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.
First let me say, I love New Orleans. This thread is in no way trying to slight it.
I lived there briefly and have visited many times. I love the architecture, music, food, blended cultures, etc. It's not without its problems, but it is a very cool city.
But I get the feeling on city-data that most people have no idea how small New Orleans actually is. People who will pish-posh top 25 cities as being too small will mention New Orlean with wonder in the next breath.
And it seems like any question that is asked, Who should host the Olympics, get the next pro sports team, etc. NOLA gets mentioned.
Just for reference, New Orleans is the 45 largest city in the US. (Wiki, July 2012)
It has 400,000 less people than Providence, RI.
It is also smaller than Milwaukee, Jacksonville, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Louisville, and Richmond.
More cities within 100,000 people of New Orleans include: Hartford, Birmingham, Buffalo.
If you replaced New Orleans with Okalohoma City, Birmingham, or Buffalo in a lot of the threads where it is mentioned, people would laugh you off the thread for bringing up such a small city.
New Orleans is unique and rightfully deserves a lot of attention, esp. in threads about music, food, and architecture. But I do get the feeling that most people here have no idea how small it really is.
Prior to Katrina NOLA metro population was the same or maybe a little more than all of the cities you named . The metro area in particular Orleans Parish lost over 100,000 in population, by the way it is a small/medium size city just like the cities you mentioned. Also NOLA has a greater population that Rhode Island metro now and before Katrina at just over 1.2 million. Believe or not the population is growing and will probably surpass those cities in the near future IF it continues to grow the way it hs been. I know the numbers may be a little distorted because a lot of the people moving to NOLA or former residents who are moving back but according to Bloomberg and Forbes NOLA is attracting a lot of non New Orleans. NOLA should be much bigger than it is now put due to the loss of businessses,corruption,education etc. over the past 30 years caused a decline in population (Katrina didn't help). Thankfully things are changing for the better it still has a ways to go but its FINALLY moving in the right direction AGAIN.
Please use metro population numbers. City population is useless. Plus, many of us nerds know exactly how small the city is, the thing is New Orleans pushes way above it's weight and always will.
I don't really choose to visit New Orleans for the population figures, more so I visit for the food, music, cocktails, unique culture, architecture, and friendly people...
I mean, Mesa, Arizona has 439,031 people apparently--but who cares about Mesa, Arizona...
I think people know exactly how small the city is. However, bc of it's history, the city offers many amenities closer on par with the bigger/denser cities of the country. How many of those cities have 20 square miles of the city with an average density of 10,000 poem. How many of those cities have light rail transit? How many of those cities have multiple "urban" neighborhoods as opposed to a single downtown as it's urban
Neighborhood? How many of those cities have walkable retail? How many of those cities have the largest port in the western hemisphere? How many of those cities have a history of immigrant/ethnic neighborhoods?
I'm not saying Nola is necessarily on the same level as bigger cities in the country but it certainly has more in common with them than Birmingham or Milwaukee
New Orleans had 360,000 people in 2010. Providence had 178,053.
Edit: You seem to be going by MSA. New Orleans comes out better by MSA - 45th instead of 51st. I don't think Providence being higher on this list means much. It says more of the MSA's development is in the suburbs, not the city. Why is this a good thing again?
Please use metro population numbers. City population is useless. Plus, many of us nerds know exactly how small the city is, the thing is New Orleans pushes way above it's weight and always will.
Minneapolis I don't think even cracks the top 50 largest cities anymore. Omaha has minneapolis beat.
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.
