Final answer:
The exact number of cities with a population between 300,000 to 500,000 cannot be provided without contemporary census data. Historical examples indicate that cities of this size have existed and currently exist, where thresholds for different businesses suggest both smaller and larger urban populations are common.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question regarding the number of large and small cities with a total population of 300,000 to 500,000 people requires an aggregate analysis of urban populations and demographic trends. Throughout history, the size and number of cities within that population range have significantly varied and continue to do so.
For instance, towns in ancient Sumer such as Uruk had populations reaching up to 50,000, while classical Athens saw numbers around 100,000 during the time of Pericles and Socrates. In the more recent past, cities like Torrington, Connecticut served as a central hub for a Micropolitan Statistical Area with close to 200,000 people. However, the city itself had a population of less than 35,000. The tables provided in the question relating to historical city populations illustrate this variability and prove that there have been numerous cities within the 300,000 to 500,000 population range throughout different periods.
The significant historical examples include several cities from different census years. Considering the information, cities like Baltimore in 1900 had a population just slightly over the upper limit of this range, with 509,000 inhabitants. In modern contexts, major league baseball teams require a population of around two million to be viable, whereas a Wal-Mart can serve an area with merely 20,000 people. This suggests the presence of numerous cities above and below the specified population range, as these businesses are widespread.
It is also important to consider the rapid urbanization in recent decades, where services and infrastructure often struggle to keep pace with growth, leading to variation in city sizes. The exact number of cities currently within the 300,000 to 500,000 population range would require up-to-date, region-specific demographic data from national census bureaus or international statistical agencies.
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