Principal city in the context of "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). 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

Newark (/ˈnuːərk/ NEW-ərk, locally /nʊərk/) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey (and the North Jersey region), the county seat of Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 311,549. The Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 317,303 for 2024, making it the 64th-most populous municipality in the nation.

Settled in 1666 by Puritans from New Haven Colony, Newark is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Its location at the mouth of the Passaic River, where it flows into Newark Bay, has made the city's waterfront an integral part of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Port Newark–Elizabeth is the primary container shipping terminal of the busiest seaport on the U.S. East Coast. Newark Liberty International Airport was the first municipal commercial airport in the United States and has become one of the busiest.

Alexandria is an independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Washington, D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 census made it the sixth-most populous city in Virginia and 169th-most populous city in the U.S. Alexandria is a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area, which is part of the larger Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area.

Like the rest of Northern Virginia and Central Maryland, present-day Alexandria has been influenced by its proximity to the U.S. capital. It is largely populated by professionals working in the federal civil service, in the U.S. military, or for one of the many private companies which contract to provide services to the U.S. federal government. The city's largest employers include the U.S. Department of Defense and the Institute for Defense Analyses. Alexandria is the highest-income independent city in Virginia.

The Miami metropolitan area, officially known as the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a coastal metropolitan area in southeastern Florida. It is the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the third-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the largest metropolitan area in Florida. It is also known as South Florida, SoFlo, SoFla, the Gold Coast, Southeast Florida, the Tri-County Area, or Greater Miami. With a population of 6.45 million, its population exceeds 31 of the nation's 50 states as of 2023. It comprises the three most populated counties in the state, Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County. Miami-Dade County, with 2,701,767 people in 2020, is the seventh-most populous county in the United States.

Miami is the region's financial and cultural core and most populous city. According to the Global and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) classification Miami is an "Alpha minus" city and is considered a very important world city that links the major economic region of South Florida into the world economy. The Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 37) ranked Miami as the world's 26th most important finance center as of May 2025, ranking 7th in the United States only behind New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Boston. Other principal cities, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, include Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton, Sunrise, Deerfield Beach, Miami Beach, Kendall, Doral, Delray Beach, Jupiter, and Palm Beach Gardens. The Miami metropolitan area is part of the larger South Florida region of the state, which also includes the Everglades and the Florida Keys.

Conroe is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Houston. It is a principal city in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area.

As of 2024, the population was 114,581. Since 2007, the city has increased in size (and population) by annexation, with the city territory expanding from 52.8 to 74.4 square miles. Some communities have attempted to fight such annexation. According to the Census Bureau, Conroe was the fastest-growing large city in the United States between July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016.