Don't deceive yourself. The numbers involved and the underlying reality are a little different than what you're thinking, since it all depends on where you draw

Don't deceive yourself. The numbers involved and the underlying reality are a little different than what you're thinking, since it all depends on where you draw the lines. The entire state of Victoria, including Melbourne, has something like 6.7 million people. [0] The United States has 11 combined statistical areas [1] with populations greater than Victoria. The way large cities are laid out, it often makes little sense not to include the suburbs. LA County and the Chicago metropolitan area each have roughly ten million people, and NY metro is at least twice that. They are really, really big. The most interesting thing about Melbourne and Victoria is its rapid population growth. The graph might not be a hockey stick, but it is extremely steep. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_(Australia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_(Australia) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_statistical_area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_statistical_area