# Capital of the World: London or New York **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 10, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754 "2011-12-10T18:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/1 "2011-12-10T18:17:46Z")
Two cities which both claim the title. Both similarly ranked in many, many areas. Which do you choose, and why? Cite if possible, or simply rant/praise if you prefer. (Oh, crap. Could a mod change “Lonkdon” to “London” in the poll? Thanks!) ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/2 "2011-12-10T18:47:01Z")
While this will, of course, end up being people voting for “their city” (not that that matters - it’s just a bit of fun), it seems [New York itself feels that London is the capital of the world](http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23389580-london-is-the-world-capital-of-the-21st-century-says-new-york.do). Guess which way I voted! I’ll probably be the only one, though. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/3 "2011-12-10T18:54:03Z")
London (this poll is probably going to reflect the proportion of Brits to Americans on the forum.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/4 "2011-12-10T18:57:25Z")
London, the architecture seals it for me, New York is too samey and new. I think London has benefited from bombings and fires over the last thousand years or so. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/5 "2011-12-10T19:09:03Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I think London has benefited from bombings and fires over the last thousand years or so. That’s an … interesting perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/6 "2011-12-10T19:23:18Z")
I’m a Brit (well, Scottish, but for you folks across the pond I’ll translate it to Brit!) and I voted for New York. Maybe it just seems more exotic, being overseas, than our dirty busy little London. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/7 "2011-12-10T20:00:58Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > That’s an … interesting perspective. Ah!..from an _architectural_ point of view of course. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/8 "2011-12-10T22:20:50Z")
London used to be the capital of the world. So did Paris, Rome, Venice, and Constantinople. But the current capital of the world is New York City. I’m guessing the next capital will be Shanghai. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/9 "2011-12-10T23:38:04Z")
What does “so good they named it twice” mean? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/10 "2011-12-10T23:45:02Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > What does “so good they named it twice” mean? New York, New York (city, state) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/11 "2011-12-10T23:57:49Z")
No question, it’s New York. The presence of the United Nations makes it definite. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/12 "2011-12-11T00:31:38Z")
I voted for London, just because they have [Harrods](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrods). ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/13 "2011-12-11T14:20:19Z")
In support of London, I call on [this page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_centre) on Wikipedia which lists four indexes (indices?): 1. Global Financial Centres Index 2. International Financial Centers Development Index 3. Forbes 4. Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index Three of the four list London first; one lists New York. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/14 "2011-12-11T15:13:05Z")
I think London has a business advantage in terms of location and time zones. Obviously it’s in Europe while New York is in North America. Similar-sized markets, so that’s about a wash. But London is a bit closer to east Asia, much closer to the Middle East, and generally closer to the up-and-coming “BRICS” countries. Going on population density alone ([map](http://www.theglobaleducationproject.org/earth/human-conditions.php#12)), you’d probably pick somewhere like Bombay or Dubai as a site for a world capital. Per-capita GDP might skew your choice in a westerly direction, though. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/15 "2011-12-11T15:24:42Z")
Can’t be London. They drive on the left side of the road… someone could get killed! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/16 "2011-12-11T15:36:29Z")
London. See also Heathrow traffic vs JFK traffic figures (although Beijing has both beat there for the past couple years). ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/17 "2011-12-11T15:57:53Z")
Gotta pick a neutral place with some meaning to many people. Like Jerusalem 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/18 "2011-12-11T16:03:14Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > London. > > See also Heathrow traffic vs JFK traffic figures (although Beijing has both beat there for the past couple years). A very quick glance through Wikipedia, reveals one could also cite The West End vs. Broadway, international air traffic, number of airports, size of subway system, number of world heritage sites, tourism (wow - didn’t realise London was #1 in the world in that!), and number of times hosted Olympics, in addition to the clear financial world capital cited earlier. London’s definitely a very strong contender. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/19 "2011-12-11T16:19:46Z")
I’d pick Moose Jaw, just to be contrary. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754/20 "2011-12-11T16:56:15Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Per-capita GDP might skew your choice in a westerly direction, though. Meh. Neither’s a world leader on that metric. Both have a LOT of poor people. There are lots of places with much higher per capita GDP. I don’t think we can use that as a factor. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capital-of-the-world-london-or-new-york/605754.md?page=2)