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Just curious as to what people think. I think it's possible, but then again, LA is starting to transiiton to more urban living. If LA can have this high density with just single family homes, imagine what it would be like if our downtown expanded and many single family homes were replaced with low to mid rise apartments and condos. But then again, Chicago has already made the transition to urban living and it is much better to live in Downtown Chicago than Downtown LA which means more people can fit in one area which means Chicago may become larger. Chicago also has no barriers around its suburbs so they can just expand and expand while in LA, we have mountains blocking us.
I believe Chicago may one day pass LA at the rate LA is moving, but not any time soon. By the time Chicago has enough people to surpass LA, LA will have made a better transition to urban living which means we can fit more people into our small space.
According to Wiki, Chicago has higher density, but LA is mostly all suburbs, so if we become more urban, i don't think Chicago has a chance.
I've never been to LA, but I have read that it is becoming more urban and that density is increasing. Plus the economy seems better than that of Chicago. However, there also seems to be a mass exodus out of LA... So who knows.
I still say it would take something freakish like a LA-San Fernando Valley split to put Chicago at #2 again any time soon.
Given the historical demographic trends in the US, I don't see that happening anytime soon unless something of Katrina like proportions decimates the city and the population flees. While the population has been moving west for awhile, and will continue to do so, I do have my concerns about the sustainability of continuing to build outwards in areas with little water.
LA's land values are far higher. There is just far more potential for higher density residential development in LA. Chicago can't ever gain that much more - any extra population demand will just spill over to increased sprawl outside of city limits.
Ohh, wait, youre talking about metro areas. Yes Chicago could surpass it. The megapolis of Chicago-Detroit-Philadelphia-NYC. Suburbia covering everything east of the Mississippi!
LA's land values are far higher. There is just far more potential for higher density residential development in LA. Chicago can't ever gain that much more - any extra population demand will just spill over to increased sprawl outside of city limits.
Ohh, wait, youre talking about metro areas. Yes Chicago could surpass it. The megapolis of Chicago-Detroit-Philadelphia-NYC. Suburbia covering everything east of the Mississippi!
LOL thats not for many years and we all will be long gone after then. Chicago if anything will eventually sprawl and meet milwaukee that with northeeast indiana. That still does not equal the la-riverside-san bernadino and orange county corridors that make up the metro area of greater la.
How does LA calculate its population? It seems that they take into account everyone that lives in LA county, whereas Chicago only considers people with actual Chicago addresses. Am I wrong? I thought I had heard this years ago. If someone in Southern California is living in Riverside, then is their address Riverside? Of if they're living in Manhattan Beach, are they added into the LA census? It's funny because in all my years of meeting people from "LA" only 2 have actually had LA postal addresses. I live 3 blocks outside of Chicago's city limits. So my mail address is not Chicago, nor is my zip code. I don't pay city taxes, etc. etc. When the census is taken, I'm not counted in Chicago's numbers. I'm not clear as to how that works in LA.
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