Smaller Cities That Should've Been Bigger Cities (cul-de-sac, crime)

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by jennifat

Duluth could have easily become a larger city due to its unique position at the head of navigation for the Great Lakes with a large natural harbor. In the late 1800s, it was believed that Duluth was poised to become a city as large and important as Chicago. Had the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened up in the 19th Century, it would certainly be a major city today.

A lot of people may not know that Duluth even had an NFL team at one time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duluth_Kelleys/Eskimos

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Savannah would likely still be the largest city in Georgia had Atlanta not been made the state capital during reconstruction after the Civil War.

Good point. Savannah was a major Atlantic port. All Atlanta had going for it was a railroad junction in the middle of the woods.

[canudigit]

Toledo, Ohio. It is strategically located at the crossroads of two of the country's busiest major highways, I-80/90 and I-75, and has a port on the Great Lakes. It also has abundant wide open land surrounding it for miles and miles.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s Toledo was a thriving, growing industrial city and the center of the glass industry in the U.S. (the major glass makers still have their HQ there and it retains the moniker "The Glass City"). However, it was eclipsed by Detroit early on, especially when the automotive industry took hold there, and never caught up. With only sixty miles separating the two cities and with being in the Upper Midwest as opposed to the Northeast, there was never really a good reason to have two mega cities that close together.

[NDFan]

Wilmington, DE
Jacksonville, FL
Macon, GA
Columbia, SC
Chattanooga (not particular small, but....)
New Bern, NC
Richmond (pretty big but arguably should be bigger)
Lancaster, PA
New Orleans (pretty big, but much smaller than you'd think from the perspective of a tourist)
Savannah, GA

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Ben Around

Good point. Savannah was a major Atlantic port. All Atlanta had going for it was a railroad junction in the middle of the woods.

As if that wasn't everything. That 'mere fact' sealed Atlanta's destiny as a major transportation and logistics hub. Even Savannah's success as a seaport is tied into its proximity to Atlanta.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Ben Around

Good point. Savannah was a major Atlantic port. All Atlanta had going for it was a railroad junction in the middle of the woods.

Not just any railroad junction, but one just south of the mountains along the Eastern Continental Divide which allowed for the least amount of elevation changes going from north to south. That made Atlanta very critical when it came to moving goods to/from Southern and Midwestern markets.

[Republic of Michigan]

Originally Posted by canudigit

Toledo, Ohio. It is strategically located at the crossroads of two of the country's busiest major highways, I-80/90 and I-75, and has a port on the Great Lakes. It also has abundant wide open land surrounding it for miles and miles.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s Toledo was a thriving, growing industrial city and the center of the glass industry in the U.S. (the major glass makers still have their HQ there and it retains the moniker "The Glass City"). However, it was eclipsed by Detroit early on, especially when the automotive industry took hold there, and never caught up. With only sixty miles separating the two cities and with being in the Upper Midwest as opposed to the Northeast, there was never really a good reason to have two mega cities that close together.

Actually, Toledo was part of Michigan and it was given to Ohio after the Toledo war between Michigan and Ohio. One of Toledo's oldest neighborhoods and originally in Michigan, Huron St. Village was considered as the site of the University of Michigan. After the outcome of the Michigan-Toledo War of 1835 the area was permanently established in Ohio and averted the proposed location of the University from here.

Toledo would have been a completely different city had it remained in Michigan and there would have been no Ann Arbor. Also, the Upper Peninsula would have been part of Wisconsin.

In my mind, Toledo is definitely one of the main cities which would have had a different history if political decisions were different. Until today, I believe Michigan considers residents in Toledo as instate for tuition. Also, if it reamined in Michigan, some historians have said Detroit would not have been so large and perhaps Toledo would have been Michigan's premier city.

[GeoffD]

I agree with upthread where people named Hartford. Without an anchor university, it never had a shot at recovering from white flight. The metro area has been stagnant at 1.25 million forever. It didn’t have the growth to drive urban pioneers. The leafy suburbs are still affordable by Northeast Corridor standards and people can get to work in the city center without having to live there. If the flagship UConn campus had been in the city along with the medical school, it might have achieved critical mass.

Center City Philly had Penn to prop it up during the dark years and is now quite liveable. Baltimore had Johns Hopkins. I think Yale will drive New Haven. Providence is anchored by Brown.

[cjoseph]

Buffalo for sure. As late as the 60s it was believed the metro area would grow to between the 2-3 million range. Then the 70s happened and the region has floundered since.

[mjlo]

Buffalo already was bigger, both metro and city. It was one of the largest population centers for over a century. I’m not sure that I would include it in this thread, though everyone defines things different.