cross-posted from: https://piefed.blahaj.zone/c/politicalmemes/p/862070/can-anyone-confirm
this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2026
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Putting Chicago before LA is funny. Putting Chicago in the list but not DC is hilarious.
It definitely goes NYC, LA, Chicago, SF.
DC doesn't get on there because DC is a one-trick pony. It's the seat of power for the federal government, at which point you may as well be saying that Sacramento makes top three major cities in California. NYC, LA, and Chicago have the first, second, and third-most populous MSAs (DC is 7th) and have a lot going for them individually.
Unlike the San Francisco Bay Area, its CSA with Baltimore etc. that makes it #3 lacks a coherent identity and presence. DC is still populous and does that one trick really well (and has value as a tourist attraction), so it is fighting with DFW for the fifth spot, imo, but probably goes somewhere below it just because unlike in many national capitals (Paris, Moscow, Jakarta, etc.), an outsize chunk of people who live there do so just to work for/around the government.
SF is also a one tick pony, and that one trick relies heavily on infrastructure built in the DC area. Namely Ashburne VA, which is basically the beating heart of the internet in the US. Arlington and Silver-spring as well are massively important as the headquarters of many important companies.
The federal government and companies closely associated with it are by far the largest sector of the US economy.
Eh, you could easily swap out SF with DFW, Houston, Atlanta, Seattle… hence why the 4th city rotates.
I don't think that's true at all. San Francisco has an especially major cultural, historical, and tourism presence. Moreover, given we're talking nationwide, I think it's not just appropriate but prudent to consider the San Francisco Bay Area (its CSA), which has both the 5th-highest population in the country of any CSA and has an enormous nationwide and global presence in technology and education.
Atlanta isn't even on the same level (and I don't mean based on the GaWC I'm about to discuss). Funnily, going by the GaWC classification, I was possibly overstating DFW (I consider globalization a big component given we're talking nationwide in such a globalized nation), but I think that's the only mistake I make there. I think New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco are solidly the first four.
Funny enough you skipped over Houston which has the same rank as San Francisco according to your link. It’s also a major global energy hub. It just goes to prove the OPs point that the 4th rotates as there is no true stand out.
I again don't think that shows it. I think 5th is in messy competition in a way one could sort out depending on their priorities but that 4th is solidly SF between population (again, CSA), business, education, and culture.
The GaWC ranking 1) is strictly about global presence, 2) only considers the city by itself with none of its surrounding context (e.g. San Jose is on its own far down the list) and 3) has huge range in what people would consider "major city" characteristics. By this logic, for example, Warsaw is in direct competition with Seoul and Luxembourg City in competition with New Delhi for "city majorness", which is obviously nonsensical.
I provided the GaWC as an explanation for my error that I thought DFW was more heavily globalized than it was, not as the sole criterion for "major city". I think the fact San Francisco is in the Alpha- bracket despite its handicaps from not having its CSA considered along with it shows how solidly above those other cities it is.
feels like its going by kinda date. New York was the first major city, then chicago, then LA but LA population wise overtook chicago. Its kinda funny because texas's major metros combined would surpass new york but then again you start combining cali and you get the same. Both states though are as big as several average sized states combined land wise. Personally I think NY and chicago are kinda special because they are the only ones for their state. Like if your in the state and you say your are going to take a trip to the city you would know what they mean.