The geeks will inherit the Earth.
Three cities in Upstate New York have been named among the 100 geekiest cities in America on a new list marking “Embrace Your Geekness Day,” which is July 13. Lawn Love, a website that connects homeowners with mowing services and other lawn care providers, compared the 200 largest U.S. cities in a variety of metrics, such as number of fan events like Comic-Cons and Renaissance festivals, costume shops (for cosplayers), “geek meetup groups” (such as LARP, or Live Action Role-Playing), and the number of stores that sell comics, video games, trading cards and board games.
“Whether you’re a gamer, tech wizard, or just dream of intergalactic travels, there are many places where you can live out your geeky dreams,” the study’s authors said.
New York City was easily No. 1 on the list, thanks to a large number of meetup groups, fan conventions and stores that indulge everything superhero, “Star Wars,” Dungeons & Dragons, and related fare.
Three other cities in the Empire State made the top 100: Rochester was No. 45, followed by Buffalo at No. 62, and Syracuse at No. 86. The Salt City ranked higher for access to collectibles (65th nationwide) and communities (56th), Buffalo was 27th for collectibles, and Rochester ranked 30th for events; the latter will host Flower City Comic-Con in September, and a number of Syracuse vendors are scheduled to appear at Sci-Fi Horror Fest next month at Vernon Downs.
Amy Root (Powergirl) and Allison Green (Huntress), both of Buffalo, attend 2018 Salt City Comic-Con, held at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Destiny USA in Syracuse on Saturday July 7, 2018. Alaina Potrikus Beckett | abeckett@syracuse.com
Yonkers was the only other city in New York state to make to the list, ranking 184th overall.
According to the study’s methodology, cities were given overall scores based on weighted metrics for number of meetup groups; number of stores selling comic books, board games, trading cards and video games; number of costume shops; and number of events (comic-cons, renaissance fairs and fan conventions). The publication used data from Comic-Cons.xyz, FanCons.com, Meetup, The Renlist, and Yelp.
RELATED:
Syracuse’s TCGplayer expands with acquisitions
Not just superheroes, banned books allowed: Syracuse comic-con questions boundaries for creators
Adventures in Upstate NY: Travel back in time at Sterling Renaissance Festival (video)