What would you consider to be the largest suburb in America?

[golden eagle]

Chula Vista is over 200K, but the San Diego area is known as San Diego-Oceanside-San Marcos. Oceanside and San Marcos are smaller than Chula Vista.

[mgk920]

I would consider the definition to be 'would be an integral part of its metro central city if its states municipal boundary law was written differently'.

For that, I would definitely include Mesa, AZ and Aurora, CO in the list.

Another measuring point could be 'suburb with the highest population in percentage relation to its central city'.  For that, IMHO, it would likely be Aurora, CO.

Mike

[kkt]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Clara,_California

Santa Clara is a historic city, going all the way back to its own Spanish mission.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnyvale,_California

A better case to be made here.

[DTComposer]

Long Beach does not function as a suburb in most senses of the definition, other than happening to be in the same agglomeration as a much larger city. I'd go with Mesa.

Chula Vista is over 200K, but the San Diego area is known as San Diego-Oceanside-San Marcos. Oceanside and San Marcos are smaller than Chula Vista.

The Census Bureau has moved away from just using the two or three largest cities in their MSA titles and using what they consider "principal cities," using both population and employment as criteria. In the latest definitions, it's just "San Diego-Carlsbad," leaving out Chula Vista, Oceanside and Escondido (all larger than Carlsbad).

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Hempstead, New York. 760,000 people, and most definitely a suburb.

What the... That beats every damn but three cities in Spain! That should be definitely a city, not a town.

[golden eagle]

Long Beach does not function as a suburb in most senses of the definition, other than happening to be in the same agglomeration as a much larger city. I'd go with Mesa.

Chula Vista is over 200K, but the San Diego area is known as San Diego-Oceanside-San Marcos. Oceanside and San Marcos are smaller than Chula Vista.

The Census Bureau has moved away from just using the two or three largest cities in their MSA titles and using what they consider "principal cities," using both population and employment as criteria. In the latest definitions, it's just "San Diego-Carlsbad," leaving out Chula Vista, Oceanside and Escondido (all larger than Carlsbad).

The "principal cities" thing does make some sense. During my time in San Diego, Chula Vista was pretty much a bedroom community and an amphitheater. There was no concentrated employment center there. I bet that could change if the Chargers were to build a new stadium there.

[cpzilliacus]

In some states, a suburb is best-defined at the county level.  Using that metric, Fairfax County, Va. (2013 estimated population of 1,130,924) and Montgomery County, Md. (2013 estimated population 1,016,677) are bigger than many of the places discussed above. 

Orange County, California, which could be construed as a suburb of Los Angeles, had a 2013 estimated population of 3,114,363.

[SteveG1988]

Delaware

[Zeffy]

Delaware

With that logic, New Jersey, because everyone seems to think we're just a suburb of New York [City] or Philadelphia. I resent that stereotype. Don't hate on our great state.  Jersey Pride!

[Pete from Boston]

In some states, a suburb is best-defined at the county level.  Using that metric, Fairfax County, Va. (2013 estimated population of 1,130,924) and Montgomery County, Md. (2013 estimated population 1,016,677) are bigger than many of the places discussed above.

In the way that cartons of eggs are bigger than eggs, yes.

Orange County, California, which could be construed as a suburb of Los Angeles, had a 2013 estimated population of 3,114,363.

New Jersey could be more or less split in half into roughly a 5 million person suburb of New York, and 4 million person suburb of Philadelphia (just ballparking), which are bigger still. 

[roadman65]

The biggest problem New Jersey has now that its a bridge between New York and Philadelphia and sprawl literally connects what was once their own definite metropolitan areas.  Just like now all of the area between Baltimore and Washington are all sprawled together thanks to the Boom we had, is the same with NY and Philly.  The Garden State happens to sit between them unfortunately.

Cities like St. Louis are easier to say its surroundings are all suburbs because there is not sprawl linked to another major city.

The same with San Diego with Chula Vista, and El Centro and all near it as its isolated from any other metro city even LA because of the Marine Base between the northern reaches of SD and the southern reaches of LA.

[vdeane]

I was wondering how long it would be before someone said something along the lines of "the entire states of New Jersey and Connecticut".

[NE2]

its[sic] a bridge between New York and Philadelphia

That's always been true.

[Pete from Boston]

The biggest advantage New Jersey has now that its a bridge between New York and Philadelphia

FTFY

[thenetwork]

It might be a far cry from being THE largest suburb in the US, but Warren, MI would be the largest 'burb in Detroit, and third only to Detroit and Grand Rapids as the largest cities in the entire state.

[kj3400]

Delaware

With that logic, New Jersey, because everyone seems to think we're just a suburb of New York [City] or Philadelphia. I resent that stereotype. Don't hate on our great state.  Jersey Pride!

I was wondering who would bring NJ up first

[Pete from Boston]

Delaware

With that logic, New Jersey, because everyone seems to think we're just a suburb of New York [City] or Philadelphia. I resent that stereotype. Don't hate on our great state.  Jersey Pride!

Funny, we both answered "New Jersey" within seconds of one another in response to different posts.

As a person who is from New Jersey, who somehow spent most of my life there despite so much time out, I find no shame in calling New Jersey a suburb of New York and Philly (since it is).  This has been one of the key defining parts of this peninsula's identity since before anyone ever drew a line at the top and gave it a name.  New Sweden and New Netherland then, Greater Philly and Greater New York now. 

Being perpetually in-between has made for great fertility in interesting places and culture.  It's a great thing.

[SteveG1988]

Long Island NY. Just the entire island. Also Staten Island

[bing101]

The biggest advantage New Jersey has now that its a bridge between New York and Philadelphia

FTFY

How about Solano County,Ca you can somewhat argue that its a populated area that finds itself a bridge to the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento Valley. How about Tracy it seems to be mentioned as the bedroom community for Silicon Valley in the San Joaquin Valley.

[roadman65]

New Jersey is an interesting state, as people from North Jersey are much different down in South Jersey.  You can call it that South is part of the Greater Philly Metro and North is part of the much Greater NYC, but people and culture is different.  Not so much ethnic culture, but the way people do things and live their suburban lives.

People from South Jersey look at us North Jersey folks as not part of their state, however not as bad as Northern Californians look at Southern Californians though.   I have met some people from Salem County who reside in Florida with me, and they think that we are part of New York and that they are from New Jersey, but definitely proud people who support the Philly things whether its sports or the regional type of business chains.  I guess you can say its a friendly rivalry compared to people in San Francisco wanting to dump LA and San Diego on Mexico or do what West Virginia did centuries ago.

[Darkchylde]

As far as population proportion to the city it's a suburb of, I'd think I'd almost have to nominate Metairie, LA, despite its unincorporated status.

[Pete from Boston]

New Jersey is an interesting state, as people from North Jersey are much different down in South Jersey.

I'm from North Jersey, and I don't find that I change at all when I go to South Jersey.

[bing101]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daly_City,_California


Does Daly City count as a large Suburb since it has 100k people and is next to San Francisco.

[bing101]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hempstead,_New_York
Hempstead a town. This city has a population close to San Francisco.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.

Hempstead is bigger than Washington DC and Detroit.

[roadman65]

Nice article as it would rank 16th in the country if it were a city.

I see why NY does not consider towns to be incorporated as it can have incorporated villages within its borders, hence Suffern not being a hamlet as its incorporated inside the Rockland Town of Ramapo.

It is so odd considering that New York City is the opposite as it has five different counties incorporated as one large entity where you have the municipal government larger than the county unlike most cities even LA, with it being in Los Angeles County along with other cities as well.  Then San Francisco, Philadelphia, and even Jacksonville, FL all are the same as far as county and city being.

It is so amazing how each states form their own regional government entities and even classify them.  You have Virginia who has 38 independent cities not under the jurisdiction of a county at all, and then you have New Jersey with each corporation having different names such as city, borough, town, village, and township; and then you have states like Florida and Kansas where you have only cities and towns incorporated and the rest that is not falls directly under the county hence the name "City Limits" or "Town Limits."