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If "pressed" I personally prefer Demographia's/United Nations' Urban Area rankings the best as the proper gauge for the size of a city.
It uses the same standards for every world city, it has the same minimum threshold and requirement for every world city, its legit and the casualties in using it as a ranking are minimum (Bangkok, Washington, and London are the only relevant cities slighted by it).
That being said, when Bostonians make the argument that they are 6th in the United States after the mostly agreed upon Top 5 of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington DC-Baltimore -- Bostonians have to be talking about it in terms of CSA.
If they're talking about Boston in the context of MSA, it is NOT 6th, it is NOT 7th, but if it keeps it up, it has a real shot of becoming 8th in two years or so. Boston derives size and power off CSA, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), population, and Total Personal Income (TPI) jump incrementally going from MSA to CSA. At CSA level, Boston THEN becomes the 6th largest population center in America, the 7th largest economy in America, and the 7th richest city in America when total personal wealth of every human being within the CSA boundaries is accounted for.
Without CSA, honestly, it is a laughable argument to suggest Boston is 6th. A smaller economy with less purchasing power, less rich region (in total sums, not per capita), and smaller population center -- all of which happen to Boston at MSA level, doesn't make you bypass bigger, more powerful, and richer (again in total sums, not per capita) areas with more purchasing power on an overall basis.
So CSA is a huge argument for Boston, in my opinion, it is the only measurement that makes Boston actually compete for 6th. I know it has key industries but if the industries really were world-beaters on a mass scale, they'd push its economy ahead of the competition (I.E. San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, Washington DC).
I view Boston as 6th-7th overall (along with Houston), based off its CSA placement in key categories. If we look at MSAs then I would have to slip it behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Washington D.C., Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, San Francisco/Oakland, and possibly Philadelphia -- in that exact same order.
Your mistake is considering GDP as the only measure of importance. Boston can make a healthy claim for the #6 spot in the US based on their MSA alone--and it's certainly not laughable to suggest it. Two of Boston's most prominent industries, financial services/asset management and medical research & development, won't have their effect/influence shown in a GDP calculation. Asset Management would obviously be measured by their level of Assets Under Management, of which Boston is #2 by a wide margin, trailing only NYC in the US and potentially only NYC and London in the entire world.
Top 300 Asset Management Firms as of 2012:
1. NYC 101 firms totaling $11.670 trillion under management
2. Boston 26 firms, $5.563 trillion
3. Los Angeles 13 firms, $2.965 trillion
4. San Francisco 12 firms, $1.711 trillion
5. Philadelphia 6 firms, $1.589 trillion (95% is from Vanguard)
6. Chicago 17 firms, $1.508 trillion
As for R&D, Greater Boston is ground zero for medical/pharma/biotech research. It has lead NIH funding for 20 years and has easily the best lineup of research hospitals in the nation. It has arguably the best environment for biotech/biopharma startups, and almost all of the largest life sciences companies in the world have major research centers in the area.
Beyond that, it's the #2 startup city in the country. Traditionally, it has been easily #2 for private venture capital only to Silicon Valley, but New York City has caught up recently and the two have been trading spots at #2. However, when you consider the $4 billion/year that MIT and Harvard put into startups within their own environment, Boston pushes way ahead of anyone except for the Bay. As a result, Boston will be at the forefront of the "next big thing" almost in perpetuity, pushing medical & technological breakthroughs.
For those reasons, I think it's fair to say Boston could have an argument as the #6 city in the nation despite having the #9 (though possibly #8 by the time the 2014 MSA numbers come out) GDP in the nation.
I think the only city with an argument against Boston for the #6 spot is Houston. I don't think Dallas or Philadelphia have as strong of arguments--at least I haven't seen them.
I think the only city with an argument against Boston for the #6 spot is Houston. I don't think Dallas or Philadelphia have as strong of arguments--at least I haven't seen them.
I tend to agree. I think Philadelphia is close, but I always rank Boston ahead overall.
DFW is steadily moving forward, and maybe in ten years I see it on Bostons level, but not right now.
I don't think Atlanta and certainly not Miami are in the same league as the big boys
NYC and LA are the only truly world class cities in America.
And what makes Los Angeles world class and not San Francisco? Yeah the additional suburban population that makes the south land a bohemoth really contributes a lot culturally
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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Originally Posted by Fastphilly
And what makes Los Angeles world class and not San Francisco? Yeah the additional suburban population that makes the south land a bohemoth really contributes a lot culturally
The same could be said of San Francisco and the "Bay Area"
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