Major cities in the United States have always had "satellite cities" that often grew up on the fringe of the metro areas....but were really a part of it. Despite their own identity, these communities still had a strong metropolitan identity, as well.
But what happens when a spreading metro area grows outward and encompasses a "real city"? I'm talking about places that have a strong identity of their own, independent from the close by "big city", and with special amenitites that set them apart from other cities of their size.
They may be home to the state university or perhaps the state capital. When the area around these cities gets "swallowed up" by the spreading metropolis nearby....do they become an integral part of that metropolis or do they retain their own special identity?
What places do I have in mind. Perhaps the best example: Ann Arbor. For many, this special city has been viewed as the ultimate college town. What are the implications of a spreading metro Detroit to Ann Arbor, particularly if A2 gets totally surrounded by metro Detroit? Does the nature of the community change? Will Ann Arbor and Michigan relate to Detroit the way that Berkeley and Cal do to San Francisco or Cambridge and Harvard to Boston, integregal parts of the metro area?
Other examples may be: Boulder's relationship with Denver, Annapolis's relationship with DC and Baltimore, perhaps Princeton and NYC, etc.> |
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