Nostalgia. It pulls on the heartstrings and evokes blissful reminiscence of the ‘good old days.’ The ‘80s and ‘90s were the golden age of arcades, comic book and record stores, roller skating rinks, and much more. A time that most millennials will think back on fondly.
To celebrate its arcade games category launch, BetMGM Casino produced a study evaluating the most nostalgic cities for millennials in which the ’80s and ’90s are still alive. Find out more about the methodology and results. Do you agree with the results of the most nostalgic-evoking cities in the U.S.?
Key Findings
- New York has been identified as the most nostalgic city overall.
- New York also has the highest number of nostalgia-evoking venues overall and the most comic book stores, record stores, and roller skating rinks.
- Dallas, Texas, ranks in 2nd place, followed by Houston, Texas, in 3rd, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona, in joint 4th, and Atlanta, Georgia, in 5th.
- Memphis, Tennessee, is the least nostalgic of all the cities for millennials in the study.
1. New York City, New York – Score: 148
New York City took the top spot. 30.31% of the population are millennials, and it features the most:
- Comic book stores
- Movie theaters
- Vintage clothing stores
- Roller skating rinks
2. Dallas, Texas – Score: 129
Dallas has a millennial population of 32.06%. The city features the most:
- Trading card shops (tied with Houston)
- Bowling alleys
- Video game shops
- DVD stores
- Amusement parks
It also features the least:
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
3. Houston, Texas – Score: 112
Houston has a millennial population of 31.72%. The city features the most:
- Trading card shops (ties with Dallas)
- Toy stores
It also features the least:
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
4. Las Vegas, Nevada – Score: 98
Las Vegas has a millennial population of 27.36%, which is the lowest percentage in the study. The city features the most:
- Casinos
- ‘90s music events per month
- ‘80s and ‘90s music events per capita
5. Phoenix, Arizona – Score: 98
Phoenix has a millennial population of 30.63%. It did not have the most or least of any of the measured categories.
6. Atlanta, Georgia – Score: 82
Atlanta has a millennial population of 36.55%. The city features the least:
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
7. Boston, Massachusetts – Score: 81
Boston has a millennial population of 36.01%. The city features the least:
- Amusement parks
8. San Diego, California – Score: 80
San Diego has a millennial population of 33.25%. The city features the most:
- ‘80s music events per month
9. Tampa, Florida – Score: 80
Tampa has a millennial population of 30.86%. It did not have the most or least of any of the measured categories.
10. Austin, Texas – Score: 80
Austin has a millennial population of 40.04%. The city features the least:
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
11. San Antonio, Texas – Score: 75
San Antonio has a millennial population of 30.14%. The city features the least:
- ‘80s and ‘90s music events per capita (tied with a number of cities)
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
12. Seattle, Washington – Score: 71
Seattle has the highest millennial population percentage, 40.87%, and normalization score. The city has the least:
- DVD stores (tied with a number of cities)
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
13. Denver, Colorada – Score: 69
Denver has a millennial population of 40.33%. The city features the least:
- ‘80s and ‘90s music events per capita (tied with a number of cities)
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
14. Miami, Florida – Score: 66
Miami has a millennial population of 33.45%. The city features the least:
- ‘80s and ‘90s music events per capita (tied with a number of cities)
- DVD stores (tied with a number of cities)
15. San Francisco, California – Score: 59
San Francisco has a millennial population of 36.22%. The city features the least:
- Video game shops
- Roller skating rinks
- ‘80s and ‘90s music events per capita (tied with a number of cities)
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
16. Charlotte, North Carolina – Score: 57
Charlotte has a millennial population of 32.87%. The city features the most:
- Arcades
It also features the least:
- Trading card shops
- DVD stores (tied with a number of cities)
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
17. Nashville, Tennessee – Score: 52
Nashville has a millennial population of 40.04%. The city features the least:
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
18. New Orleans, Louisiana – Score: 42
New Orleans has a millennial population of 29.89%. The city features the least:
- Bowling alleys
- Toy stores (tied with Colorado Springs and Memphis)
- DVD stores (tied with a number of cities)
- ‘80s and ‘90s music events per capita (tied with a number of cities)
19. Colorado Springs, Colorado – Score: 37
Colorado Springs has a millennial population of 30.56%. The city features the least:
- Movie theaters
- Toy stores (tied with New Orleans and Memphis)
- Casinos (tied with a number of cities)
- ‘80s and ‘90s music events per capita (tied with a number of cities)
20. Memphis, Tennessee – Score: 35
Memphis has a millennial population of 28.98%. The city features the least:
- Arcades
- Vintage clothing stores
- Record stores
- Toy stores (tied with New Orleans and Colorado Springs)
- ‘80s and ‘90s music events per capita (tied with a number of cities)
- DVD stores (tied with a number of cities)
Methodology
To identify the top nostalgic cities, we began by selecting the 20 most popular cities in the U.S. based on YouGov’s “The Most Popular Cities in Q2 2024” data.
We then identified three critical measurable variables associated with ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia.
Physical Venues
To determine the number of nostalgia-evoking physical venues in each city. We first listed 13 types of venues that still exist today that are associated with ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia, like arcades, comic book stores, vintage shops, and DVD stores.
We used Google Maps to calculate the volume of existing operating venues per city, excluding any temporarily or permanently closed venues. Only venues listed under the exact category on Google My Business were included, to prevent potential duplicates.
Metropolitan areas, excluding the casino category, which is city-specific due to gambling laws, were also included.
Music Events
To determine the number of ‘80s and ‘90s-themed ticketed music events each city hosts per month, we used TicketMaster to identify the average number of such events planned over a future three-month period (August – October 2024). We searched for “80s” and “90s” events separately on the platform and listed any relevant event presented for each city in each proposed month.
Demographics
We referred to the U.S. Census Data per city, specifically the American Community Survey SO101 | Age and Sex, to determine the percentage of the population composed of millennials who were children or teenagers during the ‘80s and ‘90s, accounting for the two-year inaccuracy of the government date.
Scoring and Weighting
Once the raw data for each of the three variables was gathered, we assigned a weight to each variable to calculate the overall score:
- Physical venues: 50% (normalized per capita per 100,000 people and combined with absolute values, then divided by 2)
- Music events: 25% (normalized per capita)
- Demographics: 25% (raw data)
For physical venues, the final score was calculated by averaging the normalized per capita value (per 100,000 people) and the absolute value, then dividing by 2 to ensure larger cities were not ranked unfairly due to their larger population. The weighted scores of all three variables were then combined to determine each city’s total score.
Formula
0.5 X Combined Venues Absolute Score & Per Capita Score + 0.25 X Total Music Events + 0.25 X Millennial Population Percentage = Total City Score
The final total city score was rounded to the nearest whole number.
The cities were then ranked based on these scores, with the highest scores indicating the most nostalgic cities.
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