"Well, LA is a county, as well as a city." I'm not convinced this is the reason. Indianapolis is a city confined by the county borders (Indianapolis consumes t

"Well, LA is a county, as well as a city." I'm not convinced this is the reason. Indianapolis is a city confined by the county borders (Indianapolis consumes the whole of marion county in Indiana). Places such as Speedway have been included: Carmel and Fishers to the north are not, because they are in different counties - yet they are definitely part of the greater Indianapolis area. Indianapolis definitely feels different from LA or London - but it feels closer to LA than it would London. I think some of the other replies hit the correct answer: London has history that LA, Indianapolis, New York, and many other American cities do not. Many sections of American cities remind me of the areas here in Trondheim that were built back up after WWII. It makes for little architectural variation, and there isn't even a history of war and strife behind them in the US.