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Okay, I'll answer the question in the next post, but first, I think it's important we have a fixed definition of what constitutes midsize.
This is a really good post. You are right, everybody seems to have their own definition of a small town, small city, medium sized city and large city, based on personal background and perspective.
As an example, It's flattering to see my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie Michigan on a list of medium sized cities in the OP, but I don't think most people would agree that it is a medium sized city, as only 14 thousand people live here. (unless you are counting Sault Ste. Marie Ontario along with it as the same metro, but then it should count towards Ontario, not Michigan, as the Ontario side is much bigger.) On the other hand, growing up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Sault Ste. Marie really did feel like a medium sized city... it's the second largest city in the UP, and living and spending time in the smaller towns and rural areas around here, The Soo really did feel like NYC in comparison! And then going downstate to see the Detroit suburbs, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Lansing really felt like a shock in comparison after that... seeing people list Kalamazoo or the Detroit suburbs I've been to as small cities always gets me... they aren't small to me at all!
I could see why somebody from New York or Chicago could end up thinking that way though, if they grew up in a big city and never really spent a lot of time in smaller ones. Just as I've come to realize since childhood that Sault Ste. Marie isn't that big of a town, even if it seems that way compared to Kinross, Pickford or St. Ignace, it would be nice if some people would acknowledge places like Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo as something other then small towns, even if they seem that way compared to Chicago or New York.
I like your definition of medium sized city as a metro between 250k and one million people... that puts Kalamazoo's metro of 326,589 in there, which feels right to me.
Last edited by ManoftheNorth; 09-15-2012 at 02:43 AM..
Just figured I would put this one out since it seems that the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and St. Louis always hog the spotlight. Here are the options, but if you want to expand the list to include places in Kansas, Nebaraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota be my guest.
1. Duluth, MN
2. International Falls, MN
3. Grand Rapids, MI
4. Lansing, MI
5. Des Moines, IA
6. Quad Cities, IA
7. Cedar Rapids, IA
8. Cedar Falls, IA
9. Sioux City, IA
10. St. Joseph, MO
11. Rolla, MO
12. Springfield, MO
13. Joplin, MO
14. Cape Girardeau, MO
15. Columbia, MO
16. Jefferson City, MO
17. Springfield, IL
18. Bloomington/Normal, IL
19. Peoria, IL
20. Carbondale, IL
21. Terre Haute, IN
22. Gary, IN
23. Toledo, OH
24. Dayton, OH
25. Flint, MI
26. Sault Ste. Marie, MI
27. Champaign/Urbana, IL
28. Youngstown, OH
29. Green Bay, WI
30. Madison, WI
31. Wisconsin Dells, WI
32. Evansville, IN
Out of all the cities on the list, I would only live in Madison, WI (one of my favorite spots in the Midwest).
Madison, WI would be perfect if it weren't for the cold winters. But I can also live with 99% perfection, so Madison is my choice.
I also like Ann Arbor if that qualifies as a medium-sized city.
Madison, WI would be perfect if it weren't for the cold winters. But I can also live with 99% perfection, so Madison is my choice.
I also like Ann Arbor if that qualifies as a medium-sized city.
Yes, Ann Arbor would be mid-sized as the population density at the county level is actually higher than that of Madison. I just moved to Madison several months ago and it really is the right balance between urban, suburban, and rural within a relatively short distance. Madison and Dane county also have the best new job growth rate of any small to medium sized metro in the Midwest and several sectors continue to exapand including: tech, medical, and education.
Winter? It has been extremely mild so far.
Last edited by GraniteStater; 12-10-2012 at 08:37 PM..
I like Duluth a lot. Beautiful setting, almost wilderness to the north and east.
I'd live in Springfield, MO, if only to be closer to family. Not a bad town at all, just a bit more of a college town than I like. Duluth is kind of the same way, but the location would be worth it.
A lot of mid-size Midwestern towns are nice, but that size just doesn't so much for me for some reason. I hate living in cities, but since I have to for work reasons, I prefer something bigger with more stuff.
I like Duluth a lot. Beautiful setting, almost wilderness to the north and east.
I'd live in Springfield, MO, if only to be closer to family. Not a bad town at all, just a bit more of a college town than I like. Duluth is kind of the same way, but the location would be worth it.
A lot of mid-size Midwestern towns are nice, but that size just doesn't so much for me for some reason. I hate living in cities, but since I have to for work reasons, I prefer something bigger with more stuff.
Duluth is underrated for sure. A nice bonus is all of the great North Shore towns to the northeast of Duluth along Lake Superior. My Subaru definitely comes in handy when traversing the hilly terrain of Duluth in winter.. If you haven't been to the Northwoods of WI in the winter you're missing out! I have all of my trail maps ready to go once the snowcover builds in Vilas County if the lake effect ever becomes favorable.
For mid sized cities, I like: Des Moines, Sioux Falls, Duluth, Rochester. Even though this is technically a small city, Rapid City, SD is one of my favorite places.
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ManoftheNorth
Hard to imagine cities less then a quarter of a million away from a million people being called mid-sized.
I guess when you think about how big these metro areas are compared to St. Louis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Kansas City (?), and Detroit, they would fall under mid-sized, but I suppose you are right...it's all relative to where you are from. Given you're from Sault Ste. Marie, your definition of mid-sized is going to be different from mine (check my username to guess my city). Btw, have to ask you a personal question...how do you stand the winters up there?
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). Btw, have to ask you a personal question...how do you stand the winters up there?
