What Are the Largest U.S. Cities by Land Area?
While you may know about more prominent cities in the U.S. like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, you may not recognize which cities are the largest. Ranging from the northernmost state of Alaska to one of the most southern Florida, these are the seven largest U.S. cities by land area.
7. Butte, Montana (716.2 mi²)
Our seventh largest city is Butte, located in Silver Bow County, Montana. Covering 718 square miles, it was named the fifth most populated city in Montana in 2020 with 34,494 people. The town was established in 1864 as a mining camp, developing quickly into Montana’s first major industrial city. Attracting a large amount of immigrants, as of 2017 Butte still had the largest population of Irish Americans per capita of any other U.S. city.
6. Anaconda, Montana (735.6 mi²)
Staying in Montana is our sixth city Anaconda, located in the southwestern part of the state. Anaconda’s population peaked in population in 1930 and 1980 due to the mining industry but is now one of the smaller cities in Montana. The city stretches over nearly 736 square miles and is characterized by dense forests, lakes, mountains, and recreation grounds.
5. Jacksonville, Florida (747 mi²)
Our southernmost city is Jacksonville, Florida located on the Atlantic coast in the northern part of the state. It is the largest city by land area in the contiguous United States, hinting at the locations of our last four cities. Jacksonville straddles the St. Johns River and was originally inhabited by the Timucua people, later claimed as a French colony in 1564. Today, Jacksonville is known for its beaches, museums, and lively music festivals.
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4. Anchorage, Alaska (1,704.7 mi²)
Based on the hint in our fifth largest city, we travel up north to Alaska for our final four largest U.S. cities by land area. Anchorage stretches over 1,704 square miles, containing nearly forty percent of the state’s population. The city is in the south-central part of Alaska on a peninsula and started as a tent city in 1915 to build the Alaska Railroad. Anchorage became a city in 1920 and has since been one of the most well-known cities in Alaska.
3. Wrangell, Alaska (2,542.5 mi²)
Our third largest city is Wrangell, also referred to as a borough in southeastern Alaska. Wrangell covers over 2,500 square miles of land and was home to the Tlingit people before Europeans traveled into the state. The urban part of the city is located in the northwest corner of Wrangell Island and is full of rivers, mountains, and dense forests.
2. Juneau, Alaska (2,701.9 mi²)
Another well-known city in Alaska is Juneau, which happens to be second on our list. The capital of Alaska, Juneau is located on the Gastineau Channel of the Alaskan panhandle. The city-borough (containing Juneau, Douglas, and the Greater Juneau Borough) is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware. Nestled at the bottom of Mount Juneau, the city is a popular tourist destination receiving thousands of visitors via cruise ships in the summer.
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1. Sitka, Alaska (2,870.3 mi²)
Finally, the largest U.S. city by land area is Sitka, covering 2,870 square miles. Located in the southeast of Alaska, it was under Russian rule from 1799 to 1867 until the United States purchased the land. While the amount of land is staggering, if you include the total area of the city (land and water) the area of Sitka soars up to 4,811.4 square miles, earning its spot at number one.
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