re: Size and Growth of SEC Metros

quote:

---

Is Birmingham just Jefferson County ? Which is misleading if so

---

Dude. The definition is based on how an area interacts via commerce and labor.

Most micropolitan areas are simply county boundaries because they are small cities and don't draw significant numbers of people from outside that county to work and shop.

Smaller metros are often the same way.


The county adjacent to the south of Fayetteville has 65,000 people, but isn't considered a part of the Fayetteville metro. That's because most of the people tend to either work or shop down in Fort Smith.

It isn't all that difficult to understand. Counties are added and subtracted from metros occasionally based on different working and shopping patterns.