# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/141 "2010-03-03T20:05:58Z")
Another one who has heard of Plano, TX, but that’s because my cousin lived there for a while. She lived there for five years, and during that whole time the local Toronto phone books never acknowledged the existance of the area code that served Plano (and other localities nearby), 972. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/142 "2010-03-03T20:17:08Z")
#54, Santa Ana, Calif. for me. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/143 "2010-03-03T21:31:05Z")
The last time we did this, the largest city I’d never heard of was Aurora, which at the time was #60 (it’s since grown to #58, apparently.) Now, I’ve also never heard of #74, Glendale. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/144 "2010-03-03T21:42:07Z")
#58 Aurora. I don’t live in the US by the way. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/145 "2010-03-03T22:01:04Z")
Same for me. #58 Aurora, don’t live in the US. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/146 "2010-03-03T22:04:02Z")
#71: Henderson, NV. Slightly OT: I’d never heard of Erie, PA until I moved there. Would that it were still true. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/147 "2010-03-03T22:04:03Z")
Clearly the people running Aurora should be notified, on review of this threads results. They need to get to work on it. Maybe build a giant roadside thingamy. Something. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/148 "2010-03-03T22:37:01Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Clearly the people running Aurora should be notified, on review of this threads results. > > They need to get to work on it. Maybe build a giant roadside thingamy. Something. Aurora is pretty much a giant roadside thingy. Its the pile of crap alongside I-70 and I-225 on the way to the airport. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/149 "2010-03-03T22:39:34Z")
A SDMB thread a few years back informally determined that San Jose is also the largest US city to never have a TV show set in it (Mr. Wizard being the closest), and I think that’s still true. I had no idea of Aurora, CO (although I’m visiting Colorado for the first time, just a few weeks from now). Fremont, CA has the claim to fame of the NUMI plant, one of the first joint Japanese & American car factories (It’s finally closing down now). Also the location where Essanay Studios (famous for Charlie Chaplin) made some movies, though it wasn’t incorporated as Fremont then. And the hometown of Kristi Yamaguchi. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/150 "2010-03-03T22:54:02Z")
Another one for Mesa here. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/151 "2010-03-04T00:58:37Z")
Gilbert, AZ. Hell, I even lived in Phoenix for a summer, but that was 1978 and Gilbert had 5717 people in 1980 so no wonder I never heard of it. I might not have heard of Aurora, but I’ve spent a lot of time in Denver and Boulder and have passed through it on the way to the airport. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/152 "2010-03-04T01:03:48Z")
I only knew of Aurora, Colo. because for many years the Official Star Trek Fan Club was based there. Don’t ask. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/153 "2010-03-04T03:04:06Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I think that’s correct. Without bothering to try to find it right now, I think I’ve read, maybe on this board, that it is something like Fairbanks or Anchorage, some Alaskan city whose legal boundaries extend for hundreds of miles. Ah, yes. [Here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_surface_area) is a list of the world’s largest cities by surface area, and the first US city is Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska, at 9459 square miles. Followed by Sitka, Alaska, at 4812 square miles. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/154 "2010-03-04T03:30:24Z")
Following the links, I see that Yakutat/Borough has a whopping 808 people in it, or less than 1/10th a person per square mile. Frankly, they can have it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/155 "2010-03-04T03:40:07Z")
At least you can crank your stereo up as loud as you want, day or night. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/156 "2010-03-04T04:51:59Z")
Garland, TX, #90. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/157 "2010-03-04T05:46:26Z")
For me it was #95 Hialeah, FL with a pop. of 210,542. Though I’ve heard of it, the most surprising thing was El Paso, TX at #22 and only 7,000 people smaller than Boston! ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/158 "2010-03-04T06:41:45Z")
Plano, Tx #70 for me. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/159 "2010-03-04T07:51:26Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > #58, Aurora, Colorado Me too, I think. And even if it rings faint bells, #61 Riverside, California doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682/160 "2010-03-04T17:22:12Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Me too, I think. And even if it rings faint bells, #61 Riverside, California doesn’t. There’s a campus of the University of California there: > **[University of California, Riverside](https://www.ucr.edu/)** > > UC Riverside is the nation’s leader for social mobility with a diverse & inclusive community pioneering research with impacts around the globe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-u-s-city-you-never-heard-of/530682.md?page=9)