# Largest U.S. City You Never Heard Of **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682 "2010-02-27T20:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/61 "2010-02-28T14:00:51Z")
C’mon, people! Aurora, Colorado is where _Wayne’s World_ takes place! Gah! :D\*\* I got to #71, Henderson, NV, before I couldn’t conjure up a single pop culture reference or T-shirt I’d seen or anything. I have also never heard of Fort Wayne, ID. I used to live in Garland, TX. I was surprised to see it on the list. How are they measuring these populations? The metropolitan area of Greenville, SC, has more than 600,000 people and it’s not on the list. \*\*ETA: Crap. Apparently, that’s Aurora, Ill. Nevermind. Maybe I haven’t heard of it then. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/62 "2010-02-28T15:26:20Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > I was looking at the Wikipedia listing of the largest cities in the U.S. and I ran across Mesa, Arizona. With a population of 463,552 it is the 39th largest city in the U.S. and by far the largest U.S. city I had never heard of. I am truly astounded that I was unaware of a city this size. Going by the Wikipedia list, what is the largest city in the U.S. that you have never heard of? I made it down to Aurora Co. (58). I had never heard of it. There were a few larger cities that I wouldn’t have guessed were large on the list but I have heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/63 "2010-02-28T15:44:02Z")
The first I saw that didn’t ring any bells was number 160, Pembroke Pines, Florida, in Broward County. It appears to be another Santa Ana-esque overgrown suburb, this one of Miami. ETA: And it appears that Pembroke Pines has already been said. Below that, my next one was Number 166, Palmdale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/64 "2010-02-28T15:52:13Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Huh, I _live_ in Sterling Heights, MI (metropolitan Detroit), but I wouldn’t expect anyone to have heard of it unless they were from lower-east Michigan. > > We visit family out in Mesa, AZ. > > And I’ve never heard of Moreno Valley, CA either. Crazy. The Sterling Heights branch of my family are “the American cousins.” (We’re in Central/NE Ontario) I drew a blank on #90; Garland, TX. Appears to be a Dallas suburb. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/65 "2010-02-28T16:46:35Z")
Upon hitting #38, Long Beach, California nothing came to mind. The wiki page doesn’t ring any bells either. Is this a sign that I am horribly, horribly ill-informed about the world or forgivable on the grounds that I’ve lived on the East coast all my life? ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/66 "2010-02-28T16:53:30Z")
Another one for Aurora, Colorado, #58. I wonder what it’s like, that it’s slipped under so many people’s radar… ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/67 "2010-02-28T16:57:33Z")
Aurora, Colorado. never heard of it! Any Straight Dopers in other countries must wonder about this topic. It’s not necessarily that we don’t get much book learnin’, it’s just another example of how HUGE the U.S. is. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/68 "2010-02-28T17:10:40Z")
Yet another vote of ignorance on #58, Aurora, Colorado. I didn’t count, but I think it might be the winner so far. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/69 "2010-02-28T17:14:51Z")
You mean all of you dopers who went down past #70 KNEW about Plano, Texas ? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/70 "2010-02-28T17:18:45Z")
> [@Gymnopithys](#): > > You mean all of you dopers who went down past #70 KNEW about Plano, Texas ? :dubious: I only made it to #58, but I’ve heard of Plano, Texas. _Where_ I’ve heard of it, or _why_, I have no idea, but I know I’ve heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/71 "2010-02-28T17:30:06Z")
Wow, I lost at 31! I mean, it doesn’t surprise me at all that there IS an Oklahoma City, I’ve just never come across it in a book or the news or whatever. So, what is Oklahoma City supposed to be known for? ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/72 "2010-02-28T17:34:46Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Wow, I lost at 31! > > I mean, it doesn’t surprise me at all that there IS an Oklahoma City, I’ve just never come across it in a book or the news or whatever. > > So, what is Oklahoma City supposed to be known for? You must not have been watching the news much in 1995! > **[Oklahoma City bombing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing)** > > The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, United States, on April 19, 1995. The bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Perpetrated by anti-government extremists Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 167 people, injured 684, and destroyed more than a third of the building, which had to be demolished. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other building... ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/73 "2010-02-28T17:35:39Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > #90 Garland, TX. Same here. Although I’m not sure about #88, Chesapeake, VA - it’s such a common word in the area. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/74 "2010-02-28T17:48:08Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Another one for Aurora, Colorado, #58. I wonder what it’s like, that it’s slipped under so many people’s radar… Shopping malls, gas stations, and subdivisions. Right next to Denver. ---
**Author:** ![1step4word](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/cc9497/32.png) [@1step4word](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1step4word)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/75 "2010-02-28T17:49:08Z")
> [@Waxwinged](#): > > #13. Jacksonville, Florida. > > Curse you, Midwestern upbringing with no sunlight and lots of corn! I guess you don’t follow the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/76 "2010-02-28T17:50:49Z")
> [@Anamorphic](#): > > You must not have been watching the news much in 1995! > > [Oklahoma City bombing - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing) Also the capital of the state. Fairly large, two major interstates crossing (I-35 & I-40) NBA team. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/77 "2010-02-28T17:55:20Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > #58, Aurora, Colorado Me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/78 "2010-02-28T18:05:26Z")
#92 - North Las Vegas. I didn’t realize this was a separate city and assumed it was pat of LV, so while technically I’ve head of it, it was only as part of Vegas. If that counts as hearing of it, then I’d have to go to #122, Fontana, CA for the next one I don’t know about, and that’s one where I’ve never head of it at all. I benefit with all the Phoenix-area cities since I live in AZ - without that, I’d have stopped much earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/79 "2010-02-28T18:05:33Z")
I was only peripherally aware of #13, Jacksonville FL, and couldn’t locate it on a map. But since I at least claim that I’ve heard of it (if you remind me), then I have to go down the list to #42, Virginia Beach VA. Never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/80 "2010-02-28T18:10:47Z")
> [@Gymnopithys](#): > > You mean all of you dopers who went down past #70 KNEW about Plano, Texas ? :dubious: Yep. Thee was some Dateline story a number of years ago, I think - drugs or a cheerleader scandal or the like. My mind thinks drugs, so I’m going with that. I’ve never been there - but yes, heard of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682.md?page=5)