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Chicago's 230 sq miles compared to Boston's 50 doesn't play a role in this? It's just the core? What metric is Boston's core larger than Chicago's since you said Chicago is presently larger in "almost" every metric?"
Why would Chicago's city proper limits have anything to do with the relative size of its core?
Jacksonville has giant city limits and London (the technical City of London) has tiny city limits. Therefore you expect Jacksonville to have a bigger core than London?
Chicago's 230 sq miles compared to Boston's 50 doesn't play a role in this? It's just the core? What metric is Boston's core larger than Chicago's since you said Chicago is presently larger in "almost" every metric?"
Cambridge and Brookline are more intertwined with Boston than 2/3 of Chicago's neighborhoods are with Chicago. Boston didn't annex and move the needle from the time they landfilled Back Bay. Chicago did. Chicago has neighborhoods that are sleepier than some of Boston's inner suburbs. Somerville's population density, without any high rises, is almost identical to Lincoln Parks. Union Square is two miles to the Boston Garden, the same distance as the Lincoln Park Zoo to the Hancock. Cambridge is a foot bridge away from downtown Boston, closer than even the South End. Tiger Woods can hit his 3 iron from MIT to Fenway.
If you're talking about Boston, you are talking about Boston/Brookline/Cambridge/Somerville, both in real life and on C-D. It's been discussed ad nauseum.. You don't have to like it, and you can fight the head wind all you want, but that will always be the case.
Even still, Chicago is far bigger.
EDIT: If you were even remotely familiar with Boston, then you would not make the claim that it should be Boston in a silo vs. Chicago. Or, you are familiar with Boston, and you want the size delta to grow because you have rooting interest in Chicago. Whatever the case, stop with that. Boston feels 1/2 the size of Chicago, not 1/4 the size as the population and land would suggest. That's why the Boston MSA is 1/2 the size, not 1/4 the size.
Cambridge and Brookline are more intertwined with Boston than 2/3 of Chicago's neighborhoods are with Chicago. Boston didn't annex and move the needle from the time they landfilled Back Bay. Chicago did. Chicago has neighborhoods that are sleepier than some of Boston's inner suburbs. Somerville's population density, without any high rises, is almost identical to Lincoln Parks. Union Square is two miles to the Boston Garden, the same distance as the Lincoln Park Zoo to the Hancock. Cambridge is a foot bridge away from downtown Boston, closer than even the South End. Tiger Woods can hit his 3 iron from MIT to Fenway.
If you're talking about Boston, you are talking about Boston/Brookline/Cambridge/Somerville, both in real life and on C-D. It's been discussed ad nauseum.. You don't have to like it, and you can fight the head wind all you want, but that will always be the case.
Even still, Chicago is far bigger.
EDIT: If you were even remotely familiar with Boston, then you would not make the claim that it should be Boston in a silo vs. Chicago. Or, you are familiar with Boston, and you want the size delta to grow because you have rooting interest in Chicago. Whatever the case, stop with that. Boston feels 1/2 the size of Chicago, not 1/4 the size as the population and land would suggest. That's why the Boston MSA is 1/2 the size, not 1/4 the size.
Stop calling places that aren’t Boston Boston. It’s erroneous Cambridge Somerville Brookline have very different laws, politics, histories, government structures, culture and demographics. If they were non descriptive places that operated under a single county government-okay. But they’re not. You’re literally tossing in two counties on top of Suffolk county just for the sake of argument. So let’s give it a rest.
It’s embarrassing that ppl on CD can only make up for Bostons shortcoming by tossing in towns and cities that aren’t Boston and have very clear definite boundaries. You can’t just add in 300k ppl onto a 700k person city. It’s ridiculous. They have to work with Chicago. We have to work with BOSTON.
I don't see why, given that Cambridge has terrible public schools, and the Boston area has a ton of excellent school districts. Who are these "wealthy families" that prefer to send their kids to terrible schools over excellent schools?
This is all silly and untrue, as I've previously detailed.
This is equally silly and irrelevant and I'm not gonna engage in a debate about whether or not DePaul is as famous/iconic and attracts as many visitors as Harvard because they have similar enrollment numbers. Waste of time.
It's quite clear you're unfamiliar with both Cambridge and Lincoln Park. Not gonna continue with the silliness.
Cambridge’s Public Schools are leaps and bounds better than Bostons where 1/4th is chronically absent. And they spend time doing before school needle clean ups. And kids bring guns to school.
This is part of why Cambridge does not operate like a neighborhood of Boston.
This site needs to be changed to "Metro-Data" cause anytime cities are spoken of someone has to switch the topic to the metro... Chicago is way bigger than Boston, get over it.
Honest to goodness. You can tell the vast majority of posters are heavily suburban. It’s the worst thing about this site. I get most people are form the burbs but if you’re going to talk metro then SAY THAT. Most born and bred city people don’t even think about the suburbs and take offense when you call suburbs the city.
Stop calling places that aren’t Boston Boston. It’s erroneous Cambridge Somerville Brookline have very different laws, politics, histories, government structures, culture and demographics. If they were non descriptive places that operated under a single county government-okay. But they’re not. You’re literally tossing in two counties on top of Suffolk county just for the sake of argument. So let’s give it a rest.
It’s embarrassing that ppl on CD can only make up for Bostons shortcoming by tossing in towns and cities that aren’t Boston and have very clear definite boundaries. You can’t just add in 300k ppl onto a 700k person city. It’s ridiculous. They have to work with Chicago. We have to work with BOSTON.
There, now debate from there.
Well no, we won't stop doing that. I already debated your point.
If you don't like it, you can continue to speak up about it. But while you do that, everyone familiar with Boston will include Cambridge/Brookline/Somerville/Boston in these assessments. The idea that, because Cambridge and Brookline refused to be Annexed (established and debated nearly before Chicago existed) does not mean they are not very much a part of Boston, and the subsequent city vs. city conversation.
The metro population is the "city" population, obviously. Comparing random city proper populations is pointless, like comparing apples to elephants.
Wenham MA is in the Boston MSA. It’s about as uncitylike as you could possibly get. The city boundaries aren’t random. This isn’t Phoenix we’re talking about here
Well no, we won't stop doing that. I already debated your point.
If you don't like it, you can continue to speak up about it. But while you do that, everyone familiar with Boston will include Cambridge/Brookline/Somerville/Boston in these assessments. The idea that, because Cambridge and Brookline refused to be Annexed (established and debated nearly before Chicago existed) does not mean they are not very much a part of Boston, and the subsequent city vs. city conversation.
Sorry man.
They’re both not a part of Boston so why are you arguing that they are? Accept Boston for what it is and stop trying to change the narrative to try and argue Boston is equal to Chicago in some fantastical way. It’s asinine.
Why do you include Somerville but not Everett? Why Brookline but not revere? Why Cambridge but not Quincy? you’re just making it up and cherry picking wealthier western and northwestern burbs because it’s what convenient. Hell why not Milton? Or Dedham? Make it make sense other than “population density” because some neighborhoods of Boston aren’t all that dense.
Except rich families generally don't have their kids in Boston Public Schools. So what was your point?
My point is Cambridge schools aren’t terrible. Boston’s are, but not Cambridge.
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