# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/41 "2007-04-09T22:41:07Z")
Los Angeles sprang to mind and a check of the link confirmed it. ---
**Author:** ![WriterChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@WriterChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WriterChick)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/42 "2007-04-09T22:41:56Z")
I’ve never been to #4 - Houston. As for those I’ve never heard of - the more I scrolled through the list, the more I realised they were too numerous to list. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/43 "2007-04-09T22:55:37Z")
#6 Phoenix What kind of list is this? How is Memphis and El Paso bigger than Boston? Leaving out the suburbs doesn’t seem right. I’ll bet anything if you made Boston’s city limits (to include Cambridge, et al) as large as El Paso’s; it wouldn’t even be close. So, based on this, [Metropolitan statistical area - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas) It would be #9 Atlanta. (El Paso is #68) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/44 "2007-04-09T23:10:30Z")
Of the top 100 I’ve been to: New York City Los Angeles Chicago Philadelphia San Francisco Boston Washington DC Baltimore Fort Worth Pittsburgh Rochester I’ve passed through several of the others. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/45 "2007-04-09T23:26:02Z")
Of the top 20 listed I’ve never been to Baltimore, or ever set foot outside a Texas airport which takes out five more. Never heard of Hampton Virginia (#155). ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/46 "2007-04-09T23:36:53Z")
The largest one I haven’t been to: El Paso, #22. Add Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Honolulu, and those are the only 4 of the top 50 I haven’t spent time in. I don’t remember Chula Vista, CA #90 at all. I sit up and read maps at night (Mr. Excitement!!!), so I’ve heard of most of them. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/47 "2007-04-09T23:38:11Z")
I guessed Houston without even looking at the list, and it turns out that’s correct. Then San Antonio and San Jose. In the next 10, I’ve missed Detroit and Austin. Then El Paso, Milwaukee, Louisville, Portland and Las Vegas. I too had to go down as far as Chandler AZ before finding one I’d never even heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/48 "2007-04-09T23:40:43Z")
Been to all but a few of the Top 30, the largest being Houston. Cape Coral, FL is new to me. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/49 "2007-04-10T00:13:29Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] 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. [/quote] Of the top 10, I have not been to #7, San Diego, or #10, San Jose. I live in #4, Houston. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/50 "2007-04-10T00:21:28Z")
I’ve never been to Philly but I’ve been to 14 of the top 20. I’ve never heard of Chandler AZ. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/51 "2007-04-10T00:33:48Z")
Never been to New York City and never heard of #148 Pembroke Pines, Florida. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/52 "2007-04-10T00:49:09Z")
No Los Angeles for me. Not even connecting at LAX. And Chicago only for connecting at ORD. Largest I can honestly say I was never conscious of as a city (may have heard about it at some point on CNN or in the newspapers, but not thought of it as a considerable city) would be Moreno Valley. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/53 "2007-04-10T00:51:00Z")
For me it is Chicago. Not even the airport. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/54 "2007-04-10T00:53:47Z")
Never been to LA. Alas. I was vaguely aware of #41, Mesa, AZ, simply from driving through AZ once - there aren’t a whole hell of a lot of cities to put on the distance signs out there. Up until now I was entirely unfamiliar with Arlington, TX (#50). ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/55 "2007-04-10T02:51:37Z")
I’m assuming that driving through without stopping also doesn’t count, so it would be easier to list the top 100 US cities I have been to: Boston New York Charlotte Washington El Paso Albuquerque Honolulu Anchorage Orlando I’ve never been to California. The largest city I’ve never heard of is #60, Aurora, CO. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2007, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/56 "2007-04-10T03:01:29Z")
NYC. Oh wait, does passing through JFK count? Then it would be whatever comes next after Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/57 "2007-04-10T03:11:16Z")
It would be easier for me to list the cities I’ve been in: Los Angeles, and Jacksonville, Orlando, Tallahassee and Tampa, FL. On the up side, I had to get pretty close to 200 down the list before I saw any unfamiliar place names. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/58 "2007-04-10T03:16:47Z")
Out of the top 30, San Antonio (#8), Columbus OH (#15), El Paso (#22), Las Vegas (#29) and Portland (#30) are the only ones I haven’t been to, and I have changed planes in the Vegas airport several times. I think Moreno Valley, CA (#121) is the biggest that I’ve never heard of. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/59 "2007-04-10T03:27:31Z")
As for MSAs, the largest I haven’t been to is Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (#14); the only others in top 50 I’ve missed are Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA (#23); Las Vegas-Paradise, NV (#31); Columbus, OH (#32); Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA (#35); and Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY (#46). That’s 44 out of 50. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358/60 "2007-04-10T03:35:43Z")
Been to 1-35 & 37-58 & 60-69. Skipped Fresno #36 & Toledo #59. It starts getting a little spottier from #70+. Though I have been to the bottom one, #255 as well as 246-253. Why yes, I did travel a lot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-largest-american-city-youve-never-been-to/399358.md?page=4)