Indeed, it may be that having a highly centralized city, and a cultural hub, go together. I live in a mid sized town in the Midwest where there is a fair amount of demand for living in the central neighborhoods -- people ranging from hipsters to retirees, and also a lot of culture.

I use a lot of those amenities. Music is a huge part of my life. I'm a performing jazz musician. My kids participate in the youth symphony. We attend classical music concerts together. (Yeah, my kids are weird). I'd have a very hard time living in a culture desert, and would probably not want to live in the US at all unless it's in one of a very short list of cities.