which U.S cities have the largest economies

ive always wanted to know which ones>

Your city's mass transit system

Post some photos and info on your city's mass transit system. Here is Chicago's. The CTA operates the nation's second largest public transportation system and covers the City of Chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs. On an average weekday, nearly 1.5 million rides are taken on the CTA. CTA has approximately 2,000 buses that operate over 152 routes and 2,273 route miles. Buses provide about 1 million passenger trips a day and serve more than 12,000 posted bus stops. CTA's 1,190 rapid transit cars operate over seven routes and 222 miles of track. CTA trains provide about 500,000 customer trips each day and serve 144 stations. The Chicago has 723 miles of track which includes over 70 miles of subways. Metra is Chicago's "other" train system, but together with the "El" they are collectively called the RTA. Metra has 230 station in 7 Chicago area counties, and plans are in the works for a route to downtown Milwaukee. Here are some photos of Chicago's mass transit system. Enjoy. Chicago Subway Logan Square Terminal On the NorthSide. Logan Square Subway Platform Jeffeson Park NorthSide Station Elevated Terminal Ohare airport Terminal BlueLine Redline Madison St. Subway in the Loop Montoe St. Subway Monroe above ground enterance Loop Clark/Lake Terminal Loop Adams/Wabash above ground Belmont Elevated Platform NorthSide RedLine South Loop Subway Roosevelt/State Midway Airport Station SouthSide ChinaTown SouthSide Cermak Station Annoyed by the photographer Kedzie Stop BrownLine in Albany Park NorthSide This is a block from my house: Pace is Chicago's suburban bus system In 2004 it had a ridership of 34.4 million. CTA El Metra >

Your city's transit system

I always knew Indy had a shitty transit system, but plans are in the works to improve. What about the transit systems in other cities? Describe how they operate, frequency, quality, and so on. Do they suck as bad as Indy's (probably not)? Any new improvements or proposals? Who runs the infrastructure? Do you have any memorable experiences with the system, complaints, suggestions, etc.?>

Largest Greenhouse?

Here in Charlotte we have a company called Metrolina Greenhouse that claims to have one of the largest greenhouses in the USA under one roof. It is quite large at 3 Million Sq Ft and they continue to expand. Metrolina supplies all those pretty flowers you see at all the Home Depots and Lowe's in VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, TN, AL, and FL. Here is an aerial pick of their facility: Do you have a larger greenhouse in your area? Post it. Their facility is highly automated, they have a neat website with movies that shows their growing process: http://www.metrolinagreenhouses.com >

An American perspective on South African cities

Just for interests sake, Id like to know american views on South African cities. 1. Did you know that Johannesburg is the largest city in the world not on/next to a water source, like an ocean/river? 2. Cape Town is the most european of African cities? 3. whether wild animals roam our city streets like elephants do in Bangkok? 4. more plant species in Cape Town city alone, than in all of the british Islands? 5. The biggest shopping complexes in the southern hemisphere are found in Cape Town and Johannesburg? 6. South Africa has more roads and raillines than all African countries combined? 7. Durban has the biggest and busiest port in the southern hemisphere? 8. South Africa will play host to the Soccer World Cup in 2010?>

IM, Posting, e-mail: how do you (should you) write?

Crazy question in a world without rules: Is there a big diference between the way you write in the following: • e-mail (informal; not business related) • instant messaging • posting I'm talking about grammar, spelling, punctuation, conventions (not content). Do you write differently on all three? is there a real etiquette different (again...non-content) between the three or does anything really go?>

What COLORs do YOU think of when you think of these US CITIES?

New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Detroit, Philadeplhia, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, St. Louis, Minneapolis etc...you dont have to list all of them just a few here for EX. New York-metallic blue Atlanta- Orange, red Chicago- Tan, gold Miami-Turqouise Detroit- black Houston- Yellow and brown>

Greed vs the Skyscraper!

Heres a thought I recently had. As company's continue for ever higher profit margins, cutting overhead costs, moving administration to cheaper labour markets abroad and encouraging those who can to work from home with the advance of electronic communication e.g e-mail and the internet, the need for office space will decrease, this will mean a drop in demand for tall office buildings. This same greed (higher profit margins) will not only affect the administration side of business, as industries also transfer their labour to overseas cheaper labour markets and with the advance of machinery taking the jobs of the workforce this will mean more people without employment, and this in turn will affect the demand for expensive residential high-rise. Do you see where Im going with this? The only way out of this of course is for those at the top of the ladder to except lower profit margins they no doubt will still be earning millions each year just not as much, and in return will retain the demand for high-rise construction and possibly far wider consequences. What do you think?>

Interesting article - Nazi scientists in USA after WWII

Project Paperclip: Dark side of the Moon The first group of Paperclip scientists By Andrew Walker BBC News Sixty years ago the US hired Nazi scientists to lead pioneering projects, such as the race to conquer space. These men provided the US with cutting-edge technology which still leads the way today, but at a cost. The end of World War II saw an intense scramble for Nazi Germany's many technological secrets. The Allies vied to plunder as much equipment and expertise as possible from the rubble of the Thousand Year Reich for themselves, while preventing others from doing the same. The range of Germany's technical achievement astounded Allied scientific intelligence experts accompanying the invading forces in 1945. Wernher von Braun Wernher von Braun: Nasa icon and former SS officer Supersonic rockets, nerve gas, jet aircraft, guided missiles, stealth technology and hardened armour were just some of the groundbreaking technologies developed in Nazi laboratories, workshops and factories, even as Germany was losing the war. And it was the US and the Soviet Union which, in the first days of the Cold War, found themselves in a race against time to uncover Hitler's scientific secrets. In May 1945, Stalin's legions secured the atomic research labs at the prestigious Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in the suburbs of Berlin, giving their master the kernel of what would become the vast Soviet nuclear arsenal. US forces removed V-2 missiles from the vast Nordhausen complex, built under the Harz Mountains in central Germany, just before the Soviets took over the factory, in what would become their area of occupation. And the team which had built the V-2, led by Wernher von Braun, also fell into American hands. Crimes Shortly afterwards Major-General Hugh Knerr, deputy commander of the US Air Force in Europe, wrote: "Occupation of German scientific and industrial establishments has revealed the fact that we have been alarmingly backward in many fields of research. "If we do not take the opportunity to seize the apparatus and the brains that developed it and put the combination back to work promptly, we will remain several years behind while we attempt to cover a field already exploited." Thus began Project Paperclip, the US operation which saw von Braun and more than 700 others spirited out of Germany from under the noses of the US's allies. Its aim was simple: "To exploit German scientists for American research and to deny these intellectual resources to the Soviet Union." Arthur Rudolph Arthur Rudolph: "100% Nazi" Events moved rapidly. President Truman authorised Paperclip in August 1945 and, on 18 November, the first Germans reached America. There was, though, one major problem. Truman had expressly ordered that anyone found "to have been a member of the Nazi party and more than a nominal participant in its activities, or an active supporter of Nazism militarism" would be excluded. Under this criterion even von Braun himself, the man who masterminded the Moon shots, would have been ineligible to serve the US. A member of numerous Nazi organisations, he also held rank in the SS. His initial intelligence file described him as "a security risk". And von Braun's associates included: * Arthur Rudolph, chief operations director at Nordhausen, where 20,000 slave labourers died producing V-2 missiles. Led the team which built the Saturn V rocket. Described as "100 per cent Nazi, dangerous type". * Kurt Debus, rocket launch specialist, another SS officer. His report stated: "He should be interned as a menace to the security of the Allied Forces." * Hubertus Strughold, later called "the father of space medicine", designed Nasa's on-board life-support systems. Some of his subordinates conducted human "experiments" at Dachau and Auschwitz, where inmates were frozen and put into low-pressure chambers, often dying in the process. All of these men were cleared to work for the US, their alleged crimes covered up and their backgrounds bleached by a military which saw winning the Cold War, and not upholding justice, as its first priority. And the paperclip which secured their new details in their personnel files gave the whole operation its name. Sixty years on, the legacy of Paperclip remains as vital as ever. With its radar-absorbing carbon impregnated plywood skin and swept-back single wing, the 1944 Horten Ho 229 was arguably the first stealth aircraft. The Stealth bomber The Stealth bomber: Based on a 1944 German design The US military made one available to Northrop Aviation, the company which would produce the $2bn B-2 Stealth bomber - to all intents and purposes a modern clone of the Horten - a generation later. Cruise missiles are still based on the design of the V-1 missile and the scramjets powering Nasa's state-of-the-art X-43 hypersonic aircraft owe much to German jet pioneers. Added to this, the large number of still-secret Paperclip documents has led many people, including Nick Cook, Aerospace Consultant at Jane's Defence Weekly, to speculate that the US may have developed even more advanced Nazi technology, including anti-gravity devices, a potential source of vast amounts of free energy. Cook says that such technology "could be so destructive that it would endanger world peace and the US decided to keep it secret for a long time". But, while celebrating the undoubted success of Project Paperclip, many will prefer to remember the thousands who died to send mankind into space. NO COMMENT...I'M SPEECHLESS. SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4443934.stm>

what ever happen to pam Am building (new york)?

Pam am airline file for bankruptcy in 1989,since then what happen to Pam am building?>

Metros ranked by Foreclosure Rate, Q2 2006-yikes

100 US Metros ranked by Foreclosure Rate 1 Indianapolis, IN 6,878 (Q2 Total Foreclosures) 101 (1 in every# households,in this case 101) 3.532 (Percentage of Natl Average) -32.036 (% Change from Q1) 2 Atlanta, GA 12,926 111 3.235 -36.497 3 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 18,290 112 3.188 -11.851 4 Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO 7,778 128 2.807 -17.858 5 Austin-San Marcos, TX 3,504 142 2.528 7.222 6 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX 11,659 145 2.472 39.528 7 Memphis, TN-AR-MS 3,849 147 2.440 -30.935 8 Stockton-Lodi, CA 1,228 154 2.323 2.163 9 Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT 2,954 165 2.171 -1.138 10 San Antonio, TX 3,298 166 2.151 -19.932 11 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL 9,277 172 2.084 14.164 12 Colorado Springs, CO 1,340 175 2.042 -11.726 13 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI 11,854 186 1.921 -35.583 14 Albuquerque, NM 1,580 189 1.894 -4.474 15 Jacksonville, FL 2,434 195 1.834 -31.992 16 Canton-Massillon, OH 870 195 1.831 -28.571 17 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI 17,467 198 1.806 60.057 18 Las Vegas, NV-AZ 3,485 200 1.792 -29.907 19.5 Cleveland-Akron, OH 6,205 201 1.782 -22.116 19.5 Modesto, CA MSA 751 201 1.782 64.693 21 Fort Wayne, IN 989 209 1.716 -20.498 22 West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL 2,642 211 1.699 -1.271 23 Columbus, OH 3,087 220 1.624 -32.920 24 Tulsa, OK 1,539 222 1.613 -8.881 25 Portland-Salem, OR-WA 3,943 228 1.570 188.864 26 Sacramento-Yolo, CA 3,124 229 1.564 24.264 27 Orlando, FL 2,923 237 1.513 -18.851 28 Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR 1,047 246 1.457 -29.732 29 Augusta-Aiken, GA-SC 753 248 1.442 -16.054 30 Oklahoma City, OK 1,923 260 1.378 -21.027 31 Dayton-Springfield, OH 1,575 270 1.325 -40.745 32 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 830 273 1.312 -28.263 33 Lansing-East Lansing, MI 637 285 1.254 -17.700 34 Toledo, OH 951 305 1.172 -31.087 35 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 3,654 313 1.144 -22.716 36 Grand Rapids-Muskegon- 1,375 325 1.100 -15.019 37 Phoenix-Mesa, AZ 4,054 328 1.090 -5.852 38 El Paso, TX 670 335 1.068 -13.548 39 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC 1,852 338 1.059 -36.684 40 Tucson, AZ 986 372 0.962 -17.765 41 Fresno, CA 822 379 0.945 54.221 42 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD 5,424 384 0.932 -32.921 43 San Diego, CA 2,596 401 0.893 -7.451 44.5 Louisville, KY-IN 1,040 407 0.879 12.311 44.5 Saginaw-Bay City-Midland, MI 407 407 0.879 -26.799 46 Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI 448 428 0.835 -29.449 47 Hartford, CT NECMA - Pop. 1,105,174 1,198 431 0.831 68.732 48 Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN 1,919 434 0.824 -13.714 49 Pittsburgh, PA 2,476 436 0.822 -37.820 50 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA 11,973 453 0.790 -22.122 51 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA 2,760 467 0.767 -10.273 52 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 1,061 467 0.766 -37.293 53 St. Louis, MO-IL 2,434 470 0.761 -36.615 54 New York-No. New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA 15,195 494 0.725 -12.142 55 Sarasota-Bradenton, FL 649 494 0.724 -19.077 56 Nashville, TN 1,145 501 0.715 -45.424 57 Pensacola, FL 346 502 0.713 -30.522 58 Kansas City, MO-KS 1,459 539 0.664 -24.871 59 Chattanooga, TN-GA 379 542 0.661 -45.231 60 Youngstown-Warren, OH 464 545 0.656 -64.114 61 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA 4,103 557 0.643 23.102 62 Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC 780 566 0.632 -20.892 63 Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL 381 583 0.614 -28.518 64 Wichita, KS 400 596 0.600 124.719 65 Bakersfield, CA 386 600 0.597 -27.170 66 Daytona Beach, FL 342 620 0.577 -49.632 67 Knoxville, TN 495 659 0.543 -40.217 68 Springfield, MA 383 722 0.496 140.881 69 Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC 767 751 0.476 -29.826 70 Milwaukee-Racine, WI 904 767 0.467 -27.680 71 Birmingham, AL 512 824 0.434 175.269 72 Des Moines, IA 225 886 0.404 -38.187 73 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI 1,300 958 0.374 28.586 74 Spokane, WA 179 978 0.366 -50.278 75 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 504 1,015 0.353 11.258 76 Syracuse, NY 307 1,021 0.350 42.791 77 Charleston-North Charleston, SC 210 1,109 0.323 -60.302 78 Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 158 1,182 0.303 -39.231 79.5 Rochester, NY 381 1,185 0.302 -55.954 79.5 Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA 183 1,186 0.302 -33.935 81 Boston-Worcester-Lawrence-Lowell-Brockton, MA-NH 1,823 1,243 0.288 181.762 82 Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, RI 327 1,345 0.266 3533.333 83 Columbia, SC 129 1,374 0.260 -53.597 84 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, CA 102 1,401 0.255 -27.143 85 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 255 1,515 0.236 174.194 86 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA 140 1,901 0.188 -37.500 87 Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 1,509 1,977 0.181 5.598 88 Lancaster, PA 88 2,045 0.175 -61.572 89 Omaha, NE-IA 146 2,116 0.169 -72.453 90 Honolulu, HI 145 2,179 0.164 85.897 91 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 75 2,569 0.139 -52.830 92 Madison, WI 64 2,819 0.127 220.000 93 Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA-NC 219 2,843 0.126 -5.195 94 Mobile, AL 70 3,420 0.105 79.487 95 Baton Rouge, LA 79 3,470 0.103 19.697 96 Richmond-Petersburg, VA 105 4,144 0.086 -27.083 97 Lexington, KY 35 5,008 0.071 -7.895 98 New Orleans, LA 117 5,171 0.069 14.706 99 Jackson, MS 32 6,142 0.058 -20.000 100 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA 35 8,014 0.045 -89.362 http://realtytrac.com/news/press/pre...sReleaseID=126>

What are characteristics of the worst hoods in your city?

Here is my personal evaluation of the hoods in Indy from experience. I grew up in the 2-1/2-G neighborhood, north of Bush Stadium downtown. Its about 100% black, and there were quite a few shootings and they occured often. Someone from Haughville got killed in this hood a while back. Anyway a typical Indianapolis hood will be around 50-100 percent black (we dont have a large hispanic population), with foursquare or duplex houses (of which half are boarded up or dilapidated), and narrow streets Indianapolis hoods are in an area that covers: all of Center Township, southern third of Washington Township, western quarter of Warren Township, eastern third of Wayne Township, and the area just south of downtown. Everything else is pretty much stereotypical suburban. >

Illegal Immigrant Says on CBS: In 20 Years, We'll Run America!

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?nam...ticle&sid=1407 Yesterday, on CBSÂ's "Sunday Morning" reporter Martha Teichner narrated a piece sympathetic to Hispanic immigrants, and in particular, illegal immigrants. She profiled three Hispanic people, two of whom initially came to the country illegally. One illegal immigrant she profiled was defiant of his status, and sounded almost threatening when he said: "In 20 years, we are going to run the country. Right now we're running the cities. So little by little, we're running the show. Little by little. So this sleeping giant is already awakened." The highpoint of TeichnerÂ's piece was the fact that she mentioned an actual poll that finds that almost 90% of Americans feel that illegal immigration is a problem: Martha Teichner: "Today, an estimated 12 million are here illegally. A CBS/News New York Times poll found that nearly nine out of 10 Americans consider illegal immigration either a serious or very serious problem..." Topics: CBS, illegal alien quotes, we are going to run America, laws, anarchy, immigration, power, politics, threats, Americans>

10 most expensive cities to drive.

Saw this on msn. http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/...0.asp?GT1=6583>

States with the most rednecks

What states have the most rednecks per capita. The definition of it here would be an unintellegent person with no class who most likely listen to country music.>

What do you believe the threat from Al-Qaeda is

Me: Low. I saw an article stating "the Soviet Union could have obliterated the US in 20 minutes. Al-Qaeda can't do anything remotely similar". I read the article and that was proof enough for me. Anyway we've got to stay optimistic >

Airports: of a city, but not in it

are airports that are not attached to their designated cities municipally part of those cities? What I'm getting at is this. There are a number of cities (i.e. San Diego, LA, NYC-LAG, NYC-JFK, Chicago ORD, Chicago MDW, Philadelphia, Boston, Houston, etc.) where airports are within city limits, so obviously are full parts of their cities. But about airports physically separted by a city (and perhaps even owned by it): are they part of the city municipally? I realize the answer would be NO! for airports in other states (Cin-KY, DC-Dulles & Nat'l). But about places like San Francisco, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, etc. Their airports are removed from their cities. I know the city of San Francisco owns SFO, but is SFO, down in SM Co, incorporated into the city of SF? How is police jurisdiction, etc., determined?>

Downtown, Midtown, Uptown

So Manhattan has downtown, midtown, and uptown. Chicago has the loop (downtown) and uptown, but I'm not aware of any midtown (correct me if I'm wrong Chicagoans) Atlanta has downtown and midtown but I dont know of any uptown (again correct me if I'm wrong. Then Charlotte calls its CBD Uptown. Does your city have a midtown/uptown. If so what characterizes it and sets it apart from "downtown"Is it just because that district is north of downtown following the Chicago/NYC model or are there other reasons. I know next to nothing on this subject but am curious. So please pardon my ignorance if any of the information above is incorrect.>

Metro Areas ranked by median household income 2000

1 San Francisco--Oakland--San Jose, CA CMSA 7,039,362 $62,024 2 Washington--Baltimore, DC--MD--VA--WV CMSA 7,608,070 $57,291 3 Anchorage, AK MSA 260,283 $55,546 4 Minneapolis--St. Paul, MN--WI MSA 2,968,806 $54,304 5 Boston--Worcester--Lawrence, MA--NH--ME--CT CMSA 5,819,101 $52,792 6 Hartford, CT MSA 1,183,110 $52,188 7 Atlanta, GA MSA 4,112,198 $51,948 8 Honolulu, HI MSA 876,156 $51,914 9 Rochester, MN MSA 124,277 $51,316 10 Denver--Boulder--Greeley, CO CMSA 2,581,506 $51,088 11 Chicago--Gary--Kenosha, IL--IN--WI CMSA 9,157,540 $51,046 12 New York--Northern New Jersey--Long Island, NY--NJ--CT--PA CMSA 21,199,865 $50,795 13 Seattle--Tacoma--Bremerton, WA CMSA 3,554,760 $50,733 14 New London--Norwich, CT--RI MSA 293,566 $49,283 15 Madison, WI MSA 426,526 $49,223 16 Detroit--Ann Arbor--Flint, MI CMSA 5,456,428 $49,160 17 Austin--San Marcos, TX MSA 1,249,763 $48,950 18 Raleigh--Durham--Chapel Hill, NC MSA 1,187,941 $48,845 19 Fort Collins--Loveland, CO MSA 251,494 $48,655 20 Salt Lake City--Ogden, UT MSA 1,333,914 $48,594 21 Salinas, CA MSA 401,762 $48,305 22 Naples, FL MSA 251,377 $48,289 23 Philadelphia--Wilmington--Atlantic City, PA--NJ--DE--MD CMSA 6,188,463 $47,528 24 Appleton--Oshkosh--Neenah, WI MSA 358,365 $47,438 25 Dallas--Fort Worth, TX CMSA 5,221,801 $47,418 26 San Diego, CA MSA 2,813,833 $47,067 27 Bloomington--Normal, IL MSA 150,433 $47,021 28 Colorado Springs, CO MSA 516,929 $46,844 29 Richmond--Petersburg, VA MSA 996,512 $46,800 30 Burlington, VT MSA 169,391 $46,732 31 Santa Barbara--Santa Maria--Lompoc, CA MSA 399,347 $46,677 32 Des Moines, IA MSA 456,022 $46,651 33 Green Bay, WI MSA 226,778 $46,447 34 Sheboygan, WI MSA 112,646 $46,237 35 Cedar Rapids, IA MSA 191,701 $46,206 36 Kansas City, MO--KS MSA 1,776,062 $46,193 37 Milwaukee--Racine, WI CMSA 1,689,572 $46,132 38 Charlotte--Gastonia--Rock Hill, NC--SC MSA 1,499,293 $46,119 39 Grand Rapids--Muskegon--Holland, MI MSA 1,088,514 $46,116 40 Sacramento--Yolo, CA CMSA 1,796,857 $46,106 41 Portland--Salem, OR--WA CMSA 2,265,223 $46,090 42 Barnstable--Yarmouth, MA MSA 162,591 $46,034 43 Los Angeles--Riverside--Orange County, CA CMSA 16,373,645 $45,903 44 Provo--Orem, UT MSA 368,536 $45,833 45 Santa Fe, NM MSA 147,635 $45,822 46 Reno, NV MSA 339,486 $45,815 47 Indianapolis, IN MSA 1,607,486 $45,548 48 Janesville--Beloit, WI MSA 152,307 $45,517 49 Lancaster, PA MSA 470,658 $45,507 50 York, PA MSA 381,751 $45,268 51 Wausau, WI MSA 125,834 $45,165 52 West Palm Beach--Boca Raton, FL MSA 1,131,184 $45,062 53 Rockford, IL MSA 371,236 $44,988 54 Omaha, NE--IA MSA 716,998 $44,981 55 Cincinnati--Hamilton, OH--KY--IN CMSA 1,979,202 $44,914 56 Richland--Kennewick--Pasco, WA MSA 191,822 $44,886 57 Columbus, OH MSA 1,540,157 $44,782 58 Houston--Sugar Land--Baytown, TX MSA 4,669,571 $44,761 59 Phoenix--Mesa, AZ MSA 3,251,876 $44,752 60 Reading, PA MSA 373,638 $44,714 61 Portland, ME MSA 243,544 $44,707 62 Kokomo, IN MSA 101,541 $44,531 63 Elkhart--Goshen, IN MSA 182,791 $44,478 64 Lansing--East Lansing, MI MSA 447,728 $44,441 65 St. Louis, MO--IL MSA 2,603,607 $44,437 66 Charlottesville, VA MSA 159,576 $44,356 67 Nashville, TN MSA 1,231,311 $44,223 68 Rochester, NY MSA 1,098,201 $43,955 69 Sioux Falls, SD MSA 172,412 $43,387 70 Albany--Schenectady--Troy, NY MSA 875,583 $43,250 71 Springfield, IL MSA 201,437 $43,180 72 Jackson, MI MSA 158,422 $43,171 73 Huntsville, AL MSA 342,376 $43,104 74 Allentown--Bethlehem--Easton, PA MSA 637,958 $43,098 75 Harrisburg--Lebanon--Carlisle, PA MSA 629,401 $43,022 76 Peoria--Pekin, IL MSA 347,387 $42,986 77 Fort Wayne, IN MSA 502,141 $42,817 78 Wichita, KS MSA 545,220 $42,651 79 Boise City, ID MSA 432,345 $42,570 80 Las Vegas, NV--AZ MSA 1,563,282 $42,468 81 Norfolk--Virginia Beach--Newport News, VA--NC MSA 1,569,541 $42,448 82 Jacksonville, FL MSA 1,100,491 $42,439 83 San Luis Obispo--Atascadero--Paso Robles, CA MSA 246,681 $42,428 84 St. Cloud, MN MSA 167,392 $42,321 85 Cleveland--Akron, OH CMSA 2,945,831 $42,215 86 Corvallis, OR MSA 78,153 $41,897 87 Orlando, FL MSA 1,644,561 $41,871 88 Lincoln, NE MSA 250,291 $41,850 89 Providence--Fall River--Warwick, RI--MA MSA 1,188,613 $41,748 90 Columbia, SC MSA 536,691 $41,677 91 Dayton--Springfield, OH MSA 950,558 $41,550 92 Fort Walton Beach, FL MSA 170,498 $41,474 93 Stockton--Lodi, CA MSA 563,598 $41,282 94 Topeka, KS MSA 169,871 $40,988 95 Dover, DE MSA 126,697 $40,950 96 Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC MSA 1,251,509 $40,913 97 Louisville, KY--IN MSA 1,025,598 $40,821 98 Springfield, MA MSA 591,960 $40,740 99 Kalamazoo--Battle Creek, MI MSA 452,851 $40,710 100 Sarasota--Bradenton, FL MSA 589,959 $40,649 101 Davenport--Moline--Rock Island, IA--IL MSA 359,062 $40,621 102 South Bend, IN MSA 265,559 $40,420 103 Fort Myers--Cape Coral, FL MSA 440,888 $40,319 104 Memphis, TN--AR--MS MSA 1,135,614 $40,201 105 Bismarck, ND MSA 94,719 $40,148 106 Modesto, CA MSA 446,997 $40,101 107 Melbourne--Titusville--Palm Bay, FL MSA 476,230 $40,099 108 Iowa City, IA MSA 111,006 $40,060 109 Bellingham, WA MSA 166,814 $40,005 110 Saginaw--Bay City--Midland, MI MSA 403,070 $39,909 111 Toledo, OH MSA 618,203 $39,902 112 Syracuse, NY MSA 732,117 $39,750 113 La Crosse, WI--MN MSA 126,838 $39,692 114 Savannah, GA MSA 293,000 $39,622 115 Cheyenne, WY MSA 81,607 $39,607 116 Dubuque, IA MSA 89,143 $39,582 117 Charleston--North Charleston, SC MSA 549,033 $39,491 118 Canton--Massillon, OH MSA 406,934 $39,457 119 Eau Claire, WI MSA 148,337 $39,372 120 Lexington, KY MSA 479,198 $39,357 121 Evansville--Henderson, IN--KY MSA 296,195 $39,307 122 Roanoke, VA MSA 235,932 $39,288 123 Lima, OH MSA 155,084 $39,284 124 Birmingham, AL MSA 921,106 $39,278 125 Little Rock--North Little Rock, AR MSA 583,845 $39,145 126 San Antonio, TX MSA 1,592,383 $39,140 127 Albuquerque, NM MSA 712,738 $39,088 128 Lafayette, IN MSA 182,821 $39,072 129 Jackson, MS MSA 440,801 $38,887 130 Victoria, TX MSA 84,088 $38,732 131 Fort Pierce--Port St. Lucie, FL MSA 319,426 $38,724 132 Miami--Fort Lauderdale, FL CMSA 3,876,380 $38,632 133 Wilmington, NC MSA 233,450 $38,632 134 Benton Harbor, MI MSA 162,453 $38,567 135 Macon, GA MSA 322,549 $38,565 136 Sioux City, IA--NE MSA 124,130 $38,563 137 Glens Falls, NY MSA 124,345 $38,526 138 Pittsfield, MA MSA 84,708 $38,515 139 Buffalo--Niagara Falls, NY MSA 1,170,111 $38,488 140 Greenville--Spartanburg--Anderson, SC MSA 962,441 $38,458 141 Baton Rouge, LA MSA 602,894 $38,438 142 Tulsa, OK MSA 803,235 $38,261 143 Augusta--Aiken, GA--SC MSA 477,441 $38,103 144 Fargo--Moorhead, ND--MN MSA 174,367 $38,069 145 Flagstaff, AZ--UT MSA 122,366 $37,971 146 Decatur, IL MSA 114,706 $37,859 147 Hickory--Morganton--Lenoir, NC MSA 341,851 $37,818 148 Champaign--Urbana, IL MSA 179,669 $37,780 149 Montgomery, AL MSA 333,055 $37,619 150 Lawrence, KS MSA 99,962 $37,547 151 Columbia, MO MSA 135,454 $37,485 152 Rapid City, SD MSA 88,565 $37,485 153 Pittsburgh, PA MSA 2,358,695 $37,467 154 Fayetteville, NC MSA 302,963 $37,466 155 Chattanooga, TN--GA MSA 465,161 $37,411 156 Tampa--St. Petersburg--Clearwater, FL MSA 2,395,997 $37,406 157 Fayetteville--Springdale--Rogers, AR MSA 311,121 $37,322 158 Spokane, WA MSA 417,939 $37,308 159 Waterloo--Cedar Falls, IA MSA 128,012 $37,266 160 Sherman--Denison, TX MSA 110,595 $37,178 161 Tyler, TX MSA 174,706 $37,148 162 Mansfield, OH MSA 175,818 $37,060 163 Lynchburg, VA MSA 214,911 $37,010 164 Pensacola, FL MSA 412,153 $36,975 165 Eugene--Springfield, OR MSA 322,959 $36,942 166 Knoxville, TN MSA 687,249 $36,874 167 Owensboro, KY MSA 91,545 $36,813 168 Oklahoma City, OK MSA 1,083,346 $36,797 169 Tucson, AZ MSA 843,746 $36,758 170 Billings, MT MSA 129,352 $36,727 171 Pocatello, ID MSA 75,565 $36,683 172 Killeen--Temple, TX MSA 312,952 $36,669 173 Biloxi--Gulfport--Pascagoula, MS MSA 363,988 $36,662 174 Jackson, TN MSA 107,377 $36,649 175 Erie, PA MSA 280,843 $36,627 176 Casper, WY MSA 66,533 $36,619 177 Myrtle Beach, SC MSA 196,629 $36,470 178 Medford--Ashland, OR MSA 181,269 $36,461 179 Tallahassee, FL MSA 284,539 $36,441 180 Elmira, NY MSA 91,070 $36,415 181 Punta Gorda, FL MSA 141,627 $36,379 182 Binghamton, NY MSA 252,320 $36,374 183 Clarksville--Hopkinsville, TN--KY MSA 207,033 $36,313 184 Decatur, AL MSA 145,867 $36,299 185 Youngstown--Warren, OH MSA 594,746 $36,255 186 Asheville, NC MSA 225,965 $36,179 187 State College, PA MSA 135,758 $36,165 188 Panama City, FL MSA 148,217 $36,092 189 Duluth--Superior, MN--WI MSA 243,815 $36,081 190 Lakeland--Winter Haven, FL MSA 483,924 $36,036 191 Grand Junction, CO MSA 116,255 $35,864 192 Bangor, ME MSA 90,842 $35,837 193 Corpus Christi, TX MSA 380,783 $35,773 194 Daytona Beach, FL MSA 493,175 $35,722 195 Amarillo, TX MSA 217,858 $35,679 196 St. Joseph, MO MSA 102,490 $35,675 197 Beaumont--Port Arthur, TX MSA 385,090 $35,669 198 Mobile, AL MSA 540,258 $35,629 199 Grand Forks, ND--MN MSA 97,478 $35,562 200 Merced, CA MSA 210,554 $35,532 201 Bakersfield, CA MSA 661,645 $35,446 202 Charleston, WV MSA 251,662 $35,418 203 Lake Charles, LA MSA 183,577 $35,372 204 New Orleans, LA MSA 1,337,726 $35,317 205 Utica--Rome, NY MSA 299,896 $35,292 206 Lewiston--Auburn, ME MSA 90,830 $35,244 207 Florence, SC MSA 125,761 $35,144 208 Houma, LA MSA 194,477 $35,089 209 Fresno, CA MSA 922,516 $34,960 210 Albany, GA MSA 120,822 $34,829 211 Yakima, WA MSA 222,581 $34,828 212 Rocky Mount, NC MSA 143,026 $34,795 213 Odessa--Midland, TX MSA 237,132 $34,773 214 Sharon, PA MSA 120,293 $34,666 215 Springfield, MO MSA 325,721 $34,661 216 Muncie, IN MSA 118,769 $34,659 217 Yuba City, CA MSA 139,149 $34,658 218 Columbus, GA--AL MSA 274,624 $34,512 219 Missoula, MT MSA 95,802 $34,454 220 Tuscaloosa, AL MSA 164,875 $34,436 221 Redding, CA MSA 163,256 $34,335 222 Longview--Marshall, TX MSA 208,780 $34,253 223 Terre Haute, IN MSA 149,192 $34,222 224 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA MSA 624,776 $34,161 225 Wichita Falls, TX MSA 140,518 $34,098 226 Abilene, TX MSA 126,555 $34,035 227 Williamsport, PA MSA 120,044 $34,016 228 Visalia--Tulare--Porterville, CA MSA 368,021 $33,983 229 Goldsboro, NC MSA 113,329 $33,942 230 Lawton, OK MSA 114,996 $33,867 231 Jacksonville, NC MSA 150,355 $33,756 232 Parkersburg--Marietta, WV--OH MSA 151,237 $33,696 233 Waco, TX MSA 213,517 $33,560 234 Jamestown, NY MSA 139,750 $33,458 235 Dothan, AL MSA 137,916 $33,455 236 Athens, GA MSA 153,444 $33,416 237 Bloomington, IN MSA 120,563 $33,311 238 Sumter, SC MSA 104,646 $33,278 239 San Angelo, TX MSA 104,010 $33,148 240 Enid, OK MSA 57,813 $33,006 241 Great Falls, MT MSA 80,357 $32,971 242 Greenville, NC MSA 133,798 $32,868 243 Altoona, PA MSA 129,144 $32,861 244 Pueblo, CO MSA 141,472 $32,775 245 Florence, AL MSA 142,950 $32,704 246 Shreveport--Bossier City, LA MSA 392,302 $32,558 247 Joplin, MO MSA 157,322 $32,446 248 Jonesboro, AR MSA 82,148 $32,425 249 Fort Smith, AR--OK MSA 207,290 $32,399 250 Texarkana, TX--Texarkana, AR MSA 129,749 $32,238 251 Lubbock, TX MSA 242,628 $32,198 252 Yuma, AZ MSA 160,026 $32,182 253 Monroe, LA MSA 147,250 $32,047 254 Steubenville--Weirton, OH--WV MSA 132,008 $31,982 255 Ocala, FL MSA 258,916 $31,944 256 Chico--Paradise, CA MSA 203,171 $31,924 257 Anniston, AL MSA 112,249 $31,768 258 Johnson City--Kingsport--Bristol, TN--VA MSA 480,091 $31,596 259 Gainesville, FL MSA 217,955 $31,426 260 Pine Bluff, AR MSA 84,278 $31,327 261 Danville, VA MSA 110,156 $31,201 262 Gadsden, AL MSA 103,459 $31,170 263 El Paso, TX MSA 679,622 $31,051 264 Lafayette, LA MSA 385,647 $30,998 265 Hattiesburg, MS MSA 111,674 $30,981 266 Auburn--Opelika, AL MSA 115,092 $30,952 267 Cumberland, MD--WV MSA 102,008 $30,916 268 Johnstown, PA MSA 232,621 $30,442 269 Wheeling, WV--OH MSA 153,172 $30,335 270 Alexandria, LA MSA 126,337 $29,856 271 Las Cruces, NM MSA 174,682 $29,808 272 Huntington--Ashland, WV--KY--OH MSA 315,538 $29,415 273 Bryan--College Station, TX MSA 152,415 $29,104 274 Laredo, TX MSA 193,117 $28,100 275 Brownsville--Harlingen--San Benito, TX MSA 335,227 $26,155 276 McAllen--Edinburg--Mission, TX MSA 569,463 $24,863>

oops

oops posted in wrong section, please delete>

An Edsg25-style question

Edsg25 has often said that NYC is more preoccupied with its standing in the hierarchy of cities than anyplace else. He said that the "world's greatest city" title is a critical part of the NY's identity and without it, people may be less willing to put up with the stresses of living there. I believe that Edsg's statements about NYC can be applied to the United States. We constantly hear in the media and in this culture about how the US is the "greatest country in the world". Many Americans think this way and automatically assume that the US is the best place in the world to live. I just got back from Japan and I have been the Scandinavia. I believe that the crime, poverty, educational system, and uncleanliness throughout the US is an embarrasment. No other first world country scores so poorly in so many quality of life indicators. I wish Americans would aknowledge that we are not the greatest in everything and that we have a lot to learn from the rest of the world. My visit to Japan was a real eye-opener.>

Slightly off topic, what do you think is the prettiest city in the USA?

I just visited San Francisco this weekend, and I was just floored at the beauty of the city. From it's smart, liberal people to it's huge, green hills to it's year-long 60's-70's temperature, to it's relatively low crime rate, to it's clean downtown... there is nothing wrong with the city. Except prices. It's ludicrously expensive, with an average 3-person home costing more than 700,000 dollars and your "less than average" studio apartment running you 1400-1600 a month. Successful, great cities are all liberal. From Madison (even though it's small) to Seattle to Boston to San Francisco- the greatest cities in the US are all notoriously liberal. In the midwest, every city is ugly as hell during the winter, but during the summer I have to go with Minneapolis or Madison. I'll add some pictures I took later- if this topic isn't locked.>

The grid system: A thing of the past?

The grid system was obviously the layout of choice for all American cities from about 1930-WWII., after which suburban development became the norm. I think most of us can agree that the grid system is much more effective, practical and smart than the winding, sprawly, cheesily-named suburban streets. I also think most of us agree that the amount of the latter is occuring at a disturbingly high rate...but are there any areas that have no abandoned the grid system? In other words, is there any city or town in the US that is actually developing a grid system or plans to? Or are we doomed to forever grow through impractical suburban developments?>

Jularc from SSP: Real Estate Price Maps across the USA

From Jularc at SSP Quote:> Originally Posted by Jularc > Anyone seen these maps? http://www.zillow.com/heatmaps/CityHeatMaps.htm New York City: Chicago: Los Angeles: Houston: San Francisco: Boston: Denver: Miami: Seattle: Dallas: San Diego: Portland: Cleveland: Phoenix: Washington/Baltimore: Silicon Valley: Tacoma: > >>