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Tiers of US cities

tocoto

By tocoto
in Urban Design & Architecture

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hudkina Burg

hudkina

Posted
Posted

Houston Texas has more than 2 million people in its city limits. The 4th largest city in the US.

It would come close a 1 and no lower than a 2.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, but if every city were lucky enough to annex over 600 sq. mi. of development surrounding its core, 2 million wouldn't be as remarkable a number.

In fact, nearly 20 cities would have 2 million people if their land area included 600+ sq. mi., while 40 cities would have about 1 million people. To be fair, Houston would actually jump to 2.7 million people if the same standards were applied. The cities in italics are only estimates as I have not actually completed them. New York and Los Angeles are more wild guesses, while Chicago, Philadelphia, and Dallas are based off of what I have completed so far. I wasn't able to do New Orleans though I estimate that a little below 1.3 million people live within 600 sq. mi. of the central core.

1. New York - 10 million

2. Los Angeles - 6 million

3. Chicago - 5 million

4. San Francisco - 4.3 million

5. Philadelphia - 4 million

6. Miami - 3.8 million

7. Washington - 3.1 million

8. Dallas - 3 million

9. Detroit - 3.0 million

10. Boston - 2.8 million

11. Houston - 2.7 million

12. Phoenix - 2.6 million

13. San Diego - 2.5 million

14. Seattle - 2.3 million

15. Denver - 2.1 million

16. Cleveland - 2.1 million

17. Riverside-San Bernardino - 2.1 million

18. Minneapolis - 2.0 million

19. Baltimore - 2.0 million

20. Atlanta - 1.9 million

21. Tampa - 1.8 million

22. St. Louis - 1.8 million

23. Portland - 1.6 million

24. Salt Lake City - 1.6 million

25. Sacramento - 1.5 million

26. Pittsburgh - 1.5 million

27. Cincinnati - 1.4 million

28. San Antonio - 1.4 million

29. Norfolk - 1.4 million

30. Orlando - 1.4 million

31. Las Vegas - 1.3 million

32. Kansas City - 1.3 million

33. Providence - 1.3 million

34. Milwaukee - 1.3 million

35. New Orleans - 1 million

36. Columbus - 1.2 million

37. Indianapolis - 1.1 million

38. Buffalo - 1.0 million

39. Memphis - 1.0 million

40. Austin - 1.0 million

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SOCOM Hamlet

SOCOM

Posted
Posted

My opinion... (based on economic importance, entertainment, history)

A total of 10 tiers, all in particular order:

Tier 1a

New York

Tier 1b

Los Angeles

Chicago

Tier 2

Washington, D.C.

Boston

Philadelphia

San Francisco

Houston

Tier 3

Atlanta

Dallas

Detroit

Seattle

Miami

Las Vegas

Tier 4a

Minneapolis

Cleveland

Baltimore

Denver

Phoenix

St. Louis

Tier 4b

San Diego

Cincinatti

Portland

Charlotte

New Orleans

Pittsburgh

Tier 5a

Indianapolis

Sacramento

San Antonio

Kansas City

Norfolk-Virgina Beach

Nashville

Orlando

Salt Lake City

Tampa-St. Petersburg

Memphis

Milwaukee

Columbus

Tier 5b

Buffalo

Richmond

Hartford

Austin

Jacksonville

Louisville

Providence

Raleigh-Durham

Tier 6a

Albany

Birmingham

Oklahoma City

Grand Rapids

Rochester

Greensboro

Tier 6b

Tulsa

Dayton

Omaha

Harrisburg

Shreveport

New Haven

Syracuse

Knoxville

Columbia

Madison

I hope I didn't forget anybody. :blink:

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

Posted
Posted

Either way I'm glad you reminded me of Grand Rapids.  I knew I was forgetting one or two mid sized metro's.  Personally, I'm going to put it in tier 6a.  Every city in 6a has about 1 million+ in it's metro as well as great regional significance.  However, take this ranking with a grain of salt because it is just my opinion on how US cities stack up.  :)

Maybe I'm a little too bullish on Buffalo but I believe it's Gross Metropolitan Product is pretty strong at 51 billion in 2002, it has a decent nightlife from what I've heard, and has two major league sports franchises.  I usually don't like to factor in sports team to the equation but I believe just the fact that Buffalo has 2 major teams for a relatively small metro bumps it up the list a bit.  The city also benefits historically from being a major player earlier in the 20th century.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That sounds about right ;) And it's natural to be bullish on a city in your home State :D

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Spades Whistle-Stop

Spades

Posted
Posted

Socom. I agree with alot of the cities you put in each tier. But

Tier 3

Atlanta

Dallas

Detroit

Seattle

Miami

Las Vegas

Las Vegas in the same tier as Dallas Seatte Miami? I don't see that. I also dont see Vegas higher than Minneapolis or St. Louis. Also I think Dallas and Houston are both in the same tier.

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SOCOM Hamlet

SOCOM

Posted
Posted

Socom. I agree with alot of the cities you put in each tier. But

Las Vegas in the same tier as Dallas Seatte Miami? I don't see that. I also dont see Vegas higher than Minneapolis or St. Louis. Also I think Dallas and Houston are both in the same tier.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was debating where to put Vegas. Rightly or wrongly, I decided that I'd rank it high because its so popular in America and worldwide. I have to admit I felt uncomfortable ranking it that high...honestly, I don't know where to put Vegas. Its an anomoly.

Houston and Dallas are so close, I see your point. The reason I put Houston a teir above Dallas is because its got just a bit more economic power and I've always thought of it as Texas' "first city". As far as I'm concered its a tossup where Dallas should go. No doubt it could (and may very well be) in the same tier as Houston. I just had to make the cutoff somewhere.

I appreciate the input though, thanks. :)

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PeninsulaKiddo Burg

PeninsulaKiddo

Posted
Posted

My opinion... (based on economic importance, entertainment, history)

A total of 10 tiers, all in particular order:

Tier 1a

New York

Tier 1b

Los Angeles

Chicago

Tier 2

Washington, D.C.

Boston

Philadelphia

San Francisco

Houston

Tier 3

Atlanta

Dallas

Detroit

Seattle

Miami

Las Vegas

Tier 4a

Minneapolis

Cleveland

Baltimore

Denver

Phoenix

St. Louis

Tier 4b

San Diego

Cincinatti

Portland

Charlotte

New Orleans

Pittsburgh

Tier 5a

Indianapolis

Sacramento

San Antonio

Kansas City

Nashville

Orlando

Salt Lake City

Tampa-St. Petersburg

Memphis

Milwaukee

Columbus

Tier 5b

Buffalo

Richmond

Hartford

Austin

Jacksonville

Louisville

Providence

Raleigh-Durham

Tier 6a

Albany

Birmingham

Oklahoma City

Grand Rapids

Rochester

Greensboro

Tier 6b

Tulsa

Dayton

Omaha

Harrisburg

Shreveport

New Haven

Syracuse

Knoxville

Columbia

Madison

I hope I didn't forget anybody.  :blink:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to represent my area... where's Hampton Roads? :(:cry: I'm thinking we're 4b or 5a...? Does that sound about right?

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SOCOM Hamlet

SOCOM

Posted
Posted

I have to represent my area... where's Hampton Roads?  :(  :cry:  I'm thinking we're 4b or 5a...?  Does that sound about right?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How ironic, my name is SOCOM (Special Operations Commander) and I forgot to add one of our biggest/most important military ports! Thanks for reminding me.

I'd say 5a seems just about right, I'll update my list.

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PeninsulaKiddo Burg

PeninsulaKiddo

Posted
Posted

How ironic, my name is SOCOM (Special Operations Commander) and I forgot to add one of our biggest/most important military ports!  Thanks for reminding me. 

I'd say 5a seems just about right, I'll update my list.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Quite alright and I think your list is detailed and accurate, albeit complex lol.

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MrSmith Whistle-Stop

MrSmith

Posted
Posted

I have to represent my area... where's Hampton Roads?  :(  :cry:  I'm thinking we're 4b or 5a...?  Does that sound about right?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've heard of every city on the list, but Hampton Roads? Never ever heard of it. Can it be a 4 or 5 without being recognizable to many people?

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PeninsulaKiddo Burg

PeninsulaKiddo

Posted
Posted

I've heard of every city on the list, but Hampton Roads?  Never ever heard of it. Can it be a 4 or 5 without being recognizable to many people?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hampton Roads is the generalized (and more accurate) description of the Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News metropolitan area. It includes the 7 main cities, 2 outlying (much smaller) cities, and several counties. It has a little under 2 million residents and the whole region functions more or less together. The lines between cities are virtually indistinguishable which is why referring to it as "Hampton Roads" seems more accurate because that description is all-encompassing. Hampton Roads has the largest military concentration in the United States (Langley Air Force Base, Norfolk Naval Base, Oceana, Fort Eustis, etc.). It has a large shipyard (Northrup-Grumman Newport News, the only maker of US Carriers). Etc. etc. etc. I could go on in importance, but I don't want to bore people about my shameless promotion of my area :silly:

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PeninsulaKiddo Burg

PeninsulaKiddo

Posted
Posted

Because population isn't the only factor in determining the "ranking" of a city.  Phoenix has a large population, yet isn't nearly as important as many smaller cities.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True. Norfolk would be tier 3 on that scale (241,000 residents) but is probably a much more important city in terms of economics and history than Fort Worth (over 600,000) or another city of that size.

I think the name recognition of the city is also very important. That would put a city like Seattle or San Francisco ahead of San Diego which is about the size of the two combined.

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ironchapman City

ironchapman

Posted
Posted

Boston and DC are deceivingly small compared to most others making the list.  Go with metro areas for better comparisons.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Generally, that is the case, but some can be decieving as to how big the city actually is, like Atlanta (420,000 in city, 5,000,000 in Metro).

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Frogtown Crossroads

Frogtown

Posted
Posted

Since most cities in the world are capitalist cities and since we are dealing with a globalizing economy, I have to "tier" the cities in the US accordingly. While I do believe recognizability is important, the dominance of the city's economy and its cultural influence is most important in this ranking, which is as follows:

Tier I

New York City (by itself, only two other cities in the world compare to its economic and cultural power: London and Tokyo)

Tier II

Chicago

Los Angeles

(No other city in the US compares to these cities' economic and cultural influence/power.)

Tier III

San Francisco

Houston

Washington

Miami

(These are regional capitals of power and wealth.)

Tier IIIb

Perhaps a subset of Tier III would include other regional capitals whose economic, political, and cultural influences are not as international in scale (though, obviously, players in the globalizing economy):

Denver

Boston

Seattle

Detroit

Philadelphia

Baltimore

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Frogtown Crossroads

Frogtown

Posted
Posted

Since most cities in the world are capitalist cities and since we are dealing with a globalizing economy, I have to "tier" the cities in the US accordingly. While I do believe recognizability is important, the dominance of the city's economy and its cultural influence is most important in this ranking, which is as follows:

Tier I

New York City (by itself, only two other cities in the world compare to its economic and cultural power: London and Tokyo)

Tier II

Chicago

Los Angeles

(No other city in the US compares to these cities' economic and cultural influence/power.)

Tier III

San Francisco

Houston

Washington

Miami

(These are regional capitals of power and wealth.)

Tier IIIb

Perhaps a subset of Tier III would include other regional capitals whose economic, political, and cultural influences are not as international in scale (though, obviously, players in the globalizing economy):

Denver

Boston

Seattle

Detroit

Philadelphia

Baltimore

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NcSc74 Burg

NcSc74

Posted
Posted

My List; this is how I see things

Tier 1:

New York City (NYC stands out on its own - however)

Chicago

Los Angeles

Toronto

Tier 2:

Montreal

San Francisco

DC-Baltimore

Boston

Philadelphia

Tier 3:

Atlanta

Vancouver

Seattle

Detroit

Houston

Dallas

Miami

Phoenix

Minneapolis

San Diego

Cleveland

Denver

Portland

Tampa

All other cities are variously ranked below this general list.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow you have Dallas in the same tier as Cleveland. Cleveland was a major player early in the history of our nation but it has lost luster. No way is it on the same tier as Dallas. Also show San Diego some love it is a city of a million plus...come on

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