El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-03

A Widespread interest in the new
population divisions is promised, FOR
they were created only in response TO
a general demand for better population
figures for many cities which nave
dense suburban population In dlSIflcls
which are as truly part OF the city
as the territory under the municipal
government There are scores Of cities
In the United States where the munich
pal boundaries contain only ABOUT
half Of the total pOulauon grouped
about the urban center In some piaces
the city proper contains as low as one
third Of the population Of the metro
pOlitan district
Director Durand thinks that the new
metropolitan district tables will pro-
vide information of the utmost value
to all persons and business concerns
having frequent need of reliable Ilg-
ures on the population of the prlnclpd1
cities with dense suburban districts
which are bound to the city proper Dy
a network of transportation lines
In giving the population Of the met
rOpOlitan districts OF % of the leaolnS
cities of the United states, William =.
Hunt chief census statistician Tor pop
ulatiOn, has sought TO show the magnl-
tude of each Of the urban districts as
a whole. Rural territory with pOpu-
latiOn of less than $50 or ZVU per
square mile has been deducted from
the metropolitan districts, even II the
territory may fall within the I0-mile
limit Of the city boundaries Through
this method, the tables show solely the
strength Of the urban population OF
district. and do not include farming
communities on the outsktrts-
state Boundaries Disregarded-
state boundaries have been disre-
garded in making the metropolitan dis
tricts, for in cases like New York and
Philadelphia cities which are WlIhln
the 1O-mile limit fall in a second state
Newark and Jersey City are TWO cities
OF more than 100000 Inhabitants which
do not appear in the tables giving the
figures for the new metropolitan as
tricts. This is due TO the 1act tnat
both Of these municipalities are IN
Guided within the metropolitan as
tricts Of New York
The 25 cities with 100000 inhabitants
or more for which metropolitan as
tricts have been formed are as follows
in order of rank: New York, chicago,
Philadelphia, Boston, pittsburgh, ~
Louis, San FranciscO-Oakland, Baltl-
more. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Minneapo-
lis-St. Paul, Detroit Buffalo, Los An
geles. Milwaukee, Providence, w aSnlh g
ton. New Orleans, Kansas city LOUIS
vile, Rochester, Seattle, Indianapolis
Denver and Portland. oregon
Many Changes In Cities.
A glance at this list Of metropolitan
districts VIII show that there nave
been considerable changes in the places
of the cities as municipalities and as
metropolitan districts St Louis, Tor
instance, stands fourth among the
American cities in point Of population
but the metropolitan district OF 81
Louis drops to sixth place, and Boston
the fifth city, takes the place OF IAe
fourth metropolitan district P1ttsOurBn
is only the eighth city IN popufalloI'
but the metropolitan district is 1uth,
Cleveland Is the sixth city, but only the
ninth metropolitan district.
The proportion Of the populaJlon OUT
side OF the central city IS striking IN
some instances, like Pittsburgh. where
the city with q population OF oSAuUO
has a metropolitan district with pop
u & #Nnn han=
ulatiOn of 670.5S5, and metropolitan
district with 1,52O,4lO. Census experts
point out in their new tables that lne
differences are due TO the fact that
some of the large cities have made no
anneXatiOns Of territory Tor many
years, while mother municipalities eN-
tensive anneXatiOns of territory nave
been made from time to time The dill
ference in policy with regard 10 the
extension Of municipal boundaries
makes difficult the comparison OF size
Of cities. and census officials think tnat
the new metropolitan district tables
Will fill the void which has heretofore
existed in Uncle Sans population STA
tistics. 1t Is now possible to rank &C
cUrately the standing of the important
cities Of the country, with the popula-
ton of the suburbs outside the city
limits taken into account
Industrial Centers IN Suburbs.
That the suburbs of the great clues
are forming a considerable part or the
population Of industrial centers IS
made very apparent in the total pOpu-
latiOn Of all OF the metropolitan dis
trfcts of the central cities. All OF the
districts have total populatlon OF
22OSS, 331 inhabitants, OF when -
099.9O4 represents the population with
in the city boundaries ana 49,
that Of the suburban areas It is,
therefore. apparent that the suburbs
OF the largest cities Of the country
contain nearly 80 percent Of the popu-
lation OF the cities proper.
Besides showing that the suburbs OF
the large cities are holding a large
volume Of the population or the cues,
the table for the metropolitan districts
brings out the fact that the population
OF these districts lying outside Of the
central cities has Increased more rap
IDLY than in the cities, the rate OF IN
crease in the suburbs being II percent
against slightly more than 81 percent
for the cities proper. The table shows
further that the total population winch
lives either in one Of the 20 cities OF
more than 100000 inhabitants, or with
in 10 miles Of these cities, includes ap-
prOximately % percent Of the people
Of the whole United States.
New YOriz's suburbs.
The largest metropolitan district OF
course. IS that of New York, including
nearby cities in the same state and
also Newark, and Jersey City, PATE son
and other New Jersey nunlG ,
ulation of the New YORK metropolitan
district is nearly 6,5O0,0OO or more than
100000 in excess of the pOpulaIlOn OF
the city proper.
Chicago's metropolitan district is
millions behind that of New York. hav-
ing total population OF a little less
than 100000 or $4,000 more than Is
in the city proper Philadelphia mas
a metropolitan district with a popu-
latiOn OF approximately l,9l2.O00. or
about $4,000 more than is within the
city. Boston is the fourth metropoi-
tan district IN size. with the population
of surrounding towns swelling Its num-
Der Of inhabitants to 1,52IO0O. or near
" $4,000 more than the population
OF the city proper. Pittsburgh, the fifth
metropolitan district is the only other
one in the million class in population.
having 1.043. 600. or nearly 100000 more
than are in the city.
Twenty Big Districts.
The 20 other metropolitan districts
are named in the following order: St
Louis. metropolitan district S2S,733,
city proper 6S7.029; san FranciscO-Oak-
land, metropolitan district 6S6.SI3, cit
les proper. san Francisco 416,9l2, Oak
land 15O,1T4, Baltimore, metropolitan
district 65S.715. city proper 55S,4S5;
Cleveland, metropolitan district 61S.-