home

Historically Large U.S. Cities

Name the US cities that have appeared in the top 50 at least once in the U.S. census records since 1820.
I've excluded totals from 1790 to 1810 due to a lack of 100 listed cities
Highly recommend to zoom on the East Coast
Cities that do not exist anymore in gold
Quiz by
UG332
Featured Quiz
Rate:
Last updated: January 3, 2026
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
More quiz info >>
First submittedOctober 29, 2021
Times taken10,825
Average score52.2%
Rating4.49
Quiz and answer stats >>
Friends stats >>
20:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 134 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
 
Peak year
Peak
City
1820–
1
New York
1820–1850
2
Baltimore
1860–1880
2
Philadelphia
1890–1980
2
Chicago
1990–
2
Los Angeles
1840
3
New Orleans
1850
3
Boston
1860–1880
3
Brooklyn
1870, 1900–1910
4
St. Louis
1920–1940
4
Detroit
1990–
4
Houston
1920
5
Cleveland
2020–
5
Phoenix
1820–1830
6
Charleston
1840–1850
6
Cincinnati
1990
6
San Diego
1820–1830
7
Northern Liberties
1980
7
Dallas
2010–
7
San Antonio
1820
8
Southwark
1900
8
Buffalo
1910
8
Pittsburgh
1820, 1950–1970
9
Washington
1830–1840
9
Albany
1850
9
Spring Garden
1880, 1900
9
San Francisco
1820
10
Salem
2010–
10
San Jose
1860
11
Newark
1960
11
Milwaukee
1990
11
Indianapolis
2010
11
Jacksonville
2020–
11
Austin
1820
12
Richmond
1830
12
Providence
1850
12
Kensington
1860
12
Louisville
2020-
13
Fort Worth
1980
14
Memphis
2020-
14
Columbus
1820
15
Portland, ME
1930
15
Minneapolis
1820
16
Norfolk
2020–
16
Charlotte
1820
17
Alexandria
1870–1880, 1900
17
Jersey City
1820
18
Savannah
1840
18
Lowell
1860
18
Rochester
2020–
18
Seattle
1820
19
Georgetown
1830
19
Troy
1920–1940
19
Kansas City
2010
19
El Paso
2020-
19
Denver
1820
20
Portsmouth
1820
21
Newport
2020–
21
Nashville
2020–
21
Oklahoma City
1890
22
Omaha
1820
23
Nantucket
1830, 1860
23
New Haven
1850
23
Williamsburg
1870–1880
23
Allegheny
1890–1900
23
St. Paul
1920
24
Portland, OR
1960
24
Atlanta
Peak year
Peak
City
1830
26
Charlestown
1900, 1920
26
Toledo
2020–
26
Las Vegas
1820
27
Newburyport
1840–1850
27
Moyamensing
1860
27
Mobile
1950
27
Oakland
1820
28
Petersburg
1850
28
Syracuse
1880
28
Worcester
1820
29
Lancaster
1830–1840
29
Utica
2000
29
Tucson
1860
31
Hartford
1880
31
Cambridge
1820
32
Gloucester
1900
32
Paterson
1920
32
Akron
1990
32
Long Beach
2010–
32
Albuquerque
1820
33
Marblehead
1900
33
Fall River
1820
34
Hudson
1860
34
Roxbury
1900
34
St. Joseph
1830, 1850
34
Birmingham
2010–
34
Fresno
1820
35
Lexington
1840
35
Springfield
1870
35
Scranton
2010–
35
Sacramento
1820
36
Wilmington
1870
36
Reading
1980
36
Honolulu
1990
37
Virginia Beach
2020–
37
Mesa
1840
38
Smithfield
1980
38
Tulsa
1820
39
Middleborough
1940
40
Dayton
2020–
40
Colorado Springs
1820
41
Groton
1980
41
Miami
2020–
41
Raleigh
1820
42
Taunton
1830
43
Augusta
1820
44
Middletown Township
1840
44
Bangor
1860
44
Manchester
1880
44
Camden
1900–1910
44
Grand Rapids
1920
44
Bridgeport
1820
45
Plymouth
1870
45
Lawrence
1930
45
Youngstown
1820
47
Beverly
1820
48
Woodbridge Township
1910
48
Spokane
1960
48
Tampa
2020–
48
Bakersfield
1820
49
Deep River
1850
49
Faubourg Lafayette
2020–
49
Wichita
1820
50
Fairfield
1890
50
Trenton
1930
50
Flint
2010–
50
Arlington
Save Your Stats
Your Next Quiz
Biggest City by Time Zone
Can you name the most populous city in all of the world's time zones?
Biggest Cities in Europe in 1700
Try to guess the most populous cities in Europe in the year 1700.
Biggest European Cities by Century
Name the most populous cities in Europe for each century-ending year, 1000 to 1900 AD.
50 Biggest Cities in 1920 on a World Map
With the help of a map, can you guess the 50 largest cities in the world in 1920?
13 Comments
kawow13
+1
Level 69
Nov 17, 2021
Nice challenging quiz! Wichita, KS should be added (currently ranked #49).
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Jan 3, 2026
Added
Windowwwwwwwwwww
+1
Level 30
Apr 7, 2024
Buffalo was 8 in 1900
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Jan 3, 2026
Fixed
cpgatbyu
+1
Level 88
Jan 3, 2026
It looks like Lynn, Massachusetts, was 43rd in 1820.
IBRK
+2
Level 77
Jan 13, 2026
Great quiz! The omission that shocked me the most was Orlando, I would've thought it would've made it at least once.
Ampersandwich
+2
Level 61
Mar 5, 2026
I feel so stupid... thought I was missing something obvious.

I FORGOT TO TYPE NEW YORK! NEW FREAKIN YORK!

Ampersandwich
+2
Level 61
Mar 5, 2026
Yet I somehow remembered Brooklyn!
Other1
+1
Level 76
Mar 5, 2026
I never know if Brooklyn is a city or what the heck it is.
TomDizzle
+1
Level 60
Mar 5, 2026
Brooklyn and Queens originally were their own cities but were absorbed into New York as it expanded.
bittern
+2
Level 46
Mar 6, 2026
Brooklyn was its own city, but Queens wasn't. When NYC absorbed Brooklyn, it also took in part of Queens County, including the towns of Flushing, Jamaica, and Newtown, part of Hempstead, but not Oyster Bay.
bittern
+1
Level 46
Mar 6, 2026
Today it's a "borough" of NYC. Imagine that you could have a county that is smaller than a city. In county talk, Brooklyn is Kings County, NY, and the ninth biggest by population in the country, after Dallas County TX and above Riverside County CA, but maybe not for long. Brooklyn metaphorically got the stuffing kicked out when the Dodgers moved to L.A.
bittern
+1
Level 46
Mar 6, 2026
Deep River, CT, wow. Obscure! Missed the Philly intake cities and Williamsburg but also the one I've lived in in Boston for four decades, long ago ingested as West Roxbury. Sad!
Copyright H Brothers Inc, 2008–2026
Contact Us | Go To Top | View Desktop Site | Site Map