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The Census defines a metropolitan area as a cluster of counties that have a significant social and economic connection, with at least 25% of commuters in a county commuting to a central county. I think this is just...bogus.
I mean, look at the Atlanta metro area for example. A whopping 29 counties. I find it extremely hard to believe that at least 25% of people living in distant counties like Heard, Morgan, Jasper and Lamar counties are commuting to a central county such as Fulton or Dekalb.
Another example is Fairfield County, CT. Apparently, only 22% of the residents there commute into the NYC area, so it's excluded from the NYC metro area and is its own metro area. However, I lived in Fairfield County for two years and it absolutely felt connected to NYC in many ways.
Another ridiculous example is the Riverside, CA metro area. Almost all of San Bernardino County is vast and rural. Only a tiny portion of it truly has connection to Riverside.
Then you have the Los Angeles metro area, the second largest in the country, only comprised of two counties. What a joke.
It's also hard to believe that Madison County, VA is strongly connected to DC. I mean, really??
Preaching to the choir. More Wake county residents work in Durham County than Downtown Raleigh, and actually parts of the city of Raleigh are in Durham County. Still different metros.
I think it's easier to "pull in" rural counties. Boston's MSA has the oddity of including Strafford County, NH which is really disconnected from the city via highway and rail*. It's inclusion in the MSA technically makes the University of New Hampshire a Boston-area school, which is wild.
*The Downeaster notwithstanding.
Last edited by Boston Shudra; 12-17-2020 at 10:25 PM..
I think it's easier to "pull in" rural counties. Boston's MSA has the oddity of including Strafford County, NH which is wildly disconnected from the city via highway and rail*. It's inclusion in the MSA technically makes the University of New Hampshire a Boston-area school, which is wild.
*The Downeaster notwithstanding.
Yes! I noticed that too. Strafford county is way too far north of Boston. Pretty crazy that it's included.
Preaching to the choir. More Wake county residents work in Durham County than Downtown Raleigh, and actually parts of the city of Raleigh are in Durham County. Still different metros.
Yes and it's hard to believe that Raleigh and Durham are separate metro areas. Like really??
Why is LA hard to believe? 10 million people live in the county. That’s more than every other current metro not named New York. Should they add Ventura to show that it really should be 14 million in the metro or something?
The Census defines a metropolitan area as a cluster of counties that have a significant social and economic connection, with at least 25% of commuters in a county commuting to a central county. I think this is just...bogus.
I mean, look at the Atlanta metro area for example. A whopping 29 counties. I find it extremely hard to believe that at least 25% of people living in distant counties like Heard, Morgan, Jasper and Lamar counties are commuting to a central county such as Fulton or Dekalb.
Another example is Fairfield County, CT. Apparently, only 22% of the residents there commute into the NYC area, so it's excluded from the NYC metro area and is its own metro area. However, I lived in Fairfield County for two years and it absolutely felt connected to NYC in many ways.
Another ridiculous example is the Riverside, CA metro area. Almost all of San Bernardino County is vast and rural. Only a tiny portion of it truly has connection to Riverside.
Then you have the Los Angeles metro area, the second largest in the country, only comprised of two counties. What a joke.
It's also hard to believe that Madison County, VA is strongly connected to DC. I mean, really??
I suggest you take up your complaints directly with the US Census bureau.
You're not accomplishing anything here with your rant.
Do the commuters really need to work in the central city? That would be odd.
Central county rather than central city. I also think there can be more than one central county? And in Boston's case, Middlesex County may be considered "central" even though it stretches all the way north to New Hampshire. Which might explain why Strafford gets included..
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