Cool Map Posted by Krazeeboi

[Mith242]

Here's a link to an interesting map found by krazeeboi. I thoguht I'd also put one over here so we could talk more about the effects here in Arkansas.

http://www.commoncensus.org/maps.php

Here's also a link to the original topic.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18400

I think from the map everyone can start to see why Jonesboro seems to have the developments it has. I think it covers a larger area than an other Arkansas city other than Little Rock of course. I'm a bit surprised how small Ft Smith's is and how northwest Arkansas influence is so close to it.

[Aporkalypse]

Here's a link to an interesting map found by krazeeboi. I thoguht I'd also put one over here so we could talk more about the effects here in Arkansas.

http://www.commoncensus.org/maps.php

Here's also a link to the original topic.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18400

I think from the map everyone can start to see why Jonesboro seems to have the developments it has. I think it covers a larger area than an other Arkansas city other than Little Rock of course. I'm a bit surprised how small Ft Smith's is and how northwest Arkansas influence is so close to it.

I think that map's a bit silly and arbitrary looking at it nationally - there are a lot of places I would argue with and the approach was less than scientific. Ft Smith is a small place but it does have a major function in serving Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas and therefore has much better medical, legal, and banking services than a city that size really should have.

[Mith242]

I think that map's a bit silly and arbitrary looking at it nationally - there are a lot of places I would argue with and the approach was less than scientific. Ft Smith is a small place but it does have a major function in serving Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas and therefore has much better medical, legal, and banking services than a city that size really should have.

I'm not sure how accurate it is, especially as a whole. I could see Ft Smith being limited in eastern Oklahoma by Tulsa. I do think it at least gives people ideas of where some areas of influence are. I have relatives in Monticello and I do know they are more likely to go to Monroe than they are to Little Rock. But anyway aside from possibly Ft Smith does anyone see anything that doesn't look quite right or see anything that seems interesting?

[mcheiss]

NW Arkansas Looked pretty accurate to me, except that Newton County doesn't look like it's in NW Arkansas's area.

[Aporkalypse]

I guess the issue would be that there are lots of difficulties with this. Some people may prefer to go to Monroe over Little Rock because they fear driving into "the city". On the other hand, some people will drive to bigger places like LR or Memphis and NEVER to Monroe or Ft Smith because they don't feel those places have as much to offer. The same is true in Dallas with towns like Waco or Tyler (it's odd that Ft Smith, Jonesboro or NWA would have a "sphere of influence" but not Waco, Tyler, College Station or especially Shreveport). J I think for the larger cities, though, this map's pretty accurate. All of Jonesboro's area could fall in Memphis's sphere of influence or Poplar Bluff could've been included and taken up SE Missouri. I guess the big issue is that the choosing of which small cities to include was somewhat arbitrary.

Tyler, TX has a huge regional impact but this is all thrown into DFW's area. Texarkana could have a big chunk of Southwest AR/NW Texas and is as large as Ft Smith and larger than Jonesboro and has a ton of regional influence. Even stranger to me is the inclusion of Monroe and exclusion of Shreveport, which basically serves the same function for north Louisiana as Little Rock does for Arkansas. Columbia being left out in Missouri leaves the state split between KC and St Louis even though the Columbia area is self-sufficient and similar to NWA in size. There are examples all over the map of this - the Quad Cities area in Iowa is left out as is Rochester, MN.

Again, I guess the big issue is the arbitrary way cities were included or excluded - Jonesboro and Ft Smith shouldn't be included and larger more important areas like Shreveport, Columbia and the Quad Cities left out. Why include Jonesboro and Ft Smith but not Texarkana? It makes no sense.

As for Ft Smith, I suggest you spend some time there. During the day, "green taggers" make up 1/3 of the cars you see. Places like Sallisaw and Eufala are closer to Ft Smith than Tulsa or OKC. The hospitals probably have 1/3 to 1/2 of their patients from OK.

[Mith242]

I wonder if some cities in northwest Arkansas were included because of Arkansas' smaller population compared to other states where some other bigger cities weren't included.

[GSCullum]

Well the map is constantly changing as more people participate. When I first took the survey last month, Fort Smith wasn't even on the map. It's area was part of Fayetteville and Little Rock.

[Aporkalypse]

I wonder if some cities in northwest Arkansas were included because of Arkansas' smaller population compared to other states where some other bigger cities weren't included.

Perhaps, but that still doesn't explain the Monroe vs Shreveport or Texarkana vs Jonesboro thing.

[Mith242]

Well the map is constantly changing as more people participate. When I first took the survey last month, Fort Smith wasn't even on the map. It's area was part of Fayetteville and Little Rock.

Ah, now I see I hadn't paid very close attention. I didn't realize until you mentioned it that the map is still changing as more people participate. I still think it's interesting, even if it's not totally accurate,

[Aporkalypse]

I thought this was another cool map I found here, it's a census map - one dot equals 7500 people. You can clearly identify Little Rock, Ft Smith, NWA, Pine Bluff, Tulsa, and Springfield on the map. It's amazing how much area Dallas and Atlanta take up. It's also amazing how dense the Northeast, South Florida, and Chicago area as they are pressed up against the water.

[Mith242]

Interesting map, I've seen something like it before but haven't thought to post it. Is that Hot Springs and Russellville I also see on there too? Just trying to figure out some of the other lit up areas outside of Little Rock. I also like how it drops off in a line west of Dallas-Ft Worth and Oklahoma City all the way to the north.

[Aporkalypse]

Interesting map, I've seen something like it before but haven't thought to post it. Is that Hot Springs and Russellville I also see on there too? Just trying to figure out some of the other lit up areas outside of Little Rock. I also like how it drops off in a line west of Dallas-Ft Worth and Oklahoma City all the way to the north.

I thought I saw Hot Springs and Russelville as well.

It's amazing how sparse things get west of that line, which also extend down to San Antonio and up to Wichita, Omaha, and Minneapolis. I think population west of there is urban or not there at all.

[Mith242]

I thought I saw Hot Springs and Russelville as well.

It's amazing how sparse things get west of that line, which also extend down to San Antonio and up to Wichita, Omaha, and Minneapolis. I think population west of there is urban or not there at all.

Yeah I think most of the are just west of that line is farmland or grazeland with an occasional city thrown in. Of course the landscape also starts getting dry and highly diverse a bit west of that line too.

[mcheiss]

I'm suprised to see Joplin that big on there.