Metros in your state/province you've never been to

[iheartthed]

New York: never been to Buffalo or Albany other than passing through.

Michigan: never been to Grand Rapids other than passing through.

[sopas ej]

California has so many MSAs, and no, I haven't been to all of them.

Here, from the ca.gov website: https://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.g...cal-areas.html

But the biggest ones I can think of off the top of my head that I have not been to are Fresno and Stockton, which I've only driven through on the freeway, but never stopped, not even for gas or a restroom break.

But that might change, though; hehe a few years ago my partner mentioned a Japanese garden that's in Fresno... we just might check it out some time to compare it with other Japanese gardens we've been to.

Ah what the hell. I'll list the California MSAs I've never been to, which includes ones I've only driven through and not stopped to explore (this list doesn't include the Micropolitan Statistical Areas I've been to):

El Centro
Fresno (only driven through)
Hanford-Corcoran
Madera (only driven through)
Merced (only driven through)
Modesto (only driven through)
Redding (only stopped for gas there)
Stockton-Lodi (only driven through)

Hmm, of the 29 MSAs in California, I've only not explored 8 of them.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

California has so many MSAs, and no, I haven't been to all of them.

Here, from the ca.gov website: https://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.g...cal-areas.html

But the biggest ones I can think of off the top of my head that I have not been to are Fresno and Stockton, which I've only driven through on the freeway, but never stopped, not even for gas or a restroom break.

But that might change, though; hehe a few years ago my partner mentioned a Japanese garden that's in Fresno... we just might check it out some time to compare it with other Japanese gardens we've been to.

Ah what the hell. I'll list the California MSAs I've never been to, which includes ones I've only driven through and not stopped to explore (this list doesn't include the Micropolitan Statistical Areas I've been to):

El Centro
Fresno (only driven through)
Hanford-Corcoran
Madera (only driven through)
Merced (only driven through)
Modesto (only driven through)
Redding (only stopped for gas there)
Stockton-Lodi (only driven through)

You've never been stuck in Lodi?

I've driven through Stockton numerous times on my way to/from Sacramento. I am sure there are a lot of great people there but there does not seem to be any reason to stop there.

[Boisebro]

in Wisconsin, I've been just about every town over 10K in the state. The only exception, and largest city in the state I've never visited, is Marinette (pop: ~10,500).

in Idaho, the largest city I haven't visited is Lewiston (pop: ~32,800), which is the 10th largest city in the state.

I also lived in Chicago for a decade, but the only other cities in the state I visited outside of Chicagoland were Rockford and Champaign.

[badrunner]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

California has so many MSAs, and no, I haven't been to all of them.

Here, from the ca.gov website: https://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.g...cal-areas.html

There are too many MSAs in CA. It's rather generous to call some of these "metropolitan" areas, but I'm pretty sure I've at least driven through all of them. You can hit up a bunch of them just driving the 99 corridor.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I've been there twice. I've been to all Canadian Provinces except Newfoundland and Labrador (and sadly, I haven't been to the Territories). There is only a handful of cities over 50,000 in Canada that I have yet to visit (namely, St. John's, Prince George, Sydney, Fort Mac & Cheese)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ions_in_Canada

I am pretty similar.

Looking at the list of largest population centres in Canada, I have been to all of the first 50 in some way, which brings it down to a population of about 75,000.

The first one I haven't been to is Fort McMurray (listed as Wood Buffalo on the ranking) which is the quintessential oil boomtown in northern Alberta.

It's number 51.

Below 51 there are also a bunch of others I've been to.

In terms of my closest U.S. neighbour, New York State, I've been to all of the major and medium-sized cities and even smaller ones like Plattsburgh, Watertown, Massena, Malone, etc. if you can call them cities.

I've never been to the western section of the "southern tier" of the state, i.e. the Elmira-Jamestown area.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

You've never been stuck in Lodi?

Hehe that song goes through my head whenever I think of "Lodi" too.

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

I've driven through Stockton numerous times on my way to/from Sacramento. I am sure there are a lot of great people there but there does not seem to be any reason to stop there.

Oh mah gah I don't know if you get the same feeling, but I find driving through Stockton a little frustrating; it's not THAT big of a city, but traffic seems to slow down big time going through Stockton, both on the 5 and the 99; people drive so slow through there and of course the traffic speeds up again once you get out of town.

[TWAK]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

You've never been stuck in Lodi?

Oh lord...stuck in Lodi AGAIN!

I've driven through Stockton numerous times on my way to/from Sacramento. I am sure there are a lot of great people there but there does not seem to be any reason to stop there.

Stockton has a cool little downtown and they have minor league sports teams (baseball and hockey) to watch.

[Manitopiaaa]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

if you ever need some advice for far southern illinois let me know. its a very interesting area and there are a couple actual “mountain towns” with overlooks near their downtowns similar to the ozarks or appalachia. best hiking ive found in the state and cool kayaking areas too.

grafton on the mississippi river and historic alton are worth a stop. elsah illinois has a very interesting vibe (new england?) and is right there too...feels like an m. night shyamalan set. its kind of a package deal there on the river road just north of st. louis.

i think i’ve been to most MSAs and micropolitans or whatever in illinois south of I-80. i used to catch the train to chicago from quincy in my late teens and twenties after my parents moved to a farm north of st louis and listen to sufjan stevens “come on feel the illinoise” passing through places in the album, lol.


wikipedia.com

Sufjan's made me feel extreme nostalgia for Illinois, Michigan, and Oregon, and I've never lived in any of them.

[Manitopiaaa]

For me, the answer would have been Richmond, but I *FINALLY* visited last month to see the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (a Top 25 art museum nationally famous for its Faberge eggs: https://www.ranker.com/list/best-art.../admiralcrunch)

So now, I've been to:
1. Washington (Northern Virginia) - 6,280,487
2. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News - 1,768,901
3. Richmond - 1,291,900

So the answer is Roanoke (#4): 313,222 people. It's supposedly a really nice city nestled in the mountains:

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

In Arizona, I haven't visited Yuma or Flagstaff and only kinda visited Prescott on a few occasions (like meet some one for dinner and then drive back to Phoenix). I have driven through Yuma and Flagstaff, but haven't visited.

Same for me re: Yuma--it surprised me recently when I looked it up that Yuma is the third-biggest MSA in Arizona (or at least was until recently passed by Prescott). I've been trying to convince my family to do a weekend trip to Yuma, but it's a hard sell when there's a cabin to go to in the pine forests up north and the only reason to go to Yuma is because I want to have gone. My grandpa farmed there in the 1950s, maybe I can figure out where exactly that was and use going to see the old homestead as the excuse.

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Ohio: Toledo, Akron, Youngstown, Portsmouth, Athens

Arizona: Bullhead City/Lake Havasu City, Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Tombstone

I would say: Lake Havasu is worth it once, Bisbee and Tombstone are worth a combined trip, especially Bisbee, and Sierra Vista probably not worth the trip.

[Dariusb]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I've been there twice. I've been to all Canadian Provinces except Newfoundland and Labrador (and sadly, I haven't been to the Territories). There is only a handful of cities over 50,000 in Canada that I have yet to visit (namely, St. John's, Prince George, Sydney, Fort Mac & Cheese)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ions_in_Canada

Fort Mac and Cheese made me chuckle. Anyway, I'd love to go to Canada. I will one day. You mentioned Northwest Territories, I recently read about Yellowknife, the largest city which is less than 20k and was surprised that they actually have a skyline. Impressive.

[edale]

I've never made it to Sacramento, other than driving through on the way to Tahoe. I'd really like to get up there and check the city out. I've also only driven through Fresno and Bakersfield, but neither of them seem to have much of interest to me. I think I could like Sacramento, though.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

i used to catch the train to chicago from quincy in my late teens and twenties after my parents moved to a farm north of st louis and listen to sufjan stevens “come on feel the illinoise” passing through places in the album, lol.


wikipedia.com

what's that cleveland guy and that brooklyn guy doing on that illinoise album cover?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Dariusb

Fort Mac and Cheese made me chuckle. Anyway, I'd love to go to Canada. I will one day. You mentioned Northwest Territories, I recently read about Yellowknife, the largest city which is less than 20k and was surprised that they actually have a skyline. Impressive.

In Atlantic Canada, from which many people flocked to Fort McMurray to work in the booming oil sector, the town is nicknamed Fort McMoney.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

Sufjan's made me feel extreme nostalgia for Illinois, Michigan, and Oregon, and I've never lived in any of them.

Semi-off topic but most people know the mitten/hand thing for Michigan but you can do it for Illinois too (south of I-80 guess) - you just close your thumb and flip your hand upside down (and aroundish I guess). The thumb is the slice of western illinois west of the illinois valley - which is more like northern missouri and is somewhat distinct from central illinois. The tip of the index finger is cairo.

very nostalgic-y records though! I have a copy of Illinois on vinyl in fact.

[memph]

Oshawa
Windsor
Peterborough
Chatham Kent
Sarnia
Lindsay/Kawartha Lakes
North Bay
Leamington

Most of them aren't that far away, but there isn't really that much of a reason to visit them, and they're not really on the way to anywhere that I go frequently.

Well - I go to Montreal a lot and pass through Oshawa, but never stop there because it's too close to home to bother stopping there for dinner or lunch - we always eat somewhere further east. And having spent a lot of my life in the western GTA, there's a lot of traffic to get through to reach Oshawa and not much of a reason for going on a day trip there.

Peterborough/Kawartha Lakes - they are on the way to some nice cottage country, lakes, etc... so I can see myself stopping there soon enough. Maybe even this summer since it looks like the border will still be closed and there won't be much else to do than to travel within the province.

North Bay is kind of far and I usually go more towards the Georgia Bay or Lake Superior if I want to go North (so stopping in Sault Ste Marie and Sudbury). It's close to some good places for rafting and fishing though, so I can see myself going there eventually.

Windsor/Sarnia/Leamington/Chatham Kent. Too far for a day trip, not really interesting enough to warrant an overnight stay... I might not go there for a while, probably only en-route to the US.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

very nostalgic-y records though! I have a copy of Illinois on vinyl in fact.

Was just listening to my copy the other night! Actually bought it on vinyl shortly after it was released - one of my all time faves.

The only metro over 100k in Ontario I haven't been to is Sarnia, interestingly enough. Though I've only really ever driven through Barrie. Going down to 50k I haven't been to North Bay or Cornwall. Thankfully I was able to visit and spend time all the major cities in towns in Northern Ontario (with the exception of North Bay) for work. Sudbury was actually my favourite, though it's far from the prettiest.

[Manitopiaaa]

Originally Posted by memph

Oshawa
Windsor
Peterborough
Chatham Kent
Sarnia
Lindsay/Kawartha Lakes
North Bay
Leamington

Most of them aren't that far away, but there isn't really that much of a reason to visit them, and they're not really on the way to anywhere that I go frequently.

Well - I go to Montreal a lot and pass through Oshawa, but never stop there because it's too close to home to bother stopping there for dinner or lunch - we always eat somewhere further east. And having spent a lot of my life in the western GTA, there's a lot of traffic to get through to reach Oshawa and not much of a reason for going on a day trip there.

Peterborough/Kawartha Lakes - they are on the way to some nice cottage country, lakes, etc... so I can see myself stopping there soon enough. Maybe even this summer since it looks like the border will still be closed and there won't be much else to do than to travel within the province.

North Bay is kind of far and I usually go more towards the Georgia Bay or Lake Superior if I want to go North (so stopping in Sault Ste Marie and Sudbury). It's close to some good places for rafting and fishing though, so I can see myself going there eventually.

Windsor/Sarnia/Leamington/Chatham Kent. Too far for a day trip, not really interesting enough to warrant an overnight stay... I might not go there for a while, probably only en-route to the US.

Isn't Leamington the most Mexican town in Ontario? That one seems unique. I'd visit Windsor if only for the Detroit skyline views as well.

[MolsonExport]

Sudbury was way better than I expected it to be. So much so that we went back for a second trip (ok, my wife grew up there, but pretty much everyone that she knows and all her family have moved away).