Population

I thought this was a very interesting graphic. It really does show how much open space and rural area our nation has. As near as I can tell, the major cities shown are as follows (from west to east): I won't get them all, but I I think I can name more than 90% without peeking at any maps. Let's see how I do...

Honolulu
Anchorage
Seattle/Tacoma
Portland
San Francisco/San Jose
Sacramento
Los Angeles
San Diego
Spokane
Las Vegas
Salt Lake City
Phoenix/Scottsdale
Denver/Boulder
Albuquerque
El Paso (almost missed that one)
Lincoln
Kansas City (Kansas and Missouri)
Topeka
Oklahoma City
Tulsa
Dallas/Fort Worth
Austin
San Antonio
Houston
Laredo
Minneapolis/St. Paul
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Chicago
Memphis
Detroit
Indianapolis
Nashville
Louisville
Montgomery
Cincinnati
Dayton
Atlanta
Columbus
Cleveland
Pittsburgh
Columbia
Buffalo
Albany
Rochester
Charlotte
Raleigh
Winston/Salem
Tampa
Sarasota/Bradenton
Jacksonville
Daytona Beach
Miami
Washington DC
Baltimore
Philadelphia
New York City
Newark
Concord
Boston

I have to admit I am surprised New Orleans is not shown as a largely populated area. The data must not have been collected during Mardi Gras.

That's approximately 60 metropolitan areas. I counted places like Dallas/Fort Worth as one. If you broke those down the number would be closer to 70. In any case, with an average of about one large city per state, you can see how densely populated some areas are, while other areas are virtually empty.

I know, I know... what kind of guy looks at a population density map and analyzes it? Who in their right mind tries to name the major US population centers without looking at a map? Me! Don't look now, but my nerdiness is showing!