Class action.

• Author: Murphy, Peter
• Position: Letters

Richard Florida ("The Rise of the Creative Class," May) provides a fascinating and elegant map of the new geography of America's creative class. One additional dimension is worth noting. The kind of visible bohemian diversity that he singles out as crucial for cities to attract members of the creative class is also an historic phenomenon associated with port cities. Be it San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, or New York, these places traditionally have been very tolerant of transients, strangers, immigrants, singles, outsiders, and minorities. Notably, seven out of Florida's top 10 large cities are either historic or portal cities. On the other hand, virtually all of the medium-sized cities attracting the creative class are landlocked, which suggests to...