I've lived most of my life in and around the cities of Los Angeles and New York.
Sometimes I need to remind myself just how big my cities are in relation to the rest of the country.
Nearly half the states have fewer people than the the City of Los Angeles (3.7 million): Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The City of Los Angeles almost has more people than the combined population of the following six states: Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.
Only nine states have more people than New York City (8 million): California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas.
Living in these highly dense urban environments can warp your mind. You think about over-population instead of under-population. You try to save empty spaces when others can only dream of filling them. You forget what quiet sounds like. You get used to governance without representation. You assume your school system is too big to comprehend, let alone reform.
As your city gets bigger, you get smaller.
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