanta are frequently referred to as business cities. This term overlooks just one major detail though; that phrase is utterly hollow and meaningless.
What most people mean (or at least, what I gather they mean, since this term is vague) is that the city is known predominately for white-collar jobs that rarely interact with the public. While that seems like a fair assessment on the surface, it breaks down upon further examination. Cities like Miami, Las Vegas, New Orleans and other metropolises are known for being tourism-oriented, however we cannot overlook the commerce that is done in these cities as well. Each of these cities are the major economic drivers of their region and their economies are certainly more diversified than users of this phrase realize or acknowledge.
Take for instance the presence of professional sports. Pundits love to point out how they are beneficial for their hosting zip-codes, and to a certain extent that is true. However, one of the key motivating factors for an owner looking to set up shop in a locale is if there is a robust enough local economy to support the team. If nobody can afford tickets or jerseys, then the team is unlikely to thrive in that market. Phrased another way, professional sports teams are a result of a city’s economy, not the cause of it.
Another issue with the phrase is that it encourages narrow-minded thinking. It drives the notion that somehow money can somehow only be made in San Francisco, New York, Boston or a handful of other selected few winners. However, as Dr. Thomas Stanley points out in his ground-breaking book The Millionaire Next Door (which is absolutely worth a read, by the way), is that successful entrepreneurs and other professionals are capable of setting up show in a variety of different regions in the US. One does not need to throw their hands up in defeat simply because they don’t live in Silicon Valley or Wall St. While opportunity may not be evenly distributed, it certainly doesn’t only exist in a California or the Northeast
American’s have long been willing to move towards opportunity, this has been true from the founding of our nation all the way until today. People have universally moved away from areas of sparse populations and grim outlooks towards desirable real estate markets, job openings, investment opportunities and other gold rushes (sometimes literally so). If a city, any city, wasn’t a “business city”, then it would not be a city for very long, as population collapse would eventually kick in. In short, every city is a business city.
Other times the term is used as slander, as in “Oh, well Pittsburg is just a business city”. The just implying that Pittsburg in this hypothetical scenario lacks anything besides commerce. Community and culture exist wherever humans reside; great art, music, books, podcasts, museums and so much more can be-and is– created in any large population center. The presence of a financial district and office buildings do not negate that fact. None of that would exist if the population existed solely of suit-clad 9-5 drones that vacate the city borders at 5:01pm, leaving only tumbleweeds in their wake. That other negative implication of that statement is that the speaker is stating that Pittsburg (or any business city) lacks any historical value or has no stories worth sharing. As if! Pittsburg was at one point home to a thriving steel-producing industry (the material the country is literally made out of). That notion also dismisses the role that Pittsburg, or any so-called “just a business city” for that matter, played in the Civil War, Vietnam protests or modern-day movements. Just a business city can be downright insulting at times.
The term business city is as redundant as it is hollow, and it is time we re-think using the phrase. It essentially doesn’t say anything useful at best, and at worst is a put-down. What is the speaker really trying to say? The city lacks community or culture? The architecture looks bland? Nobody really wants to live there, and that it’s simply a place to get-paid-and-go-home? Retiring a phrase is hard but is a necessary part of the evolution of our living language.
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