# How Many of the 20 Largest Cities in Your State Have You Been To? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116 "2014-06-05T13:52:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/21 "2014-06-05T15:56:40Z")
1 Philadelphia x 2 Pittsburgh 3 Allentown x 4 Erie 5 Reading x 6 Scranton x 7 Bethlehem x 8 Lancaster x 9 Harrisburg x 10 Altoona 11 York x 12 State College x 13 Wilkes-Barre x 14 Chester 15 Williamsport x 16 Easton x 17 Lebanon 18 Hazleton x 19 New Castle 20 Johnstown ---
**Author:** ![Nauplius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nauplius/32/51_2.png) [@Nauplius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nauplius)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/22 "2014-06-05T16:29:47Z")
I need to get out more: 1. Des Moines - Yes 2. Cedar Rapids - No 3. Davenport - No 4. Sioux City - Yes 5. Iowa City - No 6. Waterloo - No 7. Council Bluffs - Yes 8. Ames - Yes 9. West Des Moines - Yes 10. Dubuque - No 11. Ankeny - Yes 12. Urbandale - Yes 13. Cedar Falls - No 14. Marion - No 15. Bettendorf - No 16. Marshalltown - No 17. Mason City - No 18. Clinton - No 19. Burlington - No 20. Ottumwa - No 7/20 ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/23 "2014-06-05T16:29:48Z")
Chicago: Yes Aurora: Yes Rockford: Yes Joliet: Yes, long ago Naperville: Lived there for 12 years Springfield: Yes Peoria: Yes Elgin: Yes Waukegan: Yes Cicero: Yes, my friend and I (two suburban white kids) drove through Cicero in a car with T-tops open, no muffler, blasting Boston on his stereo. When we realized the neighborhood we were in, we had a good laugh at our own cluelessness. Champaign: Yes, lived here 3 years. Bloomington: Yes Decatur: Might have passed through, but maybe not. Arlington Heights: Yes Evanston: Yes Schaumburg: Yes Bolingbrook: Lived here 8 years. Palatine: Yes Skokie: Yes Des Plaines: Yes 19/20 for Illinois Of course, now I live in Iowa: Des Moines: Yes Cedar Rapids: Yes Davenport: Yes Sioux City: No Waterloo: Yes Iowa City: Yes Council Bluffs: No Ames: Yes Dubuque: Yes West Des Moines: Yes Ankeny: Yes Urbandale: Yes Cedar Falls: Yes Marion: Yes Bettendorf: Yes Mason City: No Marshalltown: Yes, just driving through Clinton: Yes Burlington: No Fort Dodge: No 15/20 in Iowa – much higher than I expected. The 20th largest city in IL is almost 3 times the size of the 20th in Iowa. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/24 "2014-06-05T16:31:54Z")
What counts as “been to”? Because the seventh largest “city” in MA is apparently Brockton which, because it contains Rte. 24, I’ve apparently been to, but never consciously even noted its very existence. And some of the others, I have just driven through. You can tag many of Massachusett’s biggest towns just by driving down I-93. Apparently in Massachusetts, population and “interesting” are not very correlated. I mean, Haverhill is on the list. Haverhill! Which is still more interesting than Lawrence. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/25 "2014-06-05T16:37:20Z")
Heh, nine of the largest cities in [Missouri](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708420/?ref_=ttep_ep15) are what everyone considers “St. Louis,” and six are “Kansas City.” That leaves five outstate, and I’ve been to them, too. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/26 "2014-06-05T16:39:43Z")
19/20 for Washington. Everything in the top 20 but Kennewick. Of course, that’s not hard. 13 of the top 20 are Seattle and its suburbs, and a trip out to Spokane will get you another 3. I should mention, though, that some of these cities I’ve only been to in the sense that I waved from the highway on the way by. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/27 "2014-06-05T16:43:45Z")
Yes 1 Los Angeles Yes 2 San Diego Yes 3 San Jose Yes 4 San Francisco Yes 5 Fresno Yes 6 Long Beach Yes 7 Sacramento Yes 8 Oakland Yes 9 Bakersfield Yes 10 Anaheim Yes 11 Santa Ana Maybe drove through 12 Riverside Yes 13 Stockton Probably Not 14 Chula Vista Yes 15 Fremont Yes 16 Irvine Maybe drove through 17 San Bernardino Yes 18 Modesto Probably not 19 Oxnard Maybe drove through 20 Fontana I thought Redding was bigger than it is. It’s smaller than Vacaville. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/28 "2014-06-05T16:44:12Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > What counts as “been to”? Because the seventh largest “city” in MA is apparently Brockton which, because it contains Rte. 24, I’ve apparently been to, but never consciously even noted its very existence. And some of the others, I have just driven through. You can tag many of Massachusett’s biggest towns just by driving down I-93… Good point. If you have driven I-95 through Virginia, you will have “been” to four of the cities on the VA list, namely Petersburg, Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria, but you will have experienced almost nothing of what these cities have to offer. E.g. get off at US 1 in Alexandria and go see George Washington’s favorite bar! Maybe even have a drink. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/29 "2014-06-05T16:45:58Z")
After nearly 16 years in Maryland (plus two years there as a kid), I finally think of myself as a Marylander rather than a Virginian. But I’ll do both. Maryland: Baltimore Yes Frederick Yes Rockville Yes Gaithersburg Yes Bowie Yes Hagerstown Yes Annapolis Yes College Park Yes Salisbury Yes Laurel Yes Greenbelt Yes Cumberland Yes Westminster Yes Hyattsville Yes Takoma Park Yes Aberdeen No Havre de Grace Yes Cambridge Yes New Carrollton Yes Frostburg No Nearly half of these are basically DC burbs. How long does it take to go from Bowie to New Carrollton to Hyattsville to College Park to Takoma Park to Rockville? Depends on traffic. Not long at all at, say, 6am on a Sunday morning. And by the time you get near the bottom of that list, the ones that aren’t burbs are small towns, not cities by any stretch of the imagination. Unlike Virginia, where Staunton is a city - a smallish one, but definitely a city. Virginia: 1 Virginia Beach: yes 2 Norfolk: yes 3 Chesapeake: no 4 Richmond: yes 5 Newport News: yes 6 Alexandria: yes 7 Hampton: yes 8 Roanoke: yes 9 Portsmouth: no 10 Suffolk: no 11 Lynchburg: yes 12 Harrisonburg: yes 13 Charlottesville: yes 14 Danville: no 15 Manassas: yes 16 Petersburg: driven through on the interstate 17 Fredericksburg: yes 18 Winchester: yes 19 Salem: yes 20 Staunton: yes ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/30 "2014-06-05T16:51:19Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Among Texas’ 20 largest “cities” (many of which are just large suburbs of Houston or Dallas) > > 1. Houston - Yes > 2 San Antonio - Yes > 2. Dallas - Yes > 3. Austin - Yes > 5 Fort Worth - Yes > 4. El Paso - Nope > 5. Arlington - Yes > 6. Corpus Christi - Yes > 9 Plano - Yes > 7. Laredo - Yes, unfortunately > 8. Lubbock - Nope > 9. Garland - Nope > 10. Irving - Yes > 11. Amarillo - Nope > 12. Grand Prairie - Nope > 13. Brownsville - Yes > 14. Pasadena - Nope > 15. McKinney - Nope > 16. Mesquite - Nope > 17. Killeen - Yes > > So, 12 out of 20. I was amazed that I have been to all twenty (and lived longer than a year in five). ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/31 "2014-06-05T16:52:28Z")
Chicago: Yes, used to work there. Aurora: Yes, drove husband to a job there. Rockford: Yes, had a relative there. Joliet: Yes, lived near there. Naperville: Yes, used to work there. Springfield: Yes, but I don’t remember why. Probably vacation when I was a kid. Peoria: Don’t remember. Elgin: Yes, lived there, have relatives there. Waukegan: Yes, husband had many court dates there. Cicero: Yes, had lots of things goign on there. Champaign: Yes, had band camp there. Bloomington: Yes, my godparents lived there. Decatur: Don’t remember. Arlington Heights: Yes, all the time - track, shopping, etc. Evanston: Yes, born there, and husband had a job there at one time I took him to. Schaumburg: Yes, used to work there. Bolingbrook: Yes, used to live there. Palatine: Yes, live there. Skokie: Yes, husband had a job there. Des Plaines: Yes, used to work there, drive through it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![bartleby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bartleby/32/10491_2.png) [@bartleby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bartleby)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/32 "2014-06-05T16:52:36Z")
Columbus - Y Cleveland - Y Cincinnati - Y Toledo - Y Akron - Been Through Dayton - Y Parma - N Canton - N Youngstown - Been Through Lorain - N Hamilton - Y Springfield - Y Kettering - Y Elyria - N Lakewood - N Cuyahoga Falls - N Euclid - N Middletown - Y Mansfield - N Newark - N > **[List of municipalities in Ohio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Ohio)** > > Ohio is a state located in the Midwestern United States. Cities in Ohio are municipalities whose population is greater than 5,000; smaller municipalities are called villages. Nonresident college students and incarcerated inmates do not count towards the city requirement of 5,000 residents. There are currently 253 cities and 673 villages in Ohio, for a total of 926 municipalities. > Municipality names are not unique: there is a village of Centerville in Gallia County and a city of Centerville in ... ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/33 "2014-06-05T16:54:48Z")
In Texas, living here for this long and the work and vacationing I do mean I had to go to #37, San Angelo, to have a miss. In fact, I’m 66/67 and will need a bigger [list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Texas_by_population). ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/34 "2014-06-05T16:55:30Z")
Of the 67 cities on the Wiki list for Texas, it would probably be easier to list **the ones I haven’t been to** : 30. Round Rock 35. Pearland 52. Atascocita 59. Rowlett 64. Pflugerville I’ve been an outside rep in Texas for a long time with a variety of territories and a lot of windshield time. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/35 "2014-06-05T16:58:38Z")
I don’t know if Washington is an easy state but I’ve easily been to the top 30 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/36 "2014-06-05T17:07:56Z")
1. Philadelphia- yes. 2. Pittsburgh- yes 3. Allentown- no 4. Erie- yes 5. Reading- yes 6. Scranton- yes 7. Bethlehem- yes 8. Lancaster- yes 9. Harrisburg- yes 10. Altoona- yes 11. York- yes 12. State College- yes 13. Wilkes-Barre- no 14. Chester- yes 15. Williamsport- no 16. Easton- no 17. Lebanon- no 18. Hazleton- no 19. New Castle- yes 20. Johnstown- yes I will note that, of the places I have visited, most of them are nondescript Pennsylvania towns and they are largely interchangeable with each other. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh stand out because they are genuine urban environments, especially Philadelphia. Erie is on the lake, but is not otherwise at all notable. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/37 "2014-06-05T17:12:52Z")
> **[List of municipalities in Maine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Maine)** > > Maine is a state located in Northeastern United States. According to the 2010 United States Census, Maine is the 9th least populous state, with 1,372,247 inhabitants, and the 12th smallest by land area spanning 30,842.92 square miles (79,882.8 km2) of land. Maine is divided into 16 counties and contains 483 municipalities consisting of cities, towns, and plantations. In Maine, a plantation is an organized form of municipal self-government similar to but with less power than a town or a city As ... There are 23 cities in Maine and I have been to all of them except for one, Caribou. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/38 "2014-06-05T17:13:13Z")
> [@txtumbleweed](#): > > Of the 67 cities on the Wiki list for Texas, it would probably be easier to list **the ones I haven’t been to** : > 30. Round Rock > 35. Pearland > 52. Atascocita > 59. Rowlett > 64. Pflugerville > > I’ve been an outside rep in Texas for a long time with a variety of territories and a lot of windshield time. If you have driven on I-35 through Austin, you drove through Round Rock. It’s where the IKEA is. If you took the bypass around the E side of Austin, you went through part of Pflugerville. If you drove on Tollway 8 south in Houston, you’ve touched on Pearland. Barely. If you consider “driving through” the same as “been to”, that is. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/39 "2014-06-05T17:30:08Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Virginia ([List of cities and counties in Virginia - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Virginia)): > 1 Virginia Beach: yes > 2 Norfolk: yes > 3 Chesapeake: might have driven through > 4 Richmond: yes > 5 Newport News: yes > 6 Alexandria: yes > 7 Hampton: yes > 8 Roanoke: yes > 9 Portsmouth: yes > 10 Suffolk: might have driven through > 11 Lynchburg: yes > 12 Harrisonburg: yes > 13 Charlottesville: yes > 14 Danville: no > 15 Manassas: yes > 16 Petersburg: yes > 17 Fredericksburg: yes > 18 Winchester: yes > 19 Salem: yes > 20 Staunton: yes Also Virginia. Much to my surprise, I’ve been to all of them. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/40 "2014-06-05T17:36:43Z")
From the 2010 census: Maryland - 5,773,552 Baltimore city - 620,961 Yes Frederick city - 65,239 No Rockville city - 61,209 No Gaithersburg city - 59,933 No Bowie city - 54,727 Yes Hagerstown city - 39,662 No Annapolis city - 38,394 Yes College Park city - 30,413 Yes Salisbury city - 30,343 Yes Laurel city - 25,115 Yes Greenbelt city - 23,068 Yes Cumberland city - 20,859 No (but I’ll be going in a couple of weeks) Westminster city - 18,590 No Hyattsville city - 17,557 No Takoma Park city - 16,715 No Easton town - 15,945 Yes Elkton town - 15,443 No Aberdeen city - 14,959 Yes Havre de Grace city - 12,952 Yes Cambridge city - 12,326 No I’m not sure how Maryland defines “city” or “town” because Waldorf, which is home to all the big box stores and the mall and a lot of apartments and other businesses in this part of the state, doesn’t show up on the list. Same with Lexington Park, home of a large Naval Air Station. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116.md?page=3)