# US Dopers which US City are you closest too (out of the top 50)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299 "2011-03-28T19:26:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/21 "2011-03-28T21:17:27Z")
I’m about 20 miles north of Oakland, CA. I’m just slightly farther from San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/22 "2011-03-28T21:20:30Z")
I’m about equidistant from Knoxville TN (not on the poll though) Nashville TN, and Atlanta. I picked Nashville as it’s about 50 mi closer, and in the same state. ---
**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 28, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/23 "2011-03-28T21:20:54Z")
The City of San Antonio is now represented… ---
**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 28, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/24 "2011-03-28T21:21:56Z")
> [@saje](#): > > I’m about equidistant from Knoxville TN (not on the poll though) Nashville TN, and Atlanta. I picked Nashville as it’s about 50 mi closer, and in the same state. ? Do you live in Chattanooga? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/25 "2011-03-28T21:22:22Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > I’d note that this is cities defined by their local government boundaries, and not metropolitan areas. That’s why Virginia Beach is on the list (it’s the largest city in Virginia, surprisingly), and why Cincinnati is not (Cincinnati is the largest metro area with its centre in Ohio, but the city proper is smaller than Cleveland or Columbus). Thanks for clarifying. I was surprised that St. Louis wasn’t on the list, but I guess that explains why. According to Wikipedia, St. Louis “has a 2010 population of 319,294 and is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,892,874, the largest urban area in Missouri, the 4th largest urban area in the Midwest, and 15th-largest in the United States.” I’m a lot closer to St. Louis than to any of the cities that actually made the list. But if I’m restricted to the ones on the list, I’ll have to copy **HeyHomie** ’s answer. ---
**Author:** ![Sakuma\_Drops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sakuma\_Drops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sakuma_Drops)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/26 "2011-03-28T21:28:54Z")
Raleigh, NC. And, holy crap, I never would have guessed that Raleigh (proper) had more people than either Miami (proper) or Saint Louis (proper). The population densities for both of those cities are much higher than Raleigh, though, so I’m guessing that Raleigh just covers a bigger area. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/27 "2011-03-28T21:35:28Z")
Yeah, St Louis is one of those oddities where the city is not part of the county but basically stands alone. It’s surrounded by St Louis county so there’s really nowhere for the city to expand. Count me in for Kansas City KS. Or MO. Or whatever. ---
**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 28, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/28 "2011-03-28T21:37:38Z")
> [@Sakuma\_Drops](#): > > Raleigh, NC. > > And, holy crap, I never would have guessed that Raleigh (proper) had more people than either Miami (proper) or Saint Louis (proper). The population densities for both of those cities are much higher than Raleigh, though, so I’m guessing that Raleigh just covers a bigger area. Raleigh: 142 sq. miles Miami: 36 sq. miles St. Louis: 62 sq. miles However, the largest of the cities in the poll is Jacksonville, FL with about 750 sq. miles within the city limits. (My city, San Antonio, is about 420 sq. miles in area. Anchorage Alaska, however, is about 1,700 sq. miles… just FYI). ---
**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:** [March 28, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/29 "2011-03-28T21:46:01Z")
LA, with Long Beach a close second. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/30 "2011-03-28T21:47:22Z")
I tried to eyeball it one a map and couldn’t be sure. So I checked online and found out that the distances between where I live and Cleveland, New York City, and Philadelphia are all within ten miles of each other. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/31 "2011-03-28T21:48:23Z")
Glad to see Omaha is still in the top 50. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/32 "2011-03-28T21:50:37Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > I’d note that this is cities defined by their local government boundaries, and not metropolitan areas. It would have to be. Long Beach is IN the Los Angeles metropolitan area. That said, Long Beach city limits is a shorter drive for me than Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/33 "2011-03-28T21:58:47Z")
First I thought it would be Grand Rapids Mich(I’m 90 miles North of GR),but it’s not on the list,so I figured Detroit for sure, but decided to check how far I am from Milwaukee.Milwaukee is about 10 miles closer than Detroit ,tho it would take me much longer to drive there. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/34 "2011-03-28T22:17:59Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > ? > > Do you live in Chattanooga? Somewhere in the vicinity, no doubt (it’s also where I live) but he can’t be in the city itself with Nashville being that much closer than Atlanta. Chattanooga is almost exactly halfway between the two cities, so he must be somewhere west of it. South Pittsburg, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/35 "2011-03-28T22:23:08Z")
Columbus, Ohio. I’m maybe an hour from there. Here in Ohio, we use “hour” as a unit of distance. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/36 "2011-03-28T22:26:30Z")
It’s Sacramento…and it’s where I’ve called home for 43 years 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/37 "2011-03-28T22:28:05Z")
See location field. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/38 "2011-03-28T22:33:02Z")
Victorville, CA is #229 ?!?! Fontana, CA is #115 ?!?! San Bernardino is #100 ?!?! I’m getting old…these towns were little hick towns…now I guess they are big hick towns. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/39 "2011-03-28T22:54:21Z")
> [@Sakuma\_Drops](#): > > Raleigh, NC. > > And, holy crap, I never would have guessed that Raleigh (proper) had more people than either Miami (proper) or Saint Louis (proper). The population densities for both of those cities are much higher than Raleigh, though, so I’m guessing that Raleigh just covers a bigger area. **Population by city:** Raleigh: 403,892 Miami: 433,136 St. Louis: 319,294 \*\*Population by MSA: \*\* Raleigh: 1,125,827 Miami: 5,547,051 St. Louis: 2,779,939 The poll is by city square mileage, not city population. **Sq. Miles:** Raleigh: 144.8 sq mi Miami: 55.27 sq mi St. Louis: 66.2 sq mi ---
**Author:** ![RainGrowsBrite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@RainGrowsBrite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RainGrowsBrite)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299/40 "2011-03-28T22:57:35Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > San Diego. Me too me too!🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-which-us-city-are-you-closest-too-out-of-the-top-50/576299.md?page=3)