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.
Are there other Midwestern cities/metros that are simultaneously the political, educational, and commercial center of their states?
Indianapolis comes to mind--Des Moines as well to a bit of a lesser extent (although for both of these the flagship state universities are located outside of the these metros). Chicago is de facto these even if it isn't the state capital or location of the flagship state university (although there are still several million living outside of Chicagoland). It is true that the Twin Cities are unique in that they've hyperconcentrated all of these in the same area, but the power imbalance dynamic isn't unique just to MN.
Indianapolis comes to mind--Des Moines as well to a bit of a lesser extent (although for both of these the flagship state universities are located outside of the these metros). Chicago is de facto these even if it isn't the state capital or location of the flagship state university (although there are still several million living outside of Chicagoland). It is true that the Twin Cities are unique in that they've hyperconcentrated all of these in the same area, but the power imbalance dynamic isn't unique just to MN.
Right on—those cities among other state capital/major public research university combinations are also doing pretty well. The Twin Cities seems to be a more pronounced version of such.
Good large research universities within urban centers seem to be a particularly good driver of growth for a lot of places big and small. Ann Arbor is neither a capital nor the largest economic center and has seen a decent bit of growth as has Urbana-Champaign.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 04-23-2019 at 09:06 AM..
The Twin Cities have transcended the "typical metro area" where most regions lie. It is arguably more akin to other cities that have risen in the last 60, 70 years (like Atlanta and Seattle) in a region where other cities have not. So one could look at the Midwest in form of this paradigm:
Chicago
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Mpls/StP
...
...
...
the rest (KC, StL, Mil, Ind, Det, Cle, Cin, Col)
note: I said "could look" not.....so you can see it is my assessment but not necessarily your own.
This is more of an indication of just how far Detroit ( and Cleveland) have fallen in recent years. As recently as the 1970s, both were top 10 metro areas in the US. Now, MSP has basically jumped right over them..
This is more of an indication of just how far Detroit ( and Cleveland) have fallen in recent years. As recently as the 1970s, both were top 10 metro areas in the US. Now, MSP has basically jumped right over them..
Not arguing the diminished influence, but it’s worth noting Detroit is still larger than msp both economically, and demographically.
The Twin Cities have transcended the "typical metro area" where most regions lie. It is arguably more akin to other cities that have risen in the last 60, 70 years (like Atlanta and Seattle) in a region where other cities have not.
I'm pretty sure other cities in the Southeast have risen in the last 60,70 years besides Atlanta.
Right on—those cities among other state capital/major public research university combinations are also doing pretty well. The Twin Cities seems to be a more pronounced version of such.
Good large research universities within urban centers seem to be a particularly good driver of growth for a lot of places big and small. Ann Arbor is neither a capital nor the largest economic center and has seen a decent bit of growth as has Urbana-Champaign.
To prove: just look at Iowa City's status in Iowa and you can see why.
Chicago is undoubtedly top dog in the Midwest in terms of influence, importance, stature, etc.
I'd say that Detroit is still #2 at the moment.
For #3 I'd consider it to be Minneapolis/St. Paul followed closely by Cleveland (albeit Cleveland is diminishing while MSP is climbing).
Do you ever foresee a time when Minneapolis/St. Paul will overtake Detroit for second-most-important/-influential MSA in the Midwest? It seems like the Detroit MSA is stagnant whereas MSP keeps rising. At this rate I'd say possibly even by 2030 MSP could unseat Detroit.
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.
