To me, a big city is a big city. Outside of the old, dense cities like NYC and Chicago, I've always felt like most large urban areas just start taking on the same feel. The difference then comes between just how many people and how large of an area (of mostly similar feel really) is covered and/or geological features.

With the advent of street view cameras and such, it is amazing how I can drop a street view in lots of places in say LA or Houston and outside of a palm tree, it looks like any other street in Indy and other similar cities. The more dense cities have a different feel, but only because they have so many high rises, but outside of those it really is just the same. Concrete and asphalt are concrete and asphalt no matter where it is poured.

Some cities out west just make it easier to be very close to some really high level, amazing outdoor recreation. In recent years I've went back to Yellowstone and Glacier for some true day hiking. What would take me about a two and a half day drive is within hours to maybe ten hours from a lot of western cities.