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Depends on how far away you can see the 'skyline' of the city. If there is no prominent skyline, then it depends on how far northeast the 'city' is. Its all scientific.
Sim City's definition of a city was 10,000, and most states seem to start around that mark. IMO that's enough where you can meet somebody new and allows for various socioethnic groups and allows influence on a larger region with smaller towns and rural areas. That said, I see 10,000 to 24,999 as more of a large town than a small city, unless if includes suburbs. It must be large enough to have its micropolitan (or metropolitan) area.
State codes define cities. That's all that matters.
This.
Also, depending upon the part of the country, cities can be surrounded by incorporated suburbs, or by unincorporated county land. As a result, a city of 50,000 in Pennsylvania might feel far more "urban" in character than a city of 300,000 in Texas.
*These rough figures consider MSA type statistical accounting for population and reflect my subjective opinion on the matter*
>10,000 I consider to be a village.
~12-25,000 is town. A town can be a small conurbation or a spread out group of cooperative villages.
~25,000 you are getting into city territory. In the past this might have also been called a borough/burgh.
~100,000+ is a large or regional city. A city of this size, historically would be large enough to support a cathedral which was often the difining feature of a true 'city'.
~1,000,000+ I consider a metropolis.
~5,000,000+ I consider a major metropolis. Suburbs may be large cities themselves. If these large suburbs are annexed, they may become administrative units within the city itself.
~10,000,000+ I consider a megalopolis. A megalopolis is often comprised of villages, towns, cities and large cities around an ultra dense core.
Last edited by ABQConvict; 10-21-2014 at 10:59 AM..
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