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 publications well before the Civil War. For example, in 1846, The New England Gazetteer’s entry on Boston stated the following:

The first extensive attempt by the Census Bureau to define areas based on the metropolitan concept was the identification of industrial districts for the Census of Manufactures of 1905, which showed such districts for New York, Chicago, Boston, and St. Louis. The Census Bureau gave official recognition to the metropolitan concept for decennial census purposes when it defined metropolitan districts for the 1910 census. These metropolitan districts were defined on a nationwide basis for cities having populations of at least 100,000. The Census Bureau defined metropolitan districts again for the 1920 census, applying the same criteria that had been used in 1910. Metropolitan districts again were defined for the 1930 and 1940 censuses, but the criteria were modified for these censuses so that metropolitan districts for cities with minimum populations of 50,000 would be recognized. There were 96 metropolitan districts for the 1930 census, and 140 metropolitan districts for the 1940 census.

Throughout the period 1910 through 1940, the Census Bureau defined metropolitan districts in terms of minor civil divisions (MCDs)—county subdivisions such as townships or election districts—and determined their boundaries primarily based on population density. The use of MCDs proved suitable for census data presentation. However, few agencies or organizations outside the Census Bureau compiled data for MCDs. As a result, Federal, State, local, and private statistical groups could not readily prepare data and conduct socioeconomic analyses using the metropolitan district as a statistical base. By World War II, some of these groups developed alternative metropolitan definitions in terms of whole counties that Notes and References Metropolitan Areas13-3