My population rank estimates

[daniel18]

Top 40:

1. New York City, New York

2. Los Angeles, California

3. Houston, Texas

4. Phoenix, Arizona

5. Chicago, Illinois

6. San Antonio, Texas

7. Dallas, Texas

8. San Diego, California

9. San Jose, California

10. Jacksonville, Florida

11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

12. Austin, Texas

13. Louisville, Kentucky

14. Charlotte, North Carolina

15. Fort Worth, Texas

16. Las Vegas, Nevada

17. Denver, Colorado

18. Columbus, Ohio

19. Indianapolis, Indiana

20. El Paso, Texas

21. San Francisco, California

22. Portland, Oregon

23. Seattle, Washington

24. Tucson, Arizona

25. Albuquerque, New Mexico

26. Mesa, Arizona

27. Fresno, California

28. Detroit, Michigan

29. Memphis, Tennessee

30. Nashville, Tennessee

31. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

32. Colorado Springs, Colorado

33. Arlington, Texas

34. Sacramento, California

35. Virginia Beach, Virginia

36. Long Beach, California

37. Boston, Massachussetts

38. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

39. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

40. Washington, District of Columbia

[facilities man]

What about ranking the metro areas. This is a much more important factor of a regions size and growth.

[BigCityAttitude]

I honestly find it hard to believe Portland will pass Seattle...

[VA2SA 05]

Woohoo San Antonio up two spots! These figures seem right to me!

[A2]

Top 40:

1.  New York City, New York

2.  Los Angeles, California

3.  Houston, Texas

4.  Phoenix, Arizona

5.  Chicago, Illinois

6.  San Antonio, Texas

7.  Dallas, Texas

8.  San Diego, California

9.  San Jose, California

10. Jacksonville, Florida

11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

12. Austin, Texas

13. Louisville, Kentucky

14. Charlotte, North Carolina

15. Fort Worth, Texas

16. Las Vegas, Nevada

17. Denver, Colorado

18. Columbus, Ohio

19. Indianapolis, Indiana

20. El Paso, Texas

21. San Francisco, California

22. Portland, Oregon

23. Seattle, Washington

24. Tucson, Arizona

25. Albuquerque, New Mexico

26. Mesa, Arizona

27. Fresno, California

28. Detroit, Michigan

29. Memphis, Tennessee

30. Nashville, Tennessee

31. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

32. Colorado Springs, Colorado

33. Arlington, Texas

34. Sacramento, California

35. Virginia Beach, Virginia

36. Long Beach, California

37. Boston, Massachussetts

38. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

39. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

40. Washington, District of Columbia

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are from Miami and I do not even see it on here. Do you not think they will make the list???

BTW, I still think Chicago holds the number three spot. JMHO

A2

[A2]

I also do not see Philly falling behind Jasksonville. Just my two cents.

[Plasticman]

That list isn't quite accurate. You actually have Louisville outgrowing a lot of major cities. That isn't going to happen. Louisville combined their city/county population in the year 2003 so it gives the illusion of a growing city (and it may be growing in metro but certainly not in city population). The actual city proper population shrank by 4.8% between 2000-2004.

Attached is a link to a list of city populations and their current growth rates.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html

[Skyybutter]

I also do not see Philly falling behind Jasksonville. Just my two cents.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. Philadelphia is seeing tremendous growth in the CC. Over 6,000 units over the past few years. Philly has suffered over the past 20 years with people fleeing the city, but I think that has stopped and probably started going in the other direction last year. Culturally, not many cities can compare with Philly. I moved back to Charlotte from philly this year. Though Charlotte is a growing dynamic city, its been hard adjusting to the lack of diversity and the sense of "sameness" so far as endless acres of cookie-cutter homes. I had no idea how much Philadelphia would grown on me in just the 5 years I was there.

Check out this article

philly building boom

[FALLEN594]

I hope that doesn't happen to Philly, you know how attached we all get to our home cities.. Even if it does go down in population, it's still an awesome metro area, and South Street and the Gallery will still be there

[Newnan]

where's Atlanta?

[hudkina]

You're giving way too much credit to the current growth of the sunbelt cities.

[daniel18]

That list isn't quite accurate.  You actually have Louisville outgrowing a lot of major cities.  That isn't going to happen.  Louisville combined their city/county population in the year 2003 so it gives the illusion of a growing city (and it may be growing in metro but certainly not in city population).  The actual city proper population shrank by 4.8% between 2000-2004.

Attached is a link to a list of city populations and their current growth rates.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oops, I forgot about the merger.

[facilities man]

Again, you've got to compare metro areas, not just cities. This list does not compare apples to apples, it's apples to oranges. Some cities cover a geographic area of 50 square miles and others on this list are county merged cities that literally have 1,000 square miles.

[daniel18]

You are from Miami and I do not even see it on here. Do you not think they will make the list???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably in the high forties or lower fifties.

[TheBostonian]

Again, you've got to compare metro areas, not just cities. This list does not compare apples to apples, it's apples to oranges. Some cities cover a geographic area of 50 square miles and others on this list are county merged cities that literally have 1,000 square miles.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Though what about metros that merge?

[teshadoh]

Absolutely.  Absolutely.

Though what about metros that merge?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

THat doesn't occur NEARLY as everyone talks about it. I would assume the current primary cities for CSA's will remain the same.

[facilities man]

Absolutely.  Absolutely.

Though what about metros that merge?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's even getting difficult to compare metro areas the way they're broken down by county. Some metro areas are smaller due to close proximity to other metro areas. While others encompass ten surrounding counties because there isn't another metro area anywhere near.

Miami metro is a one county metro area because it is right next to Ft. Lauderdale which is also a one county metro because it is also next to West Palm which is a one county metro. However, if you combine the three counties you have one MSA of 5.5 million people.

The Phoenix metro has a large population because it can include everyone for 200 miles. There's no other metro area nearby.

[hood]

Go by urban area populations, they are by far the most reliable. They are based on the population of connecting census tracts with a population density of over 1,000 people per sq. mi.

[teshadoh]

^ But unless you have GIS software, projecting urban area populations is very difficult. I can't even do that, the data is based on the block level & then you would have to add any additional blocks that hit that 1k per square mile.

Counties are more static.

[RiversideGator]

Jacksonville #10 - looks good to me.

[MadVlad]

Half that list is just craziness....

[MJLO]

As Much as I don't want to admit, I think that list is fairly accurate in it's description, at least using current growth patterns. What I think we should all take into consideration that when looking at this list, is that 25 years from now, things will probabally have changed dramatically. Shifts in population, occur and change on a regular basis. So who's to say that in even five years, as the demographic of this country constantly mutates and changes, that list might just be completely different.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

it does look like the Southern city populations will continue to boost themselves though, everyone I know in the North (midwestern college students) is planning on move down south once they exit college. Intrestingly enough, most of them (15 at last count) plan on moving to Atlanta and 3 plan on moving down to Houston. That's just in the case of the people I know from the North.

[A2]

I agree. Philadelphia is seeing tremendous growth in the CC. Over 6,000 units over the past few years. Philly has suffered over the past 20 years with people fleeing the city, but I think that has stopped and probably started going in the other direction last year. Culturally, not many cities can compare with Philly. I moved back to Charlotte from philly this year. Though Charlotte is a growing dynamic city, its been hard adjusting to the lack of diversity and the sense of "sameness" so far as endless acres of cookie-cutter homes. I had no idea how much Philadelphia would grown on me in just the 5 years I was there.

Check out this article

philly building boom

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I used to live in outside of Philly too, in Blue Bell, off the Mainline. This city will NEVER fall out of the Top Ten, too many thing happening in and around town. Plus it is just another city in the overall Megalopolis between DC and Boston.

A2

[hudkina]

I have yet to meet anybody from around here that wants to move to Atlanta or Houston. I know quite a few people that want to move to Florida or the West Coast, and even more that want to move to Chicago or New York, but no future Atlantans or Houstonians.