Core city

{{Short description|Largest or most important city of a metropolitan area}}

{{Redirect2|Central city|Core cities|other uses|Central city (disambiguation)|and|Core cities (disambiguation)}}

File:NorthHudsonNJtoManhattan.tiff as seen from Hudson County, New Jersey in March 2014. New York City is the core city of New York metropolitan area.]]

In urban planning, a historic core city or central city is the municipality with the largest 1940 population in the present metropolitan area (metropolitan statistical area).{{Cite web |title=Suburbanized Core Cities {{!}} Newgeography.com |url=https://www.newgeography.com/content/002401-suburbanized-core-cities |access-date=2024-02-13 |website=www.newgeography.com}}{{cite web|url=http://proximityone.com/principalcities.htm|title = Principal Cities 2012 Demographic Economic Patterns General Demographics}} This term was retired by the US census bureau and replaced by the term principal city, which can include historic core cities and post-WWII cities. Metropolitan areas were no longer considered monocentric, but polycentric due to suburbanization of employment.{{Cite web |title=Urban Cores, Core Cities and Principal Cities {{!}} Newgeography.com |url=https://www.newgeography.com/content/004453-urban-cores-core-cities-and-principal-cities |access-date=2024-02-13 |website=www.newgeography.com}}https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/GARM/Ch13GARM.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}} A historic core city is not to be confused with the core of a metropolitan area which is defined as an urban area with a population of over 50,000 by the US census bureau.{{cite web|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-06-28/pdf/2010-15605.pdf|title=Federal Register/Vol. 75, No. 123/Monday, June 28, 2010/Notices|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=July 22, 2023}}

Historic core cites in the United States often have higher detached single family housing rates, lower density, and fewer jobs than surrounding satellite cities and suburbs.{{cite web|url= https://data.census.gov/table?q=DP04&g=160XX00US0455000,0465000|title=American community survey housing data|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=October 4, 2023}}{{cite web|url= http://www.newgeography.com/content/005264-suburbs-continue-dominate-jobs-and-job-growth|title=Suburbs continue to Dominate Jobs and Job Growth|publisher=new geography|access-date=October 4, 2023}}{{cite web|url= https://statisticalatlas.com/metro-area/Arizona/Phoenix/Population#figure/place/population-density|title= population per square mile Phoenix Metro area|publisher=statistical atlas|access-date=October 4, 2023}} A central city is usually the first settlement established in an urban region, years before the outlying districts came into existence. These cities typically contain less economic activity and more crime than their surrounding areas.{{cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL29510|title=St Louis City Gross Domestic Product|publisher=Fred economic data|access-date=October 7, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP41180|title=St Louis MO-IL metro area Gross Domestic Product|publisher=Fred economic data|access-date=October 7, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL06075|title=San Francisco City GDP|publisher=Fred economic data|access-date=October 7, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP41860#|title=San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward MSA Gross Domestic Product|publisher=Fred Economic Data|access-date=October 7, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://tomorrow.city/a/crime-in-cities|title=Why is crime higher in cities?|date=7 October 2021 |publisher=Tomorrow City|access-date=October 7, 2023}} Central cities often form the regional downtowns of metro areas. The term is used mainly in US context, although since the 1970s it has also become relatively common in Canada and, to a lesser extent, Europe and Australia.{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the City|last=Caves|first=R. W.|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|pages=72}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/central-city |title = Central city definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/central+city|title=Definition of CENTRAL CITY|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}{{Cite web|url=http://proximityone.com/principalcities.htm|title=Principal Cities 2012 Demographic Economic Patterns General Demographics|website=proximityone.com}}