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And NYC's MSA population is 20.1 million. DC's is 6.1 million, Philly's is 6 million, Boston's is 4.8 million and Baltimore's is 2.8 million. So FOUR MSAs in the Northeast at 19.7 million STILL fall short of NYC's MSA of 20.1 million.
Urban area, a more accurate measure, makes this even more lopsided. Per Demographia, NYC is at 21.4 million. Boston is at 7.2 million, Philly is at 5.5 million, DC is at 5.1 million and Baltimore is at 2.3 million. So 21.4 million versus 20.1 million. NYC basically comprises half of the Northeast.
Let's go by CSA, looking at medium sized cities (2 million plus, I think that's reasonable, 2 million qualifies as at least a medium sized city):
Chicago: 9.9 million
Detroit: 5.3 million
Minneapolis: 3.9 million
Cleveland: 3.5 million
St. Louis: 3 million
KC: 2.4 million
Columbus: 2.4 million
Indianapolis: 2.4 million
Cincinnati: 2.2 million
Milwaukee: 2 million
Total: 34 million
Chicago represents 29% of the Midwest major metro area population. NYC is 49% of northeast CSA populations (over 2 million).
NYC: 24 million
DC: 9.6 million
Boston: 8.1 million
Philly: 7.1 million
There are no other cities in the BOS-Wash corridor that have CSAs above 2 million.
So the east coast is very much "centralized" whereas the midwest is quite multi-nodal. 10 cities of two million or more vs 4 cities of two million or more.
It's ridiculous to say Chicago has the same effect as NYC does. Not a critical examination in the least.
It's about a 4 hour drive to NYC from both Boston and DC (~220 miles, center to center). Not so far. Milwaukee is the only CSA that's really close to Chicago. Next closest is Detroit, which comes in at 284 miles away, 4 hours 19 minutes driving. Minneapolis is 400 miles, 6 hours. Cleveland is 350 miles, 5.5 hours (CLE is also just 375 miles, 5 hours 50 minutes from DC by the way). Cincinnati is 400 miles, 4.5 hours. Columbus 350 miles and 5.5 hours.
Ludicrous.
X1000 This can't be argued with, so instead posters will just try to change the discussion to subjective, non relevant, overused nonsense like "worldclass" because some people have egos too big for their cities to not have their own spotlights highlighting their accolades (while simultaneously playing down all of the accolades of the Midwest and its major role in building this country...)
I'm not a big population freak, especially in a thread like this because it doesn't matter to me, but the CSA's combined reflect more of the story for the Northeast.
DC-Baltimore CSA- 9.6 million
Boston-Providence CSA 8.1 million
Philadelphia CSA 7.1 million
Total 24.8 million
NYC CSA- 23.6 million
In terms of only population these three CSA's that all directly link and tap the next CSA over slightly edge the total NYC CSA. Which many people say already encroaches on Philadelphia's "true" population or density.
Either way NYC dominates by MSA yes, and still it takes all three in CSA to total the gargantuan NYC.
those CSA's are not 3 major cities but five, your adding province and Baltimore which further my point.
It takes 5 Coast cities to rival New York CSA size
Chicago is 9,882,634
Detroit 5,318,653
Minneapolis 3,894,820
over 9.2 mil a close population is already reached with just 2 CSA's to Chicago size
Posters are going the East Coast has more major cities so the East Coast is dominate by NY less..... which actually no sense.
Chicago is not as big as New York, so it doesn't matter if the secondary cities of Midwest aren't as big East Coast secondary cities.
Milwaukee is closer to Chicago size than Philly is too New York size. basically New York is so big it make Philly look like Milwaukee size to Chicago.
As much as Chicago is an odd ball to the midwest, the midwest is still more balance than the East Coast, New York dominates the East coast more.
Last edited by chiatldal; 04-25-2017 at 12:40 PM..
Purely based on population = NYC Dominates since it's more then double the next in line.
Outside folks looking into the Midwest = Chicago because Chicago is the only Midwest city they every hear about.
Culture is the tricky one. NYC definitely oozes culture and it does spillover but it's surrounded by other large metro areas that are also strong in the culture producing category and stand their own ground. Chicago produces less culture then NYC but it's surrounded by lesser producing metro areas thus it's sphere of influence is stronger.
X1000 This can't be argued with, so instead posters will just try to change the discussion to subjective, non relevant, overused nonsense like "worldclass" because some people have egos too big for their cities to not have their own spotlights highlighting their accolades (while simultaneously playing down all of the accolades of the Midwest and its major role in building this country...)
Agreed. Even just one state in the midwest- Ohio- isn't even really dominated by any one of its cities. Even within the Cleveland CSA, Canton and Akron have a distinctly more Appalachian inheritance, almost making them more in line with Pittsburgh (my mom is a Canton native, I've seen it myself).
Dayton has a hard time considering itself overly close to Cincinnati too. Akron has only become being considered nearly synonymous with Cleveland since LeBron James started playing for the Cavs (NOBODY in Akron would tell other people they are from Cleveland; I'm a native CLE but sometimes cringe when sportscasters call the Cavs LeBron's "hometown team"- ehhh not really). Don't forget about Toledo up there thinking its mini Detroit, or Youngstown hanging around either.
That, again, is just ONE state (the 7th most populated in the country). But we are supposed to believe that Ohio just looks up to Chicago? Ha I say!
X1000 This can't be argued with, so instead posters will just try to change the discussion to subjective, non relevant, overused nonsense like "worldclass" because some people have egos too big for their cities to not have their own spotlights highlighting their accolades (while simultaneously playing down all of the accolades of the Midwest and its major role in building this country...)
But I think there is something to be said about the "subjective, non relevant, overused nonsense." Chicago sucks all of the oxygen out of its region in a way NYC doesn't despite the size difference between NYC and its neighbors. That's not to say there is nothing culturally valuable or worthwhile in other Midwestern cities, but those places tend not to be destination cities for immigrants or young professionals moving from other parts of the country. And people in a city like Cleveland, imo, look up to Chicago as their "big city" whereas people in Boston don't really look at NYC that way.
The North Side of Chicago is such a refuge for young economic migrants from my home state that its nickname is “Michago.” In 2000, a quarter of Michigan State University graduates left the state. By 2010, half were leaving, and the city with the most recent graduates was not East Lansing or Detroit but Chicago. Michigan’s universities once educated auto executives, engineers, and governors. Now their main purpose is giving Michigan’s brightest young people the credentials they need to get the hell out of the state.
In the 2000s, Michigan dropped from 30th to 35th in percentage of college graduates. Chicago is the drain into which the brains of the Middle West disappear. Moving there is not even an aspiration for ambitious Michiganders. It’s the accepted endpoint of one’s educational progression: grade school, middle school, high school, college, Chicago. Once, in a Lansing bookstore, I heard a clerk say with a sigh, “We’re all going to end up in Chicago.” An Iowa governor once traveled to Chicago just to beg his state’s young people to come home.
How so? please elaborate. NYC is the top "soft power"/culture producing metro in the country and it's neighbors are all top 10. I don't think Chicago's neighbors would fare as well.
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