What constitutes "metro area"?

[julius]

If you look at Phoenix's metro area, they're at around 16,000 square miles.

Portland's metro area is 6900 square miles.

what decides where the area ends?

If you had the same density in Phoenix, as they do in Portland the population of Phoenix Metro would be 5,518,809 people. Big enough to be the 9th largest metro population in the nation! (Phoenix is currently 14th).

Does anyone know what the population would be for Portland metro IF they had the same size as Phoenix? Not using the density #'s I mean (because I answered that above).

Hell, look at the Seattle metro #'s. They're at 543 per square mile. If their metro was as big as Phoenix's (and stayed at the same rate) their population would be almost 9 million!!!

what makes up a metro area?

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

The old school method is "within an hour" and that would include Salem. I don't remember the year when Oregon went away from that but cities/towns within one hour of Portland would put the metro pop around 3m. Btw, many cities still use this method -- Minneapolis, Phoenix, etc.

Hence the sig:

 

[julius]

why isn't eugene and salem in Portlands metro? If you include those 2 metro areas, the population of Portland metro would be over 3 million and still be a smaller metro area than Phoenix.

 

[Natebishop3]

What else I think is funny is that the census bureau puts much of Clark County in our Metro area. Are there any other examples of other states being included in a metro area?

 

[julius]

The old school method is "within an hour" and that would include Salem. I don't remember the year when Oregon went away from that but cities/towns within one hour of Portland would put the metro pop around 3m. Btw, many cities still use this method -- Minneapolis, Phoenix, etc.

Hence the sig:

lame ass! Salem shouldn't be it's own metro area, it's lame! Portland needs to gobble up that 1 horse town and shoot it's horse!

 

[maxiep]

What else I think is funny is that the census bureau puts much of Clark County in our Metro area. Are there any other examples of other states being included in a metro area?

Lots of them. New York, DC, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

why isn't eugene and salem in Portlands metro? If you include those 2 metro areas, the population of Portland metro would be over 3 million and still be a smaller metro area than Phoenix.

It is.

Phx had a huge population boom in the 80/90's. The city didn't plan for that kind of growth and it's pretty much a model of how not to build a city. Like a mini-Los Angeles.

 

[julius]

What else I think is funny is that the census bureau puts much of Clark County in our Metro area. Are there any other examples of other states being included in a metro area?

Yes, New York takes it's metro from other states (4), same with Chicago (3) and Philadelphia (4), DC Metro (4..but thats kind of a duh), Atlanta (2), Boston (3), Minneapolis (2), Baltimore (3), Cincinnati (3), KC (2)...

well, it's not just Portland. Btw, I notice how some of these cities are in more than one "metro" area.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

When neighborhoods start just being white people

{Poasted via palm pilot}

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Btw, they had a '2035 Central City' conference this summer in Portland.

The plan is projecting a big population boom. We're going to see a lot more condo/apartment towers all over the downtown area, especially SoWa and the West End. I don't know how they'll convince the PDC to ease height restrictions but the masterplan also calls for much "taller and larger buildings" in downtown.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Public transportation, along with Denver, is light years further here than Phoenix.

Portland was literally further along in this during the 70's than where PHX is today.

 

[julius]

Suck it Phoenix! And while we're at it, suck it Tucson too! SUCK IT TUCSON!

Go Beavs!

 

[PapaG]

When neighborhoods start just being white people

{Poasted via palm pilot}

So the Pearl District, West Hills, Laurelhurst, Dunthorpe, Riverdale, Riverhood, and NW 23rd are now out of the Portland population, and Salem, Gaston, and Dundee should be in it because there are 1000x more minorities in Salem than those rich white PDX neighborhoods.

 

[ABM]

I've pretty much always considered Portland's metro area to stretch as far as Vancouver to the North; Wilsonville/Woodburn to the South; Troutdale/Corbett to the East; Forest Grove/Banks to the West.

Just me, though.

 

[e_blazer]

The technical term is "Metropolitan Statistical Area" and they're used by the Census Bureau and other federal agencies for various statistical analyses. They're a geographical area with a fairly dense population that usually, but not always, contain one major city and other outlying communities that have strong economic ties to each other. Vancouver is included in Portland's MSA because the two cities have significant economic ties with each other. Eugene and Salem are separated by significant distances and have economic bases that aren't directly tied to Portland's. MSAs are defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I feel like I'm in Mexico while driving through Woodburn.

 

[PapaG]

The technical term is "Metropolitan Statistical Area" and they're used by the Census Bureau and other federal agencies for various statistical analyses. They're a geographical area with a fairly dense population that usually, but not always, contain one major city and other outlying communities that have strong economic ties to each other. Vancouver is included in Portland's MSA because the two cities have significant economic ties with each other. Eugene and Salem are separated by significant distances and have economic bases that aren't directly tied to Portland's. MSAs are defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

While I agree with your factual post, to say that Salem and Eugene are not dependent on Portland's tax dollars and influence simply does not reflect reality.

Bend exists because of CA and other out of state money, as does the Ashland/Medford area. Every other "city" of note in Oregon or across the border south of Chehalis depends on Portland's economy.

 

[e_blazer]

While I agree with your factual post, to say that Salem and Eugene are not dependent on Portland's tax dollars and influence simply does not reflect reality.

Bend exists because of CA and other out of state money, as does the Ashland/Medford area. Every other "city" of note in Oregon or across the border south of Chehalis depends on Portland's economy.

I didn't say that they didn't have any economic ties, just that they operate more autonomously than communities within the Portland area. People from Oregon City, Hillsboro, Gresham, Vancouver, etc. often commute to jobs within Portland and vice versa. Salem and Eugene...not so much. Technically, the Portland Vancouver, Hillsboro MSA is comprised of five Oregon counties (Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, & Columbia) and two in Washington (Clark & Skamania).

 

[PapaG]

I didn't say that they didn't have any economic ties, just that they operate more autonomously than communities within the Portland area. People from Oregon City, Hillsboro, Gresham, Vancouver, etc. often commute to jobs within Portland and vice versa. Salem and Eugene...not so much. Technically, the Portland Vancouver, Hillsboro MSA is comprised of five Oregon counties (Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, & Columbia) and two in Washington (Clark & Skamania).

I wasn't disagreeing with your post, but Salem and Eugene may as well be located in Portland these days.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I always though a metro area is basically driving until the more/or/less continuous areas of housing & business have a substantial break. So if one drew a boundary around Portland it's be Ridgefield to the north, Hillsboro to the west, Wilsonville to the south and Troutdale to the east.

 

[julius]

If traveling into Portland is the issue, you're telling me that thats what happens in the area almost 3 times a big as Portland, in Phoenixs' metro?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

So the Pearl District, West Hills, Laurelhurst, Dunthorpe, Riverdale, Riverhood, and NW 23rd are now out of the Portland population, and Salem, Gaston, and Dundee should be in it because there are 1000x more minorities in Salem than those rich white PDX neighborhoods.

Fine...poor white people neighborhoods.

{Poasted via palm pilot}