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Just as the title reads, your favorite inland major metropolitan areas/cities in North America?
I'll be using the extended areas, CSAs, or Golden Horseshoe for all the cities as a representation of the city, its suburbs, all surrounding satellite communities within an areas' sphere of direct influence.
Obviously with a list of places inland reaching over 56 places between the United States, Canada, and Mexico it is safe to assume that there are numerously prominent places/cities/metropolises that are inland in North America, large population centers, a plethora of different environments and cultures, and lots and lots of people living inland.
I chose to exclude Sacramento, Portland, and Orlando. For Orlando it was simple, the actual city itself, while inland in Florida, the CSA however is not (the CSA technicality makes it similar to Philadelphia in this regard). It has suburbs and communities on the Atlantic Seaboard, often right on the beach. So the "coastal" influence is there in Orlando's backyard. Sacramento is a bit more complex, it functions and practically is an inland city and even metropolitan area. However the county that Sacramento is in actually touches the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento itself is less than 85 miles from the coast as it is. Portland, similarly to Sacramento is neither neither on the coast as a city or metropolitan area but it is well less than 100 miles from Portland to the coast of Oregon (80 miles, about the same as Sacramento) and for all intents and purposes, that is a coastal city with proximity like that where people literally could go to the Pacific Ocean every single day if they wanted to without schedule issues or a lack of hours in a day to go about it that way.
I also chose to add in the likes Omaha, Madison, Bakersfield, Des Moines, and Boise because all of them either will be over 1 million at some point OR they are central anchors to their area of their regions and prominent centers of economic and cultural activity for their respective parts of the country.
Anyhow, which inland areas of Canada-Mexico-United States (North America) are your favorite ones? Factor things like experience, fun visits, fun things to do and see, climate, job market, comfort of living (integration, diversity, amenities), even culture (the arts, the food, the cultural institutions), among other things.
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 07-31-2015 at 01:15 PM..
I voted Chicago, Toronto, MSP, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Detroit.
I have lived in both Chicago and MSP and I truly enjoyed both of those places. Chicago is my favorite city on earth. MSP is safe, vibrant, and offers a great QOL and moderate COL.
Atlanta is a place I can see myself living at. A booming metro, lots of opportunity, and mild winters.
Toronto is one of the few places outside of the US I would live in and one of three four cities with a million + in city limits where I can see myself living at (with Chicago, LA, and Philly).
With Milwaukee and Detroit, I've always felt a weird connection to them. I guess since Milwaukee is right up the lake from where I grew up and I have family there. Detroit is a city that I'm rooting for to make a comeback and i can envision myself living in their downtown core.
I would also pick a Great Lakes city, considering the fact that I don't consider them "inland," really. Milwaukee works, or Toronto, or Cleveland, or Chicago, etc.
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Not sure I agree with your argument for excluding Sacramento, Orlando and Portland. The core of the metro area in each case, the city proper, is sufficient distance from the ocean for those cities to be considered inland in my book. Farflung suburbs are exactly that--farflung. 80 miles, even in the age of the automobile, is significant. One could even be technical and argue Philadelphia, as you mentioned. 60 miles to the Atlantic is still significant--a trip to the Shore isn't a walk in the park, though having a navigable river to the sea is immensely important in defining inland.
Not sure I agree with your argument for excluding Sacramento, Orlando and Portland. The core of the metro area in each case, the city proper, is sufficient distance from the ocean for those cities to be considered inland in my book. Farflung suburbs are exactly that--farflung. 80 miles, even in the age of the automobile, is significant. One could even be technical and argue Philadelphia, as you mentioned. 60 miles to the Atlantic is still significant--a trip to the Shore isn't a walk in the park.
Agreed. They may be under a few hours from the coast, but they are still inland.
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