Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Very good summary of the Triad. The main reason Raleigh & Durham feel more like one metro area is that it is tied together by Research Triangle Park which is really the main employment center of the region and the genesis of much of the region's growth and prosperity over the past 50 years. There is an incredible amount of intercounty communting in the Triangle region due to RTP; I would think much higher than in GSO & W-S.
So you're saying that there isn't so much as a vacant lot anywhere in the Bay Area? That just is not true.
Sigh....do I really have to be that specific. I meant there is no vacant land that can be developed that is neither protected, the bay, or a mountain between San Francisco and San Jose. I mean this in a general sense. Hell, there are vacant lots in all cities.
Again I was talking about the urban corridor between the two cities. I can see the argument that they both can function independent from each other as far as jobs and what not, but now it's getting ridiculous to say that the the Bay Area is not solidly urbanized between SF and SJ.
Anyways, DFW, the Bay Area, and Minneapolis St. Paul are definitly one metro area.
As far as DC/Baltimore, I am not too sure. I took the Megabus from NYC to DC and we ended up taking the Baltimore Washington Parkway from Baltimore to DC. It seemed undeveloped almost the whole way to me, but if I took another route say I-95, I'm sure I would have seen the development.
L. A. and San Diego, no way, but L.A. is so big, that there is probably still more traffic that commutes between those 2 metros on I-5 than some metros have traffic within their own respective areas.
I suppose it was silly of me to even mention LA-San Diego. I think if it wasn't for the military base stopping development in between them, they definitely would be connected by development. But as it stands, they're definitely two seperate areas. On the other hand, Minneapolis-St. Paul is obviously one metro. And Raleigh-Durham are, even though they aren't officially considered one.
Dallas-Fort Worth is a bit iffy, but I think they're generally considered one metro area by a fairly wide margin.
The ones being most contested are the Bay Area, Baltimore-Washington, Miami-West Palm Beach. I'd still stand firmly by the statement that the Bay Area is one metro area, with San Francisco as its "downtown" central city. San Jose is far away, but it's totally connected by development and doesn't have the downtown central city feeling to it....it feels more like a suburb.
On the other hand, with Washington-Baltimore, Baltimore very much feels like a major city of its own. Thus I would classify it as two metro areas, albeit two that are directly connected. I would say that out of all the metro areas up for debate, Washington-Baltimore is definitely the most ambiguous, in terms of its status as one or two metro areas.
As for Miami, I would say that Fort Lauterdale is part of its metro area, but not West Palm Beach. I'd say metro Miami stops around Boca Raton to the north.
I haven't seen Chicago-Milwaukee discussed much here. I'd say even though they're connected by development, they're two distinct metro areas.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,568,606 times
Reputation: 5785
Quote:
Originally Posted by frsno1
Anyways, DFW, the Bay Area, and Minneapolis St. Paul are definitly one metro area.
As far as DC/Baltimore, I am not too sure. I took the Megabus from NYC to DC and we ended up taking the Baltimore Washington Parkway from Baltimore to DC. It seemed undeveloped almost the whole way to me, but if I took another route say I-95, I'm sure I would have seen the development.
L. A. and San Diego, no way, but L.A. is so big, that there is probably still more traffic that commutes between those 2 metros on I-5 than some metros have traffic within their own respective areas.
That precisely why those buses take the Parkway because its less developed on the highway and only two lanes with no trucks allowed. It's supposed to preserve a "park" feel in the middle of a metro area of two major cities. I-95 is wider with much construction being done immediately off of the highway, but is not as much of a direct route from DC to Bmore as it goes through all of that development.
San Jose is far away, but it's totally connected by development and doesn't have the downtown central city feeling to it....it feels more like a suburb.
Name one suburb that downtown San Jose "feels like."
Name one suburb that downtown San Jose "feels like."
Downtown Mississauga? (a suburb of Toronto) In terms of density and such.
I'm sure plenty of other metro area cities that aren't the...control cities (is that the term?) are comparable to San Jose. Like Fort Worth perhaps. Actually, Ft. Worth probably has a bigger downtown core. Either way though, Ft. Worth is generally not considered the center of its own metro area, and that's what I'm trying to get at. Whether or not San Jose has a suburban aesthetic is somewhat irrelevant.
Last edited by Redrum237; 11-09-2009 at 02:36 PM..
Downtown Mississauga? (a suburb of Toronto) In terms of density and such.
Quote:
Originally Posted by grindin
Tysons Corner in Northern VA/DC Suburbs
Clayton, MO
Even Google Maps could tell you how wrong those comparisons are. You seem to pick a cluster of buildings and think they're an analogue. Those would be more like North First Street in San Jose, which is hardly the central core.
Even Google Maps could tell you how wrong those comparisons are. You seem to pick a cluster of buildings and think they're an analogue. Those would be more like North First Street in San Jose, which is hardly the central core.
DT San Jose reminds me of DT Orlando as well. Not a suburb,but their downtowns have some amazing similarities.
I see some similarities to DT Bellevue, WA as well.
Sorry to hurt your feelings, but hey, you asked.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
