Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Baltimore and Washington, Dallas and Fort Worth, etc. As a result, many medium-
size cities exceeded limits and formed new metropolitan areas, often satellites of
larger MSAs. In conclusion, and just in the territory of conterminous states, the total
surface area covered by metropolitan areas went from 1 million km² in 1970 to
1.9 million km² in 2000, to represent 24% of the entire territory.
Metropolitan areas are home to almost 81% of the US population. Using a
constant definition for metropolitan areas, the population grew by 50% between
1970 and 2005. The population of predominantly rural areas (non-metropolitan
areas) has increased significantly since 1970 (31%), although at a slower pace than
in counties located within a metropolitan area. Population disparities are widening,
however, with an average density of 9 people per km² for the counties outside
metropolitan areas (definition used in 2000) compared to an average density of 126
inhabitants per km² for counties within a metropolitan area.
Nearly 60% of the population, or over 175 million people, now live in one of 52
metropolitan areas with more than one million inhabitants. Today, only 22 of these
cities are located in the North and East. There are now 19 in the South and 11 in the
West. With over 17.6 million inhabitants, the consolidated metropolitan area of Los
Angeles is no longer very far behind New York (21.6 million). The factors that
started to influence settlement in the Sunbelt are still valid today, and they have even
strengthened as a result of recent economic change. The United States has become
the world's pioneer in information technology and communication. This revolution
first took place in the cities on the Pacific coast. San Francisco became its strongest
symbol with the Silicon Valley. While cities in the South and West attract new
technologies, the North and East suffer from the decline of old heavy industries
based on steel and coal. The Rustbelt particularly affects the Heartland around the
Great Lakes and Appalachian regions. The US economy is eliminating jobs in the
goods-producing sectors (agriculture, industry) and creating new ones in the service
industry. The greater benefit of this “dematerialization” of the economy is in the
South and West.
This explains why coastal populations continue to grow faster than average;
nearly 29% of the population now lives in a coastal county along the Atlantic or
Pacific. Population aging continues to affect the geography of settlement,
particularly in Florida.
The High Plains and mountains have an above average population growth, due to
the development of big cities in the western inlands. The proportion of people living
under the altitude of 250 meters fell to 73%.
