Re: Top 100 Small Cities - GRIPE!
ya, Norman is most definitely a suburb of OKC now, just as Bellevue is a suburb of Seattle. I think you're thinking small city as being only the Enids, Lawtons, and the Ponca City's of the nation.
But Solitude, both Norman and Edmond and Bellevue are big enough to stand on their own in many prominent areas without OKC or Seattle, be it population or suburban/secondary downtown or jobs or education. These cities probably wouldn't be AS big or important if they were alone - but you could live in either without HAVING to go into the big city.
This designation - small city/suburb, is how Norman and Bellevue are classified. But, if memory serves me correct - I think you might be confusing suburb with a much more 'common' image of BEDROOM SUBURB. there is a difference!
OKC has a LOT of bedroom suburbs, Warr Acres, Village, Mustang, Moore, MWC, Del City, Yukon, the E Ok County suburbs - these are ALL Bedroom Suburbs of OKC. You almost definitely have to go into OKC for jobs, shopping, and entertainment - if you reside in those suburbs. And when most people (obviously including you) think of suburbs - you think of bedroom suburbs, who couldn't survive without the big city.
But, there are other types of suburbs than just bedroom. Sattellite suburbs, extended suburbs, and small city suburbs - these are also suburbs, they just stand alone more.
I'd say Edmond and Norman and Shawnee are small city suburbs - they can stand alone more, Norman moreso than Edmond. These cities are big enough to have almost everything so you don't have to go into the big city but they are obviously dependent upon OKC, especially for top metropolitan amenities and attractions. Take a look at their CoC pages, and they 'reluctantly' must mention Oklahoma City.
I would call Guthrie and El Reno extended suburbs - they are far enough away from the big city to HAVE TO stand on their own for most things but you must venture in every now and then. A look at their CoC pages, and they may not mention OKC at all or they might mention in location only.
Then the final classification, sattellite suburbs, are even further out - but still are quite dependent on the big city for major amenities - like Airports, Hospitals, and other critical services. The only sattellite cities I can think of for OKC are Chickasha and Stillwater (even though Stillwater isn't YET classified in the CSA for OKC, I expect in 2010 it will be).
Im not too familiar with Tulsa, but I'd take a swag that its bedroom suburbs might be Sapulpa, Jenks, and Sand Springs. Extended Suburbs might be BA and Owasso. Sattellite suburbs are Bartlesville and Muskogee (Bartlesville is already considered part of the CSA, Musk is not yet).
Here in Seattle, we have LOTS of bedroom suburbs - too many to list, you guys wont know/recognize most of them. But Renton, which you guys do know, is considered a bedroom suburb. Extended suburbs would be Bellevue, Everett, and Kent.
Some consider Tacoma as a Sattellite suburb - but really, Tacoma stands on its own; and has its own suburbs. Tacoma is in no way dependent on Seattle but it's kind of the twin cities effect (minneapolis st paul, dallas ft worth, los angeles long beach, san fran oakland) where Tacoma is big and far enough to stand on its own but it is still a metropolitan partner to the bigger Seattle, therefore it is a sattellite suburb. Another Sattellite suburb would be our state capital, olympia (but is it a suburb of Tacoma [which most consider it since it has commuter bus to downtown Tacoma] or Seattle?
Anyways, if you consider other metropolitan areas, you see that Norman and Edmond definitely are suburbs of Oklahoma City. But, the way OKC is layed out, they are big enough to be small cities that can stand on their own for many things - so they want to be known as their own.
You get this distinction when you say where you're from. People from Norman dont say they're from OKC, nor do people from Edmond; just like people from Bellevue don't say they're from Seattle. They are extended suburbs that are small cities on their own, and prominent enough that people know of them on their own.
However, people from Yukon, MWC, and so on - they may say their suburb but almost always have to say - oh, from OKC or a suburb of OKC to clarify. Because of that, these places are bedroom suburbs.
Oklahoma City, the RENAISSANCE CITY!
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