100 Biggest Cities of the Great Lakes Megalopolis in 1860

With the help of a map, can you name the 100 most populous cities in 1860 located in the territory that would later form the Great Lakes megalopolis of the U.S. and Canada, on the eve of the American Civil War and at the height of early industrial and canal-based growth?
Region defined as seen here. Counties on the map follow boundaries as they were in 1860.
Sources used for population estimates listed in this Pastebin.
Some of these cities have since been absorbed by larger cities.
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Dekkie
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Last updated: April 20, 2026
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First submittedApril 20, 2026
Times taken65
Average score42.0%
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Illinois
112,172
Chicago
14,045
Peoria
9,320
Springfield
7,520
Belleville
7,104
Joliet
7,075
Bloomington
6,979
Rockford
6,332
Alton
6,011
Aurora
5,541
Ottawa
5,528
Jacksonville
5,376
Freeport
5,130
Rock Island
4,953
Galesburg
3,993
LaSalle
3,839
Decatur
 
 
Iowa
11,267
Davenport
8,136
Keokuk
6,706
Burlington
5,324
Muscatine
 
 
Indiana
18,611
Indianapolis
12,647
New Albany
9,387
Lafayette
9,121
Fort Wayne
8,594
Terre Haute
8,130
Madison
6,603
Richmond
5,028
La Porte
4,020
Jeffersonville
Kansas
7,429
Leavenworth
 
 
Kentucky
68,033
Louisville
16,471
Covington
10,046
Newport
 
 
Michigan
45,619
Detroit
8,085
Grand Rapids
6,213
Adrian
6,070
Kalamazoo
5,097
Ann Arbor
4,799
Jackson
4,371
Port Huron
3,955
Ypsilanti
3,892
Monroe
 
 
Minnesota
10,401
Saint Paul
 
 
Missouri
160,773
St. Louis
8,932
St. Joseph
4,418
Kansas City
4,122
Lexington
3,993
Carondelet
New York
81,129
Buffalo
48,204
Rochester
10,871
Lockport
5,057
Geneva
4,822
Canandaigua
 
 
Ohio
161,044
Cincinnati
43,417
Cleveland
20,081
Dayton
18,554
Columbus
13,768
Toledo
9,229
Zanesville
8,408
Sandusky
7,626
Chillicothe
7,223
Hamilton
7,002
Springfield
6,154
Steubenville
4,675
Newark
4,658
Xenia
4,616
Piqua
4,581
Mansfield
4,383
Circleville
4,303
Lancaster
4,202
Mount Vernon
4,041
Canton
3,992
Tiffin
3,889
Delaware
Ontario
(historically: Canada West)
44,821
Toronto
19,096
Hamilton
11,555
London
6,284
St. Catharines
6,251
Brantford
5,076
Guelph
4,975
Cobourg
4,466
Chatham
4,162
Port Hope
3,979
Peterborough
 
 
Pennsylvania
49,221
Pittsburgh
28,702
Allegheny
9,419
Erie
6,046
Birmingham
4,185
Johnstown
 
 
West Virginia
(historically: part of Virginia)
14,083
Wheeling
 
 
Wisconsin
45,246
Milwaukee
7,822
Racine
7,703
Janesville
6,611
Madison
6,086
Oshkosh
5,450
Fond du Lac
5,302
Watertown
4,262
Sheboygan
4,098
Beloit
3,990
Kenosha
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