AP: 30 cities so recognizable, no state name needed in articles and writings
This is interesting.
Quote:
Domestic Datelines
Some cities are so widely known that they are capable of standing alone in a dateline, without the name of a state for additional reference. A list of domestic cities that stand alone in datelines follows. The norms that influenced the selection were the population of the city, the population of its metropolitan region, the frequency of the city’s appearance in the news, the uniqueness of its name, and experience that has shown the name to be almost synonymous with the state of nation where it is located.
ATLANTA
BALTIMORE
BOSTON
CHICAGO
CINCINNATI
CLEVELAND
DALLAS
DENVER
DETROIT
HONOLULU
HOUSTON
INDIANAPOLIS
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
MILWAUKEE
MINNEAPOLIS
NEW ORLEANS
NEW YORK
OKLAHOMA CITY
PHILADELPHIA
PHOENIX
PITTSBURGH
ST. LOUIS
SALT LAKE CITY
SAN ANTONIO
SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO
SEATTLE
WASHINGTON
Stories from all other U.S. cities should have both the city and state name in the dateline, including KANSAS CITY, Mo., and KANSAS CITY, Kan. For example,
ANN ARBOR, Mich.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
You should always spell out Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. Abbreviate all other states as they are listed on our AP Style State Abbreviations page.
Back on topic, the 30 cities listed seem kinda dated now.
I mean, there's now a whole slew of sunbelt cities just as large and well-known, or even moreso in some cases, as places like Cincinnati, Indy, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, etc.
I'm thinking of cities like Austin, Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, Tampa, etc.
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Poor Portland (Oregon). It is a fairly big city, and the primary city in its region, but its namesake is just big enough and well-known enough to forever require the state signifier.
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I live in Columbus and apparently the national media still has to use ", OH" every time (even weirdly on this forum) since the one in Georgia...is...around? Though Columbus, GA isn't as large as Portland, ME so if Portland, OR has to suffer, so be it!
Back on topic, the 30 cities listed seem kinda dated now.
I mean, there's now a whole slew of sunbelt cities just as large and well-known, or even moreso in some cases, as places like Cincinnati, Indy, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, etc.
I'm thinking of cities like Austin, Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, Tampa, etc.
Here are the largest cities (city propers) that aren't on the list:
Fort Worth
Jacksonville
Austin
San Jose
Charlotte
Columbus
Nashville
El Paso
Louisville
Portland
With the exception of Portland, which can be either in Oregon or Maine, and possibly Columbus (OH and IN), I'd say none of those cities need states either.
I'd also argue that some smaller cities don't need the states after them either. Does anyone not know what state Colorado Springs is in? Or even Peoria?
I would've added more cities, just based on the uniqueness of the name, and/or prominence compared to any other places with the same name (such as hosting a major league sports team). All of these are cities of significant size.
Albuquerque
Austin
Charlotte
Colorado Springs
Fort Worth
Memphis
Nashville
Oakland
Omaha
Sacramento
Tucson
Tulsa
I would actually take Washington off the list, since it shares a name with a state. It seems to me that "DC" always has to be added to qualify it, especially if you are talking about the state. For instance, if you had an article mentioning wildfires in Washington, and were reporting from all across the state, you could say you're reporting from "WASHINGTON", but not Washington DC.
Las Vegas actually has a case for being taken off the list too, because there is a Las Vegas, New Mexico, which is decent in size (compared to other cities sharing names with big places, like Philadelphia, Mississippi), but isn't too known outside of New Mexico.
I live in Columbus and apparently the national media still has to use ", OH" every time (even weirdly on this forum) since the one in Georgia...is...around? Though Columbus, GA isn't as large as Portland, ME so if Portland, OR has to suffer, so be it!
Columbus falls into the same category as other cities that are big but have names that are just common enough that you have to qualify them with the state, if it is for national audiences: Columbus, Buffalo, Rochester, Richmond, Norfolk, Arlington, San Jose, and a couple others.
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Or even Peoria?
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