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I can and I will debate the merits of the five cities in the poll, but I just wanted to make a point about major vs. mid-major cities since you were the one who created these categories. You have Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver, Detroit, and Phoenix as mid-major cities. In your original post you listed Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Miami, and Atlanta as being major cities, a class above the mid-majors. I just wanted to confirm the categories of major and mid-major cities, and to see if everyone agreed that these categories are accurate.
I'm kind of surprised that Detroit is getting such short shrift. Detroit metro is about the same size as Boston metro by population. Boston has a higher GMP, but Detroit has the auto industry. One could make the case for Detroit being in the same category with Boston and Miami. It seems kind of arbitrary to label Boston and Miami as major cities, but label Detroit as a mid-major. But I guess that's what happens when you're Detroit.
On this list of five cities, in my opinion Detroit is still the biggest and most influential. Detroit is the only metro area among these that has a population over 4 million. I love Minneapolis-St. Paul, but I think that sometimes people are too quick to label Minneapolis as the Midwest's second city. Minneapolis is not the Midwest's second city yet. It might be one day, but maybe not, who knows. Detroit is still much bigger and when Detroit's economy is healthy, Detroit's GMP is higher than Minneapolis. Minneapolis' GMP has been higher in recent years only because of the slump in the manufacturing economy in Detroit. Detroit metro is about 4.2 million population, Minneapolis metro is 3.2 million.
Seattle is slightly above Minneapolis-St. Paul in population, GMP, influence, and popularity. But I still think that Seattle is behind Detroit, mostly because the metro area population of Detroit is much bigger than Seattle. At the present time, Seattle GMP is higher than Minneapolis and Detroit, but like I said that could change quickly if Detroit's unemployment rate goes down.
I don't think much about Phoenix. I know it's big, but I tend to think of it as a retiree haven. I just have a hard time putting Phoenix in the same category with Minneapolis, Seattle, and Detroit.
I think of Denver as being a more influential city than Phoenix, even though Denver metro is smaller than Phoenix. Denver seems like more of an established city and has a more urban feel.
I would also possibly put San Diego ahead of Denver, since San Diego's metro population and GMP are higher than Denver. It's a tough call. Denver feels bigger than it is. It has a lot of influence and popularity, but it still is smaller and has a smaller economy than Minneapolis, Seattle, Detroit, and Phoenix.
Out of these five cities, I think that Detroit is the leader RIGHT NOW. Phoenix is going to grow the fastest. Minneapolis has the best economy. Seattle is the most trendy. Denver will remain smaller than the others, but people will continue to think of it as being bigger than it is.
I don't know which of these five cities will first achieve "major city" status. If Phoenix metro surpasses Boston metro in population, which it probably will in a few years, will that put Phoenix in major city status and put it ahead of Boston? I suspect that most people will continue to see Phoenix as lesser than Boston. So it gets back to these categories and how we define what is a major and what is a mid-major city.
Just to clarify for you, the median age in the Phoenix metro is actually younger than most other metros.
You have to go to the twin cities if you haven't been there. Big Business, big entertainment and just a very high quality of living (outside of traffic)..
I was blown away the first few times I went. It is 2x the city Denver is and I find it better than Seattle.
#1 is Mineapolis on this list with #2 going to Denver and Seattle
I suppose San Diego could be added since it is definitely one urban area with Tijuana. The only problem is how do you measure international conurbations? If there was a way to measure that then SD would be on here. Since we can't Denver passes it.
You have to go to the twin cities if you haven't been there. Big Business, big entertainment and just a very high quality of living (outside of traffic)..
I was blown away the first few times I went. It is 2x the city Denver is and I find it better than Seattle.
#1 is Mineapolis on this list with #2 going to Denver and Seattle
You havent spent to much time in Seattle or Denver...have you.? lol
I've only visited Seattle and Denver out of that list, but I loved Seattle more. Unfortunately, I didn't get as much time as I would prefer in Denver. I definitely prefer Seattle's natural surroundings to Denver, but for all I know if I were to spend more time in Denver I may end up liking the actual city more than Seattle. But probably not. I've never had much desire to visit Phoenix or Detroit (although I certainly would if the opportunity arose), but Minneapolis seems like a place I could like, especially since I'm a pretty big bicycle-commuting fan and it seems to be rapidly becoming known for its bike friendliness.
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