What districts would have Dems won back if not for gerrymandering?

[traininthedistance]

Oh, yeah, Massachusetts.  Here's a map that the Pubs here should like.



The purple district is 50.8% Obama, and Romney probably won it.  The Republicans would probably be favored here.  As a competitive bonus, the yellow district is only 56.1% Obama, so not secure for the Dems either.

I did not check closely to see how well the districts lined up with NECTA boundaries, so I'd like to do that with any final Massachusetts map.  I expect that the Springfield NECTA must be split down the middle in any case, which makes me quite sad given my usual priorities.  But, yes, I do think that a fair map in the Bay State would try to give the Pubs a district they could win, and this seems like the easiest way to do so at first blush.

[Torie]

In your Mass map the  lean Pub CD is too erose for me Train - way too erose. As I said, we will just have to agree to disagree. Hopefully Muon2 will opine on the MD erosity issue. It seem clear to me, and clear to you otherwise, so that is that. There is no point about arguing between us about it further.

More globally, at the end of the day, what you and I think really does not matter. The issue is whether both parties can accept something other than the status quo. In that regard, since the status quo favors the Pubs more than what I favor, I suspect even if the Dems want something more, they would settle for that. The problem might be getting the Pubs to go along. They will never go along with something that dilutes substantially their geographic and VRA advantage. That is just reality.

FWIW, below is my Mass map. One issue is whether to follow county lines in Mass that don't mean much, but for this exercise I did, just for the sake of consistency. Again, I did not even look at the partisan numbers until the map was done, and frankly did not have much of a clue outside the obvious, because I have never drawn a map of Mass before.

[traininthedistance]

and doubt the Cecil issue per se is that important to partisan issues anyway.

Well, yes.  My concerns are not nearly as partisan as you imagine them to be. 

[muon2]

Train's map of MD adds a lot of additional erosity for no doubt partisan reasons.

What additional erosity?  No, seriously, you're imagining things here.  I don't see it at. all.  

And I would absolutely draw Massachusetts in such a way as to give the Pubs at least one district they'd have a real shot at.

I guess Muon2 can help us on the erosity issue for MD, on which we disagree. We just have a fundamentally different philosophy here Train, and such is life. We will just have to agree to disagree, because we are both stubborn cusses on this, and I don't think it possible to close the gap. That happens sometimes. Moving stuff around for partisan reasons to me is perhaps not quite as fraught with peril as this communities of interest scam, but it has the potential for great mischief, and gaming.

So, you can't defend splitting Cecil from the rest of the Eastern Shore, or explain how my map is unacceptably erose whereas yours is peachy.  Gotcha.

I said let Muon2 opine on the erosity issue, so we don't have to continually bite at each other on that one. I thought about Cecil when I drew the map, but it was just too far north, and added too much erosity, and the bay turns into but a river there anyway (your comment sounds more like a COI issue anyway - the important thing is that bridge connection to Annapoplis). It also makes the NE corner CD compact, along with making the Eastern shore CD more compact. That is why I did it. I didn't even look at the partisan numbers until I was done, and doubt the Cecil issue per se is that important to partisan issues anyway. I guess I just can't persuade you that I don't have ulterior motives, so there is no point anymore in even discussing that I guess. Thanks.

I... still don't see how adding Cecil adds erosity?  Just asserting as such doesn't make it so?  It seems to me that your issue here, perhaps, is that you are overly wedded to lines that run straight north-south and east-west even when the natural geography of a state is geared towards diagonals.  This seems to me the one possible gloss of your horreur at my eminently fair and compact map which does not require ulterior motives to come into play.

And I have been very careful to try and not assume ulterior motives, as well as play along as best I can with your throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater school of thought on CoI.  (Some things, of course, are just too obvious to let slide, like the Eastern Shore.  And I will not stop harping on MSAs.  But in general I have bent over backwards to accept your terms of the debate, even though I could very easily, and possibly should, challenge some of them.)  But, of course, it is hard when you seem to refuse to do the same.  Perhaps maybe you could refrain from assuming that my proposals are made with partisan intent, and then I would be more than happy to do the same with yours.

I'll get to erosity in a different post, but let me clear up what seems an inconsistency on Cecil. Historically Cecil was counted with the Eastern Shore because it sits across the Susquehanna. That history has little to do with the bulk of the population. For over a decade it has been part of the Philly MSA, the Wilmington metropolitan division to be more specific. It's not even outlying, but considered to be a central county in the MSA. Sticking with MSAs, there is no reason to favor its placement on the Eastern Shore any more than putting Anne Arundel there because of the bridge.

And speaking about that bridge, the Baltimore MSA now includes Queen Anne's county on the ES as a central county! Carroll and Harford are the outlying counties. Commuters are now such a significant portion of the population using the bridge that they have overrun the historical population. Even a decade ago when I spent some time on the ES I could see evidence of the transition, particularly where the people live on the peninsula that includes the bridge. So if MSA preservation is a criteria, one cannot ignore that anymore than one can ignore Lackawanna-Luzerne can one? Redistricting is about current populations not historical ones.

One other connection issue concerns the southern end of the Chesapeake. In discussions about WA it was generally agreed that regular scheduled ferry service could replace a public highway for the purposes of determining a connection. The Smith Island ferry links St Marys and Somerset counties. Erosity doesn't care about the bay when links are present. Yet using that link can provide additional options to preserve the aforementioned Queen Anne's link to the mainland. Then again it may not apply since the schedule doesn't show for the winter. However the boats provide a number to call for service even in the winter, so this one is a bit gray.

[Torie]

How come you know so much about MD Muon2?  That was quite an impressive tour de horizon.

[traininthedistance]

I'll get to erosity in a different post, but let me clear up what seems an inconsistency on Cecil. Historically Cecil was counted with the Eastern Shore because it sits across the Susquehanna. That history has little to do with the bulk of the population. For over a decade it has been part of the Philly MSA, the Wilmington metropolitan division to be more specific. It's not even outlying, but considered to be a central county in the MSA. Sticking with MSAs, there is no reason to favor its placement on the Eastern Shore any more than putting Anne Arundel there because of the bridge.

And speaking about that bridge, the Baltimore MSA now includes Queen Anne's county on the ES as a central county! Carroll and Harford are the outlying counties. Commuters are now such a significant portion of the population using the bridge that they have overrun the historical population. Even a decade ago when I spent some time on the ES I could see evidence of the transition, particularly where the people live on the peninsula that includes the bridge. So if MSA preservation is a criteria, one cannot ignore that anymore than one can ignore Lackawanna-Luzerne can one? Redistricting is about current populations not historical ones.

One other connection issue concerns the southern end of the Chesapeake. In discussions about WA it was generally agreed that regular scheduled ferry service could replace a public highway for the purposes of determining a connection. The Smith Island ferry links St Marys and Somerset counties. Erosity doesn't care about the bay when links are present. Yet using that link can provide additional options to preserve the aforementioned Queen Anne's link to the mainland. Then again it may not apply since the schedule doesn't show for the winter. However the boats provide a number to call for service even in the winter, so this one is a bit gray.

I noticed that Queen Anne's was part of the Baltimore MSA, but it strikes me as deeply weird that it would be a central county while Harford is considered outlying.  (I'd expect Carroll to be outlying, though.)  I guess if the old native population is that small, and center vs. outlying only takes commuting patterns into account, then I can see how they'd come to that conclusion.  I've been working off the assumption that "central" MSA counties could be more defined by contiguous urbanized area, which strikes me as more intuitive if not necessarily easier to quantify.

In any case, it seems to me that the Eastern Shore district is going to have to take in Baltimore Metro area no matter what, in addition to Queen Anne's.  If metro areas matter, the fact that Cecil is in the Philly metro is all the more reason to make sure it stays with the rest of the Eastern Shore, so the Baltimore burbs district stays within the MSA; if straight lines matter, adding Harford gets you closer to straight lines (with just a small salient of 27K to add) than a large bulge into Anne Arundel; if road connectivity matters, there are three bridges over the Susquehanna between Cecil and Harford compared to just the Bay Bridge to Anne Arundel.  I really find it hard to believe that my District 1 would be objectionable to anybody (the others, we can talk about, I'm all ears).

I'm undecided on the merits of counting ferry links in general (except obviously in places like WA, where they are necessary).  My instinct is that they could technically count but their use should be discouraged, and not count "as well" as major road or rail links.  Opening ferries up to map-drawers immediately makes a Staten Island-Lower Manhattan district possible, which is a temptation I do not particularly want to see available.

[jimrtex]

And speaking about that bridge, the Baltimore MSA now includes Queen Anne's county on the ES as a central county! Carroll and Harford are the outlying counties. Commuters are now such a significant portion of the population using the bridge that they have overrun the historical population. Even a decade ago when I spent some time on the ES I could see evidence of the transition, particularly where the people live on the peninsula that includes the bridge. So if MSA preservation is a criteria, one cannot ignore that anymore than one can ignore Lackawanna-Luzerne can one? Redistricting is about current populations not historical ones.

One other connection issue concerns the southern end of the Chesapeake. In discussions about WA it was generally agreed that regular scheduled ferry service could replace a public highway for the purposes of determining a connection. The Smith Island ferry links St Marys and Somerset counties. Erosity doesn't care about the bay when links are present. Yet using that link can provide additional options to preserve the aforementioned Queen Anne's link to the mainland. Then again it may not apply since the schedule doesn't show for the winter. However the boats provide a number to call for service even in the winter, so this one is a bit gray.

I noticed that Queen Anne's was part of the Baltimore MSA, but it strikes me as deeply weird that it would be a central county while Harford is considered outlying.  (I'd expect Carroll to be outlying, though.)  I guess if the old native population is that small, and center vs. outlying only takes commuting patterns into account, then I can see how they'd come to that conclusion.  I've been working off the assumption that "central" MSA counties could be more defined by contiguous urbanized area, which strikes me as more intuitive if not necessarily easier to quantify.

In any case, it seems to me that the Eastern Shore district is going to have to take in Baltimore Metro area no matter what, in addition to Queen Anne's.  If metro areas matter, the fact that Cecil is in the Philly metro is all the more reason to make sure it stays with the rest of the Eastern Shore, so the Baltimore burbs district stays within the MSA; if straight lines matter, adding Harford gets you closer to straight lines (with just a small salient of 27K to add) than a large bulge into Anne Arundel; if road connectivity matters, there are three bridges over the Susquehanna between Cecil and Harford compared to just the Bay Bridge to Anne Arundel.  I really find it hard to believe that my District 1 would be objectionable to anybody (the others, we can talk about, I'm all ears).

I'm undecided on the merits of counting ferry links in general (except obviously in places like WA, where they are necessary).  My instinct is that they could technically count but their use should be discouraged, and not count "as well" as major road or rail links.  Opening ferries up to map-drawers immediately makes a Staten Island-Lower Manhattan district possible, which is a temptation I do not particularly want to see available.

This is a modern viewpoint, which views water as a barrier than a highway.

New York at one time had a congressional district that linked Richmond, Rockland, and Kings counties via the Hudson.   And Maryland was politically divided on a north-south basis between the cotton and tobacco growing areas of the south, on either side of the Chesapeake, and the wheat growing areas and big city to the north (the districts didn't cross the bay, but the economics and politics did).

[muon2]

Here by the way is a map of Maryland that a drew a couple of weeks ago, which restores to the Pubs the 2 CD's that the Dems ripped off in their gerrymander. I just thought I would throw it on the pile.



And here is an alternative iteration, with perhaps a tad less erosity. It is not applicable here, but this is one instance where which map I would prefer would turn on which reduced polarization the most. In MD, good redistricting principles basically shut out competitive districts, and to reach for them, would just be a bridge too far. So it just doesn't matter here.

Well, at the very least Cecil County is normally considered to be part of the Eastern Shore, so it should really go in 1 instead of Anne Arundel.  And a 5-3 map is, if anything, gerrymandered towards the Pubs given that Maryland is just so Democratic overall.  I haven't done the exact skew calculations but I would expect 6-2 to be the "fair" expected result given the state's partisan lean.

How about something like this:



If anything, this map is still Pub-leaning, since the Dems are still only clearly favored in five of the districts.  District 3, taking in Howard and the vast majority of Anne Arundel, is both a swing district (53.9% Obama, so a PVI of D+1 maybe? ) and entirely consistent with any sort of good redistricting principle you'd care to cite.  So you should be happy with it.

First some comments on how I see erosity. For me an erosity measure should reward compact shapes, but not penalize shapes due to the underlying geography. For example the panhandle can only connect through Frederick, so the panhandle counts as if all that area and population were in Frederick. Similarly if we don't consider the open question of the ferry, all the area and population south of Queen Anne's counts as if it's in Queen Anne's. Political geography also counts so I don't assess a penalty for following the boundary between two political units such as Baltimore county and city.

Chops also factor into erosity. I view each chop as creating a new county for assessing erosity. Chops that fill in a pocket in a district can reduce erosity just like including a county that was surrounded on three sides. Chops that project into a county from an otherwise reasonable boundary will increase erosity. Microchops, though they don't count is the chop count, do factor into erosity in the same way as regular chops. Since microchops don't count as chops this is a way to create a balance between multiple microchops and a single regular chop.

With that background here's how I see the plans. All three of these plans have the same chop count of 7. That's the maximum that would be needed for 8 CDs. For Torie 1 the yellow district dip into Montgomery and the brown CD moving up into Anne Arundel do nothing to make those CDs more compact than they were so the chops hurt erosity. Torie 2 fixes that and moves the erosity down as he expected it would. By my measure it drops from 25 to 23 points. As an aside, I count 3 CDs in Torie 1 that span the central counties of the Washington and Baltimore MSAs. Torie 2 brings that down to 2, one of which is the barely more than a microchop of the yellow CD into Prince George's.

Train's map moves those 7 chops into a significantly different pattern. But since the longer north-south shape of the blue CD 1 is due to the isolated Delmarva population there's no penalty for that. And as I commented earlier the Baltimore wrap around preserves the CD in the county and follows the political boundary so it generates only slightly more erosity than the NE corner CD on Torie's plan. In the end each of the CDs have either a point more or less erosity than their closest equivalents in Torie 2. The net effect is a wash and I score train's plan the same as Torie 2. They both can go forward.

As I noted at the outset, the real issue comes to the existence of chops. One reason I start with apportionment regions is to identify where I can conserve on chops. In this case I looked at the regions with an eye towards MSA preservation, but I will suggest that there must be at least one CD and one region that spans the MSAs. The Washington MSA counties down the western shore but without Frederick are just barely above 3 CDs and with one microchop can be divided nicely within the 0.5% population limit. By putting all of Glen Burnie into the Baltimore city CD I was able to avoid any other chops for that CD or the Anne Arundel-Howard CD. Eliminating those two chops also has the effect of reducing the erosity by 1 point. I can probably clean up the line between CD 4 and 5 with some work, but the precincts aren't the best unit to match city lines. Edited to reflect a better line through PG that avoids city splits and keeps both CDs within 0.5%.



For the record the BVAPs for CD 4, 5, and 7 are 41.2% (plurality), 54.9% and 53.1%. The partisan distribution is 5D, 1e (D+0.1%), 2R for a polarization of 14 and a skew of 0 after accounting for the expected Dem lean.

[hopper]

Here by the way is a map of Maryland that a drew a couple of weeks ago, which restores to the Pubs the 2 CD's that the Dems ripped off in their gerrymander. I just thought I would throw it on the pile.



And here is an alternative iteration, with perhaps a tad less erosity. It is not applicable here, but this is one instance where which map I would prefer would turn on which reduced polarization the most. In MD, good redistricting principles basically shut out competitive districts, and to reach for them, would just be a bridge too far. So it just doesn't matter here.

Well, at the very least Cecil County is normally considered to be part of the Eastern Shore, so it should really go in 1 instead of Anne Arundel.  And a 5-3 map is, if anything, gerrymandered towards the Pubs given that Maryland is just so Democratic overall.  I haven't done the exact skew calculations but I would expect 6-2 to be the "fair" expected result given the state's partisan lean.

How about something like this:



If anything, this map is still Pub-leaning, since the Dems are still only clearly favored in five of the districts.  District 3, taking in Howard and the vast majority of Anne Arundel, is both a swing district (53.9% Obama, so a PVI of D+1 maybe? ) and entirely consistent with any sort of good redistricting principle you'd care to cite.  So you should be happy with it.

First some comments on how I see erosity. For me an erosity measure should reward compact shapes, but not penalize shapes due to the underlying geography. For example the panhandle can only connect through Frederick, so the panhandle counts as if all that area and population were in Frederick. Similarly if we don't consider the open question of the ferry, all the area and population south of Queen Anne's counts as if it's in Queen Anne's. Political geography also counts so I don't assess a penalty for following the boundary between two political units such as Baltimore county and city.

Chops also factor into erosity. I view each chop as creating a new county for assessing erosity. Chops that fill in a pocket in a district can reduce erosity just like including a county that was surrounded on three sides. Chops that project into a county from an otherwise reasonable boundary will increase erosity. Microchops, though they don't count is the chop count, do factor into erosity in the same way as regular chops. Since microchops don't count as chops this is a way to create a balance between multiple microchops and a single regular chop.

With that background here's how I see the plans. All three of these plans have the same chop count of 7. That's the maximum that would be needed for 8 CDs. For Torie 1 the yellow district dip into Montgomery and the brown CD moving up into Anne Arundel do nothing to make those CDs more compact than they were so the chops hurt erosity. Torie 2 fixes that and moves the erosity down as he expected it would. By my measure it drops from 25 to 23 points. As an aside, I count 3 CDs in Torie 1 that span the central counties of the Washington and Baltimore MSAs. Torie 2 brings that down to 2, one of which is the barely more than a microchop of the yellow CD into Prince George's.

Train's map moves those 7 chops into a significantly different pattern. But since the longer north-south shape of the blue CD 1 is due to the isolated Delmarva population there's no penalty for that. And as I commented earlier the Baltimore wrap around preserves the CD in the county and follows the political boundary so it generates only slightly more erosity than the NE corner CD on Torie's plan. In the end each of the CDs have either a point more or less erosity than their closest equivalents in Torie 2. The net effect is a wash and I score train's plan the same as Torie 2. They both can go forward.

As I noted at the outset, the real issue comes to the existence of chops. One reason I start with apportionment regions is to identify where I can conserve on chops. In this case I looked at the regions with an eye towards MSA preservation, but I will suggest that there must be at least one CD and one region that spans the MSAs. The Washington MSA counties down the western shore but without Frederick are just barely above 3 CDs and with one microchop can be divided nicely within the 0.5% population limit. By putting all of Glen Burnie into the Baltimore city CD I was able to avoid any other chops for that CD or the Anne Arundel-Howard CD. Eliminating those two chops has the effect of reducing the erosity by 2 points. I can probably clean up the line between CD 4 and 5 with some work, but the precincts aren't the best unit to match city lines.



For the record the BVAPs for CD 4, 5, and 7 are 41.0% (plurality), 55.0% and 53.1%. The partisan distribution is 5D, 1e (D+0.1%), 2R for a polarization of 14 and a skew of 0 after accounting for the expected Dem lean2.

2nd MD map is the best(the one in the middle.) All the districts look more compact than any of the other maps.

[muon2]

If the Smith Island ferry crossing counts as a connection, then it is possible to eliminate the microchop so that there are just the five main chops This substantially reduces the population inequality. In the plan below the range drops from 7066 to 3820 which corresponds to an inequality score change from 13 to 8. The increased erosity created by the split of the ES is compensated by reductions elsewhere so that the erosity is the same as for my previous plan adjusting for the ferry.

There is also a noticeable increase in competitiveness with the seats going 3D, 2d (D+1.9, D+5.2), 2e (D+0.1, R+1.2), 1R. That's a 4 point improvement though it does create a 1 point skew for the Dems.

[Torie]

Map, after map, after map. We are a bunch of sickie poohs really, but I guess it serves a useful purpose.

OK, while it is hard to get excited about chopping unnecessarily chopping from one MSA into another, when both are back to back, and at the border densely populated to boot, rules are rules. Thus, I really did not think about it in this instance, but I should have. So many sand traps, so little time.

Before getting to the two new maps to throw on the pile, immediately below is a map of the MSA's for the area, derived from here. The child-board master might want to bookmark it for future reference, inasmuch as it is an extremely valuable utility if we are going to count MSA penetration as a chop, which seems to be the emerging consensus, even between moi and Train, and we two don't agree on much - ever!



And now the maps. The first fixes the little unnecessary MSA rape. The second goes on an anti-chop jihad while also still fixating like a laser beam on zapping erosity. I think the second map has fewer chops than the first, but I have not counted them. I will let Muon2 do that, since he is just so talented at it.

Muon2 unfortunately in his comment on erosity so quickly segued into his chop obsession that I missed him saying much really about measuring erosity. Sometimes I think he fuses chops and erosity.  Anyway, moving along from that little "chop" at the child-board maestro, my question is this. F the chop thing. I want to know, putting chops aside, which of the two maps below is less erose, and why, in detail.  The bit about erose state perimeters I don't think is too helpful because all the maps start with the same handicap, so why does that matter, other than to take into account perhaps given the weird shape of MD, what limits erosity once one swallows up the dangling tail perimeters?

We also need to think about compactness. Yes in the second map, the "Eastern shore" CD has a nice rectangular shape, but it has become rather obscenely huge. Compactness should count for something. We need to spend more time on that. Compactness matters - yes, it really does. Heck even the Dem mole on the AZ commission bearing the false flag of an "independent" yammered on about the compactness issue. If she and I agree on something, that is quite an event actually.

Anyway, I am out of here the rest of the day, so everyone have a good one. I will reappear tomorrow morning. Cheers. Oh, Muon2, given your scoring method, is the second map the most fairest of them all so far put up by the usual suspects?  Just curious.

[Torie]

Oh damn, I realize in the second map that the yellow CD raped the Baltimore MSA, so back to another map in my pile, that had the Eastern shore CD fill that bit in, pushing the red CD east. I will put that map up tomorrow. Pity that. The red CD was just so gorgeous.   It will mean a potentially nasty chop of Hartford County, and Cecil rather dangling out there (which sucks, although it will constitute a bone thrown to Train on his Cecil thing). I think maybe my first map will get a higher score now, depending on the chop count.

[muon2]

Oh damn, I realize in the second map that the yellow CD raped the Baltimore MSA, so back to another map in my pile, that had the Eastern shore CD fill that bit in, pushing the red CD east. I will put that map up tomorrow. Pity that. The red CD was just so gorgeous.  It will mean a potentially nasty chop of Hartford County, and Cecil rather dangling out there (which sucks, although it will constitute a bone thrown to Train on his Cecil thing). I think maybe my first map will get a higher score now, depending on the chop count.

Of course, I'm not so committed to MSAs. jimrtex points to other measures, and I'm not convinced yet that CD-based use of them is the right direction. Perhaps it makes sense at the level of apportionment regions, and that is worth exploration. As I noted with MI, the problem only really showed up when the MSA was more than one county, yet containable in a single CD - to wit Lansing. As I noted in my MD post, without using the ferry one must have at least one link that carves a piece of both the Washington and Baltimore MSAs. I don't see that as a problem, any more than a single shared split is an issue in the MI rules. That's why I raised the point when there were multiple CDs spanning the same MSAs.

We also need to think about compactness. Yes in the second map, the "Eastern shore" CD has a nice rectangular shape, but it has become rather obscenely huge. Compactness should count for something. We need to spend more time on that. Compactness matters - yes, it really does. Heck even the Dem mole on the AZ commission bearing the false flag of an "independent" yammered on about the compactness issue. If she and I agree on something, that is quite an event actually.

This comment worries me more than any other. Compactness measures are all based on theoretical models of ideal shapes. The papers I have read and occasionally posted show that there are a myriad of competing geometric measures of compactness and all have serious glitches when applied real redistricting which occurs on real natural and political shapes, based on rivers and roads, and populated with a density based on history that may no longer have relevance to electoral districts. The fundamental problem boils down to one that makes a small protuberance in an urban area as important a consideration as a large one in a set of rural counties. Mathematicians would call this a scaling problem.

The suggestion of looking at erosity as opposed to compactness was brilliant and offered what seemed to me to be the only sound path out of decades of unresolved debate. Rolling back to compactness only returns to the arguments and counter-arguments of those same decades of experts with no better conclusion. The model I've spent the much of this year developing and refining is designed to deal with the scaling problem by recognizing that the basic units of redistricting, whether census blocks or VTDs also scale in size with density. Graph theory has tools to deal with this that are lacking in classical geometry.

If you really want to return to compactness as we customarily see it, so be it. I fear though that, as a certain classic song goes, the "mission is a failure, ... prepare the transit beam."

[Torie]

On the MSA issue, I believe my link has the latest data. I like the utility because you can zoom. A map of the whole US is impossible to read. Perhaps you have the same link in essence.

I had no idea there were so many what are in essence micro-MSA's, or really are not MSA's at all when it comes to population density, like your Benton Harbor area example, and so using MSA's when it is so "over-inclusive" as it were, I do agree is too restrictive, so we have a problem. (Another example is Grand Rapids, where instead of just being in Kent County, as it should, takes up a bunch of low density area to suck up three counties on Lake Michigan (MSA's just take up too much territory and that creates both, to use that dirty word, COI issues, as well as over-restrictive issues). In short, forcing regions to hew to MSA's (or count as another chop) might lead to worse maps really, given that there are so many MSA's, and over expansive ones.

Regarding the matter of using regions to take cognizance of them, I was never clear how using regions worked mechanically to force/influence changes in maps (just as I am not clear exactly how to measure erosity except by eye, even though I keep asking that we work on  that issue, and try to agree on the best approach that makes stuff look appealing to the eye, and  on that one I need your mathematical mind to help me), as opposed to just being a useful tool to find micro-chops, whatever one might want to do with them. Perhaps you might explain that.

On the issue of compactness, maybe there is no good solution, but it is a negative for a CD to just wander all over the state, like that AZ CD that went from Sedona to Snow Low via the Indian reservations. Maybe erosity measures that we have not yet defined, is the best that we can do. Sometimes unfortunately the mind of man is just too inadequate to fashion rules that really work on a global basis. Such is life.

Anyway, below is my map fix hewing to MSA's. It came out a bit better than I thought really. The red CD is +1% Dem, so that will make Train a bit happier, if not absolutely happy. I however, am almost always happy, even when my butt is being kicked from pillar to post. I'm a masochist I guess.

[muon2]

Regarding the matter of using regions to take cognizance of them, I was never clear how using regions worked mechanically to force/influence changes in maps (just as I am not clear exactly how to measure erosity except by eye, even though I keep asking that we work on  that issue, and try to agree on the best approach that makes stuff look appealing to the eye, and  on that one I need your mathematical mind to help me), as opposed to just being a useful tool to find micro-chops, whatever one might want to do with them. Perhaps you might explain that.

On the issue of compactness, maybe there is no good solution, but it is a negative for a CD to just wander all over the state, like that AZ CD that went from Sedona to Snow Low via the Indian reservations. Maybe erosity measures that we have not yet defined, is the best that we can do. Sometimes unfortunately the mind of man is just too inadequate to fashion rules that really work on a global basis. Such is life.

One of my observations from public discussions of gerrymandered maps is that what bothers people are the really gross shapes that have nothing to do with natural geography. They don't mind river bends and modest deviations from a straight line. They do take offense at shapes that create unnatural deviations from regular shapes. In a sense the public has a threshold where a district is shaped well enough, beyond which they'd rather concentrate on effects other than the shape such as geographic integrity or competitive districts. Most mathematical models of compactness continue to reward improving the shape ad infinitum with no natural threshold. One goal is build in a sense of a threshold based on the shape of the underlying geography.

Let's use pentonimoes as counties with uniform population in a perfectly rectangular state. Here's an example I found at random on google search.



Now suppose we have to divide this into 4 districts. Clearly there are a wealth of ways to group these 12 counties into contiguous groups of 3 pieces each. Since the ideal division without counties would be four rectangles that are 3 x 5, most compactness formulas are going to reward whatever mechanism gets you there. If the formula entertains chops then it would force so many chops to get those rectangles that I expect the public would be hugely unhappy. So we recognize that something has to be traded between the shape and the number of chops.

Traditional formulas that try to work with the compactness of an area would generally consider a district made of the magenta, blue, and light blue counties in the NW corner more compact than the pink, purple and orange district in the NE corner. That's because it's more square or circular in shape than the elongated district I describe for the NE. Yet, I contend most ordinary observers would say that the elongated one makes the better district. We would describe it as less erose, and from that I conclude that one has to look more at the perimeter than at the area. In particular the internal perimeter is what matters to the public observer, because they will always forgive erose shapes due to the external border of their state.

For this simple example one could start by finding the division that minimizes the total perimeter of all districts. The outer perimeter is the same for every plan so that can be subtracted from that total. The difference that is left counts for each district on the boundary so it should be divided by two to get the unique amount of perimeter created by the division into districts.

This works well when all the boundaries that are under consideration are built from straight lines. But suppose that the boundaries are sometimes straight and sometimes winding rivers. A pure formula like the one I just described is going to be strongly biased towards avoiding putting winding county edges on the perimeter of the district because it adds to the length without changing the area. Yet my experience is that the public sees no reason not to treat the county river boundary as equal to the straight line segment as long as there's a bridge across the river on that segment.

My solution for this is to count segments instead of the actual distance. Each boundary between two different counties on either side of the district boundary count as a segment. On the average for the straight line pentominoes it is equivalent to the actual length, but it has none of the problem of biasing against naturally wiggly county lines.

In an upcoming post I'll address the connection between this type of erosity and chops.

[traininthedistance]

Regarding the matter of using regions to take cognizance of them, I was never clear how using regions worked mechanically to force/influence changes in maps (just as I am not clear exactly how to measure erosity except by eye, even though I keep asking that we work on  that issue, and try to agree on the best approach that makes stuff look appealing to the eye, and  on that one I need your mathematical mind to help me), as opposed to just being a useful tool to find micro-chops, whatever one might want to do with them. Perhaps you might explain that.

On the issue of compactness, maybe there is no good solution, but it is a negative for a CD to just wander all over the state, like that AZ CD that went from Sedona to Snow Low via the Indian reservations. Maybe erosity measures that we have not yet defined, is the best that we can do. Sometimes unfortunately the mind of man is just too inadequate to fashion rules that really work on a global basis. Such is life.

One of my observations from public discussions of gerrymandered maps is that what bothers people are the really gross shapes that have nothing to do with natural geography. They don't mind river bends and modest deviations from a straight line. They do take offense at shapes that create unnatural deviations from regular shapes. In a sense the public has a threshold where a district is shaped well enough, beyond which they'd rather concentrate on effects other than the shape such as geographic integrity or competitive districts. Most mathematical models of compactness continue to reward improving the shape ad infinitum with no natural threshold. One goal is build in a sense of a threshold based on the shape of the underlying geography.

Let's use pentonimoes as counties with uniform population in a perfectly rectangular state. Here's an example I found at random on google search.



Now suppose we have to divide this into 4 districts. Clearly there are a wealth of ways to group these 12 counties into contiguous groups of 3 pieces each. Since the ideal division without counties would be four rectangles that are 3 x 5, most compactness formulas are going to reward whatever mechanism gets you there. If the formula entertains chops then it would force so many chops to get those rectangles that I expect the public would be hugely unhappy. So we recognize that something has to be traded between the shape and the number of chops.

Traditional formulas that try to work with the compactness of an area would generally consider a district made of the magenta, blue, and light blue counties in the NW corner more compact than the pink, purple and orange district in the NE corner. That's because it's more square or circular in shape than the elongated district I describe for the NE. Yet, I contend most ordinary observers would say that the elongated one makes the better district. We would describe it as less erose, and from that I conclude that one has to look more at the perimeter than at the area. In particular the internal perimeter is what matters to the public observer, because they will always forgive erose shapes due to the external border of their state.

For this simple example one could start by finding the division that minimizes the total perimeter of all districts. The outer perimeter is the same for every plan so that can be subtracted from that total. The difference that is left counts for each district on the boundary so it should be divided by two to get the unique amount of perimeter created by the division into districts.

This works well when all the boundaries that are under consideration are built from straight lines. But suppose that the boundaries are sometimes straight and sometimes winding rivers. A pure formula like the one I just described is going to be strongly biased towards avoiding putting winding county edges on the perimeter of the district because it adds to the length without changing the area. Yet my experience is that the public sees no reason not to treat the county river boundary as equal to the straight line segment as long as there's a bridge across the river on that segment.

My solution for this is to count segments instead of the actual distance. Each boundary between two different counties on either side of the district boundary count as a segment. On the average for the straight line pentominoes it is equivalent to the actual length, but it has none of the problem of biasing against naturally wiggly county lines.

In an upcoming post I'll address the connection between this type of erosity and chops.

This is a really good post and I can't really think of anything to add to it at the moment. I have exactly the sorts of issues with traditional "geometric" compactness measures that you lay out here, and definitely prefer a regime that focuses on getting to "good enough" and then strives to keep metros, natural geographic regions, and the like together.  Counting segments (and, possibly, finding a way to rank segments so that some connections are discouraged from use) seems like a good step towards recognizing that some natural boundaries just are erose, and that doesn't make them necessarily worse.

[Torie]

Been too busy to attend to fathoming Muon2's little rectangle with the colored boxes, but my first step  would be to number each box (using some utility on my computer), and repost it, for discussion purposes. Mike, if he wants to spend the time, of course could do that himself.   Then we can talk about numbered boxes, and I can better understand what he means by "segments." Thanks.

The idea re MSA's of just dealing with the core county may be a good one, except we already have the county chop concept, so if it is just the core county, what is the additional overlay that is in play here?

[traininthedistance]

Been too busy to attend to fathoming Muon2's little rectangle with the colored boxes, but my first step  would be to number each box (using some utility on my computer), and repost it, for discussion purposes. Mike, if he wants to spend the time, of course could do that himself.   Then we can talk about numbered boxes, and I can better understand what he means by "segments." Thanks.

The idea re MSA's of just dealing with the core county may be a good one, except we already have the county chop concept, so if it is just the core county, what is the additional overlay that is in play here?

The idea is that some MSAs are large enough, and/or disrespect county lines enough, that there are often multiple "core counties", and that keeping those together should be a priority.  You can define the core by commuting patterns or urbanized areas; I think that the latter is clearly a better metric, though it may be trickier to work with in some ways.

[Torie]

"The purpose of apportionment regions is to apportion districts to different areas of the state."

Jimtex, how do you decide what are the "different areas of the state" exactly? Is that based solely on distance, or both distance and keeping some MSA's together, even if not others, the erosity of the region itself, etc.  What exactly are the parameters, and how do you weight them, before then moving counties around a bit to get closer to population equality. Excellent posts by the way. We tend to be on the same page as to the approach.

I take it that within the region, as you divide it up, you take the chops as they come, rather than reaching for those micro-chops, which tends to animate Muon2 perhaps, more than us. And that is the key difference, other than perhaps taking more cognizance of certain MSA's.

If you could elaborate on all of this more, that would be great. Meanwhile, I need to get my numbered boxes up, so I can quiz Muon2 what he means be segments, and so forth. Sometimes I have difficultly understanding his posts (albeit the complex is sometimes difficult to make crystal clear to the madding crowd (which of course is exactly what lawyers among other things get paid the big bucks to do). I feel sorry for his students! 

[jimrtex]

There would be some effort to build all of those for every state, and I worry how that will look in some of the more densely populated states. I'm not sure the effort is warranted, since I did find your "final" map quite nice from the perspective of maintaining metro areas. Other reasonable maps by train and Torie would also be unnecessarily excluded.

These are the significant counties (within each state) for all urbanized areas in the USA.

Anniston--Oxford, AL(1): Calhoun County.
Auburn, AL(1): Lee County.
Birmingham, AL(2): Jefferson County; and Shelby County.
Columbus, GA--AL(2): Lee County; and Russell County.
Daphne--Fairhope, AL(1): Baldwin County.
Decatur, AL(1): Morgan County.
Dothan, AL(1): Houston County.
Florence, AL(2): Colbert County; and Lauderdale County.
Gadsden, AL(1): Etowah County.
Huntsville, AL(2): Limestone County; and Madison County.
Mobile, AL(1): Mobile County.
Montgomery, AL(3): Autauga County; Elmore County; and Montgomery County.
Tuscaloosa, AL(1): Tuscaloosa County.
Anchorage, AK(1): Anchorage Municipality.
Fairbanks, AK(1): Fairbanks North Star Borough.
Avondale--Goodyear, AZ(1): Maricopa County.
Casa Grande, AZ(1): Pinal County.
Flagstaff, AZ(1): Coconino County.
Lake Havasu City, AZ(1): Mohave County.
Phoenix--Mesa, AZ(2): Maricopa County; and Pinal County.
Prescott Valley--Prescott, AZ(1): Yavapai County.
Sierra Vista, AZ(1): Cochise County.
Tucson, AZ(1): Pima County.
Yuma, AZ--CA(1): Yuma County.
Conway, AR(1): Faulkner County.
Fayetteville--Springdale--Rogers, AR--MO(2): Benton County; and Washington County.
Fort Smith, AR--OK(2): Crawford County; and Sebastian County.
Hot Springs, AR(1): Garland County.
Jonesboro, AR(1): Craighead County.
Little Rock, AR(3): Lonoke County; Pulaski County; and Saline County.
Memphis, TN--MS--AR(1): Crittenden County.
Pine Bluff, AR(1): Jefferson County.
Texarkana--Texarkana, TX--AR(1): Miller County.
Antioch, CA(1): Contra Costa County.
Arroyo Grande--Grover Beach, CA(1): San Luis Obispo County.
Bakersfield, CA(1): Kern County.
Camarillo, CA(1): Ventura County.
Chico, CA(1): Butte County.
Concord, CA(2): Alameda County; and Contra Costa County.
Davis, CA(1): Yolo County.
Delano, CA(1): Kern County.
El Centro--Calexico, CA(1): Imperial County.
El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)--Atascadero, CA(1): San Luis Obispo County.
Fairfield, CA(1): Solano County.
Fresno, CA(1): Fresno County.
Gilroy--Morgan Hill, CA(1): Santa Clara County.
Hanford, CA(1): Kings County.
Hemet, CA(1): Riverside County.
Indio--Cathedral City, CA(1): Riverside County.
Lancaster--Palmdale, CA(1): Los Angeles County.
Livermore, CA(1): Alameda County.
Lodi, CA(1): San Joaquin County.
Lompoc, CA(1): Santa Barbara County.
Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA(3): Los Angeles County; Orange County; and San Bernardino County.
Madera, CA(1): Madera County.
Manteca, CA(1): San Joaquin County.
Merced, CA(1): Merced County.
Mission Viejo--Lake Forest--San Clemente, CA(1): Orange County.
Modesto, CA(1): Stanislaus County.
Murrieta--Temecula--Menifee, CA(1): Riverside County.
Napa, CA(1): Napa County.
Oxnard, CA(1): Ventura County.
Petaluma, CA(1): Sonoma County.
Porterville, CA(1): Tulare County.
Redding, CA(1): Shasta County.
Riverside--San Bernardino, CA(2): Riverside County; and San Bernardino County.
Sacramento, CA(4): El Dorado County; Placer County; Sacramento County; and Yolo County.
Salinas, CA(1): Monterey County.
San Diego, CA(1): San Diego County.
San Francisco--Oakland, CA(5): Alameda County; Contra Costa County; Marin County; San Francisco County; and San Mateo County.
San Jose, CA(1): Santa Clara County.
San Luis Obispo, CA(1): San Luis Obispo County.
Santa Barbara, CA(1): Santa Barbara County.
Santa Clarita, CA(1): Los Angeles County.
Santa Cruz, CA(1): Santa Cruz County.
Santa Maria, CA(1): Santa Barbara County.
Santa Rosa, CA(1): Sonoma County.
Seaside--Monterey, CA(1): Monterey County.
Simi Valley, CA(1): Ventura County.
Stockton, CA(1): San Joaquin County.
Thousand Oaks, CA(2): Los Angeles County; and Ventura County.
Tracy, CA(1): San Joaquin County.
Turlock, CA(2): Merced County; and Stanislaus County.
Vacaville, CA(1): Solano County.
Vallejo, CA(2): Napa County; and Solano County.
Victorville--Hesperia, CA(1): San Bernardino County.
Visalia, CA(1): Tulare County.
Watsonville, CA(1): Santa Cruz County.
Woodland, CA(1): Yolo County.
Yuba City, CA(2): Sutter County; and Yuba County.
Boulder, CO(1): Boulder County.
Colorado Springs, CO(1): El Paso County.
Denver--Aurora, CO(6): Adams County; Arapahoe County; Broomfield County; Denver County; Douglas County; and Jefferson County.
Fort Collins, CO(2): Larimer County; and Weld County.
Grand Junction, CO(1): Mesa County.
Greeley, CO(1): Weld County.
Lafayette--Louisville--Erie, CO(1): Boulder County.
Longmont, CO(1): Boulder County.
Pueblo, CO(1): Pueblo County.
Bridgeport--Stamford, CT--NY(2): Fairfield County; and New Haven County.
Danbury, CT--NY(2): Fairfield County; and Litchfield County.
Hartford, CT(4): Hartford County; Litchfield County; Middlesex County; and Tolland County.
New Haven, CT(2): Middlesex County; and New Haven County.
Norwich--New London, CT--RI(1): New London County.
Springfield, MA--CT(1): Hartford County.
Waterbury, CT(2): Litchfield County; and New Haven County.
Worcester, MA--CT(1): Windham County.
Dover, DE(1): Kent County.
Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD(1): New Castle County.
Salisbury, MD--DE(1): Sussex County.
Washington, DC--VA--MD(1): District of Columbia.
Bonita Springs, FL(2): Collier County; and Lee County.
Cape Coral, FL(1): Lee County.
Deltona, FL(1): Volusia County.
Fort Walton Beach--Navarre--Wright, FL(2): Okaloosa County; and Santa Rosa County.
Gainesville, FL(1): Alachua County.
Homosassa Springs--Beverly Hills--Citrus Springs, FL(1): Citrus County.
Jacksonville, FL(3): Clay County; Duval County; and St. Johns County.
Kissimmee, FL(2): Orange County; and Osceola County.
Lady Lake--The Villages, FL(3): Lake County; Marion County; and Sumter County.
Lakeland, FL(1): Polk County.
Leesburg--Eustis--Tavares, FL(1): Lake County.
Miami, FL(3): Broward County; Miami-Dade County; and Palm Beach County.
North Port--Port Charlotte, FL(2): Charlotte County; and Sarasota County.
Ocala, FL(1): Marion County.
Orlando, FL(3): Lake County; Orange County; and Seminole County.
Palm Bay--Melbourne, FL(1): Brevard County.
Palm Coast--Daytona Beach--Port Orange, FL(2): Flagler County; and Volusia County.
Panama City, FL(1): Bay County.
Pensacola, FL--AL(2): Escambia County; and Santa Rosa County.
Port St. Lucie, FL(2): Martin County; and St. Lucie County.
St. Augustine, FL(1): St. Johns County.
Sarasota--Bradenton, FL(3): Charlotte County; Manatee County; and Sarasota County.
Sebastian--Vero Beach South--Florida Ridge, FL(2): Indian River County; and St. Lucie County.
Sebring--Avon Park, FL(1): Highlands County.
Spring Hill, FL(2): Hernando County; and Pasco County.
Tallahassee, FL(1): Leon County.
Tampa--St. Petersburg, FL(3): Hillsborough County; Pasco County; and Pinellas County.
Titusville, FL(1): Brevard County.
Winter Haven, FL(1): Polk County.
Zephyrhills, FL(1): Pasco County.
Albany, GA(2): Dougherty County; and Lee County.
Athens-Clarke County, GA(2): Clarke County; and Oconee County.
Atlanta, GA(19): Barrow County; Carroll County; Cherokee County; Clayton County; Cobb County; Coweta County; DeKalb County; Douglas County; Fayette County; Forsyth County; Fulton County; Gwinnett County; Hall County; Henry County; Newton County; Paulding County; Rockdale County; Spalding County; and Walton County.
Augusta-Richmond County, GA--SC(2): Columbia County; and Richmond County.
Brunswick, GA(1): Glynn County.
Cartersville, GA(1): Bartow County.
Chattanooga, TN--GA(2): Catoosa County; and Walker County.
Columbus, GA--AL(2): Chattahoochee County; and Muscogee County.
Dalton, GA(2): Murray County; and Whitfield County.
Gainesville, GA(1): Hall County.
Hinesville, GA(1): Liberty County.
Macon, GA(1): Bibb County.
Rome, GA(1): Floyd County.
Savannah, GA(1): Chatham County.
Valdosta, GA(1): Lowndes County.
Warner Robins, GA(1): Houston County.
Kahului, HI(1): Maui County.
Kailua (Honolulu County)--Kaneohe, HI(1): Honolulu County.
Urban Honolulu, HI(1): Honolulu County.
Boise City, ID(1): Ada County.
Coeur d'Alene, ID(1): Kootenai County.
Idaho Falls, ID(1): Bonneville County.
Lewiston, ID--WA(1): Nez Perce County.
Nampa, ID(1): Canyon County.
Pocatello, ID(1): Bannock County.
Alton, IL--MO(1): Madison County.
Beloit, WI--IL(1): Winnebago County.
Bloomington--Normal, IL(1): McLean County.
Carbondale, IL(2): Jackson County; and Williamson County.
Champaign, IL(1): Champaign County.
Chicago, IL--IN(8): Cook County; DuPage County; Grundy County; Kane County; Kendall County; Lake County; McHenry County; and Will County.
Danville, IL(1): Vermilion County.
Davenport, IA--IL(1): Rock Island County.
Decatur, IL(1): Macon County.
DeKalb, IL(1): DeKalb County.
Kankakee, IL(1): Kankakee County.
Peoria, IL(2): Peoria County; and Tazewell County.
Rockford, IL(2): Boone County; and Winnebago County.
Round Lake Beach--McHenry--Grayslake, IL--WI(2): Lake County; and McHenry County.
St. Louis, MO--IL(2): Madison County; and St. Clair County.
Springfield, IL(1): Sangamon County.
Anderson, IN(1): Madison County.
Bloomington, IN(1): Monroe County.
Chicago, IL--IN(2): Lake County; and Porter County.
Cincinnati, OH--KY--IN(1): Dearborn County.
Columbus, IN(1): Bartholomew County.
Elkhart, IN--MI(1): Elkhart County.
Evansville, IN--KY(2): Vanderburgh County; and Warrick County.
Fort Wayne, IN(1): Allen County.
Indianapolis, IN(7): Boone County; Hamilton County; Hancock County; Hendricks County; Johnson County; Marion County; and Morgan County.
Kokomo, IN(1): Howard County.
Lafayette, IN(1): Tippecanoe County.
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY--IN(2): Clark County; and Floyd County.

[jimrtex]

Continuing Indiana through Ohio.

Michigan City--La Porte, IN--MI(1): LaPorte County.
Muncie, IN(1): Delaware County.
South Bend, IN--MI(1): St. Joseph County.
Terre Haute, IN(2): Clay County; and Vigo County.
Ames, IA(1): Story County.
Cedar Rapids, IA(1): Linn County.
Davenport, IA--IL(1): Scott County.
Des Moines, IA(2): Dallas County; and Polk County.
Dubuque, IA--IL(1): Dubuque County.
Iowa City, IA(1): Johnson County.
Omaha, NE--IA(1): Pottawattamie County.
Sioux City, IA--NE--SD(1): Woodbury County.
Waterloo, IA(1): Black Hawk County.
Kansas City, MO--KS(2): Johnson County; and Wyandotte County.
Lawrence, KS(1): Douglas County.
Manhattan, KS(1): Riley County.
Topeka, KS(1): Shawnee County.
Wichita, KS(2): Butler County; and Sedgwick County.
Bowling Green, KY(1): Warren County.
Cincinnati, OH--KY--IN(3): Boone County; Campbell County; and Kenton County.
Clarksville, TN--KY(1): Christian County.
Elizabethtown--Radcliff, KY(1): Hardin County.
Evansville, IN--KY(1): Henderson County.
Huntington, WV--KY--OH(2): Boyd County; and Greenup County.
Lexington-Fayette, KY(1): Fayette County.
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY--IN(3): Bullitt County; Jefferson County; and Oldham County.
Owensboro, KY(1): Daviess County.
Alexandria, LA(1): Rapides Parish.
Baton Rouge, LA(5): Ascension Parish; East Baton Rouge Parish; Iberville Parish; Livingston Parish; and West Baton Rouge Parish.
Hammond, LA(1): Tangipahoa Parish.
Houma, LA(2): Lafourche Parish; and Terrebonne Parish.
Lafayette, LA(2): Iberia Parish; and Lafayette Parish.
Lake Charles, LA(1): Calcasieu Parish.
Mandeville--Covington, LA(1): St. Tammany Parish.
Monroe, LA(1): Ouachita Parish.
New Orleans, LA(6): Jefferson Parish; Orleans Parish; Plaquemines Parish; St. Bernard Parish; St. Charles Parish; and St. John the Baptist Parish.
Shreveport, LA(2): Bossier Parish; and Caddo Parish.
Slidell, LA(1): St. Tammany Parish.
Bangor, ME(1): Penobscot County.
Lewiston, ME(1): Androscoggin County.
Portland, ME(2): Cumberland County; and York County.
Portsmouth, NH--ME(1): York County.
Aberdeen--Bel Air South--Bel Air North, MD(1): Harford County.
Baltimore, MD(6): Anne Arundel County; Baltimore County; Howard County; Prince George's County; Queen Anne's County; and Baltimore city.
Cumberland, MD--WV--PA(1): Allegany County.
Frederick, MD(1): Frederick County.
Hagerstown, MD--WV--PA(1): Washington County.
Lexington Park--California--Chesapeake Ranch Estates, MD(2): Calvert County; and St. Mary's County.
Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD(1): Cecil County.
Salisbury, MD--DE(1): Wicomico County.
Waldorf, MD(1): Charles County.
Washington, DC--VA--MD(3): Frederick County; Montgomery County; and Prince George's County.
Westminster--Eldersburg, MD(1): Carroll County.
Barnstable Town, MA(2): Barnstable County; and Plymouth County.
Boston, MA--NH--RI(7): Bristol County; Essex County; Middlesex County; Norfolk County; Plymouth County; Suffolk County; and Worcester County.
Leominster--Fitchburg, MA(1): Worcester County.
New Bedford, MA(1): Bristol County.
Pittsfield, MA(1): Berkshire County.
Providence, RI--MA(3): Bristol County; Norfolk County; and Worcester County.
Springfield, MA--CT(2): Hampden County; and Hampshire County.
Worcester, MA--CT(1): Worcester County.
Ann Arbor, MI(2): Washtenaw County; and Wayne County.
Battle Creek, MI(1): Calhoun County.
Bay City, MI(1): Bay County.
Benton Harbor--St. Joseph--Fair Plain, MI(1): Berrien County.
Detroit, MI(5): Livingston County; Macomb County; Oakland County; St. Clair County; and Wayne County.
Flint, MI(1): Genesee County.
Grand Rapids, MI(2): Kent County; and Ottawa County.
Holland, MI(1): Ottawa County.
Jackson, MI(1): Jackson County.
Kalamazoo, MI(1): Kalamazoo County.
Lansing, MI(3): Clinton County; Eaton County; and Ingham County.
Midland, MI(1): Midland County.
Monroe, MI(1): Monroe County.
Muskegon, MI(2): Muskegon County; and Ottawa County.
Port Huron, MI(1): St. Clair County.
Saginaw, MI(1): Saginaw County.
South Bend, IN--MI(1): Berrien County.
South Lyon--Howell, MI(2): Livingston County; and Oakland County.
Toledo, OH--MI(1): Monroe County.
Duluth, MN--WI(1): St. Louis County.
Fargo, ND--MN(1): Clay County.
Mankato, MN(2): Blue Earth County; and Nicollet County.
Minneapolis--St. Paul, MN--WI(9): Anoka County; Carver County; Dakota County; Hennepin County; Ramsey County; Scott County; Sherburne County; Washington County; and Wright County.
Rochester, MN(1): Olmsted County.
St. Cloud, MN(2): Benton County; and Stearns County.
Gulfport, MS(3): Hancock County; Harrison County; and Jackson County.
Hattiesburg, MS(2): Forrest County; and Lamar County.
Jackson, MS(3): Hinds County; Madison County; and Rankin County.
Memphis, TN--MS--AR(1): DeSoto County.
Pascagoula, MS(1): Jackson County.
Cape Girardeau, MO--IL(1): Cape Girardeau County.
Columbia, MO(1): Boone County.
Jefferson City, MO(1): Cole County.
Joplin, MO(1): Jasper County.
Kansas City, MO--KS(4): Cass County; Clay County; Jackson County; and Platte County.
Lee's Summit, MO(1): Jackson County.
St. Joseph, MO--KS(1): Buchanan County.
St. Louis, MO--IL(4): Jefferson County; St. Charles County; St. Louis County; and St. Louis city.
Springfield, MO(2): Christian County; and Greene County.
Billings, MT(1): Yellowstone County.
Great Falls, MT(1): Cascade County.
Missoula, MT(1): Missoula County.
Grand Island, NE(1): Hall County.
Lincoln, NE(1): Lancaster County.
Omaha, NE--IA(2): Douglas County; and Sarpy County.
Sioux City, IA--NE--SD(1): Dakota County.
Carson City, NV(1): Carson City.
Las Vegas--Henderson, NV(1): Clark County.
Reno, NV--CA(1): Washoe County.
Boston, MA--NH--RI(1): Rockingham County.
Dover--Rochester, NH--ME(1): Strafford County.
Manchester, NH(2): Hillsborough County; and Merrimack County.
Nashua, NH--MA(2): Hillsborough County; and Rockingham County.
Portsmouth, NH--ME(1): Rockingham County.
Allentown, PA--NJ(1): Warren County.
Atlantic City, NJ(2): Atlantic County; and Cape May County.
New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT(14): Bergen County; Essex County; Hudson County; Hunterdon County; Mercer County; Middlesex County; Monmouth County; Morris County; Ocean County; Passaic County; Somerset County; Sussex County; Union County; and Warren County.
Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD(4): Burlington County; Camden County; Gloucester County; and Salem County.
Poughkeepsie--Newburgh, NY--NJ(1): Passaic County.
Trenton, NJ(2): Burlington County; and Mercer County.
Twin Rivers--Hightstown, NJ(1): Mercer County.
Villas, NJ(1): Cape May County.
Vineland, NJ(1): Cumberland County.
Albuquerque, NM(2): Bernalillo County; and Sandoval County.
El Paso, TX--NM(1): Do Ana County.
Farmington, NM(1): San Juan County.
Las Cruces, NM(1): Do Ana County.
Los Lunas, NM(1): Valencia County.
Santa Fe, NM(1): Santa Fe County.
Albany--Schenectady, NY(4): Albany County; Rensselaer County; Saratoga County; and Schenectady County.
Binghamton, NY--PA(1): Broome County.
Bridgeport--Stamford, CT--NY(1): Westchester County.
Buffalo, NY(2): Erie County; and Niagara County.
Elmira, NY(1): Chemung County.
Glens Falls, NY(3): Saratoga County; Warren County; and Washington County.
Ithaca, NY(1): Tompkins County.
Kingston, NY(1): Ulster County.
Middletown, NY(1): Orange County.
New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT(10): Bronx County; Kings County; Nassau County; New York County; Putnam County; Queens County; Richmond County; Rockland County; Suffolk County; and Westchester County.
Poughkeepsie--Newburgh, NY--NJ(3): Dutchess County; Orange County; and Ulster County.
Rochester, NY(3): Monroe County; Ontario County; and Wayne County.
Saratoga Springs, NY(1): Saratoga County.
Syracuse, NY(1): Onondaga County.
Utica, NY(1): Oneida County.
Watertown, NY(1): Jefferson County.
Asheville, NC(3): Buncombe County; Haywood County; and Henderson County.
Burlington, NC(1): Alamance County.
Charlotte, NC--SC(5): Cabarrus County; Iredell County; Lincoln County; Mecklenburg County; and Union County.
Concord, NC(2): Cabarrus County; and Rowan County.
Durham, NC(2): Durham County; and Orange County.
Fayetteville, NC(2): Cumberland County; and Hoke County.
Gastonia, NC--SC(2): Cleveland County; and Gaston County.
Goldsboro, NC(1): Wayne County.
Greensboro, NC(1): Guilford County.
Greenville, NC(1): Pitt County.
Hickory, NC(3): Burke County; Caldwell County; and Catawba County.
High Point, NC(3): Davidson County; Guilford County; and Randolph County.
Jacksonville, NC(1): Onslow County.
Myrtle Beach--Socastee, SC--NC(1): Brunswick County.
New Bern, NC(1): Craven County.
Raleigh, NC(2): Johnston County; and Wake County.
Rocky Mount, NC(2): Edgecombe County; and Nash County.
Wilmington, NC(2): Brunswick County; and New Hanover County.
Winston-Salem, NC(3): Davidson County; Forsyth County; and Stokes County.
Bismarck, ND(2): Burleigh County; and Morton County.
Fargo, ND--MN(1): Cass County.
Grand Forks, ND--MN(1): Grand Forks County.
Akron, OH(5): Medina County; Portage County; Stark County; Summit County; and Wayne County.
Canton, OH(1): Stark County.
Cincinnati, OH--KY--IN(4): Butler County; Clermont County; Hamilton County; and Warren County.
Cleveland, OH(7): Cuyahoga County; Geauga County; Lake County; Lorain County; Medina County; Portage County; and Summit County.
Columbus, OH(4): Delaware County; Fairfield County; Franklin County; and Licking County.
Dayton, OH(5): Clark County; Greene County; Miami County; Montgomery County; and Warren County.
Huntington, WV--KY--OH(1): Lawrence County.
Lima, OH(1): Allen County.
Lorain--Elyria, OH(1): Lorain County.

[jimrtex]

Remainder of Ohio through Wyoming.

Mansfield, OH(1): Richland County.
Middletown, OH(2): Butler County; and Warren County.
Newark, OH(1): Licking County.
Springfield, OH(1): Clark County.
Toledo, OH--MI(2): Lucas County; and Wood County.
Weirton--Steubenville, WV--OH--PA(1): Jefferson County.
Wheeling, WV--OH(1): Belmont County.
Youngstown, OH--PA(2): Mahoning County; and Trumbull County.
Lawton, OK(1): Comanche County.
Norman, OK(1): Cleveland County.
Oklahoma City, OK(4): Canadian County; Cleveland County; Logan County; and Oklahoma County.
Tulsa, OK(4): Creek County; Rogers County; Tulsa County; and Wagoner County.
Albany, OR(1): Linn County.
Bend, OR(1): Deschutes County.
Corvallis, OR(1): Benton County.
Eugene, OR(1): Lane County.
Grants Pass, OR(1): Josephine County.
Medford, OR(1): Jackson County.
Portland, OR--WA(3): Clackamas County; Multnomah County; and Washington County.
Salem, OR(2): Marion County; and Polk County.
Allentown, PA--NJ(4): Bucks County; Carbon County; Lehigh County; and Northampton County.
Altoona, PA(1): Blair County.
Bloomsburg--Berwick, PA(1): Columbia County.
Chambersburg, PA(1): Franklin County.
East Stroudsburg, PA--NJ(1): Monroe County.
Erie, PA(1): Erie County.
Hanover, PA(2): Adams County; and York County.
Harrisburg, PA(4): Cumberland County; Dauphin County; Lebanon County; and York County.
Hazleton, PA(1): Luzerne County.
Johnstown, PA(1): Cambria County.
Lancaster, PA(1): Lancaster County.
Lebanon, PA(1): Lebanon County.
Monessen--California, PA(3): Fayette County; Washington County; and Westmoreland County.
Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD(5): Bucks County; Chester County; Delaware County; Montgomery County; and Philadelphia County.
Pittsburgh, PA(5): Allegheny County; Beaver County; Butler County; Washington County; and Westmoreland County.
Pottstown, PA(3): Berks County; Chester County; and Montgomery County.
Reading, PA(1): Berks County.
Scranton, PA(2): Lackawanna County; and Luzerne County.
State College, PA(1): Centre County.
Uniontown--Connellsville, PA(1): Fayette County.
Williamsport, PA(1): Lycoming County.
York, PA(1): York County.
Youngstown, OH--PA(1): Mercer County.
Norwich--New London, CT--RI(1): Washington County.
Providence, RI--MA(5): Bristol County; Kent County; Newport County; Providence County; and Washington County.
Anderson, SC(1): Anderson County.
Augusta-Richmond County, GA--SC(1): Aiken County.
Charleston--North Charleston, SC(3): Berkeley County; Charleston County; and Dorchester County.
Charlotte, NC--SC(2): Lancaster County; and York County.
Columbia, SC(3): Kershaw County; Lexington County; and Richland County.
Florence, SC(2): Darlington County; and Florence County.
Greenville, SC(4): Anderson County; Greenville County; Pickens County; and Spartanburg County.
Hilton Head Island, SC(1): Beaufort County.
Mauldin--Simpsonville, SC(1): Greenville County.
Myrtle Beach--Socastee, SC--NC(1): Horry County.
Rock Hill, SC(1): York County.
Spartanburg, SC(1): Spartanburg County.
Sumter, SC(1): Sumter County.
Rapid City, SD(1): Pennington County.
Sioux Falls, SD(2): Lincoln County; and Minnehaha County.
Bristol--Bristol, TN--VA(1): Sullivan County.
Chattanooga, TN--GA(1): Hamilton County.
Clarksville, TN--KY(1): Montgomery County.
Cleveland, TN(1): Bradley County.
Jackson, TN(1): Madison County.
Johnson City, TN(2): Carter County; and Washington County.
Kingsport, TN--VA(2): Hawkins County; and Sullivan County.
Knoxville, TN(5): Anderson County; Blount County; Knox County; Loudon County; and Sevier County.
Memphis, TN--MS--AR(1): Shelby County.
Morristown, TN(2): Hamblen County; and Jefferson County.
Murfreesboro, TN(1): Rutherford County.
Nashville-Davidson, TN(6): Davidson County; Robertson County; Rutherford County; Sumner County; Williamson County; and Wilson County.
Abilene, TX(1): Taylor County.
Amarillo, TX(2): Potter County; and Randall County.
Austin, TX(3): Hays County; Travis County; and Williamson County.
Beaumont, TX(3): Hardin County; Jefferson County; and Orange County.
Brownsville, TX(1): Cameron County.
College Station--Bryan, TX(1): Brazos County.
Conroe--The Woodlands, TX(1): Montgomery County.
Corpus Christi, TX(2): Nueces County; and San Patricio County.
Dallas--Fort Worth--Arlington, TX(7): Collin County; Dallas County; Denton County; Ellis County; Johnson County; Rockwall County; and Tarrant County.
Denton--Lewisville, TX(2): Dallas County; and Denton County.
El Paso, TX--NM(1): El Paso County.
Harlingen, TX(1): Cameron County.
Houston, TX(6): Brazoria County; Chambers County; Fort Bend County; Galveston County; Harris County; and Montgomery County.
Killeen, TX(2): Bell County; and Coryell County.
Lake Jackson--Angleton, TX(1): Brazoria County.
Laredo, TX(1): Webb County.
Longview, TX(1): Gregg County.
Lubbock, TX(1): Lubbock County.
McAllen, TX(1): Hidalgo County.
McKinney, TX(1): Collin County.
Midland, TX(1): Midland County.
Odessa, TX(1): Ector County.
Port Arthur, TX(2): Jefferson County; and Orange County.
San Angelo, TX(1): Tom Green County.
San Antonio, TX(3): Bexar County; Comal County; and Guadalupe County.
San Marcos, TX(1): Hays County.
Sherman, TX(1): Grayson County.
Temple, TX(1): Bell County.
Texarkana--Texarkana, TX--AR(1): Bowie County.
Texas City, TX(1): Galveston County.
Tyler, TX(1): Smith County.
Victoria, TX(1): Victoria County.
Waco, TX(1): McLennan County.
Wichita Falls, TX(1): Wichita County.
Logan, UT(1): Cache County.
Ogden--Layton, UT(3): Box Elder County; Davis County; and Weber County.
Provo--Orem, UT(1): Utah County.
St. George, UT(1): Washington County.
Salt Lake City--West Valley City, UT(1): Salt Lake County.
Burlington, VT(1): Chittenden County.
Blacksburg, VA(2): Montgomery County; and Radford city.
Bristol--Bristol, TN--VA(2): Washington County; and Bristol city.
Charlottesville, VA(2): Albemarle County; and Charlottesville city.
Fredericksburg, VA(3): Spotsylvania County; Stafford County; and Fredericksburg city.
Harrisonburg, VA(2): Rockingham County; and Harrisonburg city.
Lynchburg, VA(4): Amherst County; Bedford County; Campbell County; and Lynchburg city.
Richmond, VA(8): Chesterfield County; Hanover County; Henrico County; Prince George County; Colonial Heights city; Hopewell city; Petersburg city; and Richmond city.
Roanoke, VA(4): Botetourt County; Roanoke County; Roanoke city; and Salem city.
Staunton--Waynesboro, VA(3): Augusta County; Staunton city; and Waynesboro city.
Virginia Beach, VA(9): York County; Chesapeake city; Hampton city; Newport News city; Norfolk city; Poquoson city; Portsmouth city; Suffolk city; and Virginia Beach city.
Washington, DC--VA--MD(11): Arlington County; Fairfax County; Fauquier County; Loudoun County; Prince William County; Stafford County; Alexandria city; Fairfax city; Falls Church city; Manassas city; and Manassas Park city.
Williamsburg, VA(2): James City County; and Williamsburg city.
Winchester, VA(2): Frederick County; and Winchester city.
Bellingham, WA(1): Whatcom County.
Bremerton, WA(1): Kitsap County.
Kennewick--Pasco, WA(2): Benton County; and Franklin County.
Lewiston, ID--WA(1): Asotin County.
Longview, WA--OR(1): Cowlitz County.
Marysville, WA(1): Snohomish County.
Mount Vernon, WA(1): Skagit County.
Olympia--Lacey, WA(1): Thurston County.
Portland, OR--WA(1): Clark County.
Seattle, WA(3): King County; Pierce County; and Snohomish County.
Spokane, WA(1): Spokane County.
Walla Walla, WA--OR(1): Walla Walla County.
Wenatchee, WA(2): Chelan County; and Douglas County.
Yakima, WA(1): Yakima County.
Beckley, WV(2): Fayette County; and Raleigh County.
Charleston, WV(2): Kanawha County; and Putnam County.
Hagerstown, MD--WV--PA(1): Berkeley County.
Huntington, WV--KY--OH(3): Cabell County; Putnam County; and Wayne County.
Morgantown, WV(1): Monongalia County.
Parkersburg, WV--OH(1): Wood County.
Weirton--Steubenville, WV--OH--PA(2): Brooke County; and Hancock County.
Wheeling, WV--OH(2): Marshall County; and Ohio County.
Appleton, WI(3): Calumet County; Outagamie County; and Winnebago County.
Beloit, WI--IL(1): Rock County.
Duluth, MN--WI(1): Douglas County.
Eau Claire, WI(2): Chippewa County; and Eau Claire County.
Fond du Lac, WI(1): Fond du Lac County.
Green Bay, WI(1): Brown County.
Janesville, WI(1): Rock County.
Kenosha, WI--IL(1): Kenosha County.
La Crosse, WI--MN(1): La Crosse County.
Madison, WI(1): Dane County.
Milwaukee, WI(4): Milwaukee County; Ozaukee County; Washington County; and Waukesha County.
Oshkosh, WI(1): Winnebago County.
Racine, WI(1): Racine County.
Round Lake Beach--McHenry--Grayslake, IL--WI(1): Kenosha County.
Sheboygan, WI(1): Sheboygan County.
Wausau, WI(1): Marathon County.
West Bend, WI(1): Washington County.
Casper, WY(1): Natrona County.
Cheyenne, WY(1): Laramie County.

[jimrtex]

Multi-county areas with significant urbanized areas, Alabama-New York

Birmingham, AL Urbanized Area(2): Jefferson County; and Shelby County.
Columbus, GA--AL Urbanized Area(2): Lee County; and Russell County.
Florence, AL Urbanized Area(2): Colbert County; and Lauderdale County.
Huntsville, AL Urbanized Area(2): Limestone County; and Madison County.
Montgomery, AL Urbanized Area(3): Autauga County; Elmore County; and Montgomery County.
Phoenix--Mesa, AZ Urbanized Area(2): Maricopa County; and Pinal County.
Fayetteville--Springdale--Rogers, AR--MO Urbanized Area(2): Benton County; and Washington County.
Fort Smith, AR--OK Urbanized Area(2): Crawford County; and Sebastian County.
Little Rock, AR Urbanized Area(3): Lonoke County; Pulaski County; and Saline County.
Concord, CA Urbanized Area(2): Alameda County; and Contra Costa County.
Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA Urbanized Area(3): Los Angeles County; Orange County; and San Bernardino County.
Riverside--San Bernardino, CA Urbanized Area(2): Riverside County; and San Bernardino County.
Sacramento, CA Urbanized Area(4): El Dorado County; Placer County; Sacramento County; and Yolo County.
San Francisco--Oakland, CA Urbanized Area(5): Alameda County; Contra Costa County; Marin County; San Francisco County; and San Mateo County.
Thousand Oaks, CA Urbanized Area(2): Los Angeles County; and Ventura County.
Turlock, CA Urbanized Area(2): Merced County; and Stanislaus County.
Vallejo, CA Urbanized Area(2): Napa County; and Solano County.
Yuba City, CA Urbanized Area(2): Sutter County; and Yuba County.
Denver--Aurora, CO Urbanized Area(6): Adams County; Arapahoe County; Broomfield County; Denver County; Douglas County; and Jefferson County.
Fort Collins, CO Urbanized Area(2): Larimer County; and Weld County.
Bridgeport--Stamford, CT--NY Urbanized Area(2): Fairfield County; and New Haven County.
Danbury, CT--NY Urbanized Area(2): Fairfield County; and Litchfield County.
Hartford, CT Urbanized Area(4): Hartford County; Litchfield County; Middlesex County; and Tolland County.
New Haven, CT Urbanized Area(2): Middlesex County; and New Haven County.
Waterbury, CT Urbanized Area(2): Litchfield County; and New Haven County.
Bonita Springs, FL Urbanized Area(2): Collier County; and Lee County.
Fort Walton Beach--Navarre--Wright, FL Urbanized Area(2): Okaloosa County; and Santa Rosa County.
Jacksonville, FL Urbanized Area(3): Clay County; Duval County; and St. Johns County.
Kissimmee, FL Urbanized Area(2): Orange County; and Osceola County.
Lady Lake--The Villages, FL Urbanized Area(3): Lake County; Marion County; and Sumter County.
Miami, FL Urbanized Area(3): Broward County; Miami-Dade County; and Palm Beach County.
North Port--Port Charlotte, FL Urbanized Area(2): Charlotte County; and Sarasota County.
Orlando, FL Urbanized Area(3): Lake County; Orange County; and Seminole County.
Palm Coast--Daytona Beach--Port Orange, FL Urbanized Area(2): Flagler County; and Volusia County.
Pensacola, FL--AL Urbanized Area(2): Escambia County; and Santa Rosa County.
Port St. Lucie, FL Urbanized Area(2): Martin County; and St. Lucie County.
Sarasota--Bradenton, FL Urbanized Area(3): Charlotte County; Manatee County; and Sarasota County.
Sebastian--Vero Beach South--Florida Ridge, FL Urbanized Area(2): Indian River County; and St. Lucie County.
Spring Hill, FL Urbanized Area(2): Hernando County; and Pasco County.
Tampa--St. Petersburg, FL Urbanized Area(3): Hillsborough County; Pasco County; and Pinellas County.
Albany, GA Urbanized Area(2): Dougherty County; and Lee County.
Athens-Clarke County, GA Urbanized Area(2): Clarke County; and Oconee County.
Atlanta, GA Urbanized Area(19): Barrow County; Carroll County; Cherokee County; Clayton County; Cobb County; Coweta County; DeKalb County; Douglas County; Fayette County; Forsyth County; Fulton County; Gwinnett County; Hall County; Henry County; Newton County; Paulding County; Rockdale County; Spalding County; and Walton County.
Augusta-Richmond County, GA--SC Urbanized Area(2): Columbia County; and Richmond County.
Chattanooga, TN--GA Urbanized Area(2): Catoosa County; and Walker County.
Columbus, GA--AL Urbanized Area(2): Chattahoochee County; and Muscogee County.
Dalton, GA Urbanized Area(2): Murray County; and Whitfield County.
Carbondale, IL Urbanized Area(2): Jackson County; and Williamson County.
Chicago, IL--IN Urbanized Area(8): Cook County; DuPage County; Grundy County; Kane County; Kendall County; Lake County; McHenry County; and Will County.
Peoria, IL Urbanized Area(2): Peoria County; and Tazewell County.
Rockford, IL Urbanized Area(2): Boone County; and Winnebago County.
Round Lake Beach--McHenry--Grayslake, IL--WI Urbanized Area(2): Lake County; and McHenry County.
St. Louis, MO--IL Urbanized Area(2): Madison County; and St. Clair County.
Chicago, IL--IN Urbanized Area(2): Lake County; and Porter County.
Evansville, IN--KY Urbanized Area(2): Vanderburgh County; and Warrick County.
Indianapolis, IN Urbanized Area(7): Boone County; Hamilton County; Hancock County; Hendricks County; Johnson County; Marion County; and Morgan County.
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY--IN Urbanized Area(2): Clark County; and Floyd County.
Terre Haute, IN Urbanized Area(2): Clay County; and Vigo County.
Des Moines, IA Urbanized Area(2): Dallas County; and Polk County.
Kansas City, MO--KS Urbanized Area(2): Johnson County; and Wyandotte County.
Wichita, KS Urbanized Area(2): Butler County; and Sedgwick County.
Cincinnati, OH--KY--IN Urbanized Area(3): Boone County; Campbell County; and Kenton County.
Huntington, WV--KY--OH Urbanized Area(2): Boyd County; and Greenup County.
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY--IN Urbanized Area(3): Bullitt County; Jefferson County; and Oldham County.
Baton Rouge, LA Urbanized Area(5): Ascension Parish; East Baton Rouge Parish; Iberville Parish; Livingston Parish; and West Baton Rouge Parish.
Houma, LA Urbanized Area(2): Lafourche Parish; and Terrebonne Parish.
Lafayette, LA Urbanized Area(2): Iberia Parish; and Lafayette Parish.
New Orleans, LA Urbanized Area(6): Jefferson Parish; Orleans Parish; Plaquemines Parish; St. Bernard Parish; St. Charles Parish; and St. John the Baptist Parish.
Shreveport, LA Urbanized Area(2): Bossier Parish; and Caddo Parish.
Portland, ME Urbanized Area(2): Cumberland County; and York County.
Baltimore, MD Urbanized Area(6): Anne Arundel County; Baltimore County; Howard County; Prince George's County; Queen Anne's County; and Baltimore city.
Lexington Park--California--Chesapeake Ranch Estates, MD Urbanized Area(2): Calvert County; and St. Mary's County.
Washington, DC--VA--MD Urbanized Area(3): Frederick County; Montgomery County; and Prince George's County.
Barnstable Town, MA Urbanized Area(2): Barnstable County; and Plymouth County.
Boston, MA--NH--RI Urbanized Area(7): Bristol County; Essex County; Middlesex County; Norfolk County; Plymouth County; Suffolk County; and Worcester County.
Providence, RI--MA Urbanized Area(3): Bristol County; Norfolk County; and Worcester County.
Springfield, MA--CT Urbanized Area(2): Hampden County; and Hampshire County.
Ann Arbor, MI Urbanized Area(2): Washtenaw County; and Wayne County.
Detroit, MI Urbanized Area(5): Livingston County; Macomb County; Oakland County; St. Clair County; and Wayne County.
Grand Rapids, MI Urbanized Area(2): Kent County; and Ottawa County.
Lansing, MI Urbanized Area(3): Clinton County; Eaton County; and Ingham County.
Muskegon, MI Urbanized Area(2): Muskegon County; and Ottawa County.
South Lyon--Howell, MI Urbanized Area(2): Livingston County; and Oakland County.
Mankato, MN Urbanized Area(2): Blue Earth County; and Nicollet County.
Minneapolis--St. Paul, MN--WI Urbanized Area(9): Anoka County; Carver County; Dakota County; Hennepin County; Ramsey County; Scott County; Sherburne County; Washington County; and Wright County.
St. Cloud, MN Urbanized Area(2): Benton County; and Stearns County.
Gulfport, MS Urbanized Area(3): Hancock County; Harrison County; and Jackson County.
Hattiesburg, MS Urbanized Area(2): Forrest County; and Lamar County.
Jackson, MS Urbanized Area(3): Hinds County; Madison County; and Rankin County.
Kansas City, MO--KS Urbanized Area(4): Cass County; Clay County; Jackson County; and Platte County.
St. Louis, MO--IL Urbanized Area(4): Jefferson County; St. Charles County; St. Louis County; and St. Louis city.
Springfield, MO Urbanized Area(2): Christian County; and Greene County.
Omaha, NE--IA Urbanized Area(2): Douglas County; and Sarpy County.
Manchester, NH Urbanized Area(2): Hillsborough County; and Merrimack County.
Nashua, NH--MA Urbanized Area(2): Hillsborough County; and Rockingham County.
Atlantic City, NJ Urbanized Area(2): Atlantic County; and Cape May County.
New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT Urbanized Area(14): Bergen County; Essex County; Hudson County; Hunterdon County; Mercer County; Middlesex County; Monmouth County; Morris County; Ocean County; Passaic County; Somerset County; Sussex County; Union County; and Warren County.
Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD Urbanized Area(4): Burlington County; Camden County; Gloucester County; and Salem County.
Trenton, NJ Urbanized Area(2): Burlington County; and Mercer County.
Albuquerque, NM Urbanized Area(2): Bernalillo County; and Sandoval County.
Albany--Schenectady, NY Urbanized Area(4): Albany County; Rensselaer County; Saratoga County; and Schenectady County.
Buffalo, NY Urbanized Area(2): Erie County; and Niagara County.
Glens Falls, NY Urbanized Area(3): Saratoga County; Warren County; and Washington County.
New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT Urbanized Area(10): Bronx County; Kings County; Nassau County; New York County; Putnam County; Queens County; Richmond County; Rockland County; Suffolk County; and Westchester County.
Poughkeepsie--Newburgh, NY--NJ Urbanized Area(3): Dutchess County; Orange County; and Ulster County.
Rochester, NY Urbanized Area(3): Monroe County; Ontario County; and Wayne County.

[jimrtex]

Remainder of multi-county areas with significant urbanized areas.

Asheville, NC Urbanized Area(3): Buncombe County; Haywood County; and Henderson County.
Charlotte, NC--SC Urbanized Area(5): Cabarrus County; Iredell County; Lincoln County; Mecklenburg County; and Union County.
Concord, NC Urbanized Area(2): Cabarrus County; and Rowan County.
Durham, NC Urbanized Area(2): Durham County; and Orange County.
Fayetteville, NC Urbanized Area(2): Cumberland County; and Hoke County.
Gastonia, NC--SC Urbanized Area(2): Cleveland County; and Gaston County.
Hickory, NC Urbanized Area(3): Burke County; Caldwell County; and Catawba County.
High Point, NC Urbanized Area(3): Davidson County; Guilford County; and Randolph County.
Raleigh, NC Urbanized Area(2): Johnston County; and Wake County.
Rocky Mount, NC Urbanized Area(2): Edgecombe County; and Nash County.
Wilmington, NC Urbanized Area(2): Brunswick County; and New Hanover County.
Winston-Salem, NC Urbanized Area(3): Davidson County; Forsyth County; and Stokes County.
Bismarck, ND Urbanized Area(2): Burleigh County; and Morton County.
Akron, OH Urbanized Area(5): Medina County; Portage County; Stark County; Summit County; and Wayne County.
Cincinnati, OH--KY--IN Urbanized Area(4): Butler County; Clermont County; Hamilton County; and Warren County.
Cleveland, OH Urbanized Area(7): Cuyahoga County; Geauga County; Lake County; Lorain County; Medina County; Portage County; and Summit County.
Columbus, OH Urbanized Area(4): Delaware County; Fairfield County; Franklin County; and Licking County.
Dayton, OH Urbanized Area(5): Clark County; Greene County; Miami County; Montgomery County; and Warren County.
Middletown, OH Urbanized Area(2): Butler County; and Warren County.
Toledo, OH--MI Urbanized Area(2): Lucas County; and Wood County.
Youngstown, OH--PA Urbanized Area(2): Mahoning County; and Trumbull County.
Oklahoma City, OK Urbanized Area(4): Canadian County; Cleveland County; Logan County; and Oklahoma County.
Tulsa, OK Urbanized Area(4): Creek County; Rogers County; Tulsa County; and Wagoner County.
Portland, OR--WA Urbanized Area(3): Clackamas County; Multnomah County; and Washington County.
Salem, OR Urbanized Area(2): Marion County; and Polk County.
Allentown, PA--NJ Urbanized Area(4): Bucks County; Carbon County; Lehigh County; and Northampton County.
Hanover, PA Urbanized Area(2): Adams County; and York County.
Harrisburg, PA Urbanized Area(4): Cumberland County; Dauphin County; Lebanon County; and York County.
Monessen--California, PA Urbanized Area(3): Fayette County; Washington County; and Westmoreland County.
Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD Urbanized Area(5): Bucks County; Chester County; Delaware County; Montgomery County; and Philadelphia County.
Pittsburgh, PA Urbanized Area(5): Allegheny County; Beaver County; Butler County; Washington County; and Westmoreland County.
Pottstown, PA Urbanized Area(3): Berks County; Chester County; and Montgomery County.
Scranton, PA Urbanized Area(2): Lackawanna County; and Luzerne County.
Providence, RI--MA Urbanized Area(5): Bristol County; Kent County; Newport County; Providence County; and Washington County.
Charleston--North Charleston, SC Urbanized Area(3): Berkeley County; Charleston County; and Dorchester County.
Charlotte, NC--SC Urbanized Area(2): Lancaster County; and York County.
Columbia, SC Urbanized Area(3): Kershaw County; Lexington County; and Richland County.
Florence, SC Urbanized Area(2): Darlington County; and Florence County.
Greenville, SC Urbanized Area(4): Anderson County; Greenville County; Pickens County; and Spartanburg County.
Sioux Falls, SD Urbanized Area(2): Lincoln County; and Minnehaha County.
Johnson City, TN Urbanized Area(2): Carter County; and Washington County.
Kingsport, TN--VA Urbanized Area(2): Hawkins County; and Sullivan County.
Knoxville, TN Urbanized Area(5): Anderson County; Blount County; Knox County; Loudon County; and Sevier County.
Morristown, TN Urbanized Area(2): Hamblen County; and Jefferson County.
Nashville-Davidson, TN Urbanized Area(6): Davidson County; Robertson County; Rutherford County; Sumner County; Williamson County; and Wilson County.
Amarillo, TX Urbanized Area(2): Potter County; and Randall County.
Austin, TX Urbanized Area(3): Hays County; Travis County; and Williamson County.
Beaumont, TX Urbanized Area(3): Hardin County; Jefferson County; and Orange County.
Corpus Christi, TX Urbanized Area(2): Nueces County; and San Patricio County.
Dallas--Fort Worth--Arlington, TX Urbanized Area(7): Collin County; Dallas County; Denton County; Ellis County; Johnson County; Rockwall County; and Tarrant County.
Denton--Lewisville, TX Urbanized Area(2): Dallas County; and Denton County.
Houston, TX Urbanized Area(6): Brazoria County; Chambers County; Fort Bend County; Galveston County; Harris County; and Montgomery County.
Killeen, TX Urbanized Area(2): Bell County; and Coryell County.
Port Arthur, TX Urbanized Area(2): Jefferson County; and Orange County.
San Antonio, TX Urbanized Area(3): Bexar County; Comal County; and Guadalupe County.
Ogden--Layton, UT Urbanized Area(3): Box Elder County; Davis County; and Weber County.
Blacksburg, VA Urbanized Area(2): Montgomery County; and Radford city.
Bristol--Bristol, TN--VA Urbanized Area(2): Washington County; and Bristol city.
Charlottesville, VA Urbanized Area(2): Albemarle County; and Charlottesville city.
Fredericksburg, VA Urbanized Area(3): Spotsylvania County; Stafford County; and Fredericksburg city.
Harrisonburg, VA Urbanized Area(2): Rockingham County; and Harrisonburg city.
Lynchburg, VA Urbanized Area(4): Amherst County; Bedford County; Campbell County; and Lynchburg city.
Richmond, VA Urbanized Area(8): Chesterfield County; Hanover County; Henrico County; Prince George County; Colonial Heights city; Hopewell city; Petersburg city; and Richmond city.
Roanoke, VA Urbanized Area(4): Botetourt County; Roanoke County; Roanoke city; and Salem city.
Staunton--Waynesboro, VA Urbanized Area(3): Augusta County; Staunton city; and Waynesboro city.
Virginia Beach, VA Urbanized Area(9): York County; Chesapeake city; Hampton city; Newport News city; Norfolk city; Poquoson city; Portsmouth city; Suffolk city; and Virginia Beach city.
Washington, DC--VA--MD Urbanized Area(11): Arlington County; Fairfax County; Fauquier County; Loudoun County; Prince William County; Stafford County; Alexandria city; Fairfax city; Falls Church city; Manassas city; and Manassas Park city.
Williamsburg, VA Urbanized Area(2): James City County; and Williamsburg city.
Winchester, VA Urbanized Area(2): Frederick County; and Winchester city.
Kennewick--Pasco, WA Urbanized Area(2): Benton County; and Franklin County.
Seattle, WA Urbanized Area(3): King County; Pierce County; and Snohomish County.
Wenatchee, WA Urbanized Area(2): Chelan County; and Douglas County.
Beckley, WV Urbanized Area(2): Fayette County; and Raleigh County.
Charleston, WV Urbanized Area(2): Kanawha County; and Putnam County.
Huntington, WV--KY--OH Urbanized Area(3): Cabell County; Putnam County; and Wayne County.
Weirton--Steubenville, WV--OH--PA Urbanized Area(2): Brooke County; and Hancock County.
Wheeling, WV--OH Urbanized Area(2): Marshall County; and Ohio County.
Appleton, WI Urbanized Area(3): Calumet County; Outagamie County; and Winnebago County.
Eau Claire, WI Urbanized Area(2): Chippewa County; and Eau Claire County.
Milwaukee, WI Urbanized Area(4): Milwaukee County; Ozaukee County; Washington County; and Waukesha County.

[jimrtex]

Counties with 2 or more significant Urbanized Areas

Lee County(2): Columbus, GA--AL; and Auburn, AL.

Maricopa County(2): Phoenix--Mesa, AZ; and Avondale--Goodyear, AZ.
Pinal County(2): Phoenix--Mesa, AZ; and Casa Grande, AZ.

Alameda County(3): San Francisco--Oakland, CA; Concord, CA; and Livermore, CA.
Contra Costa County(3): San Francisco--Oakland, CA; Concord, CA; and Antioch, CA.
Kern County(2): Bakersfield, CA; and Delano, CA.
Los Angeles County(4): Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA; Lancaster--Palmdale, CA; Santa Clarita, CA; and Thousand Oaks, CA.
Merced County(2): Merced, CA; and Turlock, CA.
Monterey County(2): Salinas, CA; and Seaside--Monterey, CA.
Napa County(2): Vallejo, CA; and Napa, CA.
Orange County(2): Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA; and Mission Viejo--Lake Forest--San Clemente, CA.
Riverside County(4): Riverside--San Bernardino, CA; Murrieta--Temecula--Menifee, CA; Indio--Cathedral City, CA; and Hemet, CA.
San Bernardino County(3): Los Angeles--Long Beach--Anaheim, CA; Riverside--San Bernardino, CA; and Victorville--Hesperia, CA.
San Joaquin County(4): Stockton, CA; Tracy, CA; Manteca, CA; and Lodi, CA.
San Luis Obispo County(3): El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles)--Atascadero, CA; San Luis Obispo, CA; and Arroyo Grande--Grover Beach, CA.
Santa Barbara County(3): Santa Barbara, CA; Santa Maria, CA; and Lompoc, CA.
Santa Clara County(2): San Jose, CA; and Gilroy--Morgan Hill, CA.
Santa Cruz County(2): Santa Cruz, CA; and Watsonville, CA.
Solano County(3): Vallejo, CA; Fairfield, CA; and Vacaville, CA.
Sonoma County(2): Santa Rosa, CA; and Petaluma, CA.
Stanislaus County(2): Modesto, CA; and Turlock, CA.
Tulare County(2): Visalia, CA; and Porterville, CA.
Ventura County(4): Oxnard, CA; Thousand Oaks, CA; Simi Valley, CA; and Camarillo, CA.
Yolo County(3): Sacramento, CA; Davis, CA; and Woodland, CA.

Boulder County(3): Boulder, CO; Longmont, CO; and Lafayette--Louisville--Erie, CO.
Weld County(2): Fort Collins, CO; and Greeley, CO.

Fairfield County(2): Bridgeport--Stamford, CT--NY; and Danbury, CT--NY.
Hartford County(2): Hartford, CT; and Springfield, MA--CT.
Litchfield County(3): Hartford, CT; Waterbury, CT; and Danbury, CT--NY.
Middlesex County(2): Hartford, CT; and New Haven, CT.
New Haven County(3): Bridgeport--Stamford, CT--NY; New Haven, CT; and Waterbury, CT.

Brevard County(2): Palm Bay--Melbourne, FL; and Titusville, FL.
Charlotte County(2): Sarasota--Bradenton, FL; and North Port--Port Charlotte, FL.
Lake County(3): Orlando, FL; Leesburg--Eustis--Tavares, FL; and Lady Lake--The Villages, FL.
Lee County(2): Cape Coral, FL; and Bonita Springs, FL.
Marion County(2): Ocala, FL; and Lady Lake--The Villages, FL.
Orange County(2): Orlando, FL; and Kissimmee, FL.
Pasco County(3): Tampa--St. Petersburg, FL; Spring Hill, FL; and Zephyrhills, FL.
Polk County(2): Lakeland, FL; and Winter Haven, FL.
St. Johns County(2): Jacksonville, FL; and St. Augustine, FL.
St. Lucie County(2): Port St. Lucie, FL; and Sebastian--Vero Beach South--Florida Ridge, FL.
Santa Rosa County(2): Pensacola, FL--AL; and Fort Walton Beach--Navarre--Wright, FL.
Sarasota County(2): Sarasota--Bradenton, FL; and North Port--Port Charlotte, FL.
Volusia County(2): Palm Coast--Daytona Beach--Port Orange, FL; and Deltona, FL.

Hall County(2): Atlanta, GA; and Gainesville, GA.

Honolulu County(2): Urban Honolulu, HI; and Kailua (Honolulu County)--Kaneohe, HI.

Lake County(2): Chicago, IL--IN; and Round Lake Beach--McHenry--Grayslake, IL--WI.
McHenry County(2): Chicago, IL--IN; and Round Lake Beach--McHenry--Grayslake, IL--WI.
Madison County(2): St. Louis, MO--IL; and Alton, IL--MO.
Winnebago County(2): Rockford, IL; and Beloit, WI--IL.

St. Tammany Parish(2): Slidell, LA; and Mandeville--Covington, LA.

York County(2): Portland, ME; and Portsmouth, NH--ME.

Frederick County(2): Washington, DC--VA--MD; and Frederick, MD.
Prince George's County(2): Washington, DC--VA--MD; and Baltimore, MD.

Bristol County(3): Boston, MA--NH--RI; Providence, RI--MA; and New Bedford, MA.
Norfolk County(2): Boston, MA--NH--RI; and Providence, RI--MA.
Plymouth County(2): Boston, MA--NH--RI; and Barnstable Town, MA.
Worcester County(4): Boston, MA--NH--RI; Providence, RI--MA; Worcester, MA--CT; and Leominster--Fitchburg, MA.

Berrien County(2): South Bend, IN--MI; and Benton Harbor--St. Joseph--Fair Plain, MI.
Livingston County(2): Detroit, MI; and South Lyon--Howell, MI.
Monroe County(2): Toledo, OH--MI; and Monroe, MI.
Oakland County(2): Detroit, MI; and South Lyon--Howell, MI.
Ottawa County(3): Grand Rapids, MI; Muskegon, MI; and Holland, MI.
St. Clair County(2): Detroit, MI; and Port Huron, MI.
Wayne County(2): Detroit, MI; and Ann Arbor, MI.

Jackson County(2): Gulfport, MS; and Pascagoula, MS.

Jackson County(2): Kansas City, MO--KS; and Lee's Summit, MO.

Hillsborough County(2): Nashua, NH--MA; and Manchester, NH.
Rockingham County(3): Boston, MA--NH--RI; Nashua, NH--MA; and Portsmouth, NH--ME.

Burlington County(2): Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD; and Trenton, NJ.
Cape May County(2): Atlantic City, NJ; and Villas, NJ.
Mercer County(3): New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT; Trenton, NJ; and Twin Rivers--Hightstown, NJ.
Passaic County(2): New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT; and Poughkeepsie--Newburgh, NY--NJ.
Warren County(2): New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT; and Allentown, PA--NJ.

Doña Ana County(2): El Paso, TX--NM; and Las Cruces, NM.

Orange County(2): Poughkeepsie--Newburgh, NY--NJ; and Middletown, NY.
Saratoga County(3): Albany--Schenectady, NY; Glens Falls, NY; and Saratoga Springs, NY.
Ulster County(2): Poughkeepsie--Newburgh, NY--NJ; and Kingston, NY.
Westchester County(2): New York--Newark, NY--NJ--CT; and Bridgeport--Stamford, CT--NY.

Brunswick County(2): Wilmington, NC; and Myrtle Beach--Socastee, SC--NC.
Cabarrus County(2): Charlotte, NC--SC; and Concord, NC.
Davidson County(2): Winston-Salem, NC; and High Point, NC.
Guilford County(2): Greensboro, NC; and High Point, NC.

Butler County(2): Cincinnati, OH--KY--IN; and Middletown, OH.
Clark County(2): Dayton, OH; and Springfield, OH.
Licking County(2): Columbus, OH; and Newark, OH.
Lorain County(2): Cleveland, OH; and Lorain--Elyria, OH.
Medina County(2): Cleveland, OH; and Akron, OH.
Portage County(2): Cleveland, OH; and Akron, OH.
Stark County(2): Akron, OH; and Canton, OH.
Summit County(2): Cleveland, OH; and Akron, OH.
Warren County(3): Cincinnati, OH--KY--IN; Dayton, OH; and Middletown, OH.

Cleveland County(2): Oklahoma City, OK; and Norman, OK.

Berks County(2): Reading, PA; and Pottstown, PA.
Bucks County(2): Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD; and Allentown, PA--NJ.
Chester County(2): Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD; and Pottstown, PA.
Fayette County(2): Monessen--California, PA; and Uniontown--Connellsville, PA.
Lebanon County(2): Harrisburg, PA; and Lebanon, PA.
Luzerne County(2): Scranton, PA; and Hazleton, PA.
Montgomery County(2): Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD; and Pottstown, PA.
Washington County(2): Pittsburgh, PA; and Monessen--California, PA.
Westmoreland County(2): Pittsburgh, PA; and Monessen--California, PA.
York County(3): Harrisburg, PA; York, PA; and Hanover, PA.

Washington County(2): Providence, RI--MA; and Norwich--New London, CT--RI.

Anderson County(2): Greenville, SC; and Anderson, SC.
Greenville County(2): Greenville, SC; and Mauldin--Simpsonville, SC.
Spartanburg County(2): Greenville, SC; and Spartanburg, SC.
York County(2): Charlotte, NC--SC; and Rock Hill, SC.

Rutherford County(2): Nashville-Davidson, TN; and Murfreesboro, TN.
Sullivan County(2): Kingsport, TN--VA; and Bristol--Bristol, TN--VA.

Bell County(2): Killeen, TX; and Temple, TX.
Brazoria County(2): Houston, TX; and Lake Jackson--Angleton, TX.
Cameron County(2): Brownsville, TX; and Harlingen, TX.
Collin County(2): Dallas--Fort Worth--Arlington, TX; and McKinney, TX.
Dallas County(2): Dallas--Fort Worth--Arlington, TX; and Denton--Lewisville, TX.
Denton County(2): Dallas--Fort Worth--Arlington, TX; and Denton--Lewisville, TX.
Galveston County(2): Houston, TX; and Texas City, TX.
Hays County(2): Austin, TX; and San Marcos, TX.
Jefferson County(2): Port Arthur, TX; and Beaumont, TX.
Montgomery County(2): Houston, TX; and Conroe--The Woodlands, TX.
Orange County(2): Port Arthur, TX; and Beaumont, TX.

Stafford County(2): Washington, DC--VA--MD; and Fredericksburg, VA.

Snohomish County(2): Seattle, WA; and Marysville, WA.

Putnam County(2): Huntington, WV--KY--OH; and Charleston, WV.

Kenosha County(2): Round Lake Beach--McHenry--Grayslake, IL--WI; and Kenosha, WI--IL.
Rock County(2): Janesville, WI; and Beloit, WI--IL.
Washington County(2): Milwaukee, WI; and West Bend, WI.
Winnebago County(2): Appleton, WI; and Oshkosh, WI.