America! You’re GROWING!!! GET COUNTED! Because SIZE MATTERS!

Here are a few factoids for your entertainment.

• There are SO FEW people in Wyoming, that they have enough room on their automobile license plates to depict a cowboy on a bucking bronco… and STILL have plenty of room leftover for numbers & letters for EVERY car in the state.

• There are MORE people in Nashville, TN (669,053) than there are in Wyoming (578,759).

• There are MORE people in Tennessee (6,829,174) than there are in Colorado (5,758,736).

• The TOTAL number of students (13,131), faculty, and staff (9,253) at Vanderbilt University, and employees at the now-independent University Medical Center (24,039) totals 46,423, which, in effect, makes it a city unto itself, and is why the University (and MC) have the state’s ONLY state-certified police force, with full authority to perform EVERY law enforcement function of the state. They’re also voluntarily, and fully accredited by three law enforcement accrediting bodies, one international, one national, one state:

• CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies)
• IACLEA (International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators)
• TLEA (Tennessee Law Enforcement Accreditation)

Here’s a factoid sheet on VUMC (Vanderbilt University Medical Center).

Speaking of size (because, yeah… size matters!), we’re growing! And by “we” I mean to refer to the United States.

For example, did you know that: → Population Rank

• Denver’s population is 716,492. → 19

• Atlanta, GA’s population is 498,044. → 37
(And was once called the “New York” of the South.)

• Jacksonville, FL = 903,889 → 12
• Fort Worth, TX = 895,008 → 13
• Columbus, OH = 892,533 → 14
• San Francisco, CA = 883,305 → 15
• Charlotte, NC = 872,498 → 16
• Indianapolis, IN = 867,125 → 17
• Seattle, WA = 744,955 → 18
• District of Columbia = 702,455 → 20
• Boston, MA = 694,583 → 21
• Detroit, MI = 672,662 → 23
• Portland, OR = 653,115 → 25
• Memphis, TN = 650,618 → 26
• Fresno, CA = 530,093 → 34

Comparatively, these cities’ names, while familiar, might conjure up population pictures that are not necessarily what one might imagine.

For example, who would’ve thought that San Francisco (883,305) and Charlotte (872,498) are almost identically populated? Size Rank → 15, 16

Or Denver (716,492) and Nashville (669,053)? →  19, 24
Or Boston (694,583) and El Paso (682,669)? → 21, 22
Or Las Vegas (644,644) and Louisville, KY (620,118)? → 28, 29
Or Atlanta (498,044), and Sacramento (508,529)? → 37, 36
Or Colorado Springs (472,688), and Miami (470,914)? → 39, 40

Or Virginia Beach (450,189), and Long Beach (467,354)? → 44, 43
Or Minneapolis (425,403), and Tulsa (400,669)? → 46, 47
Or New Orleans (391,006), and Wichita (389,255)? → 50, 51
Or Bakersfield (383,579), and Cleveland (383,793)? → 53, 52
Or Columbus, OH (892,533), and Fort Worth (895,008)? → 14, 13

Or Jacksonville, FL (903,889), and Austin, TX (964,254)? → 12, 11
Or San Jose, CA (1,030,119), and Dallas, TX (1,345,047)? → 10, 9

And New York City? → 1

With an estimated 8,398,748 in 2018, it is more than TWICE as large as its next largest competitor Los Angeles (3,990,456). → 2

In fact, 133 of the top 200 most populous cities in the United States have experienced DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH since the last census, in 2010 – “double digit” meaning 10% or more.

And Macon, GA is the hands-down, undisputed winner with 67.59% growth.

In fact, of the Top 10 Greatest Growth Cities in the United States, 5 are in Texas, 1 in Tennessee (Murfreesboro – 29.97%), 1 in Idaho (Meridian – 42.23%), 1 in Washington (Kent – 40.26%).

And, of the Top 25 Greatest Growth Cities in the United States, 14 are in Texas.

The 2020 Census will tell us more about ourselves than maybe we want to know… or, perhaps things we ~ought~ to know, but don’t.

And as a final note…

On the things we ~ought~ to know, but don’t, the size of Congress has NOT grown since 1911, when it was kept from growing (aborted) by the Congress at that time, which fixed the size (without rhyme, or reason) at 435 Members in the House of Representatives. At that time, our nation’s population was 92,228,496.

It’s now very nearly 330,000,000.

In 1910, the ratio of people to Representative was 212,019 to 1.

Now, it’s 758,620 to 1.

So, if you feel like you’re NOT being represented, guess what?

You’re NOT!!

It’s TIME TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES!!

By extension and necessity, it’s time to establish a NEW LAW that establishes a ratio for the number of People per Representative.

And, while we’re at it, it’s time to MOVE the ridiculously assigned Time Zones to more accurately align with natural features, states’ borders, and NOT split states.

Make CERTAIN THAT YOU’RE COUNTED!

Go to:

https://2020census.gov/