# Small Cities with Public Transportation **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2000, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231 "2000-12-06T01:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/1 "2000-12-06T01:06:49Z")
I’d like to identify the world’s smallest city with public transportation. My first guess was Daytona Beach, Florida, which has a population of (IIRC) 45,000 & change and has a pretty extensive bus system. However, Daytona Beach is a **major** tourist attraction and may have as many as 200,000 or more people within its boundaries on certain days of the year. So maybe it shouldn’t count… And while we’re on the subject, what’s the smallest city in the world with a subway system? For that matter, how many cities even have subways? I can name: London New York Tokyo Paris Chicago (has, I think, two underground lines; the rest are elevated rails) Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![bashere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bashere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bashere)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/2 "2000-12-06T01:14:52Z")
Los angeles has a subway. Something like 20 miles worth. Culver City has its own mass transit system ( seperate from LA-MTD and Santa Monica ) and it is somewhere between 40,000 and 45,000 people. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/3 "2000-12-06T01:16:34Z")
Oops, forgot Atlanta and San Francisco/Oakland. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/4 "2000-12-06T01:24:47Z")
: And while we’re on the subject, what’s the smallest city : in the world with a subway system? Buffalo, New York, population about 300,000. Yup, Buffalo has a full blown subway system. See [http://www.nfta.com](http://www.nfta.com). BEAUTIFUL stations, and higher passenger usage per mile than Portland, Oregon’s light rail system. There’s also the magnificent rail system in Dayton, Ohio – see [http://www.mvra.org](http://www.mvra.org). ---
**Author:** ![fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fish_in_the_sky)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/5 "2000-12-06T01:46:39Z")
I live in Ashland WI, a town of about 9,000 or so, and they have a bus system, with two whole routes: one that runs around the city a couple times a day, and one that goes back and forth between four other nearby small towns a couple times a day. ---
**Author:** ![bashere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bashere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bashere)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/6 "2000-12-06T01:47:40Z")
Almost forgot; Boston has a subway system. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/7 "2000-12-06T02:21:31Z")
Madrid and Barcelona have subway systems. So do Glasgow and Lisbon, but they’re both sort of minimalist. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/8 "2000-12-06T04:20:22Z")
Subways also in Newcastle Munchen/Munich ---
**Author:** ![masafer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@masafer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masafer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/9 "2000-12-06T05:30:21Z")
May I direct you to [http://www.metropla.net](http://www.metropla.net) It’s one of the most comprehensive sites I’ve found for subway/elevated rail/people movers. You’d be amazed at some of the cities out there with public transit. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/10 "2000-12-06T16:45:45Z")
We have a subway too! But like some of the others it’s fairly minimal, being only one 14-mile line with a spur of about half a mile at one point. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/11 "2000-12-06T17:07:27Z")
In the wonderful city of Rochester NY is a non-active subway system. My little city we have C_A_T\*S County area Transportation System. Little buses. I, personaly have not used them. Hitching a ride works for me. MTS ---
**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:** [December 6, 2000, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/12 "2000-12-06T19:03:03Z")
The DC area has a subway system, as does Berlin and Moscow. The one in Moscow is VERY nice looking. ---
**Author:** ![ReservoirDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@ReservoirDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReservoirDog)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/13 "2000-12-06T20:22:00Z")
One of the nicest subway systems I’ve been on was in Cairo. ---
**Author:** ![fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fish_in_the_sky)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/14 "2000-12-06T21:04:25Z")
There’s a subway system in Athens, Greece. Didn’t ride it so I don’t know what it’s like. The buses and trolleys were okay, though. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/15 "2000-12-06T21:24:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lunatic13 \* > \*\*There’s a subway system in Athens, Greece. Didn’t ride it so I don’t know what it’s like. The buses and trolleys were okay, though. \*\* I rode it. It had one line. IIRC, it went from central Athens to Piraus (the port). In general, Athens doesn’t much like to build stuff that involves digging, since they regularly unearth ancient stuff, which means that they have to shut down the whole project until the archaeolists are done with it. Thus the lack of subways, and the really good bus system and cheap taxis. btw, Lunatic, I used to drive through Ashland all the time on my way from the Twin Cities to da UP. I always thought it was a really pretty little town, and also the first real place I got a look at the lake (Duluth didn’t count, too much industrial stuff uglifying up the view). My grandmother grew up in Mason, which I think is a little bit south of Ashland. I think I still have a great-great-aunt or something living there in the farmhouse she grew up in. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2000, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/16 "2000-12-06T23:31:34Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Booker57 \* > \*\*In the wonderful city of Rochester NY is a non-active subway system. My little city we have C_A_T_S County area Transportation System. Little buses. I, personaly have not used them. Hitching a ride works for me. MTS \*\* Why is the Rochester system inactive? What happened? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-cities-with-public-transportation/44231/17 "2000-12-07T04:59:37Z")
Philly has a subway, too. It’s a little scary, IMO. Abilene, Texas, population about 100K or so, has a bus system of sorts. It doesn’t really go anywhere, and I’ve never seen anyone waiting for a bus, and I’ve never seen anyone getting on or off a bus. My guess is, it’s mostly intended for the elderly and high-school kids to get to the mall for work. Robin