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Originally Posted by DCReid
How does the US census/OMB define metro areas? Most have three cities, such as Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, but some just have one, like Pittsburgh, PA? Also, I thought the ones with 3 cities are the largest 3 cities, like Houston-The Woodlands-Sugarland, but that does not always appear to be the case, such as Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford - Daytona Beach is part of the Orlando metro was the 2nd largest in 2010. I am just curious whether they will change metro names after the 2020 to reflect faster growing cities that because larger in some of the faster growing metros. I recall that Houston metro used to have Galveston in the name but it was taken out and The Woodlands was put in (I think). Will a metro like Dallas eventually have a new metro name like Dallas-Ft. Worth-Frisco or McKinney in 20-30 years if the outer burbs keep growing? W
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greate...atistical_Area
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...tistical_areas
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About Houston you are correct about Galveston. The Census Bureau does some strage things intentionally or not and one is the way it selects anchor cities. You don't even have to be from Houston's MSA like me to know how fool hardy it is to include outright suburbs like The Woodlands and Baytown as anchor cities. Heck, neither is any more distinctive than places like Pearland and especially Sugar Land, which should be on there if any suburb.
I don't know what's so mundane about just calling it the Houston MSA, the city is the only anchor in the area by a mile. Only Galveston has a claim to being an anchor, it still having its own mini-MSA and distance from Houston. It is the only one, small as it may be, that rises to level of a city (in various ways) and not a suburb.