Micropolis

A "Micropolis" ("mini-city") is a demographics term that gained currency in the 1990s to describe growing population centers in the United States that are far removed from a large city, even 100 miles (160 km) or more. They are drawing refugees both from rural America and suburbia, offering some of the cultural attractions and conveniences of towns without all the expenses and liabilities of urban sprawl. Telecommuting and Internet mail-ordering can make it easier to organize trade and commerce from an isolated population center. Employers find it easier to open a factory or an office park in these towns, which have plenty of developable land and lower real estate costs than the suburbs or traditional metropolitan areas.

Related Topics:
Demographics - United States - Refugees - Suburbia - Urban sprawl - Telecommuting

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In mid-2003 the US Census Bureau officially recognized the new designation of "micropolitan" areas, defining them as having at least one town of 10,000 to 49,999 people, and with few of its residents commuting outside the area. The Bureau identified 567 such "micropolises" in the continental U.S. More than 28 million people, or one in 10 Americans, reside in a micropolis, which spreads around a somewhat diffuse core.

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