# What cities have airports within the city? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 19, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985 "2011-04-19T18:52:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/41 "2011-04-19T21:43:12Z")
Tampa Airport (TPA) is in Tampa city limits. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/42 "2011-04-19T21:53:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > San Jose. Really close to downtown. Like actually in downtown (if San Jose qualifies as having a downtown). > > Soon to be known as “San Jose Norm Mineta Silicon Valley We’re not San Francisco International” Airport. The proximity of the airport to the putative downtown contributes to it not seeming like one. Because of the flight paths for the airport, San Jose buildings have height restrictions. About 300 feet, IIRC, in the central business district where the tallest buildings are. ETA: OK, you posted again while I was posting this. I might as well look it up. Wiki says: > [@](#): > > Downtown San Jose buildings are not allowed to exceed 27 stories in height (The 88 Tower is the tallest at 286 feet, one foot taller than City Hall),[1] due to their close proximity to the Mineta San Jose International Airport flight path. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/43 "2011-04-19T21:55:57Z")
Miami, FL, airport is pretty close to downtown Miami. My commute used to take me past it, and there always seemed to be rubberneckers watching the planes land while they drove. Although one day I was on that road as the Concorde was coming in for a landing, and I slowed way down to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/44 "2011-04-19T22:12:17Z")
[Blatchford Field](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_City_Centre_%28Blatchford_Field%29_Airport) (formerly Edmonton Municipal) Is located right next to downtown Edmonton. They keep trying to get rid of it, and redevelop the land, but it’s still operational. It’s restricted to small charters, 10 or less passengers, travelling North. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/45 "2011-04-19T22:16:21Z")
BTW, somebody upthread mentioned Phoenix, which does, indeed, have an airport very close to downtown. San Diego was mentioned as well. Apparently, these cities also have FAA imposed height restrictions for their downtown buildings. 500 feet - not as severe as San Jose, but enough to put a crimp in some developer’s plans, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/46 "2011-04-19T22:37:39Z")
Some airports outside of their cities are still owned and operated by the city. They may even be in other cities and counties, but the larger city may have purchased the land because they didn’t have room to put an airport downtown. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/47 "2011-04-19T22:48:02Z")
I dunno about city limits, but last time I was in Louisville (in the UofL campus area), planes were coming in ungodly low on approach - you could almost count the rivets on their bellies. The way I heard it, Louisville built their airport and then just kept sprawling around it. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/48 "2011-04-19T22:51:36Z")
El Paso, TX is another. Albuquerque, NM is close with the development to the south, though the Air Force base and Isleta Pueblo probably keep it from really qualifying. Albany is technically in the town of Colonie in Albany county, but I’ve never been able to believe that these are really all different cities. (I don’t know why the Shakers decide to settle so close to the airport.) ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/49 "2011-04-19T23:31:11Z")
The old airport at Hong Kong? > [@Giles](#): > > It’s within Greater London, which I think counts as a city – its executive head is the Mayor of London. (Though that position is not the same as the Lord Mayor of London.) Greater London isn’t a city. It’s equivalent to a county, although I can’t remember if it formally counts as one. > [@Giles](#): > > In Australia, the third busiest airport is within the city it serves (Brisbane), but the first two (Sydney and Melbourne) are not. That’s as a result of the cities of Sydney and Melbourne being small in area, and Brisbane being quite large. It is part of “Sydney” in the informal sense, though. I used to know someone who worked there (the airport); we used to cut through it as a shortcut! ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/50 "2011-04-19T23:32:53Z")
Gibraltar’s airport is also within the city limits. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/51 "2011-04-19T23:38:14Z")
Honolulu’s airport is within the city limits. Like Anchorage, Honolulu is pretty big: all of Oahu and the northwestern islands are the City & County of Honolulu. Still, the airport still falls in the Honolulu census area (Salt Lake to Koko Head). I wonder if Tokyo’s Narita would count for the farthest from the city? ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/52 "2011-04-19T23:44:20Z")
Joge Newbury airport is in Buenos Aires, it is mostly used for domestic flights. Ezezia is the international airport and is in the Province of Bs As rather than in the bounds of the Capital Federal ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/53 "2011-04-19T23:46:36Z")
gibraltar has the closest airport to the city center, according to the guiness. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/54 "2011-04-20T00:36:17Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Yes, but when that territory was in DC (between 1791 and 1846), the part of DC taken from Virginia and later given back to Virginia was organised as Alexandria County. It was only when that territory was given back to Virginia that part of Alexandria County was organised as Arlington County, and part was organised as the independent city of Alexandria. (Virginia has “independent cities” which effectively function both as cities and as counties.) Actually there is no Alexandria county, only the city of Alexandria (which is in Fairfax county). It has the “independent” label because it has its own jurisdiction. The same thing applies to the City of Fairfax. Say you were arrested in the jurisdiction of the City of Fairfax you would appear in city court. However, you could literally be across the street and outside the City limits and (if arrested) would have to go to county court. Funny thing is both courts are under the same roof. (I’m not trying to be nitpicky with you…) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/55 "2011-04-20T01:20:53Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Some airports outside of their cities are still owned and operated by the city. They may even be in other cities and counties, but the larger city may have purchased the land because they didn’t have room to put an airport downtown. That’s the case with St. Louis. The airport is owned and operated by the city, the city police have jurisdiction, the expenses and revenues accrue to the city, etc., but the land the airport sits on is in the county. On the other hand, Jefferson City, MO built its airport directly across the river from the state capitol. Then they annexed the land and made it part of the city, even though it’s in a different county. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/56 "2011-04-20T01:33:01Z")
The Island airport in Toronto, YTZ, is downtown. Pearson Airport, YYZ, is mostly in the neighbouring city of Mississauga, but part of the airport property does spill across the city boundary. The former Downsview air base, whose runway is still used by the Bombardier aircraft plant, is within Toronto city limits. (Downsview also has an IATA airport code, YZD.) [List of airports in the Greater Toronto Area](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airports_in_the_Greater_Toronto_Area). ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/57 "2011-04-20T02:00:04Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Some airports outside of their cities are still owned and operated by the city. They may even be in other cities and counties, but the larger city may have purchased the land because they didn’t have room to put an airport downtown. Moisant Airport – New Orleans International (yeah, I know they call it Louis Armstrong Int’l now) is in the City of New Orleans. However, it’s not actually connected to the New Orleans city limits. It’s located entirely within the incorporated City of Kenner, and entirely within Jefferson Parish (we call counties parishes in Louisiana–City of New Orleans is Orleans Parish). I’m pretty sure the taxis that service the airport are New Orleans city licensed cabs, and you pay City of New Orleans sales tax if you buy something at the airport. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/58 "2011-04-20T02:21:57Z")
Phoenix Sky Harbor airport is in the Phoenix city limits. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/59 "2011-04-20T03:20:19Z")
The Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) airport is not actually within the city limits of Minneapolis, but just next to them. It’s actually in an unincorporated area of the county, the old military Fort Snelling. Over in St. Paul, they have a small airport within the city limits, actually just a few blocks south of downtown. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985/60 "2011-04-20T05:39:33Z")
Detroit City airport, while not used as a passenger airport any more, is within the city limits of Detroit. The main airport, Detroit Metro, is not nearly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cities-have-airports-within-the-city/578985.md?page=4)