Congressional districts with no large urban centers

[RedSLC]

This was something I've been thinking about recently:

Nearly every congressional district in the country has at least one urbanized area (or a significant portion of one) within its boundaries. For those that don't know, an urbanized area is defined by the US census as a densely-populated area with at least 50,000 residents - to some extent, this can represent the cutoff point between what most people would think of as urban and rural (50,000 people is fairly close to what most would consider a city). Thus, nearly all CDs are anchored by at least one "urban center". (You can find a list of urbanized areas here: http://www2.census.gov/geo/ua/ua_st_list_ua.txt )

But there are also a few districts with little, or even no urbanized areas at all. The biggest that they have are fairly small cities (usually in the 10 to 20 thousand range). With no urban areas to unite or influence the districts, these districts are as close to "rural" as possible.

Here are a few examples that I can think of:
-MI-1 (Contains the UP and the northern LP, well to the north of any urban centers).
-MN-7 (Does contain a small urbanized population in the suburbs of Fargo and Grand Forks, but this makes up a very small part of the district's population.)
-KY-1 (Since Owensboro is not in the district, the only urbanized population is in a few suburbs of Clarksville, Tennessee).
-KY-5 (I honestly don't think this district has any urbanized area - not even a little).
-MS-1 (Pretty certain the only urbanized population resides in the southern Memphis suburbs in DeSoto County).
-OK-2 (Contains some Tulsa suburbs in Rogers county, and a very small urbanized population in some tiny suburbs of Fort Smith, Arkansas, but these make up less than 10 percent of the district's population.)
-Honorable mention: The old TN-4 (Which had a very small urbanized population - mainly from a hand that extended into Williamson County - and under a neutral map, would likely have virtually no urbanized population. The current TN-4 was drawn to pick up Murfreesboro, making it considerably more urban.)

Does anyone have any other examples?

[Miles]

MO-04 might also qualify.

[ElectionsGuy]

Some other ones maybe?

VA-9
WV-3
OH-6
TX-23
AL-4
GA-9
PA-5
NY-23
ME-2
IL-15
MO-8
VT-AL (largest city is Burlington around 40,000)

[Bacon King]

GA 9 is definitely anchored by Gainesville/Oakwood/Flowery Branch metro (which includes a lot of built up yet unincorporated territory). Hall County on the whole has a population of 140k which is more than double the next largest county in the district. It's intentionally designed to be represented by whichever Congressional candidate the Good Ole Boys of Hall County picked to win it.

[Flake]

Kentucky 5 is the most rural district in the country, with 76.49% of the population living in census designated rural areas.

http://proximityone.com/cd113_2010_ur.htm

[Flake]

Bacon King: Georgia 9 is 57% rural.

[ElectionsGuy]

GA 9 is definitely anchored by Gainesville/Oakwood/Flowery Branch metro (which includes a lot of built up yet unincorporated territory). Hall County on the whole has a population of 140k which is more than double the next largest county in the district. It's intentionally designed to be represented by whichever Congressional candidate the Good Ole Boys of Hall County picked to win it.

Yes, I know. But the rest of the CD is mostly unincorporated and mountainfull (if that's a word). If any district in Georgia is rural, its that one.

Also forgot WI-7.

[RedSLC]

MO-04 might also qualify.

That one contains Columbia, which is a fairly decent-sized city.

Some other ones maybe?

VA-9
WV-3
OH-6
TX-23
AL-4
GA-9
PA-5
NY-23
ME-2
IL-15
MO-8
VT-AL (largest city is Burlington around 40,000)

Most of these contain at least one urbanized area:

VA-9 - Blacksburg/Christiansburg and Bristol.
WV-3 - Huntington and Beckley.
OH-6 - Steubenville (although that's a twin city of Wierton, WV), and some suburbs of Huntington and Wheeling (though none of these are particularly large).
TX-23 - Suburban area around San Antonio (the district's share of Bexar County makes up a large portion of its population.)
AL-4 - Gadsden
GA-9 - Gainesville (as mentioned).
PA-5 - State College
NY-23 - Ithaca and Elmira
ME-2 - Bangor and Lewiston/Auburn
IL-15 - Danville
MO-8 - Cape Girardeau
VT-AL - Burlington (as you mentioned.)

[Miles]

Some other ones maybe?

VA-9
WV-3
OH-6
TX-23
AL-4
GA-9
PA-5
NY-23
ME-2
IL-15
MO-8
VT-AL (largest city is Burlington around 40,000)

VA-09 has Blacksburg (home of Virginia Tech) and WV-03 has Huntington and Beckley.

[RedSLC]

From the link that Flo gave, here is a list of majority-rural CD's:

Majority-rural districts:

AL-4: 65.38% rural
AR-1: 54.44% rural
AR-4: 59.17% rural
GA-9: 57.32% rural
IL-15: 51.44% rural
KY-1: 63.12% rural
KY-2: 50.23% rural
KY-5: 76.49% rural
LA-5: 51.65% rural
ME-1: 50.57% rural
ME-2: 72.11% rural
MI-1: 63.42% rural
MI-4: 63.33% rural
MN-7: 64.13% rural
MN-8: 61.53% rural
MS-1: 58.11% rural
MS-3: 56.43% rural
MO-8: 61.71% rural
NE-3: 51.79% rural
NY-19: 63.49% rural
NY-21: 57.70% rural
NY-23: 52.44% rural
NC-7: 51.98% rural
NC-11: 55.53% rural
OH-6: 57.32% urban
OK-2: 65.33% rural
PA-10: 60.21% rural
TN-6: 51.77% rural
TX-4: 51.15% rural
VT-AL: 61.10% rural
VA-5: 64.70% rural
VA-9: 58.25% rural
WV-3: 59.84% rural
WI-7: 65.22% rural

Of the 34 districts here, Obama only won six: both of Maine's CD's, Vermont-AL, NY-19, NY-21, and MN-8 (though Obama probably would have carried WI-7 in its old form).

[muon2]

I looked around the link from Flo, but I couldn't find a table that answers the OP. Rural areas exclude both urban centers and urbanized areas. Urban centers are smaller towns and their surroundings with populated areas between 5K and 50K. The OP was trying to find those with little or no urbanized area so that would amount to rural + urban centers > 90%.

[minionofmidas]

Do you mean urban clusters?

That seems to be what they're called in the census website table on the question. Under 30% UA districts...

MI 1 0.0%. Zilch.
KY 5 0.2%. Can anyone tell me where exactly these 1222 people live?
OK 2 0.7% Or these 5104?
KY 1 6.8%
KS 1 7.7%
MN 7 7.7%
MO 8 8.1%
IL 15 10.4%
NE 3 11.0%
OK 3 13.0%
MN 8 14.1%
WI 7 14.5%
MI 4 14.9%
PA 10 17.0%
MS 1 17.3%
NY 23 17.4%
VT AL 17.4%
AL 4 18.0%
OH 6 18.0%
ME 2 18.1%
VA 5 18.1%
AR 1 18.7%
AR 4 18.9%
IA 4 19.0%
PA 5 19.3%
NY 19 20.8%
NY 21 21.9%
TN 6 22.8%
VA 9 23.0%
MO 4 23.3%
MS 2 23.6%
OH 4 23.7%
MS 3 23.8%
WY AL 24.5%
WV 3 25.0%
MN 1 25.7%
MT AL 26.5%
LA 5 27.4%
TX 4 27.4%
WI 3 27.7%
IN 6 28.1%
AZ 1 29.6%
NH 2 29.9%
GA 9 30.0%

There are no Carolinas districts in this table, and only one Texas district...

[cinyc]

KY 5 0.2%. Can anyone tell me where exactly these 1222 people live?

Probably in Catlettsburg or Cannonsburg, Boyd County, which is in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Urbanized Area.  Southern parts of Boyd County were added to the district in the 2010 redistricting.

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OK-02 encroaches on Tulsa.  A very small portion of the Tulsa Urbanized Area crosses into OK-02, probably near Owasso.

[minionofmidas]

KY 5 0.2%. Can anyone tell me where exactly these 1222 people live?

Probably in Catlettsburg or Cannonsburg, Boyd County, which is in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Urbanized Area.  Southern parts of Boyd County were added to the district in the 2010 redistricting.

Cannonsburg (and some immediate surrounds; 1222 is slightly more than the CDP's population) is correct. Catlettsburg city is in KY-4 (and has more than 1222 inhabitants.)

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OK-02 encroaches on Tulsa.  A very small portion of the Tulsa Urbanized Area crosses into OK-02, probably near Owasso.
[/quote]near Owasso too is correct. (Note that Claremore and Verdigris are not considered part of the Tulsa Urbanized Area but instead form the Claremore Urban Cluster.)

You win.

[minionofmidas]

...while further south round about Catoosa, UA and CD boundary appear to coincide.

[RedSLC]

Do you mean urban clusters?

That seems to be what they're called in the census website table on the question. Under 30% UA districts...

MI 1 0.0%. Zilch.
KY 5 0.2%. Can anyone tell me where exactly these 1222 people live?
OK 2 0.7% Or these 5104?
KY 1 6.8%
KS 1 7.7%
MN 7 7.7%
MO 8 8.1%
IL 15 10.4%
NE 3 11.0%
OK 3 13.0%
MN 8 14.1%
WI 7 14.5%
MI 4 14.9%
PA 10 17.0%
MS 1 17.3%
NY 23 17.4%
VT AL 17.4%
AL 4 18.0%
OH 6 18.0%
ME 2 18.1%
VA 5 18.1%
AR 1 18.7%
AR 4 18.9%
IA 4 19.0%
PA 5 19.3%
NY 19 20.8%
NY 21 21.9%
TN 6 22.8%
VA 9 23.0%
MO 4 23.3%
MS 2 23.6%
OH 4 23.7%
MS 3 23.8%
WY AL 24.5%
WV 3 25.0%
MN 1 25.7%
MT AL 26.5%
LA 5 27.4%
TX 4 27.4%
WI 3 27.7%
IN 6 28.1%
AZ 1 29.6%
NH 2 29.9%
GA 9 30.0%

There are no Carolinas districts in this table, and only one Texas district...

Thank you! I'm kind of surprised that there are only three CD's with an UA population under 1 percent.

[cinyc]

Cannonsburg (and some immediate surrounds; 1222 is slightly more than the CDP's population) is correct. Catlettsburg city is in KY-4 (and has more than 1222 inhabitants.)

Someone should tell Hal Rogers that Catlettsburg is in KY-04.  His website claims "Boyd County was split during the Kentucky legislature's 2012 Congressional redistricting process, placing the county seat, Catlettsburg and a southern rural portion of the county in Congressman Rogers service area".

[minionofmidas]

-OK-2 (Contains some Tulsa suburbs in Rogers county, and a very small urbanized population in some tiny suburbs of Fort Smith, Arkansas, but these make up less than 10 percent of the district's population.)

Just reread and immediately doublechecked this. Yes, some of those 5000 people are outside Fort Smith rather than outside Owasso. Not going to bother finding the exact figures; they are probably available if you look really hard though.

[RedSLC]

KY 5 0.2%. Can anyone tell me where exactly these 1222 people live?

Probably in Catlettsburg or Cannonsburg, Boyd County, which is in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Urbanized Area.  Southern parts of Boyd County were added to the district in the 2010 redistricting.

Cannonsburg (and some immediate surrounds; 1222 is slightly more than the CDP's population) is correct. Catlettsburg city is in KY-4 (and has more than 1222 inhabitants.)

I'm surprised it has any at all. I'm pretty certain the old KY-5 didn't have even one voter living in an urbanized area.

[minionofmidas]

Taking Cinyc and Hal Rogers' word for it that it didn't use to include part  of Boyd, indeed it didn't.

[RedSLC]

-OK-2 (Contains some Tulsa suburbs in Rogers county, and a very small urbanized population in some tiny suburbs of Fort Smith, Arkansas, but these make up less than 10 percent of the district's population.)

Just reread and immediately doublechecked this. Yes, some of those 5000 people are outside Fort Smith rather than outside Owasso. Not going to bother finding the exact figures; they are probably available if you look really hard though.

2,233 people live in Oklahoma's portion of the Fort Smith UA.

I just thought about MI-1, too. Even though Sault Ste. Marie is listed as an urban cluster, it only counts the part in the United States as part of the urban area. It doesn't count the city's much larger identically-named counterpart in Ontario. Thus, part of the district may have an "urban" feel, even if it's not officially listed as such.

[minionofmidas]

Anyways the Traverse City Urban Cluster is very close to the 50k cutoff line, and Marquette has I think a plenty urban feel for a place that size.

[Del Tachi]

-MS-1 (Pretty certain the only urbanized population resides in the southern Memphis suburbs in DeSoto County).

The city of Tupelo counts as an urban area under your "50,000 definition".  Metro population is close to 140,000, making it the nation's 8th largest micropolitan statistical areas.

Tupelo has long been the economic engine of North Mississippi, not DeSoto County. 

[cinyc]

The city of Tupelo counts as an urban area under your "50,000 definition".  Metro population is close to 140,000, making it the nation's 8th largest micropolitan statistical areas.

Tupelo has long been the economic engine of North Mississippi, not DeSoto County. 

The fact that Tupelo is in a micropolitan area, not a metropolitan area, means that Tupelo and all nearby urban areas are classified as urban clusters (2,500-49,999 population), not urbanized areas (50,000+ population).  The Tupelo urban cluster had a population of 40,995 in 2010.

[Del Tachi]

The city of Tupelo counts as an urban area under your "50,000 definition".  Metro population is close to 140,000, making it the nation's 8th largest micropolitan statistical areas.

Tupelo has long been the economic engine of North Mississippi, not DeSoto County. 

The fact that Tupelo is in a micropolitan area, not a metropolitan area, means that Tupelo and all nearby urban areas are classified as urban clusters (2,500-49,999 population), not urbanized areas (50,000+ population).  The Tupelo urban cluster had a population of 40,995 in 2010.

Its certainly netted 5 people since 2010.