# What's the largest American city you've never been to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2007, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358 "2007-04-09T19:54:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/1 "2007-04-09T19:54:11Z")
Okay, have a gander at this list: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.\_cities\_by\_population](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._cities_by_population) What’s the largest one of these you’ve never been to? And for the purposes of this exercise, “been to” does not mean “have passed through the airport of.” For me it’s number 6, Phoenix. For an extra special bounty of humiliation, what’s the largest American city you’ve never heard of? For me it’s number 75: Chandler, Arizona, a place that didn’t exist for me until moments ago. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/2 "2007-04-09T19:55:24Z")
I can safely say I’ve been to the top 9 (and live in #2). Never been to San Jose. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/3 "2007-04-09T19:56:10Z")
JNever been to Jacksonville # 13 Hadn’t heard of Moreno Valley, # 121 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/4 "2007-04-09T19:56:38Z")
1. New York I’m unfamiliar with Santa Ana, California, #54 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/5 "2007-04-09T20:01:14Z")
I’ve never been to L.A. (2), and don’t have a tremendous desire to go there. And I’ve never heard of Gilbert, AZ (126) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/6 "2007-04-09T20:03:38Z")
San Antonio, which according to this list is #8. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/7 "2007-04-09T20:04:34Z")
I have never been to #6 Phoenix. ---
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/8 "2007-04-09T20:07:42Z")
I’ve never been to Philly, but have been to 19 of the top 25. I’m not sure if I’d heard of #54 Santa Ana, I thought it was part of the Orange county sprawl, which it is, but that could have been a guess. After Santa Ana, Chandler threw me for a loop too. Sounds like part of Phoenix is trying to act cool. It would be interesting to play the game with metro areas too. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/9 "2007-04-09T20:09:03Z")
We shore got a lotta big towns down here in Texas! I haven’t been to (2) LA or (3) Chicago. I live in (4) Houston. I haven’t been to (5)Philadelphia, (6) Phoenix (but I have been in the airport! ;)) (7) San Diego, or (10) San Jose. Never been to California at all. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/10 "2007-04-09T20:09:14Z")
I looked at that list and marvelled at how few large cities there were in the US - only nine greater than a million people!? Then I looked at the metro-area population list. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/11 "2007-04-09T20:09:59Z")
Never been to Phoenix, AZ. Never heard of Mesa, AZ until today. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/12 "2007-04-09T20:10:26Z")
The largest American city I’ve never been to is the largest American city period, so going by that list it’s New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/13 "2007-04-09T20:14:26Z")
#1 New York City. I live near #2, so that made it easy. Never heard of #126, Gilbert AZ. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/14 "2007-04-09T20:15:38Z")
I used to live in San Antonio, yet I’ve never been to Houston (except the airport, when on the way to somewhere else). The largest city I’ve never heard of is #41, Mesa, Arizona. This place is larger than my hometown, but I don’t have any awareness of it. Boy, do I feel like a dummy. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/15 "2007-04-09T20:16:05Z")
Never been to Houston (#4), and never heard of Aurora Colorado (#60). ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/16 "2007-04-09T20:18:41Z")
I’ve been to Los Angeles. My perception was that we got up in the morning, drove all day, and ended the day at the other side of the city. I want to go to New York City very much. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/17 "2007-04-09T20:22:08Z")
I haven’t been to most of them sadly enough. Number 2 Los Angeles. I haven’t even passed through the airport. I have never heard of Santa Ana California. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/18 "2007-04-09T20:26:53Z")
Chicago, although I was too young when I was in New York to remember much. And I never heard of Mesa, Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/19 "2007-04-09T20:36:56Z")
I’ve never been to California, so L.A. is the largest U.S. city I’ve yet to visit. I’ve also never set foot in Texas or Arizona, so of the top 10, only New York, Chicago, and Philly have been (dis)graced with my presence. (It would be interesting to see how we fared if the list from the 1950 census were used – I grew up near Cleveland, which was once the “Sixth City” but has slumped to #39 as it lost population and the Sun Belt boomed.) Like **Qadgop** , I don’t have any recollection of seeing #121 Moreno Valley’s name before perusing this list. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/20 "2007-04-09T20:39:41Z")
I’ve only been to the airport of Houston (#4) and Phoenix (#6). I haven’t been even close to Dallas (#9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358.md?page=2)