Houston in comparison to Toronto - How do the metro populations stack up?

Houston in comparison to Toronto - How do the metro populations stack up? I got inspired by the Houston thread and thought i would throw some numbers around. Houston Metro Population 2,012,626 in city and 5,280,752 in metro Area 1,398 km² (540 mi²) As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Houston had a total population of 1.9 million (though a July 1, 2004 U.S. Census estimate placed the city's population at more than 2 million). The city is the heart of the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area, which is the largest cultural and economic center of the Gulf Coast region and is the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.2 million in ten counties Toronto Metro Population 2,481,494 in city and 5,304,100 in metro Area 630 km² (243 mi²) Toronto is Canada's largest city by population and the provincial capital of Ontario. Toronto's population is 2,481,494 (2001 Census), and the population of the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is estimated at 5,304,100 in 2005 (Statistics Canada). A Greater Toronto Area (GTA), slightly larger than the Toronto CMA, is defined by provincial authorities for urban planning purposes. The city is part of the Golden Horseshoe, a densely populated region in Ontario of around eight million people. Approximately one-quarter of the Canadian population lives within the Golden Horseshoe, and about one-sixth of all Canadian jobs lie within the city limits. Ok so we have our limits, Houston albeit has a similar population has more than DOUBLE the land and space of Toronto. This is my reason for saying that Houston should not advertise itself as one of the largest cities in North America (unless of course they are talking about land) Lets take a peek and see how large Toronto would be if Toronto were to use Houstons space.. If Toronto were Houston than this is what the population would look like: Metro Toronto as it stands - 5,304,100 Hamilton - 710,300 Oshawa - 296,000 Kitchener - 497,900 Barrie - 121,248 Total Population: 6,929,540** ** This does not include many other towns and area's in the Golden Hoarseshoe as commuting patterns would not allow for that to happen just yet, however in the future all of the 8 million residents in the GH may end up commuting to the GTA. Some municipalities that are considered part of the GTA are not within the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). These places are not considered part of the official CMA by the Census and form part of other CMA's such as Oshawa. However, some nearby municipalities, such as Hamilton, Barrie or Kitchener-Waterloo, have their own CMA and are not considered part of the GTA. Ultimately, all the mentioned municipalities are part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The City of Hamilton, Regional Municipality of Niagara and City of Guelph all have significant ties to Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Nonetheless, they are geographically distant enough not to be considered part of the GTA, officially or otherwise. It is expected that with current rate of regional growth these areas will one day in the future become part of the Greater Toronto Area. In some cases the provincial government already includes Hamilton in Niagara as part of the GTA for record keeping purposes as well as for transportation planning. In 2001, Statistics Canada included a new level of census management called Census Regions, roughly equivalent to an American Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). The Extended Golden Horseshoe Census Region includes all of the Greater Toronto Area listed above, as well as Niagara, Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo. Here is a little write up i found on wikipedia about the Golden Hoarseshoe: Under the most recent defiintions, the population was 7,910,585 in the 2001 census with an estimated popluation of 8,600,000 as of 2006, of these people approximately 5,600,000 live in the Greater Toronto Area. Following the guidlines of the Metropolitan Combined Statistical Areas, it's the 5th most populated greater combined urban area in North America after New York City, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. There is a further, but less used definition which extends across the border into western New York state, including the Buffalo-Niagara Area and Rochester, New York urban areas. The total population in this definition is almost 11 million (hence the 4th most populous urbanized region in North America). The "horseshoe" part of the region's name is derived from the characteristic horseshoe shape with Hamilton or Burlington roughly in the centre and Niagara Falls and Oshawa at either end. The "golden" part is historically attributed to the region's wealth and prosperity, according to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. (An alternative explanation often quoted attributes it to its bright, or "golden", appearance from space, as a result of a continuous urban stretch of nightime lights; however, the name predates satellite photography.) http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?...ensus%20Region >