Interesting cities underused in fiction?

[RationalGoblin]

I'm tired of all the interesting things in fiction happening in the same few cities; It's usually either Chicago, New York City, or Los Angles, if it's the United States, Mexico City if it's Central America, Paris or Berlin if Western Europe, and Tokyo if Asia.

I want to see fiction set in other cities; personally more interesting cities. I want to see Vienna! Prague! Cordoba! And other cities that are far more interesting than the same NYC or LA every time.

In fact, I'd like to know what underused cities could be interesting setting, and why they would so.

So, going back to the title question, what are some interesting real-life cities/towns/hamlets/etc that are rarely used in fiction? Please say why.

Of course, if you could recommend books that use these kinds of cities as settings, please do. I'd love to read those kinds of books.

[Jaros]

Bristol is a really nice city. I believe all we have at the moment is Skins.

British TV is becoming more and more regionalised (is that the right term?) these days though, which means more and more shows that aren't set in London

[toasty]

I'd argue that any city, any city (and by city I mean whatever the population/population density/city area of that part of the world defines as a city) is interesting enough to be the setting of a fiction story.

Mumbai, for example, is probably one of the world's most interesting cities. Very few people write about it, I believe. A story set in Cairo (modern day) could also be interesting.

[Xefas]

Of course, if you could recommend books that use these kinds of cities as settings, please do. I'd love to read those kinds of books.

Here is a list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Vienna_in_fiction) which includes 17 films, 8 books, and 5 operas set in Vienna. Unfortunately, there was no such similar list for Prague or Cordoba that I could find.

[Tirian]

I think any city is interesting enough to be used in a story, and that no city is so interesting that it can't be written about poorly if the author is a hack. Authors should write about what they know, and as long as they can write about it well enough to make the setting familiar to someone who has never been in that city, then that's going to go well.

[Haruki-kun]

Mexico City if it's Central America

If you want interesting cities in Mexico and you want to avoid Mexico City, then I'd go with Merida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9rida,_Yucat%C3%A1n). The place is beautiful and it has a lot of culture.

Barring that one, if you wanted more of a metropolis, I'd pick Monterrey. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterrey,_Nuevo_Leon)

If you want a more historic city, Puebla. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puebla,_Puebla)

But really, Mexico City is not a bad choice. It's got all the history, the museums, the natural areas... =/

PS: Mexico is North America.

[drakir_nosslin]

I second Prague, wonderful city and full with exiting things to base a book on, both old and new.

Kutná Hora is also on my list, mostly (only) because they have a church decorated with bones! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary)

[Project_Mayhem]

York needs more love. Real York, not the less awesome American copy :smallamused:

[Dr.Epic]

I saw the Town last week and that used Charlestown. And Kevin Smith primarily sticks to Leonardo (the fiction city in NJ).

[BRC]

My hometown (St Louis) has a habit of showing up as a placeholder city in stuff. When they just need a city, but don't care which one, St Louis tends to show up. Frequently it's just a passing reference, usually somebody is at the airport leaving to go somewhere else ( probably onE of the big three: LA , Chicago, or New York). We are the spam of American cities.

That said New Orleans and San Fransisco are both interesting cities.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Nashville, TN, definitely. There's no other town like it. Music everywhere. Even the hobos are playing harmonicas in the alleys (though aren't many actual homeless there).

I am actually writing a urban fantasy/horror fiction that takes place there.

[toasty]

Oh, can I point out that for the nine weeks I've lived in Austin I think that its a pretty cool city. I mean, "Week Austin Weird." Is the unofficial motto! How cool is that? Also: Austin City Limits.

[Altaria87]

York needs more love. Real York, not the less awesome American copy :smallamused:
Not York! Lancaster!
(Ok, Manchester then. Actually, Manchester's a pretty good idea, it's a pretty diverse city after all)

[Moff Chumley]

Berkely needs more love. Coolest place ever...

[Icewalker]

Moff Chumley is correct about Berkeley. :smallbiggrin:

Also, Kowloon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City).

[Zeofar]

See: A Municipal Report by O. Henry.

(In case you're wondering, it's a short story that is meant to deal with the topic of "are some cities not good enough to be used in fiction?")

[Flickerdart]

Fiction in other languages is, more often than not, set in the country of origin. Problem solved. Or did you mean only English fiction?

[Brother Oni]

Bristol is a really nice city. I believe all we have at the moment is Skins.

There was also Being Human, but I think that's been moved to Cardiff now.



Also, Kowloon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City).

The Kowloon Walled City was knocked down years ago, but the Kowloon commercial district still exists. It was used as the final location in Shenmue 2 (had me wondering for ages why they thought Kowloon was such a dangerous place, but they meant the walled city not the district) and in a chapter of the Crying Freeman manga.

Kowloon is also a district of Hong Kong, which is pretty much the default setting for all HK movies.

[Morph Bark]

Nashville, TN, definitely. There's no other town like it. Music everywhere. Even the hobos are playing harmonicas in the alleys (though aren't many actual homeless there).

I am actually writing a urban fantasy/horror fiction that takes place there.

Definitely. The only movies I recall taking place there are the Ernest ones with Jim Varney.

I think Antwerp needs more love. Brussels takes away any glory it might come to know, even though it is a pretty swell and historical city.

[RationalGoblin]

Fiction in other languages is, more often than not, set in the country of origin. Problem solved. Or did you mean only English fiction?

In English-language fiction, yes.

[The Big Dice]

I saw the Town last week and that used Charlestown. And Kevin Smith primarily sticks to Leonardo (the fiction city in NJ).

Leonardo NJ (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl) is a real place. And the Quick Stop is a real store, too. I've got a picture of me and my wife stood outside the place. And RST Video was closed.

[Raistlin1040]

I think Seattle needs to be used more often. Or used for better things.

[Pie Guy]

Bristol is a really nice city. I believe all we have at the moment is Skins.


Also: Being Human. Great show.

[Jaros]

Also: Being Human. Great show.

Oh, didn't know that was set here (it's still on my "to watch" list)

[DomaDoma]

York needs more love. Real York, not the less awesome American copy :smallamused:

Isn't New York named after James II, not York per se? If not, Neal Stephenson lied to me.

[SurlySeraph]

Speaking as a New Yorker, ahahahaha.

Seriously though, I'd definitely like to see something set in Liverpool, if only because I find Liverpudlian accents so adorable (YOU SOUND LIKE A KITTEN WITH A CONCUSSION. I AM COMPELLED TO HUG YOU). Cities in New England could use more love - Boston gets a fair amount, but New Haven, Hartford, etc. could use some. Especially New Haven, which would be prime for a crime series. Speaking of which, Detroit would be a great backdrop for a lot of themes, though particularly shows with themes of hope/despair and perceived betrayal by large, impersonal entities.

Moving outside America, Essaouira, Lagos, Kinshasha, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Bangkok, and especially Singapore would all be great settings.

[The Big Dice]

Speaking as a New Yorker, ahahahaha.

Seriously though, I'd definitely like to see something set in Liverpool, if only because I find Liverpudlian accents so adorable (YOU SOUND LIKE A KITTEN WITH A CONCUSSION. I AM COMPELLED TO HUG YOU). <snip>
Liverpool is the setting for some British comedies and plays from teh 70s. Particularly The Liver Birds and Boys From the Blackstuff. Also the Samuel L Jackson movie 51st State, which was released as Formula 51 in the US.

[Moff Chumley]

I think Seattle needs to be used more often. Or used for better things.

Agreed. :smallannoyed:

[Tyrant]

There are a few movies that are set (partly or entirely) in Prague. Here (http://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Prague,%20Czech%20Republic) is the list of movies IMDB gives me for Prague as a filming location. Looking at a few on the first page, I am assuming a number of these only had a scene or two filmed there and that others are unrecognizable as being located in Prague. While not the best movies, XXX (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295701/) and Blade II (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187738/) both take place almost entirely in Prague (if I recall them correctly). On the other hand, there are movies on that list that I can't even begin to guess which parts were filmed in Prague.

My hometown (St Louis) has a habit of showing up as a placeholder city in stuff. When they just need a city, but don't care which one, St Louis tends to show up. Frequently it's just a passing reference, usually somebody is at the airport leaving to go somewhere else ( probably onE of the big three: LA , Chicago, or New York). We are the spam of American cities.
Most of Escape From New York (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082340/) was filmed in St. Louis. Only one scene was actually filmed in New York.

[factotum]

My current place of residence, Manchester, seems fairly underused--I think it appeared in season 1 of the new "Survivors" and it was the main location in "Paradox", neither of which were exactly stunning programmes!

[Rappy]

Speaking locally, while it's a nice city indeed, New Orleans is way overused as "default Louisiana". Lake Charles, Shreveport, and Baton Rouge are all interesting cities with interesting potential of their own, as are places like Lafitte and Lafayette.

On a larger scale, I'd love to see some horror set in Tirgoviste, Romania, rather than "ye generic Transylvania town".

[Xondoure]

I think Seattle needs to be used more often. Or used for better things.

Thirded. :smallsmile:

[The_Admiral]

Kuala Lumpur other than being mentioned as the location of the worlds tallest towers i dont see much of it in fiction

[Avilan the Grey]

The "problem" is that a city has to be large to be interesting. Otherwise it just turns into Midsummer Murders, where a town of x people have y people murdered each episode by z number of murderers and by now y+z > x, which makes the whole thing pathetic.

But then I would never invite any old lady that writes murder mysteries to my party either, since I do not enjoy having myself or any of my friends murdered...

Anyway, back on topic, As I said a city needs to fulfill a number of needs:

1. It must be sufficiently large; preferably larger than Stockholm, which is pretty exactly 1 million people strong.

2. The writer must either know the city fairly well, or write well enough that it appears that (s)he does. Otherwise we will just end up in The Mountains Of Illinois (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheMountainsOfIllinois).

If you write fiction, you can always make up your own city. Personally in my budding RPG campaign the main action takes place in New Amsterdam. In the state of New Amsterdam, USA. (yes, the city was never renamed in this alternate history, and since the state has the same name as the city...)

[Worlok]

The OP surprised me a little. I get how Paris would be a fairly common choice as a setting, but I didn't realize Berlin was that popular. I mean, it's a nice enough place, somewhere between 'Kerouac's New York' and 'Kafka slamming Cyberpunk' (Where it isn't 'Acid trips in Hell', that is...), but I've rarely come across any literature or movies actually set here. :smallconfused: But of course that may be failure on my part. :smallbiggrin:

Anyhow: I, too, think Prague and Vienna should be used more often, even though Irving and Steinfest have already written some quality stuff about them. Those places practically are Film Noir. Come to think of it, the same goes for Warsaw, Moscow, Munich, Rome and Pisa (even though the first two are really more like Hamburg or Berlin and that last one brings a helping of poorly-done surrealism into the equation). And frankly, I think there's too little of New Orleans in fiction, as well.

[Violet Octopus]

Cory Doctorow's For the Win is largely set in Mumbai and various cities in South China. It is available for free (http://craphound.com/ftw/download/).

Greg Egan's Zendegi largely takes place in Tehran. His other near-future SF is often set in Australian cities. Distress goes in-depth into Sydney's future urban geography before moving to a fictional island, Permutation City is also set in Sydney but pays less attention to its geography, and Quarantine briefly spends time in Perth.

[Jaros]

My current place of residence, Manchester, seems fairly underused--I think it appeared in season 1 of the new "Survivors" and it was the main location in "Paradox", neither of which were exactly stunning programmes!

Life On Mars. Although it's set in 1970s Manchester, but still

[Manga Shoggoth]

Here is a list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Vienna_in_fiction) which includes 17 films, 8 books, and 5 operas set in Vienna. Unfortunately, there was no such similar list for Prague or Cordoba that I could find.

"A Dying Light in Cordoba" by Lindsay Davis (Admittedly set in the Roman Empire under Vespasian)

[Om]

Here is a list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Vienna_in_fiction) which includes 17 films, 8 books, and 5 operas set in Vienna. Unfortunately, there was no such similar list for Prague or Cordoba that I could find.I think its striking the the vast majority of the novels listed there (for some reason I always thought that Kafka's The Trial was set in Vienna) date from the early decades of the 20th C. This really illustrates the degree to which a city's cultural impact can wax or wane over time. Until WWI Vienna really was a world city of immense political, cultural and, to a lesser degree, economic importance. Now its just a nice place to live

Contrast this with Seattle which was a small and insignificant mining/shipbuilding town when Vienna was going through its glorious period of fin de siecle angst

[factotum]

Life On Mars. Although it's set in 1970s Manchester, but still

They never really showed anything distinctively Mancunian, though, apart from the elevated section of the A57(M) Mancunian Way--and that was a factual mistake anyway, because they showed it as still being under construction in 1973 when it was actually built six years earlier!

[Terraoblivion]

I definitely support more movies and books set in Prague. The city has pretty much anything you'd need for movies that don't need to be right in the beating heart of global culture. There is more history than in pretty much any other European city north of the Alps, from many different points through history making it useful whether you need old Soviet plots or secret, medieval conspiracies. The city is also remarkably well preserved, even compared to the likes of Vienna making it a great backdrop for anything that needs to look almost aggressively European or just have the historical architecture. But despite this, it isn't just a museum piece, but an economically dynamic, modern city with all the possible stories about crime, corruption, political intrigue and so on that brings about. And then there is the bone chapel in the nearby town of Kutna Hora, which would always be a great setpiece.

Other cities i wouldn't mind seeing more of is Beijing and Shanghai. Despite being the premier cities of China and both rapidly developing their economies, they are remarkably different on most levels. Beijing is incredibly Chinese with surprisingly few concessions made to the rest of the world in its architecture and urban planning. Shanghai on the other hand doesn't just represent an odd fusion of wealth and modernity and traditional poverty, but also a meeting between Europe and China with some parts of the city looking more like Paris than anything else. The clash between the luxury and sophistication of the good parts of town, with the grime, poverty and vulgarity found just a few blocks away could also be intriguing.

These are the ones that stand out the most to me. Because, really, do anybody care all that much about a movie set in one of the many relatively unremarkable cities that every continent has? Especially most cities below the one million mark tend to be pretty lacking in anything special.

[jmbrown]

Singapore is one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities I've ever been to (and I've been to a lot of different countries) especially when you factor its size and density but whenever it's mentioned in fiction it's usually during the Age of Sail and viewed as a haven for pirates. It's one of the more diverse cities in the world with a huge population of Asian (including Indian), Arabs, Americans, and Eastern Europeans.

[Morph Bark]

I think Seattle needs to be used more often. Or used for better things.

Fourthed. I hear many good things about Seattle, locations- and people-wise (plus, Starbucks and WotC, anyone?) and have been there for Sakura-con last April. It could use some more book and movie publicity.

[Kislath]

Hmmm.. I can see it now:

The Streets of Poughkeepsie
Albuquerque Nights
C.S.I Charlotte

I wrote a cool screenplay set in San Antonio once.

[grimbold]

Abu Dabi maybe, it is pretty much unused and really cool, and fun to say.

But i think that the reason that some cities are used often and others rarely is really to make some places exotic and others more understandable. Everybody nows NYC or LA so they can easily be reffered to and people will understand whats going on and where. More popular tourist cities are more popular in books because more people have been there. This also means that when you visit a place like prague in a story its tottally cool and exotic

[AslanCross]

Kuala Lumpur other than being mentioned as the location of the worlds tallest towers i dont see much of it in fiction

It was once used in Entrapment (Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones). They stole something from it, IIRC.

[An Enemy Spy]

I think Seattle needs to be used more often. Or used for better things.

I know. The only reason any movie ever uses Seattle is just so they can have gratuitous shots of the Space Needle.

[Cristo Meyers]

Is Chicago really that popular a setting anymore? Admittedly my experience is limited, but in recent memory I can only think of two times it's used: the pilot episode of Leverage and The Dresden Files.



2. The writer must either know the city fairly well, or write well enough that it appears that (s)he does. Otherwise we will just end up in The Mountains Of Illinois (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheMountainsOfIllinois).


A major problem even in professional-level works. I fondly remember reading about the East Side of Chicago (otherwise known as Lake Michigan) and watching the NCIS team head to a spot out in the country that in reality is a densely populated commercial area...:smallsigh:

Seriously, guys, it's not hard. You can be convincing just by going to Wikipedia and pulling a few random facts.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Toronto is very rarely set it, but is often filmed as "New York", because Toronto looks like New York a coupla decades ago, and is cheaper to film in. :smallcool:

[BRC]

I know. The only reason any movie ever uses Seattle is just so they can have gratuitous shots of the Space Needle.
Alot of the stuff you see on television is really just filmed in Toronto or LA or someplace. Stock footage, accents, and creative camera angles are all that's needed.

For example, a show I rather enjoy, Castle . The show is set in New York, the characters havn't really left New York, many of the characters are part of the NYPD, and introduce themselves as such.

And yet, once every five minutes, they cover a scene change with some quick stock footage of the New York skyline, as if to say "Hey, remember that the show is set in New York!"

[Violet Octopus]

A major problem even in professional-level works. I fondly remember reading about the East Side of Chicago (otherwise known as Lake Michigan) and watching the NCIS team head to a spot out in the country that in reality is a densely populated commercial area...:smallsigh:

There was some crime show with an episode set in Sydney. It had some sort of shady underclass drug deal take place on a dock, with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the background. However, their positioning meant the drug deal was in the affluent North Shore, likely near Kirribilli - the location of one of the Prime Ministerial residences.

edit: The Power Rangers movie rather obviously used Sydney for Angel Grove, including the only ever worthwhile use of our monorail.
The Matrix did a pretty good job of disguising Sydney, notwithstanding the scene with the woman in the red dress.

[cho_j]

To this I say:

San Francisco, open your GOLDEN gate, you let no STRANGER wait, outside your door! Do do do do!

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair...

Barcelona—it was the first time that we met, Barcelona—how can I forget

Yup. Songs. I went there. Sorry about getting them stuck in your head, if I did. (Oh, and I mayyyy be biased about those, given that I'm a San Francisco Bay Arean, living in St. Louis, who wants nothing more than to go back to Barcelona.)

[RebelRogue]

Barcelona—it was the first time that we met, Barcelona—how can I forget
I don't travel much, but man, Barcelona is a great city! Going there made me realize, that I am actually really interested in great art and architechture.

[Lhurgyof]

Fortunately, Stephen King writes about Maine. Most people forget it's a state. :(

[Vilyathas]

Kuala Lumpur other than being mentioned as the location of the worlds tallest towers i dont see much of it in fiction


It was once used in Entrapment (Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones). They stole something from it, IIRC.

IIRC, it was also mentioned in the Justice League animated series, in the very first episode, as one of the cities under attack by White Martians.

[RMS Oceanic]

Fictionesia needs more visits to Krakow.

[Eldan]

Interesting thing about Prague? I read of one movie, I think it was one of the Bourne movies, that was apparently set in Zurich, but filmed in Prague, because Zurich didn't look "European enough".

[J.Gellert]

I'd say Rhodes. Greek island with the usual nightlife, but around western castles; including the palace of the Grand Master of the Hospitallers, a rich history, and the yet-undiscovered ruins of a colossal statue which was the inspiration for the Statue of Liberty.

Really, it's all a Dan Brown novel waiting to happen. :smallbiggrin:

[lesser_minion]

I'm going to put Bath down -- it's got plenty of history, and I don't think anything even gets filmed there, let alone set there.

[Ashtar]

98 titles are returned for Filming Location: Bath on IMDB.
http://www.imdb.com/search/text?realm=title&field=locations&q=Bath

Now as to how many are located in Bath instead of Filmed in it... I have no idea.

[lesser_minion]

98 titles are returned for Filming Location: Bath on IMDB.
http://www.imdb.com/search/text?realm=title&field=locations&q=Bath

Now as to how many are located in Bath instead of Filmed in it... I have no idea.

Well, several of them didn't look like they were set there, a few more were filmed in a different place also called Bath, and some of them were documentaries, but that's still interesting.

EDIT: With a bit more information, I managed to narrow it down to about 50, but even then, some of them looked either hilariously obscure, or documentaries.

[Erts]

No one has mentioned Sarajevo? A city where (hopefully not going to be banned with this) Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived peacefully for over 900 years through times like the Crusades?
There is a lot of history in that city, let me tell you.

[RationalGoblin]

Thanks for all the information everyone, I really appreciate it. Good to know about interesting cities that are rarely used.