Smaller cities with a big city feel... part 2 (university, live)
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.
Kansas City has nearly 2 million in its metro. Buffalo is also over a million although not by much, and it's shrinking in population so will eventually be less than a million if current trends continue.
Salt Lake City has barely over a million in its metro but it feels quite a bit larger. Same with Birmingham.
I've only been to Syracuse a couple of times, but I always thought it seemed larger than it really is.
That probably because Syracuse, at it's peak had 220,000 people. Now, it has about 138,000, but there are parts of the city that I never knew about until a few years ago and I was born and raised here.
Also, the area has sprawled a bit within the last 5-10 years. So, I can see how it looks bigger. It's a metro of about 750,000 though.
I was wondering about this too, Columbia,SC has a little over 100,000 in population but over 600,000 in metro so I was wondering how big the city feels.
South Carolina has very strict annexation laws which is why their cities are significantly smaller population wise than their metros (although, Columbia for example has started to use their water system as a vehicle to annex more). I think they are hoping the Columbia metro area will be around 750-800k after this census with the city estimate around 130k. Greenville has an even larger disparity as their city proper population is around 60k, yet their metro is close to 600k! Charleston is also similar to this w/a population around 100k and a metro population around 650k.
Most of the metro area is urban, it's very spread out, however there is a central downtown core in Columbia that I would say makes the city seem a lot 'bigger' than a city of 130,000 people. I think the tallest high-rise downtown is 25 stories tall, but there are a lot of other high-rises in the 10-20 story range, and the fact that it's the state capital of SC along w/the Univ. of SC being just south of downtown - adds to more of that bigger city feel. While it's no Charlotte or Atlanta, I definitely wouldn't consider it a "small town" - it's more of a mid-sized city. Plus, those 2 cities tend to hog all of the limelight in the country when referring to the southeast part of the US. Being just 90 minutes from Charlotte and 3 hours from Atlanta, and the fact that SC's coastal cities (Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head) get more attention than Columbia when people think about the state in general, I think is part of the reason why it can be easy to overlook.
Little Rock, Arkansas has more to offer than people would think. Their downtown area is pretty nice these days and there are many neighborhoods such as Hillcrest and the Heights that are very hipster. There is also a sizable LGBT community there. When driving through on I-40, Little Rock doesn't feel like much of anything, after all its only five exits and you are out, but when you are downtown or in one of the various inner city neighborhoods it feels surprisingly urban.
Disclaimer: I am not saying Little Rock is a liberal or urban paradise by any stretch of the imagination. It just offers more than people would think.
Little Rock, Arkansas has more to offer than people would think. Their downtown area is pretty nice these days and there are many neighborhoods such as Hillcrest and the Heights that are very hipster. There is also a sizable LGBT community there. When driving through on I-40, Little Rock doesn't feel like much of anything, after all its only five exits and you are out, but when you are downtown or in one of the various inner city neighborhoods it feels surprisingly urban.
Disclaimer: I am not saying Little Rock is a liberal or urban paradise by any stretch of the imagination. It just offers more than people would think.
Totally agree! Little Rock feels like a much larger city / metro than it's population indicates. From their skyline with the (TCBY Tower....I still call it that, I know that isn't the current name), to the greenway system along the river, the Clinton Library, the trolley, the Heights, the med center area, the way 635 cuts through the Midtown area, Chenal Parkway, on and on. Really like Little Rock and it truely feels large. I also think the attitude of many in Little Rock is shockingly progressive. The one part of Little Rock that gives off a small city impression is the airport terminal. I know it is being remodeled, but is simply seems small from a square footage perspective.
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.
The one part of Little Rock that gives off a small city impression is the airport terminal. I know it is being remodeled, but is simply seems small from a square footage perspective.
