# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/41 "2014-06-05T17:39:55Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > 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. 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 Yes Havre de Grace No Cambridge Yes New Carrollton No Frostburg Yes I can’t remember if I’ve been through New Carrollton or not. I’m also not sure why Frostburg is listed so high. I think that they include the students of the college there because they actually live there during the census. I think the town normally only has around 3000 permanent residents. A lot of those I’ve not spent much time in, mostly because they are on the other end of the beltway. I’ve spent more time on the Eastern Shore then I have in PG county. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/42 "2014-06-05T17:49:23Z")
I get down to #60 on the California list before I miss one. I don’t recall ever having been to Fairfield. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/43 "2014-06-05T18:03:10Z")
**Tennessee** Memphis yes Knoxville yes Nashville used to live there Chattanooga yes Clarksville yes Murfreesboro yes Jackson yes Franklin yes Johnson City yes Bartlett no Hendersonville brother’s family lives there Kingsport yes Collierville no Cleveland yes Smyrna work here Germantown yes Brentwood yes Columbia yes LaVergne used to work from our office here Gallatin yes In my home state of Indiana, I was surprised to find that I had been to all except possibly Lawrence. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/44 "2014-06-05T18:03:32Z")
Since the Maryland list has been done: Baltimore Yes Frederick Yes Rockville Yes Gaithersburg Yes Bowie Yes Hagerstown Yes Annapolis Yes College Park Yes Salisbury No Laurel Yes Greenbelt Yes Cumberland No Westminster No Hyattsville Yes Takoma Park Yes Aberdeen No Havre de Grace No Cambridge No New Carrollton Yes Frostburg No ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/45 "2014-06-05T18:08:02Z")
I’ve lived in Kentucky all my life and travel a lot for work. So I’ve been to all these cities, with the possible exception of Madisonville. Louisville — born here Lexington — live here now Bowling Green — numerous times Owensboro — for work a lot; husband grew up here Covington — near where I grew up; on the way to Cincinnati Hopkinsville — home of best friend Richmond — nearby Florence — near where I grew up; on the way to Cincinnati Henderson — several times for work Elizabethtown — lots Nicholasville — nearby Jeffersontown — near Louisville so yes Frankfort — state capital; lots Independence — near where I grew up Radcliff — near Louisville Ashland — lots for work Madisonville — can’t say for sure Winchester — lived here for four years Most towns in Kentucky are small; I could spend all day listing all the towns I’ve been to. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/46 "2014-06-05T18:09:48Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Come on. No state has 20 cities **worth** visiting. Not IL, certainly not my home state of KY (Louisville and Lexington, maybe Bowling Green if you like Corvettes.) You need to get out more. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/47 "2014-06-05T18:15:35Z")
Out of the Texas Top Twenty, I’ve missed Laredo, Lubbock & Brownsville. However, I’m sort of assuming I’ve been through some of those towns in the Metroplex. Probably looking for a place to buy beer… ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/48 "2014-06-05T18:19:42Z")
Another CA here: 1. Los Angeles - yes, lived there for 3 years 2. San Diego - yes, visited while looking at colleges 3. San Jose - yes, live in the Bay Area 4. San Francisco - yes, live in the Bay Area 5. Fresno - yes, go there on business 6. Sacramento - yes, go there on business 7. Long Beach - yes, went there once for graduation party 8. Oakland - yes, live in the Bay Area 9. Bakersfield - yes, went there once for an interview (it was terrible) 10. Anaheim - yes, Disneyland 11. Santa Ana - yes, once for an interview 12. Riverside - no 13. Stockton - yes, for work 14. Chula Vista - no 15. Fremont - yes, for work 16. Irvine - once, to visit friends 17. San Bernardino - yes, once for an interview 18. Modesto - yes, for work 19. Oxnard - no 20. Fontana - no Had this been before law school, likely would’ve crossed most of the southern California cities off my yes list. And a lot of those places are county seats, so I’ve been there to visit their courthouses for work. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/49 "2014-06-05T18:20:37Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > 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. That link does not go where you think it goes. At least it’s work-safe and not \*too \*embarrassing. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/50 "2014-06-05T18:21:26Z")
I’ve been to all of them in [North Carolina](http://www.city-data.com/forum/north-carolina/59555-ncs-25-largest-cities.html). And i’ve actually spent at least one night in all except High Point and Wilson. But really… who \*wants \*to spend a night in those 2 cities, anyway? 😃 1. Charlotte - 687,650 2. Raleigh - 368,944 3. Greensboro - 243,012 4. Durham - 218,994 5. Winston Salem - 204,074 6. Fayetteville - 134,827 7. Cary - 126,497 8. Wilmington - 108,053 9. High Point - 95,340 10. Jacksonville - 75,929 11. Asheville - 75,004 12. Greenville - 72,295 13. Gastonia - 71,901 14. Concord - 66,803 15. Rocky Mount - 56,426 16. Chapel Hill - 55,310 17. Wilson - 49,288 18. Burlington - 48,298 19. Kannapolis - 41,536 20. Hickory - 39,767 Almost all visits/stays were for personal reasons. In fact, i can’t specifically nail-down anything that was work-dictated. Some of it was university-related (\>20 years ago), however. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/51 "2014-06-05T18:25:35Z")
I agree with **kunilou** ’s point that cities which are simply municipal subdivisions of current large conurbations should not count. A “city” is an island surrounded on all sides by some combination of water, rural land, or uninhabited land. And by that definition, not very many US states even have 20 significant cities. 2 or 3 cities and a bunch of 50-100K population county seats is more like it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/52 "2014-06-05T18:33:06Z")
I’ve lived in NY all my life and I’ve moved around a lot within the state (I worked for the state before retiring). So the cities I’ve been to: Albany, Amsterdam, Auburn, Batavia, Beacon, Binghamton, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Cohoes, Corning, Cortland, Dunkirk, Elmira, Fulton, Geneva, Glens Falls, Hornell, Hudson, Ithaca, Jamestown, Kingston, Lackawana, Lockport, Middletown, New York City (all five boroughs), Newburgh, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Norwich, Ogdensburg, Olean, Oneida, Oneonta, Oswego, Peekskill, Plattsburgh, Port Jervis, Poughkeepsie, Rensselaer, Rochester, Rome, Salamanca, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Sherrill, Syracuse, Tonawanda, Troy, Utica, Watertown, Watervliet, White Plains, Yonkers The cities I’m not sure about: Glen Cove, Gloversville, Johnstown, Little Falls, Long Beach, Mechanicville, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Rye And as a bonus, I’ve been to all nine cities in Vermont as well (thanks to BrotherCadfael for the list). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/53 "2014-06-05T18:41:31Z")
1. Houston - Yes 2 San Antonio - Yes 2. Dallas - Yes 3. Austin - Yes 5 Fort Worth - Yes 4. El Paso - No 5. Arlington - Yes 6. Corpus Christi - Yes 9 Plano - Yes 7. Laredo - No 8. Lubbock - No 9. Garland - Yes 10. Irving - Yes 11. Amarillo - No 12. Grand Prairie - Yes 13. Brownsville - Yes 14. Pasadena - Yes 15. McKinney - Yes 16. Mesquite - Yes 17. Killeen - Yes 16/20. Not too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/54 "2014-06-05T18:49:40Z")
If you go to the [List of Cities and Town in Colorado](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Colorado) and sort by population rank, the first one I have not been to is #57, La Junta. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/55 "2014-06-05T18:54:23Z")
The [List of Cities in Ontario](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Ontario) only goes to 51 and I’ve been to all of them, and lived in almost a dozen of them. I would question if all 51 entries count as cities though. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/56 "2014-06-05T19:12:32Z")
**Georgia** Atlanta - Yes Augusta - Yes Columbus - Yes Savannah - Yes Athens- No Sandy Springs - Yes Roswell - Yes Macon - Yes Johns Creek - Yes Albany - I don’t know Warner Robins - Yes Alpharetta - Yes Marietta - Yes Valdosta - Yes Smyrna - Yes Dunwoody - Yes Rome - Yes East Point - Yes Milton- No Gainesville -No ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/57 "2014-06-05T19:38:14Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > 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. Seattle - of course Spokane - yep Tacoma - yep Vancouver - yep, friends live near there Bellevue - yep Kent - yep Everett - yep Renton - yep Yakima - relatives live there Federal Way - friend lives there Spokane Valley - yep Kirkland - yep Bellingham - yep, on the way to Mt. Baker Kennewick - friend lives there Auburn - yep Pasco - yep, on trips to kennewick Marysville - drive through on way to Mt. Baker Lakewood - drove through on way to Olympia Redmond - yep Shoreline - another drive through on I-5 So 20/20. The most surprising thing from researching this is learning that Olympia (the state capital) is the 24th most populated city in Washington. > **[List of municipalities in Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Washington)** > > Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it is the 13th-most populous state, with 7,705,281 inhabitants, and ranked 18th by land area, spanning 66,456 square miles (172,120 km2) of land. Washington is divided into 39 counties and contains 281 municipalities that are classified into cities and towns. Approximately 65.4% of the state's population lives in incorporated municipalities. > The largest municipality by population in Washing... ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/58 "2014-06-05T19:50:51Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I have been to all nine cities in Vermont: Burlington (42,417), South Burlington (17,904), Rutland (16,495), Barre (9,052), Montpelier (7,855), Winooksi (7,267), St. Albans (6,918), Newport (4,589), and Vergennes (2,588). Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/59 "2014-06-05T19:53:47Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > Stealing this list - I’ll have two - visited/slept there Yes/Yes 1 Los Angeles 3,904,657 Yes/Yes 2 San Diego 1,307,402 Yes/Yes 3 San Jose 1,000,536 Yes/Yes 4 San Francisco 805,235 Yes/No 5 Fresno 510,665 Yes/Yes 6 Long Beach 468,257 Yes/Yes 7 Sacramento 466,488 Yes/No 8 Oakland 390,724 Yes/No 9 Bakersfield 347,483 Yes/Yes 10 Anaheim 336,265 No/No 11 Santa Ana 324,528 No /No 12 Riverside 303,871 Yes/No 13 Stockton 291,707 Yes/Yes 14 Chula Vista 243,916 Yes/Yes 15 Fremont 214,089 Yes/Maybe 16 Irvine 212,375 - I visited for work and stayed overnight in Orange County, but maybe not Irvine No/No 17 San Bernardino 209,924 Yes/No 18 Modesto 201,165 No/No 19 Oxnard 197,899 No /No 20 Fontana 196,069 ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116/60 "2014-06-05T19:55:15Z")
Memphis yes Knoxville yes Nashville yes Chattanooga yes Clarksville no Murfreesboro yes Jackson yes Franklin no Johnson City no Bartlett yes Hendersonville no Kingsport no Collierville yes Cleveland no Smyrna work no Germantown yes Brentwood yes Columbia no LaVergne no Gallatin yes [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-20-largest-cities-in-your-state-have-you-been-to/690116.md?page=4)