Anchorage (officially called the Municipality of Anchorage) is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of theU.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost city in the United States with more than 200,000 residents and the largest community in North America north of the 60th parallel. With 291,826 residents in 2010 (and 380,821 residents within its Metropolitan Statistical Area, which combines Anchorage with the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough),^[2] it is Alaska's largest city and constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population; amongst the 50 states, only New York has a higher percentage of residents who live in the state's largest city.

Anchorage has been named All-America City four times, in 1956, 1965, 1984/1985 and 2002, by the National Civic League.^[3] It has also been named by Kiplinger as the most tax friendly city in the United States.^[4]

Edmonton [image] /ˈɛdməntən/ is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, Canada. Edmonton is on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.

The city and its census metropolitan area had respective populations of 812,201^[2] and 1,159,869^[3] as of the 2011 Census, making it Alberta's second-largest city, Canada's fifth-largest municipality and Canada's sixth-largest metropolitan area by population. Edmonton is the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million. A resident of Edmonton is known as an Edmontonian.^[6]

Calgary [image] /ˈkælɡᵊri/ is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills andprairie, approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The city is located in the grassland and parkland natural regions of Alberta.

As of the 2011 census, the City of Calgary had a population of 1,096,833^[2] and a metropolitan population of 1,214,839, making it the largest city in Alberta, and the third-largest municipality and fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.^[4]

Located 294 km (183 mi) south of Edmonton, Statistics Canada defines the area between these cities as the "Calgary–Edmonton Corridor."^[5]

Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centred on the petroleum industry and agriculture. In 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games.

Ottawa ([image]ⁱ/ˈɒtəwɑː/ or /ˈɒtəwə/) is the capital of Canada. It is the second largest city in Ontario and the fourth largest city in the country.^[3] The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Ottawa bordersGatineau, Quebec, located on the north bank of the Ottawa River; together they form the National Capital Region (NCR).^[9]

Founded in 1826 as Bytown and incorporated as "Ottawa" in 1855, the city has evolved into a political and technological centre of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous minor annexations and ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and major amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area. The name "Ottawa" is derived from theAlgonquin word adawe, meaning "to trade".^[10] Initially an Irish and French Christian settlement,^[11] Ottawa has become amulticultural city with a diverse population.^[12]

Montreal ([image]ⁱ/ˌmʌntriːˈɒl/;^[6] French: Montréal;^[7] pronounced [mɔ̃ʁeal] ([image] listen)) is a city in the Canadian province ofQuebec. It is the largest city in the province, the second-largest in the country (after Toronto) and the fifteenth-largest inNorth America. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary",^[8] the city takes its present name from Mount Royal,^[9] the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French^[10] (Mont Royal in present French). The city is located on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city,^[11][12] and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.

As of 2011, the city of Montreal had a population of 1,649,519.^[3] Montreal's metropolitan area (CMA) (land area 4,259 square kilometres (1,644 sq mi)) had an estimated metropolitan population of 3,824,221^[5] and a population of 1,886,481 in the urban agglomeration of Montreal,^[13] which includes all of the municipalities on the Island of Montreal.

French is the city's official language^[14][15] and is also the language spoken at home by 56.9% of the population in the city of Montreal proper, followed by English at 18.6% and 19.8% other languages (as of 2006 census).^[16] In the larger Montreal Census Metropolitan Area, 67.9% of the population speaks French at home, compared to 16.5% who speak English.^[17] 56% of the population are able to speak both English and French.^[18] Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the Western world after Paris.^{[19][20] [21]}

Halifax is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1867.

Since October 14, 2008, its Member of the Parliament has been Megan Leslie of the New Democratic Party.

The Riding of Halifax includes the communities of Spryfield, Sambro, Herring Cove, Harrietsfield, Williamswood, Prospect, Purcell's Cove, Armdale, Cowie Hill, Fairmount, Kline Heights, and the peninsula of Halifax.

St. John's [image] /ˌseɪntˈdʒɒnz/ is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America.^[3] It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland.^[4] With a population of 196,966 as of 2011, the St. John's Metropolitan Area is the second largest Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) in Atlantic Canada after Halifax and the 20th largest metropolitan area in Canada.^[5] Its name has been attributed to the feast day of John the Baptist, when John Cabot was believed to have sailed into the harbour in 1497, and also to a Basque fishing town with the same name.^[6][7]

Newfoundland was claimed as an English colony in the name of Elizabeth I in 1583, temporarily captured by the Dutch in 1665, and attacked three times by the French who captured and destroyed its settlements in 1689 and 1707. St John's was retaken each time and re-fortified. British forces used St. John's fortifications during the Seven Years' War in North America, the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. St. John's served Allied needs in World War ll by providing an air base for the US Army Air Corps and a harbour for antisubmarine warfare ships.

Seattle (pronounced [siːˈætɫ̩] ([image] listen) see-at-əl or [siːˈæɾɫ̩]) is a major coastal seaport and the seat of King County, in the U.S. stateof Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of North America and the largest city on the West Coast north of San Francisco. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the United States.^[8] The city is situated on a narrow isthmus between Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 114 miles (183 km) south of the Canada–United States border, yet further north than Toronto. In 2010, the container ports in the Seattle metropolitan area (Seattle-Tacoma) were the third busiest in the United States, after Los Angeles–Long Beach and New York–New Jersey, serving as a major gateway for trade with Asia.^[9]

The Seattle area had been inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years before the first permanent white settlers.^[10]Arthur A. Denny and his group of travelers, subsequently known as the Denny Party, arrived at Alki Point on November 13, 1851. The settlement was moved to its current site and named "Seattle" in 1853, after Chief Si'ahl of the local Duwamish and Suquamishtribes.

Portland is a city located in the U.S. state of Oregon, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776,^[4] making it the 29th most populous city in the United States. Portland is Oregon's most populous city, and the third most populous city in the Pacific Northwest region, after Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. Approximately 2,260,000 people live in the Portland metropolitan area (MSA),^[5] the 23rd most populous in the United States.^[5]

Portland was incorporated in 1851 and is the county seat of Multnomah County.^[6] The city extends west into the Cedar Millneighborhood in Washington County and south towards Lake Oswego in Clackamas County. The city has a commission-based government headed by a mayor and four other commissioners; the city and region are noted for strong land-use planning^[7] and investment in light rail. This is supported by Metro, a distinctive regional government. Because of its public transportation networks and efficient land-use planning, Portland has been referred to as one of the most environmentally friendly, or "green", cities in the world.^[8]

Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. With a population of 189,899 as of the 2011 estimate,^[3] the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,145,905. Salt Lake City is further situated in a larger urban area known as the Wasatch Front, which has a population of 2,328,299.^[4] It is one of only two major urban areas in the Great Basin (the other being Reno, Nevada), and the largest in the Intermountain West.

The city was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young, Isaac Morley, George Washington Bradley and several other Mormon followers, who extensively irrigated and cultivated the arid valley. Due to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"—the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868.^[5] Although Salt Lake City is still home to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), fewer than half the population of Salt Lake City proper are members of the LDS Church today.^[6]

San Francisco (/ˌsæn frənˈsɪskoʊ/), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the leading financial and cultural center of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The only consolidated city-county in California,^[10] it encompasses a land area of about 46.9 square miles (121 km²)^[11] on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, giving it a density of about 17,179 people per square mile (6,632 people per km²). It is the most densely settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the state of California and the second-most densely populated major city in the United States after New York City.^[12] San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 14th most populous city in the United States, with a population of 805,235 as of the 2010 Census. The city is also the financial and cultural hub of the larger San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area, with a population of 7.4 million.

Los Angeles ([image]ⁱ/lɒs ˈændʒələs/ loss-an-jə-ləs; Spanish: [los ˈaŋxeles], which is written Los Ángeles, Spanish for The Angels), often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the state of California and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City, with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621.^[5] It has an area of 468.67 square miles (1,213.8 km²), and is located in Southern California. The city is the focal point of the larger Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana metropolitan statistical area and Greater Los Angeles Area region, which contain 12,828,837 and nearly 18 million people respectively as of 2010, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world^[6] and the second largest in the United States.^[7] Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most ethnically diversecounties^[8] in the United States, while the entire Los Angeles area itself has been recognized as the most diverse of the nation's largest cities.^[9] The city's inhabitants are referred to as "Angelenos."^[10]

Los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve.^[11] It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence.^[12] In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States.^[13] Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood.^[14]

San Diego /ˌsæn diːˈeɪɡoʊ/ is the eighth-largest city in the United States of America and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California,^[2] San Diego is known for its mild year-round climate, natural deep-water harbor, extensive beaches, long association with the U.S. Navy, and recent emergence as a healthcare and biotechnology enclave. The population was 1,301,617 at the 2010 census.^[3]

Historically home to the Kumeyaay people, San Diego was the first site visited by Europeans on what is now the West Coast of the United States. Upon landing in San Diego Bay in 1542, Juan Cabrillo claimed the entire area for Spain, forming the basis for the settlement of Alta California 200 years later. The Presidio and Mission of San Diego, founded in 1769, were the first European settlement in what is now California. In 1821, San Diego became part of newly independent Mexico, and in 1850, became part of the United States following the Mexican-American War and the admission of California to the union.

Phoenix ([image] /ˈfiːnɪks/ fee-niks; O'odham: S-ki:kigk; Yavapai: Wathinka or Wakatehe; Western Apache: Fiinigis; Navajo: Hoozdoh;Mojave: Hachpa 'Anya Nyava)^[1] is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populouscity in the United States of America, and is also the most populous state capital in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data.^[2]

It is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area (also known as the Valley of the Sun), and is the 12th largest metro area by population in the United States with about 4.2 million people in 2010. In addition, Phoenix is the county seat of Maricopa County, and is one of the largest cities in the United States by land area.^[3]

The City and County of Denver ([image] /ˈdɛnvər/; Arapaho: Niinéniiniicíihéhe')^[11] is the largest city and the capital of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is also the second most populous county in Colorado after El Paso County. Denver is a consolidated city and county located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The Denver downtown district is located immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek with the South Platte River, approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of thefoothills of the Rocky Mountains. Denver is nicknamed the Mile-High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile or 5,280 feet (1,609.344 m) above sea level.^[5] The 105th meridian west of Greenwich passes throughUnion Station and is the temporal reference for the Mountain Time Zone.

Minneapolis (pronunciation: [image]ⁱ/ˌmɪniːˈæpəlɪs/), nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City", is the county seat of Hennepin County,^[4] the largest city in the state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States. Its name is attributed to the city's first schoolteacher, who combined mni, a Dakota Sioux word for water, and polis, the Greek word for city.^[5][6]

Omaha /ˈoʊməhɑː/ is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County.^[5] It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles (30 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, which includes Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha.

According to the 2010 Census, Omaha's population was 408,958, making it the nation's 42nd-largest city. According to the 2011 Population Estimates, Omaha's population was 415,068. Including its suburbs, Omaha formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2010, with an estimated population of 877,110 residing in eight counties. There are more than 1.2 million residents within a 50-mile (80-km) radius of the city's center, forming the Greater Omaha area.

Wichita [image] /ˈwɪtʃɪtɑː/ wich-ə-taw^[4] is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.^[5] As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368.^[6] Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area.^[7] As of 2011, the metro area had a population of 630,721.^[8]

Chicago ([image]ⁱ/ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ or /ʃɪˈkɔːɡoʊ/) is the third most populous city in the United States. The city has approximately 2.7 million residents.^[1] Its metropolitan area, sometimes called 'Chicagoland', is the third-largest in the United States, afterNew York City and Los Angeles,^[4][5][6] with an estimated 9.8 million people. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County,^[7]though a small portion of the city limits also extend into DuPage County.

Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837, near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed.^[8] Today, Chicago is listed as an alpha+ global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and ranks seventh in the world in the 2012 Global Cities Index. The city is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, telecommunications, and transportation, with O'Hare International Airport being the second-busiest airport in the world in terms of traffic movements. In 2008, the city hosted 45.6 million domestic and overseas visitors.^[9] Among metropolitan areas, Chicago has the fourth-largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world, just behind Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles, and ranking ahead of London and Paris.^[10] Chicago is one of the most important Worldwide Centers of Commerce and trade.

Detroit ([image] /diˈtrɔɪt/)^[4] is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the seat of Wayne County. It is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people, and serves as a major port on the Detroit River connecting the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It was founded on July 24, 1701, by the French explorer, adventurer, and nobleman Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac.

In 2010, the city had a population of 713,777 and ranked as the 18th most populous city in the United States.^[2] The nameDetroit sometimes refers to the Metro Detroit area with a population of 4,296,250 for the six-county Metropolitan Statistical Area,^[5] the United States' thirteen-largest, and a population of 5,218,852 for the nine-county Combined Statistical Area as of the 2010 Census.^[3] The Detroit–Windsor area, a critical commercial link straddling the Canada–U.S. border, has a total population of about 5,700,000.^[6]

Cleveland ([image] /ˈkliːvlənd/) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County,^[4] the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of the Pennsylvania border. It was founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, and became a manufacturingcenter owing to its location on the lake shore, as well as being connected to numerous canals and railroad lines. Cleveland's economy has diversified sectors that include manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, and biomedical. Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[5]

Cincinnati (pronounced /sɪnsɨˈnæti/) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States.^[3] Settled in 1788, the city is located on the north bank of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits was 296,943 according to the 2010 census,^[4] making it Ohio's third-largest city. According to the 2011 Census Bureau estimate, theCincinnati metropolitan area had a population of 2,138,038, the 27th most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the United States and largest in Ohio.^[5] Residents of Cincinnati are called Cincinnatians.^[6]

In the early 19th century, Cincinnati was the first American boomtown in the heart of the country to rival the larger coastal cities in size and wealth. As the first major inland city in the country, it is sometimes thought of as the first purely American city. It developed initially without as much recent European immigration or influence as took place in eastern cities. However, by the end of the 19th century, with the shift from steamboats to railroads, Cincinnati's growth had slowed considerably and the city became surpassed in population and prominence by another inland city, Chicago.

Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's total consolidated population at the 2010 census was 741,096 (Louisville's balance total, 602,011, excludes semi-autonomous towns and is the population listed in most sources and national rankings). As of 2010, the Louisville metropolitan area (MSA) had a population of 1,307,647 ranking 42nd nationally.^[4] The metro area includes Louisville-Jefferson County and 12 surroundingcounties, eight in Kentucky and four in Southern Indiana (see Geography below). The Louisville Combined Statistical Area, having a population of 1,451,564, includes the MSA, Hardin County and Larue County in Kentucky, and Scott County, Indiana.

Indianapolis [image] /ˌɪndiəˈnæpɵlɨs/ (abbreviated Indy /ˈɪndi/) is a city located in the Midwestern United States. Indianapolis is the capital of the US state of Indiana, and also the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city's population is 829,718.^[3] It is the twelfth largest city in the United States, and one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.^[4]

Dallas ([image] /ˈdæləs/) is the ninth most populous city in the United States of America and the third most populous city in the state ofTexas.^[4][5] The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in The South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States.^[6][7][8] Divided between Collin, Dallas, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties, the city had a population of 1,197,816 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau.^[9]