Half Of The United States Lives In These Counties

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/half-of-the-united-states-lives-in-these-counties-2013-9

Using Census data, we've figured out that half of the United States population is clustered in just the 146 biggest counties out of over 3000.

Here's the map, with said counties shaded in. Below the map is the list of all the counties, so you can see if you live in one of them.



And here's the whole list of counties that are shaded in.

Los Angeles County, CA
Cook County, IL
Harris County, TX
Maricopa County, AZ
San Diego County, CA
Orange County, CA
Miami-Dade County, FL
Kings County, NY
Dallas County, TX

***the rest at the link

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/half-of-the-united-states-lives-in-these-counties-2013-9#ixzz2e1f1jasW

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/half-of-the-united-states-lives-in-these-counties-2013-9#ixzz2e1epQF5D

[onehandle]

1. I've lived in four of those counties. nt

[Beaverhausen]

2. I've lived in five of them

That's amazing

[Liberal Veteran]

59. Same here. -nt

[RebelOne]

3. I have lived in three of them. n/t

[NuclearDem]

4. Lived in four.

Marion, IN
Bexar, TX
Spokane, WA
Douglas, NE

[Marrah_G]

5. I've lived in 4 and only those 4

Last edited Fri Sep 6, 2013, 09:24 AM - Edit history (1)

Norfolk County, MA
Providence county, RI
Bristol County, MA
Essex County, MA

[marmar]

6. Live in one now. Lived in 3 others.

nt

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

7. Just for giggles....

I'd like to see the Red / Blue voting habits of those counties. Is that data readily available (i.e., without it turning into a day-long research project)?

[NuclearDem]

11. Typically, the larger a county, the bluer it is.

[hootinholler]

41. More populous

Rather than larger. Some of the largest counties are the least populated and very red.

[NuclearDem]

52. Right, sorry, that's what I meant.

[RebelOne]

68. Not necessarily. Cobb County in GA is far from blue. n/t

[telclaven]

39. The Google is strong with this one

Here you go
[|

[npk]

75. Yes it stands to reason that most people don't like to live next to bat shit crazy people

So those bat shit crazy people are often found in the less populating areas. Of course I think we must also realize that they are many different kind of Dems and Libs these days and some people who vote Democratic do so more for economic reasons, then they do because they have strong progressive principles and ideals.

[NRaleighLiberal]

8. I've lived in 4 of them - currently Wake County, NC

[NuclearDem]

10. I actually used to live there. Good old Cary.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

15. My brother lives in Cary...

He told me that Cary is actually an acronym:

Containment
Area for
Relocated
Yankees

[NuclearDem]

16. No backronym has ever been more appropriate.

Considering I had moved down there from Indiana, I can't say it's not true.

[Butterbean]

70. Represent! But I'm in Durham....;) n/t

[City Lights]

9. I've lived in three of them.

Two in IL; one in AZ.

[oldhippie]

12. I'm obviously a country boy ....

I have never lived in any of those counties. The county I live in now has a population of 19,800.

On edit: Oops, I was stationed on Oahu, HI for 18 months, but I was mostly TDY somewhere else in Asia. I think I spent a total of 9 weeks or so in HI in that time, so I probably shouldn't count it.

[frazzled]

13. Lived in 6

Cook County, IL
Middlesex County, MA
Hennepin County, MN
Erie County, NY
New York County, NY
Marion County, IN

[JEB]

14. Never lived in any of those counties,

but here in Oregon we count on Multnomah County to save us from the rest of the state at election time.

[JoePhilly]

17. 3 of the shaded and one that is not shaded.

[Le Taz Hot]

18. Gotta put a holla in for the U.S. Census.

Been around since 1790 and NEVER leaked ANYTHING to anyone. Ever. The only thing they put out is just what you see, raw data. If a census worker ever comes to your door, please be a dear and cooperate. And offer him/her a nice glass of ice water while you're at it.

Thank you.

[malthaussen]

19. Never lived outside a shaded county.

Allegheny first, then Montgomery.

-- Mal

[PRETZEL]

27. Pretty much same here

except for the couple of years I lived in Delaware County after college.

[Shrike47]

20. Lived in two of them. Then we moved to Oregon.

Willamette Valley is pretty blue but we don't get on the population map yet, thankfully.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

21. I've lived in two.

Of course, I've only lived in three counties total my entire life.

BTW, Riverside County, CA is huge.

[GObamaGO]

24. San Bernardino County is the bigger of the two Inland Empire counties

[Tommy_Carcetti]

25. Oh, my bad.

Thought Riverside was the larger of the two.

Still, it's huge.

[GObamaGO]

108. Sorry if I came off as being pedantic.

[wryter2000]

22. Every county I've lived in is on that list

Including Onandaga County, NY, which I wouldn't have guessed. Maybe it's because Syracuse University is there.

[edhopper]

23. FYI for some who don't know

New york City is made up of five counties, King, Queens, New York, Bronx and Richmond, making up the five boroughs.

If you were wondering why NY isn't higher on the list.

[Zorra]

26. Never lived in any of those counties. nt

[Nancy Waterman]

28. I wish they had the equivalent voting power

to match their 50% population.

[Jenoch]

46. They do for the U.S. House and for the presidency.

Did you notice how red the map is (post $39) and yet President Obama was elected and re-elected?

[Tikki]

29. We live in one and have lived in another...

Didn't grow up in one, though.




The Tikkis

[totodeinhere]

30. I have never lived in one of those shaded counties except when I was attending college

and in that case I considered it a temporary address. But I do live in the second largest county in the USA in terms of square mileage. But in this country the people are outnumbered by jack rabbits and coyotes.

Edit - I guess I lied. I just checked and Elko County is the 4th largest, not the second.

[unblock]

31. i've lived in 7 of them i think!

one each in ca, oh, tx, ma, and ct, and 2 in nj.

i've never not lived in one of them!

well, counting only the u.s -- i lived in france for a year....

[zipplewrath]

32. And about half the states

If I counted correctly, it's like 26 states, which is about half of them. So half the states hold half of the population.

(Which isn't true, by the by, I seem to remember you can get to half the population with about 13 states).

[locks]

33. urban vs rural

Montana governor Bullock, a Dem, was just interviewed on Aljazeera America. He is astute and independent because he has to be to survive in Montana, one of our most rural states. He is for gun rights and believes that although Montana has more guns than any other states, it has fewer gun crimes. He has signed a nullification bill as many "rural" states have. When asked about Colorado's recall election coming up next week (two state legislators who had the courage to vote for sensible gun control laws) he noted that Colorado is one of the least rural states. The map shows only 4 counties that have large populations but like the rest of the nation more than 80% of our population lives in them.

We know that the rural parts of our country are very conservative and that they continue to decline in numbers. In Colorado six rural counties have voted to secede from Colorado because they feel state legislators, mostly urban, do not listen to them. Do you think Dems can find ways to bring in these people without leaving our hard-fought for principles and laws behind?

[zipplewrath]

55. Not really

Urban versus rural has really been around, one way or another, since before the founding of our country. There were problems in Pennsylvania prior to the revolution (in which Franklin became involved) over issues relating to the "wilderness" versus the cities (basically Philly). Sometimes these issues are expressed more in the form of "merchant class vs. agrarian class". Much of the civil war and its roots extended from the conflict between the northern/merchant/industrial class and the southern/agrarian/rual class.

We don't have particular ways to pass national laws that only apply to urban areas. So a gun ban that makes perfect sense in Chicago, makes no sense in Bucksnort, Tennessee. Clean water regulations in Cleveland have different impacts than clean water regs in Whitefish, Montana. There will always be conflicts between the needs and desires of urban dwellers and the rural populations.

[Roland99]

34. Lived in 1; Living in another; Worked in another;

[Warren DeMontague]

35. and yet, Wyoming at 400K people, controls 1/50th of the US Senate.

The same 1/50th that California, at 44 Million, controls.

It explains a lot about why our Federal gov't. is skewed more conservative, religious and rural than how the majority of the people actually feel.

[telclaven]

40. And yet Wyoming only gets one Representative

While California has fifty-five (IIRC).

The system works exactly as intended.

[Warren DeMontague]

57. I'm not suggesting that it's not designed that way, nor am I suggesting that it should or even can

be changed.


Nevertheless, it's a simple mathematical fact that if you're a citizen of Wyoming, your single vote counts for a hell of a lot more in the US Senate than does a citizen of California.

[telclaven]

61. Which is why I favor repealing part of the 17th Amendment

Senators should represent the State and be responsible to the State Government. I think it was a mistake making Senators 'super Representatives at large' with greater veto power over the House.

[Warren DeMontague]

64. So you're saying you're opposed to the direct popular election of Senators, then?

....hmmm.

Interesting.

[Warren DeMontague]

65. Also, repealing the 17th amendment wouldn't do jack to alleviate the fundamental unfairness inherent

in the greater power given to voters in low-pop states, vs. high pop ones.

What it would do would be to put the Senate in the hands of the individual state governments, which are often invariably FAR more conservative (witness a state like Illiniois) than the majority of the voters who happen to be concentrated in the state's urban areas.

You're aware of that implication, right?

[telclaven]

83. I will have to contemplate about that

N/T

[former9thward]

90. I am from Illinois.

The Illinois legislature is controlled from top to bottom by Cook County Democrats.

[Warren DeMontague]

91. Maybe it's changed since the 70s, my days driving the milk truck in Kankakee.

I kid, I kid. I never drove a milk truck.

[former9thward]

103. It has changed.

Back in the 70s Repubicans had a significant presence in the legislature. They even controlled at least one branch from time to time. Since the early 90s they have been shut out and down state Democrats have fared no better.

[joshcryer]

94. Apportionment is what's really screwed up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_congressional_apportionment

Also, I'd advocate range voting over the current plurality system.

[telclaven]

95. What is range voting?

I've not heard the term before.

[joshcryer]

97. Basically you score your candidates.

And you can score all of them on a ballot. It's easier explained by Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_voting

If not possible approval voting would be good. Basically instead of voting for one and only one candidate on a ballot (in its respective field) you vote for as many as you want. Wouldn't require a ballot change. Being able to vote for as many as you want allows you to vote for the third party candidate you like and the one person that you expect to win or that the big party expects to win.

However, score voting is far more accurate.

This is far better than Australia's insane instant runoff approach. You just vote your conscious.

Here's a great site on both types of voting systems: http://www.electology.org/

And here's a really good example of how approval voting works: http://gabesmall.net/approval-demo-g/

(There are other examples on the former link under the apps section under learn more.)

[KamaAina]

43. And yet we control the Senate

while the House asylum is run by the inmates. House districts may be equal size, but the repukes have ensured they aren't equal shape.

[Warren DeMontague]

58. Yeah, that's another problem.

The gerrymandering has made it pretty damn impossible to get anything done.

[William769]

36. Damn! My County is one of them.

Lee County, FL.

[1-Old-Man]

37. Poor bastards don't know what they're missing

Becacuse these other parts that aren't grossly over-crowded are awfully nice places to live.

[Arugula Latte]

69. Oh, we know, all right.

It's just not the life for us.

New York is where I'd rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.

[Butterbean]

72. Yeah, but the shopping there SUCKS. ;) n/t

[MisterP]

77. well, at least our suburbs know they're suburbs instead of insisting everyone call them "farms"

the upside? world's tiniest chapel

[NightWatcher]

38. Look how close most of them are to the coast. Sea level rise is gonna suck

[Supersedeas]

74. ready for uninvited company?

[KamaAina]

42. About nine for me.

The only one missing is New Orleans (Orleans Parish). Heckuvajob, Brownie!

[Brewinblue]

47. Yeah, it would be eight counties/parishes here

if Orleans Parish hadn't lost half its population. It was over half a million back in the 80's.

[lpbk2713]

44. Polk County Florida is pretty much rural.

It made the list by virtue of its size, being the largest county in area in Florida.
It usually leans Red and it is in the middle of the well known I-4 corridor.

[FarCenter]

45. Large parts of counties like San Bernadino, CA are very thinly populated

The population is much more concentrated geographically than the blue area would indicate -- Especially CA and AZ.

[Bluenorthwest]

98. San Bernadino County population is 2.065 million. 15 States have smaller populations than

your county. Thinly populated? I guess......

[FarCenter]

104. Almost all of the population lives south and west of Victorville

A lot of the county is the mostly vacant Mojave Desert.

[Jenoch]

48. Is Louisiana missing (New Orleans) because they have

parishes instead of counties or are their parishes unusually small?

[KamaAina]

51. Orleans Parish likely would have made the cut prior to 2005.

Heckuvajob, Brownie!

But even before then it had dipped below 500,000, confounding legislators who liked to pass laws specific to New Orleans by saying "any parish over 500,000 population".

[Jesus Malverde]

49. interesting...nt

[KG]

50. live in one, previously lived in 3 others. i'm pretty much a city boy...

[tabbycat31]

53. Lived in 3

Westchester County, NY (born and raised)
Monmouth County, NJ (when I'm not on the road)
Wake County, NC (Currently working there and just moved there this week).

[Little Star]

54. I've lived in 4 of those counties.......

Born & lived till 12 yrs old in New Haven County, CT
All teen years & most adult years lived in Worcester County, MA
Year or so lived in Hartford County, CT
Now in Norfolk County, MA

Just a New England kind of gal I guess.

[markpkessinger]

56. I have lived in five

Kings County (Brooklyn), NY, Queens County, NY, New York County, NY, Westchester County, NY and Essex County, NJ.

[carolinayellowdog]

60. Norfolk and Princess Anne Counties would be highlighted if they still existed

Last edited Fri Sep 6, 2013, 09:25 AM - Edit history (1)

Even though Virginia's three largest cities are in the southeastern corner, nowhere in Hampton Roads is highlighted because no major city there is part of any county. VA now has five fewer counties than in 1950: Elizabeth City County became the City of Hampton, Warwick County became Newport News, Norfolk County became Chesapeake, Princess Anne County became Virginia Beach, Nansemond County became Suffolk. Norfolk and Portsmouth had already become independent of Norfolk County before the rest of it decided to become Chesapeake; those three cities now have over a half-million residents combined and Virginia Beach has almost that many. If it weren't for the "independent city" anomaly that region would include two of the populous counties. Don't want to live there now, where it's far more developed than when I left in the 1980s. Closest highlighted county to me now is Guilford County, NC, an hour south of here-- as close as I'd care to be to any highly urbanized region.

[MineralMan]

62. Ramsey Co., MN.

That's the only one of those counties I have ever lived in.

[MNBrewer]

63. But the other less than half has...

cows, or pine trees, or .... surface area, or GOD on their side... or something.

[Arugula Latte]

67. They have acreage -- therefore their vote counts more. See how that works?

[Arugula Latte]

66. Hooray for cities! I love 'em...

Small towns -- John Mellencamp can keep 'em all.

[Art_from_Ark]

93. I've lived in several American cities

Some of them have even been nice places to visit.

[mountain grammy]

102. I love cities too, but love my life in rural Colorado

We're a tourist area, so that kind of keeps the local right wing nuts in line.. and boy we have plenty of them. Luckily, our Congressional district include Boulder, so we have a Dem state senator and congressman. The local Repubs. whine and carry on about not being represented... wah, wah, boo hoo. They don't give a damn when I'm not represented.
Now they're talking secession, the idiots.

I take at least two good trips to the city each month to take in the socialist lifestyle, like paved streets, sidewalks, storm drains, festivals, plays, movies, etc., etc.
But then I come home to no traffic, peace and quiet and the stars at night. I'm truly blessed and so lucky to be able to enjoy the best of both worlds. If only I could open the minds of my rural neighbors.

[11 Bravo]

71. We're #36! (Fairfax County, VA)

[Starry Messenger]

73. Several in CA.

I've lived in three of them, presently in San Mateo County.

[tblue]

76. 2 Senators for every state

This is a little freaky to me. 2 Senators for every state, even ones with almost no people in them. I've never NOT lived in one of those, so I guess I'm relatively less empowered.

[joeybee12]

78. I've lived in 5 of them!

KNR

[Logical]

79. I have lived in every one of them! n-t

[bigwillq]

80. New Haven, CT!!

It's where I live!

[xchrom]

81. I know!

[Link Speed]

82. Damn, I've lived in 10 of them

Hopefully, my Falling-in-Love days are behind me.

[gopiscrap]

84. Wow look at that

I live in one of those counties, Pierce County State of Washington

[curlyred]

85. Live in one. Mostly always have

[bluestate10]

86. My county is one of the 146. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

87. a shout out to los angeles county

[PasadenaTrudy]

101. We love it!

I love L.A.

[Liberal_in_LA]

107. .

[fadedrose]

88. What states have the fewest people?

[Blue_In_AK]

89. I've lived in five of those counties on the list,

but I'm extremely happy now to live in sparsely populated Alaska where we don't even have counties and some of our boroughs are as big as states. I'm visiting in LA County now and just feel like staying inside. Too many people.

[mnhtnbb]

111. I get it. Lived in LA County for 19 years.

You couldn't PAY me to move back to California. The traffic is nuts.

[davidpdx]

92. Thank heavens for Multnomah County and the half a dozen or so other blue counties

in Oregon. If not for them we'd be a teabag state.

Myself, my brother, mother, and half-sister were all born in large counties. I can't remember where my dad was born.

[Bluenorthwest]

100. And yet of our 5 Congressional districts, 4 are currently Democratic and the one Republican

is not really a tea bagger, although he sure as shit is a Republican.

[RedRocco]

96. I am surprised that Greenville County, SC made the list

my part of it is very rural

[duffyduff]

99. Sad and pathetic

There is so much great country to see and live, yet people live like sardines in these areas.

Terrible.

[Eleanors38]

105. My god. I'm no longer amazed that Travis Co. (Austin) grew

From a few hundred thousand to nearly a million within the 43 yrs I've liv ed here.

It's Pasco County, Florida where I was born! This was cattle, citrus, sawmill, sponge-fishing country with several thousand residents when I was born!
But we still make our re-union migration to Hillsborough State Park, just over the county line, every year.

[panader0]

106. Amazed about So Cal and SW Az

I know that Phoenix, LA and San Diego are in there, but so much of that area is open spaces with NO people at all.
My county, Cochise, is the SE corner of AZ.

[yuiyoshida]

109. I would love to live in LA

eom

[mnhtnbb]

110. I've lived in four.

Westchester County, NY
Morris County, NJ
San Diego County, CA
Los Angeles County, CA

[B Calm]

112. I'm happy to report I live in the least populated county in Indiana.

I enjoy living in a rural setting where I have an inner peace.