Independant Metros That Benefit From Being Close To a Large metro
 

Not suburban cities, but self standing independent Metros that are far enough from the larger city's orbit but close enough to benefit from the larger city's services, that they may be too small to have themselves. The smaller city could be independent enough where it's basically self reliant.

The first few that come to mind are:

1) Hamilton ( Buffalo and Toronto)
2) Windsor (Detroit) disclaimer: border may often be a hassle.
3) Ottawa (Montreal) disclaimer: At 2.0 hours away, may be too far.

Salem, Oregon (Portland)

I don't really consider Windsor to be a metro area that is independent of Detroit. Windsor's economy is too closely linked to Detroit's for it to be separate.

Ann Arbor is a good example for the purposes of this thread. The economy of Ann Arbor is pretty independent of Detroit's economy, but it also depends heavily on Detroit's infrastructure (specifically the airport and utilities).

Toledo is another obvious beneficiary of proximity to Detroit. It is the only metro in Ohio that is located within an hour's drive of a major airport.

Akron - the entire northern third of the metro is comprised of suburbs of Cleveland.

A couple others that pop into mind:

• San Jose probably wouldn't be what it is without San Francisco.
• Atlantic City, Trenton, Princeton, and any other city in New Jersey that isn't in the NYC or Philadelphia MSAs benefits from proximity to those cities.
• New Haven to NYC and Hartford.

The Salinas metro (which includes Monterey and Carmel) is independent yet definitely benefits from proximity to the Bay Area--access to the airports, universities, entertainment, etc. but also smaller things.

For example, their local Fox affiliate runs the Bay Area's storied Ten O'Clock News, out of KTVU Fox's studios in Oakland. I remember doing a double take at the television in my Monterey hotel room when I discovered my local news is also their local news, despite the fact I was fully 120 miles south of where I live. Considering most small American metros have, in my experience, atrocious local newscasts, I'd say Monterey benefits from access to a bigger and better-funded media market than what they could sustain on their own.

Definitely Portland, ME.

How much does Richmond benefit from being just outside DC?

Campinas (3 million inh., 100 km north São Paulo). A logistical hub, industrial powerhouse.

It’s not like Philadelphia or San Diego where their big neighbours cast a shadow on them. Campinas profited a lot from São Paulo desindustrialisation picking up all the spills of it. It’s a completely independent metro area, but it has a very strong bond and complementary role with São Paulo.

São Paulo also benefited a lot, as without Campinas, it’s manufacturing base could have been sent hundreds of kms away, while today it’s just outside the metro area.

Milwaukee benefits from being independent but basically apart of Chicagoland. It maintains it's own identity but has access to O'Hare for international flights, entertainment and retail options not available here, a massive daytrip tourist/visitor base, etc. The DNC Convention is coming to Milwaukee next summer in part because suburban Chicago provides a significant boost in additional hotel rooms that don't exist in Milwaukee.

I'd also like to point out that Chicago benefits from having Milwaukee nearby for some of the same reasons, including access to a good third option airport for travelers in the northern Chicago suburbs.

Austin benefitted so much from access to nearby San Antonio that it is now it’s equal. JK.

My nominee for this is Rockford outside of Chicago.

Cleveland benefits from being so close to the shopping of Macedonia Commons and CVNP area that's in Summit County. I would call it a wash :D

The Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, PA; Phillipsburg, NJ) benefits from being closely associated with both Philadelphia and New York City, while Lancaster and Harrisburg both benefit from Philly’s orbit.

Fort Worth benefited so much from Dallas it isn’t its own metro any more.

Windsor is definitely independent from Detroit, even with our integrated auto industries and regional similarities. Being in a separate country with different laws and culture is the main reason.
Windsor does however greatly benefit from its close proximity and relationship with Detroit!

How many of these cities actually gain from being near a larger neighbour though? There might be some population spillover from commuters in search of cheaper housing, but at the same time they're also competing for jobs, amenities, attractions, etc.

A place the size of Hamilton is certainly worse off than its peer cities, for example. If it weren't in Toronto's shadow it'd likely offer a level of urban accoutrements closer to those of Quebec City and Winnipeg. Or in Ottawa's case, might it have say, better nightlife options if Montreal weren't an easy weekend trip away?

If anything it's the bigger city that has more to gain from the relationship, by virtue of having a larger pool of people within its hinterland to draw from.

Ann Arbor and Detroit! AA has access to a bigger city plus DTW in a way that Madison, WI cannot.

And in very recent years, Worcester. It's been kind of forgotten and neglected but as the Boston are has got so expensive, people have rediscovered Wisteh and it's not that far away.

Since we're talking about New England, how about Providence, RI?

Commuter rail connection to Boston, quick train trip into Boston along with Amtrak services. TF Green Airport is a Logan reliever.

That's a very fair and valid point..it shows the ying and yang of that relationship.

I know that some people consider the border as a reason to separate them, but I just think that technicality is flimsy. Detroit and Windsor have to cooperate with each other to a very high degree -- far higher with each other than either city does with other large cities in their respective state/province.