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it doesn't matter if people know what the metro is, they know that when they are in suburbs that is the same if they are in a "city" that has annexed hundreds of square miles and it not remotely urban, and is really suburban.
it's the same thing, so using city populations is ridiculous.
Charlotte has been mentioned a lot in this thread, as it should becuase it is a growing region that is also the largest area between Atlanta and the North.
It also has some more specific similarities as well, but the fact that Charlotte and its 240 square miles has a larger population than Atlanta proper's 131 is meaningless.
Jacksonville FL is over 750 square miles, making its city population larger than Atlanta, Boston, DC, Miami and others, but has less than a 1,000 people per square mile as opposed to Boston's 12,000 per square mile in its 48 square mile political boundaries.
All I can say is that you've chosen to define things your way, but I disagree.
I agree with your post. I didn't know what a metro area was until recently, and I still don't know how they come up with what counties to include....lol
Exactly. Thank you. What people need to realize is that proper populations are what most people know about, and what most people care about.
Thank you crystalblue and JoeP for explaining this. I don't put much in stock in city population numbers. The reason is because, and I've said this before, states have different annexation rules meaning Boston could not annex as easy as Phoenix could. If Boston had the same sq miles of Houston or Phoenix with the same density that is there now, it would be a much larger city than it is now. In fact, it would probably put the city population in the top 5. Not to mention, cities outgrow their boundaries.
Some cities are an exception, but a lot of cities are clearly defined by and match their proper populations. It's not Houston's, San Antonio's or New York's (the only two cities I know to have annexed) fault that other cities are not able to annex.
Exactly. Thank you. What people need to realize is that proper populations are what most people know about, and what most people care about.
mpope,
No, that's what Houstonians care about since they have the 4th largest city, but the 6th or 7th largest metro. Metro areas are very relavant. San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the country and is bigger than Detroit, San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle. Are you really going to tell us that San Anotonio is more prominent than those cities?
No, that's what Houstonians care about since they have the 4th largest city, but the 6th or 7th largest metro. Metro areas are very relavant. San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the country and is bigger than Detroit, San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle. Are you really going to tell us that San Anotonio is more prominent than those cities?
Size has nothing to do with prominence. Look at your beloved Atlanta. Houston has a larger population and metro than Atlanta, yet you still wouldn't believe that Houston was more important. San Antonio is just an unfortunate city, but it is befitting of the 7th largest in the country.
And you just heard someone from Chicagoland say what they think about metro areas, so don't even start that "only Houstonians" mess.
Size has nothing to do with prominence. Look at your beloved Atlanta. Houston has a larger population and metro than Atlanta, yet you still wouldn't believe that Houston was more important. San Antonio is just an unfortunate city, but it is befitting of the 7th largest in the country.
And you just heard someone from Chicagoland say what they think about metro areas, so don't even start that "only Houstonians" mess.
San Anotonio is befitting of being the 7th largest in the country? It all has to do with the ability of cities to annex the land surrounding them. Boston is small because it is surrounded by existing incorporated cities. The same goes for cities like Minneapolis. Atlanta can't annex land surrounding it because of agreements with the surrounding counties (which is absolutely stupid IMO); but if you were to count the population of the unincorporated areas of Fulton, DeKalb, and Cobb Counties that have Atlanta mailing addresses, then the population of the city proper would double.
As I said before, some Houstonians like to think solely within the city limits because they are the 4th largest city and it makes them look more prominent than they really are.
Atlanta and Houston have the similar-sized metros, 5.1 million versus 5.4 million, thus I don't see one being more important than the other.
Last edited by south-to-west; 08-22-2007 at 08:37 AM..
It's not Houston's, San Antonio's or New York's (the only two cities I know to have annexed) fault that other cities are not able to annex.
Good for them. With such a vast land area they have a huge tax base, but in terms of evaluating the true size of a city, it's useless because of the great variences in land area and urbanized area.
In every industry that evaluates "cities" they are markets which are often either the census defined metropolitan areas or consolidated metro areas, or an expanded version of them. But never the city by itself, because it would not make sense.
Quote:
All I can say is that you've chosen to define things your way, but I disagree
One, it's not my definition.
Two, it's reality. City populations don't show the true size of an urban area, they are merely reflecting the political boundaries of the core city.
Sorry, but if your not NYC, DC, LA or Chicago, you all are equal. Sorry, that's just how it is. All other cities don't have too much of an impact on america be it political, economic, or entertainment.
Everything else is just another city.
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