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Washington DC MSA: 5,782,710 (Officially Completed)
This is all really a mute point since the D.C. MSA and Baltimore MSA will most likely join if not this year, then next census. I was still surprised by the growth D.C. is seeing though. How is D.C. growing like a sunbelt metro area?
My guess would be favorable business environment, federal expansion, jobs.
I got different numbers than that when I added up the counties and independent cities in the Washington DC MSA.
Washington DC MSA:
- District of Columbia: 601,723
- Calvert County, MD: 88,737
- Charles County, MD: 146,551
- Frederick County, MD: 233,385
- Montgomery County, MD: 971,777
- Prince George's County, MD: 863,420
- Arlington County, VA: 207,627
- Alexandria County, VA: 139,966
- Clarke County, VA: 14,034
- Fairfax County, VA: 1,081,026
- Fauquier County, VA: 62,203
- Loudoun County, VA: 312,311
- Prince William County, VA: 402,002
- Spotsylvania County, VA: 122,397
- Stafford County, VA: 128,961
- Warren County, VA: 37,575
- Fairfax, VA: 22,565
- Falls Church, VA: 12,332
- Fredericksburg, VA: 24,286
- Manassas, VA: 37,821
- Manassas Park, VA: 14,273
- Jefferson County, WV: 53,498 Total:5,578,470
The counties that are more affiliated with Washington DC like Anne Arundel County, MD & Howard County, MD are actually apart of Baltimore MSA. Saint Marys County, MD is apart of another micropolitan area and not in Washington DC MSA. Washington DC has come a long way, no doubt and it edged out Miami/Fort Lauderdale MSA & Atlanta MSA this US Census but it still has a long way to Philadelphia MSA & Houston MSA.
Last edited by S. Elm Street; 03-23-2011 at 04:42 PM..
Reason: Tweak.
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MDAllstar
How is D.C. growing like a sunbelt metro area?
Well, by growing in the same manner as all Sunbelt metros: Massive suburbanization (Have you never heard of Northern Virginia?).
This isn't a recent phenomenon either and has been going on for quite some time. Until recently, all of the growth since 1970 in the DC metro was in the suburbs.
If you look at the MSA data the four major metros in the South, and compare them with DC up until this time period, then it becomes clear:
1970 Metro Population population
DC 2.6 million
Dallas 2.01 million
Miami 1.83 million
Houston 1.67 million
Atlanta 1.17 million
1980 Metro Population population
DC 2.9 million
Houston 2.75 million
Dallas 2.7 million
Miami 2.6 million
Atlanta 1.6 million
1990 Metro Population population
Miami 3.94 million
DC 3.36 million
Dallas 3.265 million
Houston 3.08 million
Atlanta 2.15 million
2000 Metro Population population
Dallas 5.16 million
Miami 5 million
DC 4.79 million
Houston 4.71 million
Atlanta 4.2 million
2010 Metro Population population
Dallas 6.3 million
Houston 5.94 million
DC 5.78 million
Miami 5.56 million
Atlanta 5.29 million
While the District itself is dense, the suburbs of DC sprawl and sprawl just the like the suburbs outside of the city of Atlanta and the city of Miami and the core areas of Dallas and Houston proper.
Essentially DC IS a Sunbelt metro because it grew in the exact same manner in the exact same time frame (using the same crappy housing) in it's suburban areas as Miami, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta. The only reason why it isn't included in the Sunbelt is because of it's closer cultural and economic ties to the Northeast. But shhhhhh, don't let anyone know that. The district is super dense which means it's NOTHING like those gawd awful Sunbelt metros.
And also, lol for the title of this thread. If anything a Houstoner should be making this post. This Census is the first Census where Houston passed up DC in population. LOL
Well, by growing in the same manner as all Sunbelt metros: Massive suburbanization (Have you never heard of Northern Virginia?).
This isn't a recent phenomenon either and has been going on for quite some time. Until recently, all of the growth since 1970 in the DC metro was in the suburbs.
If you look at the MSA data the four major metros in the South, and compare them with DC up until this time period, then it becomes clear:
1970 Metro Population population
DC 2.6 million
Dallas 2.01 million
Miami 1.83 million
Houston 1.67 million
Atlanta 1.17 million
1980 Metro Population population
DC 2.9 million
Houston 2.75 million
Dallas 2.7 million
Miami 2.6 million
Atlanta 1.6 million
1990 Metro Population population
Miami 3.94 million
DC 3.36 million
Dallas 3.265 million
Houston 3.08 million
Atlanta 2.15 million
2000 Metro Population population
Dallas 5.16 million
Miami 5 million
DC 4.79 million
Houston 4.71 million
Atlanta 4.2 million
2010 Metro Population population
Dallas 6.3 million
Houston 5.94 million
DC 5.78 million
Miami 5.56 million
Atlanta 5.29 million
While the District itself is dense, the suburbs of DC sprawl and sprawl just the like the suburbs outside of the city of Atlanta and the city of Miami and the core areas of Dallas and Houston proper.
Essentially DC IS a Sunbelt metro because it grew in the exact same manner in the exact same time frame (using the same crappy housing) in it's suburban areas as Miami, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta. The only reason why it isn't included in the Sunbelt is because of it's closer cultural and economic ties to the Northeast. But shhhhhh, don't let anyone know that. The district is super dense which means it's NOTHING like those gawd awful Sunbelt metros.
And also, lol for the title of this thread. If anything a Houstoner should be making this post. This Census is the first Census where Houston passed up DC in population. LOL
Actually some of the inner suburbs of DC are extremely dense. Arlington could be a major city in most areas. I think I read somewhere on here that that Tysons Corner neighborhood in Fairfax has a bigger downtown than downtown Atlanta.(calm down I didn't say it was better. It's a lot of office space but also a ton of shopping) Alexandria is also very dense. I'd say DC has some of the most dense suburbs in the nation.
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ffknight918
Actually some of the inner suburbs of DC are extremely dense. Arlington could be a major city in most areas. I think I read somewhere on here that that Tysons Corner neighborhood in Fairfax has a bigger downtown than downtown Atlanta.(calm down I didn't say it was better. It's a lot of office space but also a ton of shopping) Alexandria is also very dense. I'd say DC has some of the most dense suburbs in the nation.
So are a lot of the inner suburbs around Miami and Atlanta (and Dallas and Houston too if they had them). That negates nothing about how sprawled out the DC metro is.
And what's this nonsense about Tysons Corner having a bigger Downtown than Atlanta? It's just another suburban office edge city.
Actually some of the inner suburbs of DC are extremely dense. Arlington could be a major city in most areas. I think I read somewhere on here that that Tysons Corner neighborhood in Fairfax has a bigger downtown than downtown Atlanta.(calm down I didn't say it was better. It's a lot of office space but also a ton of shopping) Alexandria is also very dense. I'd say DC has some of the most dense suburbs in the nation.
Assuming you mean densley populated, I dont find any of the listed suburbs you mentioned to be very dense. Bethesda, outside of the downton, is mainly suburbia (very nice suburbs), Tysons (along with the entire Dulles cooridor) is typical suburban sprawl in my opinion. The DC suburbs are all very important business/government centers and IMO are some of the best suburbs in the nation, I just wouldn't call them densley populated.
I actually would argue the opposite, the region as a whole, while not ovely sprawly (is that a word??), doesn't have overly dense residential areas. I think the 14th/U street area is most dense population wise in the region (I think it is ~20K/sq mi), but I don't find it to be at the top of urban neighborhoods in the country.
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
8,486 posts, read 14,999,411 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prelude91
Assuming you mean densley populated, I dont find any of the listed suburbs you mentioned to be very dense. Bethesda, outside of the downton, is mainly suburbia (very nice suburbs), Tysons (along with the entire Dulles cooridor) is typical suburban sprawl in my opinion. The DC suburbs are all very important business/government centers and IMO are some of the best suburbs in the nation, I just wouldn't call them densley populated.
I agree, and I want to make it clear: The sprawl around DC (or the Sunbelt metros or any other metros for that matter) isn't a completely bad thing. I know that's the cool thing to say on C-D and a lot of people hate the idea of suburbia (full disclosure you would have to drag me to live in any suburb) but the fact is that our massive suburbs surrounding American cities is what makes our standard of living so high compared to other cities around the world. Most of them do not have anything like our suburbs and basically have two living choices: Those choices for the rich in the cities and those for the poor in the cities.
When you add in all of the jobs located there, it just keeps us at the top of the list...even during a bad recession.
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