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FWIW, a number of "Durham boosters" -- including the head of Durham's DCVB -- pushed for and are quite pleased with the split of MSAs.
Wow....now there's a vote of confidence for regional cooperation if I have ever heard one. Maybe Chapel Hill should petition to be a separate micropolitan area since they are obviously being ignored with the new MSA designations? After all, it's not the Durham/Chapel Hill metro, it's just the Durham Metro.
A small part of Raleigh is actually in the Durham metro and a small part of Durham is in the Raleigh/Cary metro
RTP, the main economic engine of the area, straddles the two metro areas
Many peope in Wake County work in Durham County and vice versa
The Raleigh and Durham city limits actually touch each other
Cary has expanded its city limits into the Durham metro area
There are MANY metros in the US that can make the same claim. If they change the rules for the Triangle, then the new rule will apply to all US metros. The Triangle would grow in MSA population, but so would EVERYBODY else. In the end, a combined Triangle would not move up much on a largest metro population list.
Besides, Raleigh's small metro has helped Raleigh become 'the fastest growing metro in the country'. If the relatively slower growth of Durham was added to Raleigh, then Austin and Charlotte would be the Nation's fastest growing. Being small has its perks.
There are MANY metros in the US that can make the same claim. If they change the rules for the Triangle, then the new rule will apply to all US metros. The Triangle would grow in MSA population, but so would EVERYBODY else. In the end, a combined Triangle would not move up much on a largest metro population list.
Besides, Raleigh's small metro has helped Raleigh become 'the fastest growing metro in the country'. If the relatively slower growth of Durham was added to Raleigh, then Austin and Charlotte would be the Nation's fastest growing. Being small has its perks.
Problem is the Raleigh area isn't small... Wake county is almost the size of the entire so called MSA. Also, most cities could not become combined. Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill all straddle more than one county. The Triangle was only "seven" counties.
Wow....now there's a vote of confidence for regional cooperation if I have ever heard one. Maybe Chapel Hill should petition to be a separate micropolitan area since they are obviously being ignored with the new MSA designations? After all, it's not the Durham/Chapel Hill metro, it's just the Durham Metro.
You're making an assumption that regional cooperation should trump all other factors.
From Raleigh's perspective, Durham is one periphery point, just as Clayton, Wake Forest, Cary and the like.
Like it or not, this region is *not* based around downtown Raleigh. Much of the pressure over reunifying as a single MSA comes from those who wish it to be so.
...or so I'm told. The politics on this are thorny, and I'm actually *much* less passionate about this than those who've bent my ear on the subject.
OMB establishes and maintains these areas solely for statistical purposes. In reviewing and revising these areas, OMB does not take into account or attempt to anticipate any public or private sector nonstatistical uses that may be made of the delineations. These areas are not designed to serve as a general-purpose geographical framework applicable for nonstatistical activities.
Problem is the Raleigh area isn't small... Wake county is almost the size of the entire so called MSA. Also, most cities could not become combined. Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill all straddle more than one county. The Triangle was only "seven" counties.
Name me one MSA (with a population of over 1 million) that could not combine with another MSA or Micropolitan area nearby.
Name me one MSA (with a population of over 1 million) that could not combine with another MSA or Micropolitan area nearby.
I'm not advocating that they should be combined, but here some that are combined:
Dallas - Forth Worth - Arlington (6.3M)
Philadelphia - Camden - Wilmington (5.8M)
Miami - Ft. Lauderdale (5.4M)
Washington - Arlington - (5.3M)
Phoenix - Mesa - Scottsdale (4.3M)
San Francisco - Oakland (4.3M)
Minneapolis - St. Paul (3.2M)
Tampa - St. Petersburg (2.7M)
... and many more
By the way, there is a Combined Statistical Area for Raleigh-Durham-Cary.
I'm not advocating that they should be combined, but here some that are combined:
Dallas - Forth Worth - Arlington (6.3M)
Philadelphia - Camden - Wilmington (5.8M)
Miami - Ft. Lauderdale (5.4M)
Washington - Arlington - (5.3M)
Phoenix - Mesa - Scottsdale (4.3M)
San Francisco - Oakland (4.3M)
Minneapolis - St. Paul (3.2M)
Tampa - St. Petersburg (2.7M)
... and many more
By the way, there is a Combined Statistical Area for Raleigh-Durham-Cary.
Most of this list are cities combined by CSA just like Raleigh/Durham. Forgive me, but I kinda miss the point of this post.
This thread is about validating Raleigh/Durham being one combined MSA.
Most of this list are cities combined by CSA just like Raleigh/Durham. Forgive me, but I kinda miss the point of this post.
This thread is about validating Raleigh/Durham being one combined MSA.
No, the list I provided is of MSAs, not CSAs. (In fact not all of them are part of a corresponding CSA.) For those that are also part of a CSA, the area is even larger. (Again, see my reference to our local MSAs and CSA.) For example, the Washington-Arlington MSA is part of the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia CSA.
I provided the list in response to two prior posts debating whether large areas could or could not be combined. Clearly they can (are). That doesn't drive the answer in my view, but it does remove one argument.
No, the list I provided is of MSAs, not CSAs. (In fact not all of them are part of a corresponding CSA.) For those that are also part of a CSA, the area is even larger. (Again, see my reference to our local MSAs and CSA.) For example, the Washington-Arlington MSA is part of the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia CSA.
I provided the list in response to two prior posts debating whether large areas could or could not be combined. Clearly they can (are). That doesn't drive the answer in my view, but it does remove one argument.
Miami-Fort Lauderdale is a CSA. Besides, what purpose would combining the Triangle serve? Would it bring more urbanity to Raleigh? Would it make light rail funding easier? Will it help land more jobs to the area? The answer is no. So what is the point? The average Joe has no clue what the metro population of their area is anyway.
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Maybe Chapel Hill should petition to be a separate micropolitan area since they are obviously being ignored with the new MSA designations? After all, it's not the Durham/Chapel Hill metro, it's just the Durham Metro.
