What You Know About Sprawl Is Wrong

The Los Angeles area -- often considered sprawling -- is the most densely populated place in the U.S.

1 minute read

August 12, 2005, 9:00 AM PDT

The density in Los Angeles is "25 percent higher than that of New York, twice that of Washington and four times that of Atlanta, as measured by residents per square mile of urban land.

...Odd as it may seem, density is the rule, not an exception, in the wide-open spaces of the West. Salt Lake City is more tightly packed than Philadelphia. So is Las Vegas in comparison with Chicago, and Denver compared with Detroit. Ten of the country's 15 most densely populated metro areas are in the West, where residents move to newly developed land at triple the per-acre density of any other part of the country."

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: Out West, a Paradox: Densely Packed Sprawl

Thursday, August 11, 2005 in The Washington Post

Land Use United States

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