County Composition of Nineteenth Century Metropolitan Areas:1850-2006

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This set of tables identifies the changing county composition of metropolitan areas from 1850 to 2006 for those places which had achieved metropolitan status in 1900 or earlier. This includes information for the 1850-1950 and 1970-2000 Censuses and the 2005 and 2006 ACS samples. For the pre-1950 years, definitions similar to those used in 1950 have been applied (see the variable METAREA).

In those cases where the metropolitan area grew so large that it generated spin-off metropolitan communities, these are included even if they did not exist separately in 1900. This allows users to track the movement of some counties from one metropolitan area to another over time.

In a companion set of tables, located through the following link: County Composition of All Metropolitan Areas, 1900-2006; all areas defined as metropolitan in the 2000 Census are shown and changes in county composition are traced back to 1900. Some metro areas are included in both tables. Users are advised to check the city-specific notes at the end of each table.