United States micropolitan area
Encyclopedia
Mu (letter)
Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo is a Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award winning-Colombian singer, composer and actor.-Biography:...
represents "micro-"), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget
United States Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget is a Cabinet-level office, and is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States .The current OMB Director is Jacob Lew.-History:...
, are urban areas in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003. Like the better-known metropolitan area
United States metropolitan area
In the United States a metropolitan statistical area is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are not legally incorporated as a city or town would be, nor are they legal administrative divisions like...
, a micropolitan area is a geographic entity used for statistical purposes based on counties
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
and county-equivalent
County-equivalent
A county-equivalent in the United States is a term used by the federal government to describe one of the two following governmental subdivisions:#A unit of local government in certain states which is comparable to a county as found in most states....
s . The OMB has identified 577 such areas in the nation.
The term "micropolitan" was created by author G. Scott Thomas for a 1989 article in American Demographics magazine, and was expanded in his 1990 book, The Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities. It gained currency in the 1990s to describe growing population centers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that are removed from larger cities, in some cases by 100 miles (160 km) or more. Lower land and labor costs have led some micropolitan areas to develop many housing subdivisions
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
and suburban cultures similar to those found in larger metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
s.
Micropolitan cities do not have the economic or political importance of large cities, but are nevertheless significant centers of population and production, drawing workers and shoppers from a wide local area. Because the designation is based on the core town's population and not on that of the whole area, some micropolitan areas are actually larger than some metropolitan areas. The largest of the areas, centered around Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the northwestern Connecticut region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The city population was 36,383 according to the 2010 census....
, had a population in excess of 180,000 in 2000; Torrington's population in that year's census was only 35,202.
Many such areas have dynamic rates of growth; however, all micropolitan areas combined account for about 10% of the population.
See also
- GeographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
- Human geographyHuman geographyHuman geography is one of the two major sub-fields of the discipline of geography. Human geography is the study of the world, its people, communities, and cultures. Human geography differs from physical geography mainly in that it has a greater focus on studying human activities and is more...
- DemographyDemographyDemography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
- Demography
- Human geography
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- United States Census BureauUnited States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
- United States Office of Management and BudgetUnited States Office of Management and BudgetThe Office of Management and Budget is a Cabinet-level office, and is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States .The current OMB Director is Jacob Lew.-History:...
- Combined Statistical AreaCombined Statistical AreaThe United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
- Core Based Statistical AreaCore based statistical areaA Core Based Statistical Area is a U.S. geographic area defined by the Office of Management and Budget based around an urban center of at least 10,000 people and adjacent areas that are socioeconomically tied to the urban center by commuting. Areas defined on the basis of these standards applied...
- Metropolitan Statistical Area
- United States urban areaUnited States urban areaUrban areas in the United States are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as contiguous census block groups with a population density of at least with any census block groups around this core having a density of at least . Urban areas are delineated without regard to political boundaries. The census...
- Demographics of the United StatesDemographics of the United StatesAs of today's date, the United States has a total resident population of , making it the third most populous country in the world. It is a very urbanized population, with 82% residing in cities and suburbs as of 2008 . This leaves vast expanses of the country nearly uninhabited...
- Table of United States Combined Statistical AreasTable of United States Combined Statistical Areasthumb|An enlargeable map of the 125 [[Combined Statistical Area]]s of the [[United States]]The United States Office of Management and Budget has defined 125 Combined Statistical Areas for the United States of America...
(CSA) - Table of United States Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSA)
- Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical AreasTable of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areasthumb|An enlargeable map of the 942 [[Core Based Statistical Area]]s of the [[United States]]. The 367 [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]]s are shown in red....
(MSA) - Table of United States Micropolitan Statistical AreasTable of United States Micropolitan Statistical Areasthumb|An enlargeable map of the 942 [[Core Based Statistical Area]]s of the [[United States]]. The 576 [[Micropolitan Statistical Area]]s are shown in blue....
(µSA)
- Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas
- Table of United States primary census statistical areas (PCSA)
- List of United States urban areas
- Combined Statistical Area
- United States Census Bureau