Edumacation

[kanedax]

Okay, I know my thoughts should be elsewhere, and they are.  Seriously.  Hurricane Ike equals very very VERY bad, and I hope everyone gets out of there alive and safe.

But one thing was mentioned on the news last night that's still stuck in my craw:

Houston's the fourth largest city in the US?  Really?

No, I mean, really?

No shot against the town at

Comments

[mibebopgirl]

Common misconception with Texas cities. Hmmm... were you thinking of Dallas? That area is actually three cities crammed together. Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington. Then add in all the smaller cities that surround the area. Most people call it the Metroplex. So, technically, yes, Houston is bigger.

[kanedax]

Yeah, I figured Dallas was bigger. Hell, I figured San Antonio was bigger.

I guess I've always thought of Houston as a mid-sized city, like Kansas City or Madison, WI. I would have never thought that they were bigger than, like, San Fran, Philly, Boston, or Miami.

[rdprice29]

I was thinking the same thing! That had to have been a typo, because even with all the Katrina evacuees, how can it be as big as NY, LA, Philly or Chicago? I don't believe it.

[kanedax]

Well, I'm 99% sure that NY, LA, and Chicago are bigger. But, yeah, bigger than Philly, St. Louis, Dallas, Boston... whoda thunk?

[btvsbonesheroes]

4th?? I would have thought 7th or 8th...

[aggiebell90]

Huh. I'd never have guessed Houston as #4 either, but I think that's because I count Dallas/Ft Worth/Arlington as one city, and it's not, it's three. They're obviously only counting the city proper in the rankings, because I'm pretty sure D/FW/A is bigger than Houston/Baytown/Sugarland (the "Houston Metropolitan Area").

Supposedly, the rankings are as follows:
New York
Chicago
Los Angeles
Houston
(Philadelphia is number 5, San Antonio is number 7, Dallas is number 9, Detroit is 11, and San Fran is 14).

I'd actually never have put San Antonio above Dallas, either, and I grew up there, but the D/FW area has always felt huge to me, and San Antonio, even though it's huge, has always had a bit of a small town feel to it, at least to me.