Am I the only one that's bothered by Fresno being slightly bigger? (Sacramento: high crime, income)

[CeJeH]

Anybody that has spent any time in Sacramento and Fresno knows unquestionably that Sacramento is the bigger city. Our metropolitan population is 2.5 times bigger than Fresno. We have more big city amenities and more of a big city feel. Even our fledgling under-developed downtown blows downtown Fresno out of the water. But for the last 2 decades or so, Fresno city limits has been just slightly larger than Sacramento's, and it bugs me.

The most recent Census Data from 2010 shows Sacramento as having a population of around 467k people in an area of just over 100 sq miles. Fresno is listed at around 495k people in about 112 sq miles. This gives Fresno the edge as being the largest inland city in California and the largest city in the Central Valley. Fresno overtook Sacramento in population in the 2000 census and has maintained a lead of about 30,000 people since then.

I know that this is a dubious honor and is relatively meaningless, but it annoys me that Fresno of all places has this distinction over Sacramento, which is in my opinion the superior city. Can't we just annex Arden/Arcade and South Sac and get this over with?

[Curmudgeon]

Only after you build a new arena, a skate park, tennis courts, a Olympic pool, a ball park...

Build them and they will come. Just ask KJ.

[CeJeH]

Good to see y'all got some innnernet out in the boondocks , Mudge! Always great to hear from you!

[pistola916]

Originally Posted by CeJeH

Fresno city limits has been just slightly larger than Sacramento's, and it bugs me.

It doesn't bother me at all. Fresno's city population and land size is larger than most major cities in the country including Miami, Minneapolis, Atlanta, St. Louis, and yes, Sacramento. But we can all agree that all these cities are far superior than Fresno.

City population is not at all indicative of how important a city is. Metro population is the one that counts IMO.

Honestly, I wouldn't want Sacramento City to annex Arden-Arcade but South Sacramento is something the city should consider. With being the state capital alone, that makes Sactown the most notable city between the two.

[CeJeH]

Originally Posted by pistola916

Honestly, I wouldn't want Sacramento City to annex Arden-Arcade but South Sacramento is something the city should consider.

Just curious about your reasoning here. Most people when questioned about this feel the opposite way about the issue, and think Arden/Arcade should be annexed but not South sac due to South sac's crime problems and Arden/Arcade's superior tax base. What is your reasoning here?

[pistola916]

^
I'm not quite sure. Arden Arcade feels like being in the suburbs while South Sac, despite the lower income levels and high crime, feels I'm in Sacramento. It has the diversity, the grit, amazing ethnic food scene. It very much feels a part of Sacramento that for some reason I don't fine in Arden Arcade. I would like to see AA become a city ( with a name change of course) or a part of Rancho Cordova.

[caligirlz]

Originally Posted by CeJeH

Anybody that has spent any time in Sacramento and Fresno knows unquestionably that Sacramento is the bigger city. Our metropolitan population is 2.5 times bigger than Fresno. We have more big city amenities and more of a big city feel. Even our fledgling under-developed downtown blows downtown Fresno out of the water. But for the last 2 decades or so, Fresno city limits has been just slightly larger than Sacramento's, and it bugs me.

Umm, no, doesn't bother me at all. I've been in Sacto for the past 8 years, and in and about Fresno for the previous 30 years. Sacramento is much better in many ways, and not just BIGGER. We are already BETTER than Fresno.

Hope this thing that bugs you, doesn't keep you awake at night.

[caligirlz]

I don't think AA should be annexed into the city. A lot of the old timers don't want it. I think the decision should be the AA residents, not those in the city who want the additional tax dollars. Let the city (& state) learn how to live within a budget.

[Malloric]

Sacramento: 472k, 101 square miles
Fresno: 501k, 112 square miles.

Doesn't bug me in the least that Fresno is the bigger and more populous city. Fresno's downtown is so depressing they built a new one a few miles away in recognition that it's beyond saving.

[Bruce81]

I have no idea how half a million people live in that desolate, hot depressing city. No major anything there or close to any metro area, I will say the people there are very nice and makes Fresno feel more like a Midwestern city than a California city. With that said, Pittsburgh, Miami, New Orleans and so many other well known towns may be smaller in population than Fresno, but there is a reason why Fresno has no major sport teams, no major international airport or attractions in the city itself.