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Biggest Coastal City by U.S. State

Try to name the most populous coastal city in the U.S. states which have a coastline.
By city proper population. 2025 census estimates.
Does not include the Great Lakes
Coastal city = a city that touches the sea within its city limits
Quiz by
itsajetman
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Last updated: May 16, 2026
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First submittedMarch 23, 2021
Times taken14,656
Average score78.3%
Rating4.22
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State
Population
City
Alabama
200,824
Mobile
Alaska
287,155
Anchorage
California
3,869,089
Los Angeles
Connecticut
152,273
Bridgeport
Delaware
3,826
Lewes
Florida
1,017,689
Jacksonville
Georgia
149,440
Savannah
Hawaii
341,868
Honolulu
Louisiana
362,154
New Orleans
Maine
69,911
Portland
Maryland
569,997
Baltimore
Massachusetts
672,973
Boston
Mississippi
76,506
Gulfport
New Hampshire
23,028
Portsmouth
New Jersey
323,808
Newark
New York
8,584,629
New York City
North Carolina
126,809
Wilmington
Oregon
15,686
Coos Bay
Rhode Island
195,310
Providence
South Carolina
159,423
Charleston
Texas
2,397,315
Houston
Virginia
453,737
Virginia Beach
Washington
784,777
Seattle
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43 Comments
ericsp23
+4
Level 99
Mar 25, 2021
Just curious why the Great Lakes were excluded. Those states have coastlines as well.
Berney
+14
Level 84
Mar 25, 2021
I guess that's explained in the description.
GAH1968
+6
Level 70
Jun 5, 2021
The question was why the Great Lakes were excluded. The explanation for that is not offered in the description. There is a great deal of shipping done through the Great Lakes and there are U.S. Coast Guard stations throughout. There is an international border there. It's a peculiar omission.
mrputter
+3
Level 90
Apr 11, 2026
...there's no explanation in the description, just a declaration.

Which: fair enough. But one can still be curious as to why.

tom19
+1
Level 68
Mar 25, 2021
Salt Lake City??
Djilas
+26
Level 86
Mar 25, 2021
it's not Salt Sea City, is it?
Damangio
+12
Level 64
Mar 25, 2021
Because of its name, I had always assumed Portland, Oregon was on the coast. I was wrong.
joeythelemur
+9
Level 80
Mar 26, 2021
Here's your fun trivia for the day then. It was named after Portland, ME in a coin flipping contest. :-)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Penny

IsleAuHaulte
+3
Level 92
Apr 1, 2021
If the coin had gone the other way we'd have 2 Bostons.
Empire2DayJingle
+12
Level 34
Apr 8, 2021
Thankfully, we don’t.
SpencerGT
+6
Level 68
Jun 5, 2021
One is enough.
FreeStater
+1
Level 81
Sep 22, 2023
Hey, Boston's a nicer place than Portland.
weldin
+2
Level 49
Jun 6, 2021
Haha I only got Portland, ME because I guessed Portland, OR
ThatOneGuy25
+1
Level 58
Mar 26, 2021
It's on two rivers (pretty much) tho
tschutzer
+3
Level 93
Jun 9, 2021
Emphasis on the LAND, rather than the port.
mrputter
+3
Level 90
Apr 11, 2026
Petition to rename Portland, OR to Landport, OR!
Jato
+3
Level 70
Mar 26, 2021
Damn you Oregon!
ThatOneGuy25
+2
Level 58
Mar 26, 2021
I spent forever typing in every coastal city in Oregon I could think of...
determinedtobeatthis
+2
Level 68
Jun 5, 2021
Me too. And I'm from Oregon... I've mostly spent time on the northern part of the coast, though.
Dimby
+4
Level 83
Apr 8, 2021
It'd be nice if all quizzes on this site used the same source for city populations. It's strange to see zoning bylaws the determinant of how big a city is rather than the actual population that considers themselves part of the city. Agglomerations seems to be a more realistic way of viewing populations of cities.
carrow
+2
Level 50
Jun 5, 2021
In my experience Americans in the "cities" of the suburbs quite vehemently do not consider themselves to be part of the city at the heart of the urban area.
bxtterflyfx
+1
Level 74
Jun 5, 2021
same here in Canada, cities and suburbs may be one continuous area, but theyre two separate jurisdictions. One could live 20 minutes from the core of downtown Toronto, but would not consider themselves to live in Toronto
tshalla
+3
Level 79
Jun 5, 2021
Actually, the Canadian practice is quite distinct from that of the U.S. The norm is "unicities," which is why Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Quebec have larger incorporated populations than almost all U.S. cities. The results in both cases have been the result of battles over municipal taxation - typically decided in different directions in the two countries.
communisteggplant
+2
Level 74
Aug 15, 2021
Just get all 50 states to agree upon a uniform definition of "city" and readjust all local zoning ordinances without any exceptions and you're good!
Angbo
+1
Level 67
Jun 5, 2021
Ah~

Portland!

bestanford
+6
Level 73
Jun 5, 2021
I wonder why Oregon never developed a significant coastal city.
SpencerGT
+2
Level 68
Jun 5, 2021
Washington hasn't either (Seattle is on an inland sound). I assume that it has something to do with avoiding rainfall, and maybe also the availability of flat land near the coast.

I'm not sure, though.

determinedtobeatthis
+2
Level 68
Jun 5, 2021
I'm not sure about the southern part of the coast, but I know that Astoria, Seaside, etc. are frequently far more overcast and about 10-20 degrees cooler than even a hours drive inland.
BGB11
+1
Level 43
Jan 8, 2025
It is miserably rainy all the time - we have a lot of beach towns that Portlanders have second homes in though like Cannon Beach, Gearhart, and Manzanita
sean0127
+1
Level 40
Jun 5, 2021
Great quiz! I'm curious about why Miami isn't included though
driehoek25
+10
Level 70
Jun 5, 2021
Because Jacksonville is bigger
ornei
+1
Level 65
Jun 5, 2021
Miami has a larger metro population, but by city limits, Jacksonville is bigger. Jacksonville has a little over 900k in the city proper and 1.5 million in the metro while Miami has less than 500k in the city proper, but over 6 million in the metro.
EvanAviator
+1
Level 61
Jun 6, 2021
omg i got 100%
tschutzer
+4
Level 93
Jun 9, 2021
Are you from Oregon?
Devvik2
+1
Level 74
Jun 8, 2021
Houston is actually coastal. The San Jacinto State Historic Battleground touches the sea, and is in Houston.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
May 16, 2026
This has been fixed. Thank you.
PumpkintheNerd
+2
Level 39
Jun 26, 2022
Oy vey, Coos Bay?!
Scott15
+1
Level 64
Nov 6, 2022
Astoria is the biggest city on the Oregon coast.
BGB11
+1
Level 43
Jan 8, 2025
Astoria is technically on the Columbia River. It also has a population of under 10,000 people
Samuelfghk
+1
Level 39
Nov 29, 2023
I typed Portland for Oregon, I didnt even know there is another in Maine
BenitoJuarez09
+1
Level 49
Apr 9, 2026
Isn't Chicago a coastal city?
French2010
+1
Level 96
May 16, 2026
The quiz maker specifically mentions omitting the Great Lakes.
Ymmot
+1
Level 86
May 17, 2026
What defines "coastal"? Wilmington, Delaware is on a coast that is called the Delaware "River," but it's very tidal; the point the bay becomes a river is arbitrary. :-P
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