The case for big cities, in 1 map by Chris Cillizza.
From the post:
New Yorkers who don’t live in New York City hate the Big Apple. Missourians outside of St. Louis and Kansas City are skeptical about the people (and politicians) who come from the two biggest cities in the state. Politicians from the Chicago area (and inner suburbs) often meet skepticism when campaigning in downstate Illinois. You get the idea. People who don’t live in the big cities tend to resent those who do.
Fair enough. Growing up in semi-rural southeastern Connecticut, I always hated Hartford. (Not really.) But, this map built by Reddit user Alexandr Trubetskoy shows — in stark terms — how much of the country’s economic activity (as measured by the gross domestic product) is focused in a remarkably small number of major cities.
A great map, at least if you live in the greater metro area of any of these cities.
I could 21 red spots, although on the East coast they are so close together some were fused together.
It is also an illustration that a map doesn’t always tell the full story.
Say 21 or more cities produce have of the GDP.
Care to guess how many states are responsible for 50% of the agricultural production in the United States?