Largest Metropolitan Areas in the United States

Largest Metropolitan Areas in the United States Some of the most populous cities in the United States have held on to those top spots decade after decade. In fact, New York City has been the largest U.S. metropolitan area since the countrys first census in 1790. The other long-time holders of top-three titles are Los Angeles and Chicago. To have a change in the top three, you have to go back to 1980 to have Los Angeles and Chicago trade places, with Chicago holding the number two spot. Then, you have to look back to 1950 to find Los Angeles moving down to number 4 behind Philadelphia and keep heading back to 1940 to have Detroit push Los Angeles down to number five.   The Census Bureaus Criteria The U.S. Census Bureau conducts official census counts every ten years, and regularly releases population estimates for consolidated metropolitan statistical areas (CMSAs), metropolitan statistical  areas, and primary metropolitan areas. CMSAs  are urban areas (such as one or more counties) with a city of more than 50,000 and its surrounding suburbs. The area needs to have a combined population of at least 100,000 (in New England, the total population requirement is 75,000). The suburbs need to be economically and socially integrated with the core city, in most cases by a high level of residents commuting into the core city, and the area needs to have a specific percentage of the urban population or population density. The Census Bureau first started using a definition of a metropolitan area for census work in the tabulation of 1910 and used the minimum of 100,000 or more residents, revising it in 1950 down to 50,000 to take into account the growth of suburbs and their integration with the city they surround. About Metropolitan Areas The 30 largest metropolitan areas in the United States are those urban and suburban areas containing populations of more than 2 million. The top five largest metropolitan areas  are still the five largest in population as represented in the 2010 U.S. Census. This list of the top 30 metropolitan areas spans from New York City to Milwaukee; youll note that many of the largest consolidated metros in New England stretch through multiple states. Several others across the country span borders as well; for example, Kansas City, Kansas stretches over into Missouri.  In another example, St. Paul and Minneapolis are both completely in Minnesota, but there are people residing right across the border in Wisconsin who are considered an integrated part of the metropolitan statistical area of Minnesotas Twin Cities. The data here represents the estimates from July 2016; a new census will take place in 2020. The 30 Biggest U.S. Metropolitan Areas from Largest to Smallest   1. New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA 23,689,255 2. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA 18,688,022 3. Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI 9,882,634 4. Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 9,665,892 5. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 8,751,807 6. Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT 8,176,376 7. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK 7,673,305 8. Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD 7,179,357 9. Houston-The Woodlands, TX 6,972,374 10. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL 6,723,472 11. Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA 6,451,262 12. Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI 5,318,653 13. Seattle-Tacoma, WA 4,684,516 14. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI 3,894,820 15. Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH 3,483,311 16. Denver-Aurora, CO 3,470,235 17. Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL 3,202,927 18. Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA 3,160,488 19. St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL 2,911,769 20. Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV 2,635,228 21. Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC 2,632,249 22. Sacramento-Roseville, CA 2,567,451 23. Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT 2,514,748 24. Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS 2,446,396 25. Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH 2,443,402 26. Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ 2,404,336 27. Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN 2,386,199 28. Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN 2,224,231 29. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 2,156,253 30. Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 2,043,274

Biography of Artist Romare Bearden

Biography of Artist Romare Bearden   Overview Visual artists Romare Bearden portrayed African-American life and culture in various artistic mediums. Bearden’s work as a cartoonist, painter, and collage artist spanned the Great Depression and post-Civil Rights Movement. Following his death in 1988, The New York Times wrote in its obituary of Bearden that he was â€Å"one of America’s most pre-eminent artists† and â€Å"the nation’s foremost collagist.† Achievements Established the 306 Group, an organization for African-American artists in Harlem.Co-wrote the jazz classic, â€Å"Sea Breeze,† which was later recorded by Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie.Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1966.Elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1972.Elected to the National Academy of Design as an associate member in 1978.Awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1987.Established the Bearden Foundation to provide support to young visual artists.Listed as one of Molefi Kete Asante’s 100 Greatest African Americans. Early Life and Education Romare Bearden was born on September 9, 1912 in Charlotte, N.C.   At an early age, Bearden’s family moved to Harlem. His mother, Bessye Bearden was the New York editor for the Chicago Defender. Her work as a social activist allowed Bearden to be exposed to artists of the Harlem Renaissance at an early age. Bearden studied art at New York University and as a student, he drew cartoons for the humor magazine, Medley. During this time, Bearden also freelanced with newspapers such as Baltimore Afro-American, Collier’s, and the Saturday Evening Post, publishing political cartoons and drawings. Bearden graduated from New York University in 1935. Life as an Artist Throuhgout Bearden’s career as an artist, he was heavily influenced by African-American life and culture as well as jazz music. Following his graduation from New York University, Bearden was attending the Art Students League and working with expressionist George Grosz. It was during this time that Bearden became an abstract collage artist and painter. Bearden’s early paintings often depicted African-American life in the South. His artistic style was influenced heavily by muralists such as Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. By the 1960s, Bearden was innovative art works that incorporated acrylics, oils, tiles, and photographs. Bearden was heavily influenced by 20th century artistic movements such as cubism, social realism and abstraction. By the 1970s, Bearden continued to depict African-American life through the use of ceramic tilings, paintings and collage. For instance, in 1988, Bearden’s collage â€Å"Family,† inspired a larger artwork that was installed at the Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building in New York City. Bearden was also heavily influenced by the Caribbean in his work. The lithograph â€Å"Pepper Jelly Lady,† portrays a woman selling pepper jelly in front of a wealthy estate. Documenting African-American Artistry In addition to his work as an artist, Bearden wrote several books on African-American visual artists. In 1972, Bearden coauthored â€Å"Six Black Masters of American Art† and â€Å"A History of African-American Artists: From 1792 to Present† with Harry Henderson. In 1981, he wrote â€Å"The Painter’s Mind† with Carl Holty. Personal Life and Death Bearden died on March 12, 1988 from complications from bone marrow. He was survived by his wife, Nanete Rohan. Legacy In 1990, Bearden’s widow established The Romare Bearden Foundation. The purpose was to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of this preeminent American artist.   In Bearden’s hometown, Charlotte, there is a street named in his honor along with a collage of glass tiles called â€Å"Before Dawn† at the local library and the Romare Bearden Park.