[NME22]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Due to its size and its economy that is focused on state government, I doubt that Sacramento, by itself, will ever be a global city. What it can be, however, by integrating itself with the Bay Area through improved transit, is an important part of the Northern California mega-region. The Bay Area has 6M - 7M residents and the Sacramento region has another 2M - 3M residents. Together, this is nearly 10M residents. Mega-regions, both in the US and abroad, play a disproportionately significant importance in economic geography, responsible for a large percentage of patents, GDP, productivity, etc...

An example would be Baltimore or Philadelphia. Neither of these cities can be considered global cities by themselves but they are thoroughly integrated into the Northeast corridor through transportation links, economic exchanges and employment and commuting patterns. As part of their role in a larger mega-region, they are far more significant than their respective size alone.

Very good points. Never really thought of our region , SJ - SF - Sac, as comparable to Batlimore - DC - Philly, or Philly - NYC - Boston. But with some work through transportation links and such as you describe, it would make the most sense for Sacramento pursue this type of connection. We're not going to beat the Bay Area at anything and don't think that should be the goal. The goal should be economic synergy.