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The Hampton Roads, and I don't even think it's a competition. I would literally have no clue it even existed if I wasn't so into cities. It's a shame, because it looks like a really nice city.
LEHIGH VALLEY in pennsylvania. 3 cities that border each other - allentown, bethlehem, easton. 850,000 people and growing. equal-distant from philly and NYC. this area will explode in the future
I agree that Hampton Roads is over looked. It's more of an agglomeration of a bunch of cities isn't it? Perhaps VA Beach is the core city? Perhaps Norfolk? Is there a true core? It's main industry is defense yes? The area has silently picked up a significant population, but without a true identity it seems.
The Hampton Roads, and I don't even think it's a competition. I would literally have no clue it even existed if I wasn't so into cities. It's a shame, because it looks like a really nice city.
Both Richmond and the Hampton Roads areas are ignored even though Virginia is one of the more well known states, though I think Richmond is even more ignored because at least Hampton Roads has Virginia Beach.
I agree that Hampton Roads is over looked. It's more of an agglomeration of a bunch of cities isn't it? Perhaps VA Beach is the core city? Perhaps Norfolk? Is there a true core? It's main industry is defense yes? The area has silently picked up a significant population, but without a true identity it seems.
That's the issue with many locations that are by and for the Defense industry. When Jacksonville got the Jags, that was supposed to be the next "big player" in Florida, not Orlando which was passed over. The Federal Gov't started consolidating purchase authority to DC and Denver under the Bush administration and the contractors started moving with them. Now, Jacksonville is a corporate backwater and the NFL has a team to relocate with few good alternatives unless they want to mess with AFC realignment again.
Hampton Roads is a large MSA but it is about as bland as bland can be. There's no one iconic downtown to feature or act as a centerpiece unlike Charlotte or Raleigh. Just rows of strip malls and low rise office complexes. It's western counterpart, Colorado Springs, is much the same way. Few in the armed services are actually from the place they are stationed and many in the service don't venture off base except to a bar. It's downtown is pitiful for an MSA of 700k people. Cities of 200-300k people have better downtowns than COS.
No city with a heavy defense presence should be considered overlooked. They get plenty of pet projects and special treatment. From a private business standpoint though, they are very hazardous subject to the whims of the Federal Govt. Quicksand is not the right term for them but they aren't "bedrock solid" either. Hampton Roads could get there though if VA allowed energy exploration in the area though.
Hampton Roads is a large MSA but it is about as bland as bland can be. There's no one iconic downtown to feature or act as a centerpiece unlike Charlotte or Raleigh. Just rows of strip malls and low rise office complexes. It's western counterpart, Colorado Springs, is much the same way. Few in the armed services are actually from the place they are stationed and many in the service don't venture off base except to a bar. It's downtown is pitiful for an MSA of 700k people. Cities of 200-300k people have better downtowns than COS.
That would be downtown Norfolk, no question. It's the traditional commercial and cultural center of the region, home to the majority of the region's major office operations, cultural venues, daily newspaper, etc.
I agree that Hampton Roads is over looked. It's more of an agglomeration of a bunch of cities isn't it? Perhaps VA Beach is the core city? Perhaps Norfolk? Is there a true core? It's main industry is defense yes? The area has silently picked up a significant population, but without a true identity it seems.
Norfolk is the core city. It has the oldest and biggest downtown, and is the most urban of all the cities in that area. But even half of that city is quite suburban in character.
If 2 million is the gateway point, then my vote would go to (in this order):
1. Fort Worth (overshadowed by Dallas, but very much it's own hub city, and NOT a suburb)
2. Riverside (a much smaller city that makes up a much larger metro area that really doesn't have a single dominant hub, which in itself is often lumped in with Greater Los Angeles, so it's understandable)
3. Cleveland (not entirely ignored, but very overlooked and not often discussed)
4. Sacramento (overshadowed by the nearby Bay Area)
5. Kansas City (really, how often do you hear about Kansas City?)
Obviously, none of these cities are completely ignored, but relative to other major metros over the 2 mil mark, they don't seem to get as much attention.
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