--- Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol at jhu.edu> wrote:
>
>
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/29/opinion/29krugman.html
>
> I would like to add to his comment that the US is
> unlike most other
> developed countries in its demographic structure.
> Most other developing
> countries are predominantly urban. about every
> fourth French lives in Paris
> or its suburbs (aka Ile de France), two out three
> Canadians live in
> Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa or Vancouver. However
> only about 5% of the US
> population lives in two major urban (political and
> economic) centers - New
> York and DC, and if you add LA, Chicago and Boston,
> that number raises to
> paltry 10 or so percent.
This doesn't exactly blow a hole in your thesis, but you're comparing apples and oranges here. Paris and every other European city I've seen encloses its suburbs; the city limits are in the fields. Metro NY and Chicago alone have close to 10% of the US pop.
I don't know how it works in Canada, but this is from <http://www.demographia.com/db-cancityhist.htm>
Year Montreal Ottawa Toronto Vancouver 2001 1,040,000 337,031 676,000 546,000
The same site lists 52 US cities with pops larger than Ottawa's. The results are similar comparing metro areas.
Our swaggering pious hicks are suburban.
Andy
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