On Sunday, professional football teams will represent Boston (generally) and Atlanta in a battle for NFL superiority. The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons will play to bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the winners of Super Bowl 51.
But what if the cities were forced to represent themselves? What if the Super Bowl championship was awarded to whichever team’s city is cooler? Here’s our (tongue-in-cheek) comparison of Boston and Atlanta. (Winners in bold.)
Nickname
Boston: Beantown
Atlanta: Hotlanta
Baked beans are good, but they don’t stand a chance. And while it’s at little too easy, Hotlanta is easily one of the top nicknames in the country.
Population (metro)
Boston: 4.6 million
Atlanta: 5.7 million
Boston’s city population is slightly higher, and it’s much more dense. So this is a tough call.
Weather
Boston: Average summer high of 81 degrees, average winter low of 22 degrees
Atlanta: Average summer high of 87 degrees, average winter low of 35 degrees
They call it Hotlanta for a reason.
Famous features
Boston: Harvard and MIT, Fenway Park and the Freedom Trail
Atlanta: Home to Coca-Cola, CNN and the world’s largest and busiest airport
BOSTON, MA – JULY 28: The sunset is seen from the Green Monster in the third inning between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays during the game at Fenway Park on July 28, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
Too much history in Beantown.
Top celebrities
Boston: Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Affleck, Conan O’Brien
Atlanta: Kanye West, Chloë Grace Moretz, Lil Jon
In a lot of people’s eyes, you lose points for Kanye. Boston wins in terms of quality and quantity.
Hottest celebrity
Boston: Eliza Dushku
Atlanta: Moretz
#wallpaper #women, #Eliza Dushku, #shorts, #fur pic.twitter.com/RabHrjCKgT
— RandomBoard (@Rdm_Board) January 22, 2017
To each his/her own, but I’m the judge and jury here.
Signature food
Boston: Clam chowder
Atlanta: Traditional southern cuisine
https://youtu.be/2rW5tZsIysQ
I’d have to imagine fried chicken appeals to the masses. And you can’t really go wrong.
Music presence
Boston: Ranked 38th in the United States
Atlanta: Ranked 68th
Those rankings come from an in-depth study by Value Penguin, and I don’t think they’re particularly fair to the hip hop scene in Atlanta. That said, a lot more major labels have come from Boston, and the city sports a large classical music presence. Is that cool?
Top movies
Boston: The Departed, The Fighter, The Town, Good Will Hunting, Mystic River, Spotlight
Atlanta: The Blind Side, Remember the Titans, Driving Miss Daisy
Good Will Hunting (1997): "I gotta go see about a girl." pic.twitter.com/YeQncUgQmh
— movie reviews 4 me (@kymovies) January 22, 2017
Fried Green Tomatoes and Deliverance were also set near Atlanta, and sports movies get some extra points. Still, it’s an overwhelming Boston victory with Good Will Hunting alone.
Median household income
Boston: $52,792
Atlanta: $51,948
Both rank in the top 10 among major American cities, but Boston has a slight edge.
The final tally
Boston: 6
Atlanta: 4
Big comeback victory. So congratulations, Boston. Even if your Patriots lose on Sunday, you can brag that you’re way cooler than the city that defeated you.
