Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I understand there are many cases where you'd want to compare metro area, however it seems like a lot of people on General US and City vs City don't acknowledge city proper at all.
I live in New York, on Long Island. I am close to NYC and am very familiar with it.
The NYC metro contains Suffolk County for instance. As soon as you leave NYC limits there is an immediate change of vibe, and vice versa, but by the time you're in Suffolk County it's a different world pretty much. Riverhead, NY has pretty much nothing in common with anywhere in NYC limits.
Philadelphia also seems similar in this regard, just several miles outside of city limits it kind of felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, granted there are also Philly suburbs which are more urban.
City proper has very little to do with how any economy runs, or how people live in a city. Although NYC has some obvious border lines, most cities don't anywhere near as much.
That doesn't mean metro areas are perfect. Mine has one of the world's better known volcanoes in it, and is mostly wilderness.
City proper has very little to do with how any economy runs, or how people live in a city. Although NYC has some obvious border lines, most cities don't anywhere near as much.
That doesn't mean metro areas are perfect. Mine has one of the world's better known volcanoes in it, and is mostly wilderness.
I only live 7 miles away from the NYC border, and that vast majority of people I know do not work in NYC.
And there is an obvious cultural difference between city folk and suburbanities, although there is overlap of course depending on the person.
It might be different for somewhere like Atlanta where people refer to College Park, Decatur, and other suburbs of ATL "Atlanta", but people don't do that with NYC and Philly.
It might be different for somewhere like Atlanta where people refer to College Park, Decatur, and other suburbs of ATL "Atlanta", but people don't do that with NYC and Philly.
I can guarantee you that people from the Tri-State and the Philly area do the same thing when they travel.
I understand there are many cases where you'd want to compare metro area, however it seems like a lot of people on General US and City vs City don't acknowledge city proper at all.
I live in New York, on Long Island. I am close to NYC and am very familiar with it.
The NYC metro contains Suffolk County for instance. As soon as you leave NYC limits there is an immediate change of vibe, and vice versa, but by the time you're in Suffolk County it's a different world pretty much. Riverhead, NY has pretty much nothing in common with anywhere in NYC limits.
Philadelphia also seems similar in this regard, just several miles outside of city limits it kind of felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, granted there are also Philly suburbs which are more urban.
It seems like something that maybe becomes less important to people over time. It would be interesting how to see how sharp the contrast was in the 1950s.
I think metro area is only valid when discussing population size. Boston and Atlanta are much larger cities than their populations suggest. That said, most cities I’ve lived in are dramatically different from their true suburbs. I don’t feel at all like I’m in City X when I’m in the burbs. For some less urban cities there is less of a distinction. I guess it all depends on which city we’re discussing. NYC and Chicago end at their city limits. If we are being generous, DC extends from Alexandria through Silver Spring. Boston includes Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline.
It cracks me up when people talk about living in the NYC metro area when they’re an hour away from the city. Just no.
I think a lot of it has to do with city land area variance, even if the metros are around the same size. So, people use metro area in many cases due to having the same criteria. It isn't perfect either, but at least it is the same across the board in terms of criteria.
As long as you're discussing character and vibe of the city core it's fine. As soon as you start using city proper population as a comparison metric it's categorically worthless.
Boston and Atlanta are much larger cities than their populations suggest. That said, most cities I’ve lived in are dramatically different from their true suburbs. I don’t feel at all like I’m in City X when I’m in the burbs. For some less urban cities there is less of a distinction...
For Boston at least you have to keep reminding people that city limits excludes much of what people commonly experience as 'Boston'--e.g., Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Chelsea, Brookline and others. And partsofthecity of Boston lie outside that general frame. Not to mention the economic aspect of the argument. It's as if New York had been unable to annex any more territory after picking up the Bronx. Brooklyn would still be a separate city, queens would still include Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster bay along with Flushing, Jamaica and other towns and incorporated villages. Staten Island might be one municipality or four or five. It would still be a giant conurbation but would be more arguable as to where the city effectively ends and the suburbs begin.
I understand there are many cases where you'd want to compare metro area, however it seems like a lot of people on General US and City vs City don't acknowledge city proper at all.
I live in New York, on Long Island. I am close to NYC and am very familiar with it.
The NYC metro contains Suffolk County for instance. As soon as you leave NYC limits there is an immediate change of vibe, and vice versa, but by the time you're in Suffolk County it's a different world pretty much. Riverhead, NY has pretty much nothing in common with anywhere in NYC limits.
Philadelphia also seems similar in this regard, just several miles outside of city limits it kind of felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, granted there are also Philly suburbs which are more urban.
Just by the title of this thread, I figured you lived somewhere in the NYC area.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
