Ahh, hipsters. The official (Google) definition of a hipster is "a person who follows the latest trends and fashions, especially those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream."
So, here they are. The nation's most hipster neighborhoods, aka the places you'll either flock to or avoid, depending on what kind of person you are.
1. Avondale — Birmingham, Alabama
Avondale has undergone a bit of a facelift in recent years, including a multimillion-dollar park renovation and multiple bar and restaurant openings. Hipsters should feel right at home at the Woodlawn Cycle Cafe. In the morning they serve pastries with praline and coffee butter, and in the evening, there's house-made pasta and boutique, locally made beer from Goat Island Brewing.
2. Spenard — Anchorage, Alaska
Yep, hipsters exist even in Alaska. And, since hipsters need fancy coffee to survive, Black Cup Cafe Del Mundo is Spenard's go-to. The fancy-doughnut trend has also made its way up north: Look out for The Magpie food truck and its brioche doughnuts, which are filled with sage whipped cream and topped with buttermilk syrup and local pancetta.
3. Roosevelt Row — Phoenix, Arizona
Roosevelt Row (or RoRo) is the creative district of Downtown Phoenix, with artsy events, live music, and trendy restaurants aplenty. The area is super walkable, so roaming the streets is the best way to stumble upon the many murals and art galleries (and take a pic leaning on a colorful wall, like a true hipster). To eat and drink, head to Mother Brunch Brewing, a microbrewery that serves mac 'n' cheese made with beer and Sriracha.
4. Downtown — Little Rock, Arkansas
For a coffee shop that also sells local art, go to Mugs. For local craft beer, go to Flyway or Lost Forty Brewing. For a barber that will give you a perfectly precise beard trim, go to The Art of Men's Cuts.
5. Silver Lake — Los Angeles, California
The hipsters of LA stray away from Hollywood, preferring the more suburban streets of Silver Lake. You'll find plenty of cute coffee shops, like Broome St General Store, where besides espresso, you can pick up prosciutto-pesto croissants, heirloom fruit preserves, and copper cocktail cups.
6. Highland — Denver, Colorado
Highland is home to a cluster of Denver's best new cafés, restaurants, and bars. Black Eye Coffee has your hipster brunch needs covered with cold-brew coffee, and avocado toast adorned with micro herbs. For dinner and drinks, head to Williams & Graham, a speakeasy hidden in a corner bookstore.
7. East Rock — New Haven, Connecticut
East Rock Coffee provides "community sketch books," encouraging patrons to get in touch with their artistic side. Enough said. If you need further proof that this 'hood is New Haven's hipster capital, dinner at August, a tiny, quirky wine bar with just 16 seats, should do it.
8. Trolley Square — Wilmington, Delaware
At the Delaware Local Food Exchange, you can buy vegan chicken salad, bottled cold-brew coffee, and locally made jewelry and soaps. If pub food is more your speed, go to Catherine Rooney's Irish bar. For coffee, hit up Brandywine, which also sells branded embroidered patches, silk screened mugs, and pins.
9. Shaw, Washington — District of Columbia
If you're in the market for luxe, tailored, American-made menswear, head straight to Read Wall (there's also a nice leather couch that you can park on). Ideal for that hipster guy who kinda wishes he was born in the 1920s. To eat, check out Takoda, a beer garden and whiskey bar that serves mac 'n' cheese straight from the pan.
10. Wynwood — Miami, Florida
Wynwood is Miami's street-art center, with old warehouse buildings providing the perfect blank canvas for large, striking murals. You'll get a great Instagram pic. If you want a good food 'gram, too, The Salty Donut has you covered. For cocktails and delicate share plates, check out "casual progressive" restaurant Alter.
11. Old Fourth Ward — Atlanta, Georgia
The Old Fourth Ward, or O4W, has been gentrified in recent years. And with gentrification comes hipsters. Ponce City Market is a giant converted warehouse modeled after New York's Chelsea Market, home to a number of retail spaces and eateries. If you want a more boutique experience, head to Chrome Yellow Trading Co., which serves good coffee and sells cool, trendy clothing.
12. Downtown — Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is known for its beachy, surfer vibes, but in Downtown Honolulu there are hipster-friendly establishments to be found. The Pig & The Lady is a Vietnamese fusion restaurant with industrial decor and share-style plates. The signature dessert is a weekly rotating soft-serve, in flavors such as Earl Grey custard made using tea leaves grown in Hawaii.
13. North End — Boise, Idaho
North End is a neighborhood that doesn't live up to Idaho's conservative reputation, partly thanks to its proximity to Boise State University. The Hyde House caters to the young, carefree hipster demographic, serving ice cream sandwiches alongside a selection of local beers on tap. For breakfast, hipsters should feel at home at Wild Root Cafe & Market — they offer vegan "eggs."
14. West Town — Chicago, Illinois
The top two factors to consider before declaring a neighborhood "hipster" are probably 1) a café that takes its coffee ~seriously~, and 2) a whiskey bar. West Town has both. The coffee shop in question is Dark Matter, where they roast on site, and the bar is Twisted Spoke, home to over 500 various bottles of whiskey.
15. North Square Neighborhood — Indianapolis, Indiana
The typewriter-and-weathered-book decor should be enough to convince you that Bluebeard is one of North Square's hipster havens. It also serves grilled peanut butter sandwiches, and features terrariums on the windowsill. If you're more of a stay-home kinda hipster, pick up a board game at Game Paradise, which stocks over 1,000 of 'em.
16. East Village — Des Moines, Iowa
The East Village is definitely the closest thing to Brooklyn that Iowa has ever seen. Fugitive Apparel Co. is all about local streetwear labels, while Mars Coffee Bar has you covered for caffeine. There's even a retro arcade game bar, Up-Down.
17. Delano — Wichita, Kansas
"We're not in Kansas anymore" is something you might say about Delano: The neighborhood is a hipster world of its own. Local gastropub Monarch has a solid bourbon selection and a drinking-friendly menu to back it up (think loaded sweet potato tots, pork ribs). For coffee, head to Reverie; in the fall, it serves an "RPL," which is a latte made with maple syrup, freshly ground spices, and real pumpkin.
18. Highlands — Louisville, Kentucky
North End Cafe is a solid option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner — you can get a burger with grass-fed Kentucky beef, but you can also order vegan tacos. The Highlands is known for its eclectic local boutiques — check out Home Skateshop. Even if you're not into skating, the original art on the boards is impressive.
19. The Marigny — New Orleans, Louisiana
Artsy scenes, such as the couch and lamp pictured on Frenchmen street, aren't uncommon in the Faubourg Marigny. If you want to update your look to blend in with the local hipster crowd, go shopping at Blue Dream Vintage. To eat and drink, try Mimi's, a popular neighborhood bar with awesome tapas.
20. Munjoy Hill — Portland, Maine
Tandem Coffee in Munjoy Hill is possibly the most hipster coffee shop ever. It has "coffee knitting," where local hipsters can communally knit shibori-dyed wool over almond lattes — AND, if you thought it couldn't get any more hipster, the shop also offers a "coffee & vinyl" subscription. Each month, members get a 12-inch record and a 12-ounce bag of coffee. Sigh. For a restaurant set in a wine shop, go to Drifter's Wife.
21. Hampden — Baltimore, Maryland
There are few things more hipster than an everything bagel doughnut, and you can get yourself one from Hampden's very own B Doughnut. Record stores are definitely hipster, and True Vine is a unique one worth perusing, if that's your thing.
22. Prospect Hill — Boston, Massachusetts
If you go to Prospect Hill, you need to go to Loyal Supply Co. The design studio, letterpress, and lifestyle store will make all your Pinterest-y dreams come true. Pick up customizable cards (printed in house), a cactus, or some handmade sunglasses. For brunch and quality caffeine, check out Tatte Bakery and Cafe.
23. Corktown — Detroit, Michigan
The El Dorado General Store is Detroit's one-stop shop for hipster-ish things, like succulents, crystals, vintage clothing, and locally made goods. Also worth browsing is DittoDitto, an indie bookstore that holds regular artist talks and group readings. For brunch and coffee, head to Astro.
24. Lowry Hill East — Minneapolis, Minnesota
Also known as "The Wedge," Lowry Hill East is where the quirky shops, art centers, and on-trend restaurants operate in Minneapolis. Victor's 1959 Cafe is basically a work of art, serving authentic Cuban food. If you want to see some "official" art, head to the Soo Visual Arts Center, a nonprofit space that champions up-and-coming, lesser-known artists.
25. Fondren — Jackson, Mississipi
There's a 70-year-old building in Fondren that's home to Brent's Drugs. In 1946, it was an actual pharmacy; today, it's a retro soda fountain that serves malt shakes and all-day breakfast. For oysters, fried chicken, and craft beers, head to Saltine.
26. Botanical Heights — St. Louis, Missouri
Union Loafers Cafe & Bread has the minimal, industrial decor thing down. It serves fancy sandwiches, like smoked beets served on house-made sourdough, and stocks St. Louis' own Blue Print coffee. If you want iced coffee, you can get nitro brew on tap.
27. Heart of Missoula — Missoula, Montana
The Heart of Missoula has a lot of hipster-friendly things going on. The Dram Shop, Montana's first growler fill station and taproom, stocks organic cold-brew coffee as well as over three dozen regional craft beers and wines. For live music and arthouse movies, head to The Wilma, an old-school converted theater.
28. Benson — Omaha, Nebraska
Benson may as well be Brooklyn. There are street art murals everywhere, a brewery housed in a remodeled 1910s movie theatre, and an industrial live music venue serving craft beers on tap.
29. Downtown — Las Vegas, Nevada
Downtown Vegas is where you can escape the intense commercialism of the Strip. Bars like Velveteen Rabbit are much more hipster-friendly, with eclectic vintage decor, local art, and a craft cocktail menu that changes seasonally. The Downtown Container Park is probably the closest thing to a hipster mall you'll get — the boutiques are made out of repurposed shipping containers, and there are no chain stores allowed.
30. West End — Portsmouth, New Hampshire
West End is Portsmouth's most artsy 'hood which, for an already artsy city, is saying something. The Button Factory is quite literally a nineteenth century Button Factory, though these days it hosts a number of local artists that hang there, creating things. At White Heron Tea, you'll find turmeric lattes and vegan breakfast wraps, and at Street, Thai street food-inspired dishes.
31. Historic Downtown — Jersey City, New Jersey
So many hipster neighborhoods are born out of young people being priced out of places known to be the coolest. Downtown Jersey City is on its way to being just as cool as Downtown Manhattan. It has a '50s-style barbershop where you can drink whiskey, called Virile, and a literature-themed cocktail bar.
32. Downtown — Albuquerque, New Mexico
Downtown Albuquerque recently completed a 10-year, multimillion-dollar-revitalization, and these days it's looking pretty gentrified. Deep Space Coffee has wallpaper that looks like it was designed by a minimalist tattoo artist and a local craft brewery that hosts live music and food trucks.
33. Bushwick — New York, New York
The most hipster area of New York isn't actually Williamsburg anymore — it's Bushwick. The Brooklyn neighborhood is home to multiple warehouse-style clubs such as House Of Yes, walls and walls of street art, and plenty of coffee shops with industrial decor and dutifully bearded/tattooed baristas.
34. Villa Heights — Charlotte, North Carolina
North Carolina doesn't have a very hipster rep, but at Free Range Brewing you'll be pleasantly surprised by the industrial decor as well as beers, cold-brew coffee, kombucha, and blackberry soda on tap. At Amelie's French Bakery, you're served freshly baked madeleines alongside your espresso.
35. Downtown — Fargo, North Dakota
There are a lot of farms in North Dakota, but there are also some hipsters. Specifically, in Downtown Fargo. There's a market store that sells crafts made by local artists, an indie bookstore, good coffee, and even a bagel shop.
36. Tremont — Cleveland, Ohio
Tremont's The Treehouse is named so because it has an actual tree behind the bar, decorated in fairy lights. The bar also serves warm pretzels. If that isn't enough hipster for you, hit up Prosperity Social Club afterwards for drinks; it's housed in a converted 1938 ballroom.
37. Central Oklahoma City — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Central Oklahoma has all the trappings of Brooklyn. There's plenty of street art around the Plaza District, and even pizza: Empire Slice is self-described as being "like Frank Sinatra and David Bowie had a pizza baby." You'll find anything from crushed Doritos to Brussels sprouts on its slice of the day. For drinks, check out Edna's dive bar — there's a wall that's papered with dollar bills.
38. Downtown — Portland, Oregon
When a city spawns a Netflix show dedicated to making fun of its hipster-ness, you know it's real. Downtown is the pinnacle of Portland's hipster culture. For organic soaps and ceramic candles (and also just to look at the store's beautiful decor), go to Maak Lab. There are too many solid dining options to choose from, so head to Pine Street Market, a gourmet food hall, to taste a few things.
39. North Philadelphia — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
All good Brooklyn-esque hoods need a go-to spot for coffee and bagels, and Lucky Goat Coffee House is it for North Philadelphia. If you're more of a pizza person, go to Pizza Brain. It's literally a pizza museum and a pizza restaurant.
40. West End — Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island is pretty small, but its west side has enough to keep the average hipster happy. Hudson Street Deli has you covered for loaded bagels, and White Electric has the best coffee in town — both of which are handy hangover cures after a night of drinking at local speakeasy The Avery.
41. Cannonborough Elliotborough — Charleston, South Carolina
Cannonborough Elliotborough puts a hipster spin on Southern charm. Mac & Murphy is like a real-life Etsy store, specializing in letterpress cards, stationery, and journals. Brown's Court Bakery has appropriately hipster pastries, like turkey, Brie, and pistachio danishes, and pretzel doughnut holes.
42. Downtown — Sioux Falls, South Dakota
A bar that offers craft beer, bingo, and award-winning wines on tap? Check. An independent record (and cassette) store? Double check. Yep, it's safe to say that downtown Sioux Falls is South Dakota's hipster capital.
43. East Nashville — Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville finally has a neighborhood to match its hipster music scene. Marche Artisan Foods is the place to go for a photogenic brunch, and Barista Parlor is a must for coffee. For your music fix, check out Fond Object, a hybrid event space, vintage boutique, art collective, and petting zoo.
44. East Austin — Austin, Texas
Want to drink mimosas out of a laboratory jug? Head to Hillside Farmacy, a farm-to-table café that was once an actual pharmacy. For some post-brunch browsing, go to Farewell, a new-and-used bookshop and art gallery.
45. Sugar House — Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah is all about nature, and Sugar House is geared toward the environmentally conscious hipster. Fisher's Cyclery has been around since the 1930s. If the outdoors isn't really your thing, catch an art-house movie at the Tower Theatre instead.
46. Pine Street — Burlington, Vermont
Maglianero is a coffee shop within the Karma Bird House - a collaborative co-working space that features art exhibits, yoga classes, urban cycling sessions, and life drawing to name a few. Citizen Cider is a hard cider brewery using locally sourced apples.
47. Fan District — Richmond, Virginia
High Point Barbershop checks off the essential "retro-style place to get a beard trim" in Richmond's Fan District. Other notably hipster establishments include Heritage, a brick-walled restaurant serving craft cocktails, and The Lab by Alchemy Coffee (which, if you can't tell by its name, takes caffeine pretty seriously).
48. Central Business District — Seattle, Washington
Seattle may be the birthplace of Starbucks, but local hipsters favor Brooklyn's own Stumptown Coffee. For dinner, Heartwood Provisions is a little upmarket and very on-trend. There's also a whiskey bar that's home to the Western Hemisphere's largest spirit collection, at 3500 bottles and counting.
49. East End — Charleston, West Virginia
For breakfast bagels and "small-batch, organic" cookies, head to Starlings. For coffee, it's all about Moxxee. Pies & Pints takes their pizza and beer very seriously.
50. Williamson Street — Madison, Wisconsin
Williamson Street, or Willy Street, has fostered a strong sense of hipster community. It's home to an organic co-op, a coffee shop that serves kombucha and vegan baked goods, and restaurants like Pig in a Fur Coat, which wouldn't look out of place at all in Brooklyn.
51. Downtown — Laramie, Wyoming
Wyoming may be cattle country, but in Downtown Laramie, there's a vegetarian, vegan-friendly spot called Sweet Melissa, where you can order an old-fashioned alongside your sweet potato fries. It's the perfect place to refuel after a hot yoga class. There's also a new abundance of street art thanks to the Laramie Mural Project, a collaboration between local artists and the University of Wyoming Art Museum.
