If we think about the big ones cities in the United States we probably imagine some huge metropolises and with millions of inhabitants. The comparison in numbers with Italy it would therefore seem merciless from the start. However, this is not always the case. By making a comparison between some of our cities and well-known urban centers in the USA, in fact, we discover that we are not in such a bad situation, on the contrary. For example, you know that San Francisco has fewer inhabitants than Naples and that Boston has less than Turin? Let’s delve deeper into the question.
Numbers compared between Italian and US cities
Naplescapital of Campaniais one of the most populous Italian cities, as well as one of the most densely inhabited. It actually matters 913,704 inhabitants distributed over a surface of 116.72 km2. The result is an overall density of 7,828 inhabitants/km2. On the contrary, San Francisco (California city on the west coast of the USA) has a population of 873,965 inhabitants (since the last census of 2020 and estimated to be decreasing to date, to around 808,988 inhabitants), which occupy an area of 121.48 km2. The population density of the US city is therefore 7,195 inhabitant/km2. If we exclude their respective metropolitan areas, the two cities are therefore very similar in size and number of inhabitants, with Naples in first place between the two in terms of population.
Two other cities are unexpectedly similar in terms of numbers Turin And Boston. The capital of Piedmont has a population of 851,199 inhabitantsa surface of 130.11 km2 and a very high density of 6,542 inhabitant/km2. Boston, a city in the state of Massachusetts, on the east coast of the USA, has a population of 675,647 inhabitantsa surface of 125.20 km2 and a population density of 5,397 inhabitants/km2. The Italian city therefore surpasses the American one in terms of population, surface area and density.
Why do we initially think that some US cities are bigger?
How many would have bet on the fact that San Francisco and Boston could “lose” in numbers against Naples and Turin? Where does this distorted geographical perception come from? The reason is not simple and linear and, obviously, perception can change for each of us. However, it is undeniable to always think of the American context as a something “bigger” compared to our own, even when this is not true.
There are many reasons and we could start from the most obvious, that geographical. If it is true that, surprisingly, several Italian cities are larger in size and number than some American cities, even quite important and well-known ones, it is equally true that the USA is effectively a giant when compared to Italy in geographical terms. In fact, the United States has a surface area of 9,834,000 km2. Italy has a surface area of 302,068 km2. We are talking about decidedly different orders of magnitude: the American territory is approximately 30 times that of our country. The same goes for the total population: the USA is the third largest country in the world by population, with 334,914,895 inhabitants. Italy is in 25th position, with less than 60 million inhabitants.
Another motivation can be traced back to model urban planning of American cities. Having a lot of space available, in fact, US urbanization tends to have a structure extremely widespreadwith suburbs and outskirts that extend for hundreds of square kilometers, effectively giving the impression of an endless city.
Yet another reason is given to us by the centrality that the USA has at the level economic on the floor international. The United States is, in fact, the main one economy globalwith multinationals and decision-making centers that have a profound impact on economies around the world. Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Hollywood and many other cases evoke power and influence on a planetary scale, even when they are localized or limited.
Finally, the narration media of the country and its “culture of excess” further contribute to the perception we usually have of the USA. Films, TV series, music and advertising constantly transmit images of grandeur, to which is added the continuous resonance of names and places in the media of all genres (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and, indeed, Boston, San Francisco…).
On many occasions, American culture itself celebrates “bigger, faster, stronger…”. From food portions to theme parks and supermarkets and from cars to sporting events and celebrations, the tendency to exaggerate it fuels this image we have of the USA.
