I get exactly what you mean. I said to someone yesterday that Pittsburgh and Cleveland may have similarities in terms of the people of both places, but Pittsburgh and Cincinnati have way more in common in terms of architecture and layout. There is a small Southern influence on the culture of Cincinnati that Pittsburgh simply doesn't have.

I totally agree with your second paragraph as well. Cumberland, Johnstown, or Altoona would probably be considered the most alike city to us if populations were more similar. The same could possibly apply to Wilkes-Barre Scranton, as they have a fairly large Eastern European population comparable to here and Cleveland.