I seek two lists of all cities or metropolitan areas in America with
populations in excess of 500K. I don't really care if they are strict
legal cities (like San Francisco) or metropolitan areas (like the San
Francisco Bay Area), however they must have a total population in
excess of 500,000 people.

The two lists are to be separated on this criteria: whether or not
snowplows are used in winter in the city or metropolitan area. I don?t
care about private snowplow use, only about municipal snowplow use.

For instance, San Francisco, or the San Francisco Bay Area, would be
on the ?No Snowplows? list, while Chicago, or the Chicagoland Region,
would be on the ?Snowplows? list.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 19 Feb 2005 10:54 PST

Have you considered asking for a breakout of cities by the annual
average snowfall (e.g. less than an inch vs more than an inch)?

That sort of info would be a lot easier for a researcher to dig up
than verifying whether a particular city does or doesn't own a
snowplow.

Just a suggestion...

pafalafa-ga

---

Clarification of Question by cmarcus-ga on 20 Feb 2005 15:05 PST

Unfortunately, average snowfall data will not satisfy my needs - I
really do need to know whether or not the municipality typically
operates snowplows. I know, it seems strange, but it is what I need to
know!

In response to the comment about tedious work - at what level of
payment for this question would the tedious work become
well-compensated work?

---

Request for Question Clarification by rainbow-ga on 20 Feb 2005 15:57 PST

Hi cmarcus,

I am working on your question but need to clarify a few things.

Regarding the cities that might use snowplows: do you need proof or
the source of where I obtain this information from? (for example
newspaper articles, city websites, etc..)

Can we assume that cities that have less than 1 to 2 inches (or
whatever amount you decide upon) of average snowfall, do not use
snowplows? I ask this because, searching for example [snowplows
houston] will lead to no relevant results and will be time-consuming
for nothing.

Waiting to hear your views.

Best regards,
Rainbow

---

Clarification of Question by cmarcus-ga on 21 Feb 2005 07:09 PST

I think it is fair to assume that cities with very low, or no, average
annual snowfall have no municipal snowplowing program. Perhaps if
there are just a few cities where it is uncertain, you could simply
call the Public Works departments of those cities?

---

Request for Question Clarification by rainbow-ga on 21 Feb 2005 10:13 PST

Hi cmarcus,

This is an update of my progress so far:

I have compiled the list of 32 citites that have a population of over
500,000. Of these cities, 14 have an average snowfall of less than 2"
in any given month. So it's fair to assume these have no snowplows. 12
cities have an average snowfall in any give month of more than 5.5
inches, which is reasonable to say snowplows are used. The 6 remaining
cities are uncertain. If I am able to locate the information required
on the internet, I will proceed, since I am unable to make phone calls
to the Public Works Departments of the cities as I live overseas.

Best regards,
Rainbow

---

Clarification of Question by cmarcus-ga on 21 Feb 2005 12:19 PST

Rainbow, your progress sounds great. Perhaps you can use Skype and the
Skype Out service to make very cheap phone calls from your locations
to public works departments in the USA? Or potentially you could
search the city or county websites for information on snowplowing
programs.

Hi cmarcus,

The following is the result of my research for the information you have requested:


-SNOWPLOWS-

New York NY - pop. 8,085,742  
Chicago IL - pop. 2,869,121 
Philadelphia PA - pop. 1,479,339
Detroit MI - pop. 911,402 
Indianapolis IN - pop. 783,438 
Columbus OH - pop. 728,432
Louisville KY - pop. 699,017 
Baltimore MD - pop. 628,670
Milwaukee WI - pop. 586,941
Charlotte NC - pop. 584,658 
Boston MA - pop. 581,616
Seattle WA - pop. 569,101 
Washington DC - pop. 563,384
Denver CO - pop. 557,478
Nashville TN - pop. 544,765 
Portland OR - pop. 538,544
Oklahoma City OK - pop. 523,303


-NO SNOWPLOWS-

Los Angeles CA - pop. 3,819,951 
Houston TX - pop. 2,009,690  
Phoenix AZ - pop. 1,388,416 
San Diego CA - pop. 1,266,753 
San Antonio TX - pop. 1,214,725 
Dallas TX - pop. 1,208,318 
San Jose CA - pop. 898,349 
Jacksonville FL - pop. 773,781 
San Francisco CA - pop. 751,682 
Austin TX - pop. 672,011 
Memphis TN - pop. 645,978
Fort Worth TX - pop. 585,122
El Paso TX - pop. 584,113 
Las Vegas NV - pop. 517,017 
Tucson AZ - pop. 507,658 


References for the use of snowplows:

NEW YORK, NY
"In Connecticut, more than 600 snowplows scraped highways Thursday to
clear away up to 91/2 inches of snow.
The bills for the cleanup were compounded by the holiday. 
Albany's mayor figured his city's costs at $250,000. New York City
expected to spend about $2-million to remove 5 inches of snow that
fell on its 6,000 miles of road."

St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/12/27/Worldandnation/Cities_face_blizzard_.shtml

===========================================

CHICAGO, IL
Snow Removal
The City is divided into seven plow routes. This allows the City to
have at least one truck working in all areas of town. Each route
contains primary and secondary roads. Primary roads are those that
keep traffic flowing in and out of West Chicago and are the first
streets to be salted and plowed."

City of West Chicago
http://www.westchicago.org/services_snow.html

===========================================

PHILADELPHIA, PA
"The City of Philadelphia owns a large fleet of SUV's and downsize
vehicles. With a goal of utilizing these vehicles to a greater extent,
we purchased three Snowman power angle receiver hitch snowplows in the
fall of 2000 to test on city streets. The plows were used in storms of
8-12" during the winter of 2000-2001..." (City of Philadelphia)

Snowman Snowplow
http://www.snowmansnowplow.com/homeowner_customers.php 

===========================================

DETROIT, MI
"Twenty-one snowplows, front-end loaders, dump trucks, two support
vehicles and one fuel tanker truck met at the GM Building on West
Grand Boulevard this afternoon to receive their assignments. All work
is being coordinated with the Detroit Public Works Department. Work
will continue through Sunday and the need will be reassessed on
Monday."

LookSmart - Find Articles: General Motors Provides Snow Removal
Assistance to City of Detroit
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m4PRN/1999_Jan_8/53540638/p1/article.jhtml

===========================================

INDIANAPOLIS, IN
"The City of Indianapolis and the Department of Public Works (DPW)
prepare year round to handle the onslaught of winter weather.
The City has a fleet of 90 snow trucks that need to be ready to
mobilize at the first sign of snow or ice. These trucks are
supplemented by 30 solid waste packer trucks with snow plows during
severe storms."

City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works
http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DPW/Road/Snow/removal.htm

===========================================

COLUMBUS, OH
Gearing Up for Snow  
"Council sets aside $100,000 in ?snowy day? funds in case snow
warriors need private help digging out the city (Ordinance 2516:
O?Shaughnessy). The Division of Transportation uses private snowplows
on an as-needed basis."

Columbus City Council
http://www.columbuscitycouncil.org/news/council_cuts/cc20031201.htm 

===========================================

LOUISVILLE, KY
"With Louisville Metro Government's snow-response agencies "operating
on all cylinders," Mayor Jerry Abramson said the community has fared
well thus far through the winter storm."
(...)
"Abramson said every available employee as well as about 50
contractors are working on clearing the roads. "We've got about 120
vehicles out on the street removing snow," he said."

Wave3: Mayor Says City Responding Well To Winter Storm
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=2729403&nav=0RZFUVpG

===========================================

BALTIMORE, MD
"The City of Baltimore Maryland has chosen Orbital's ORBTRAC-100
system to help track and manage it's Public Works Fleet Vehicles. The
initial install will be 75 plows, with the expected roll-out of the
city's remaining 500 vehicles over the next 2-3 years."

Orbital
http://infozone.orbital.com/TMS/CityofBaltimore.htm

===========================================

MILWAUKEE, WI
Snow & Ice Control in the City of Milwaukee
"Public safety is the first priority during snow and ice control on
the city's 1,400 miles of streets. DPW's Sanitation, Buildings &
Fleet, and Forestry Divisions and supervise the snow and ice control
operations.
The size of the operation is based on the severity of the storm. We
will use only one or two salt trucks to tackle intermittent salting of
isolated slippery spots, but a full scale plowing for a big storm will
use over 360 pieces of our equipment, and supplemental equipment
operated by contractors. The most common operation is a General Ice
Control in which 90 salt trucks are sent out citywide and is
supervised from DPW's six sanitation districts."

City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works
http://www.mpw.net/Pages/snowice.htm

===========================================

CHARLOTTE, NC
Snow Removal
"Snow should be three to four inches deep before it is feasible for
plowing operations to begin. However, weather conditions will dictate
when or if plowing will be necessary regardless of depth.
The decision to mount the snowplows and implement condition "C" of the
Ice Control and Snow Removal Program will be made by the Street
Maintenance Division Manager or a designated representative.
Individual snowplow crews will be placed into operation as soon as
possible. Streets to be plowed are shown on the master Ice Control and
Snow Removal Map."

Charlotte Department of Transportation 
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Transportation/About+Us/Ice+Control.htm

===========================================

BOSTON, MA
"The Storm Center will be open during major snowstorms, hurricanes,
floods or natural disasters to provide information and service to
Boston residents for all storm-related problems, including plow
requests, downed trees, and power outages."
(...)
"When a snow emergency has been declared in the City of Boston,
parking regulations are strictly enforced to ensure that streets
remain accessible for snow plows, fire apparatus and other emergency
vehicles."

City of Boston
http://www.cityofboston.gov/snow/

===========================================

SEATTLE, WA
"When it snows, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews
begin to maintain a network of pre-selected key routes that provide
reasonable access to most city areas and are key routes for regional
transit. SDOT equipment is busy 24- hours a day clearing and sanding
these major arterial streets. Our 28 trucks with sanders and snowplows
and one sander truck must take care of 1,524 lane miles of arterial
streets."

Seattle Department of Transportation
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/snowandicefaqs.htm

===========================================

WASHINGTON DC
District of Columbia Snow Plan
"The District of Columbia begins planning for winter weather months in
advance. Equipment must be serviced, vehicles inspected, personnel
trained, supplies ordered and snow removal routes evaluated to ensure
readiness for the first flake - or the first icy downpour of freezing
rain."

Washington DC Department of Public Works
http://dpw.dc.gov/dpw/cwp/view,a,1200,q,516323,dpwNav,|31204|.asp

===========================================

DENVER, CO
"As snow begins to accumulate on roadways, plowing begins to keep
travel lanes open and traffic flowing smoothly. Rubber snowplow blades
minimize equipment and street damage. Plowing activities continue
until the storm subsides."

The City and County of Denver
http://www.denvergov.org/Street_Maintenance/template2136.asp

===========================================

NASHVILLE, TN
Metro Public Works has:
a combined total of about 30 pieces of winter weather equipment,
including snowplows, salttrucks, and brine trucks;
a fleet of 27 combination snow plow/salt spreader trucks

Nashville Department of Public Works
http://www.nashville.gov/pw/snow_operations.htm

===========================================

PORTLAND,OR
"The Snow & Ice Plan is designed to move the highest number of people
by keeping the major arterials, main transit and truck routes usable.
The snow and ice removal starts with the major arterial routes. The
off-system locations are plowed and sanded if possible, based on
requests."

City of Portland Office of Transportation 
http://www.trans.ci.portland.or.us/Services/Emergency/SnowAndIce.htm

===========================================

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
"When snow is in the forecast, the City's Street Maintenance Division
is ready. City trucks are equipped with plow blades and salt spreaders
at the new Public Works facility at SW 15 & Portland. The crews go to
work keeping the City's designated snow routes clear 24/7 until the
weather has cleared.
The maps below show the City's snow routes in light blue. Roads
maintained by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation are shown in
red. In addition, some routes are kept clear by county crews or by
suburbs through which they pass."

The City of Oklahoma City
http://www.okc.gov/



Population Source:
City Population
http://www.citypopulation.de/USA.html

Weather Source:
City Data
http://www.city-data.com


Search criteria:
<city> snowplows 
<city> "public works" department 
<city> "public works" department snowplows
<city> "public works" department "snow removal"


I hope the information provided is helpful. If you have any questions
regarding my answer please don?t hesitate to ask before rating it.

Best regards,
Rainbow

This question seems to demand a lot of tedious work for what should be
rather obvious. Of most of the 31 cities with at least 500,000 people,
it's pretty clear which have snowplows (Chicago, Philadelphia, etc.)
and which don't (San Diego, Houston, etc.). There are only a few
cities that should be questionable, such as Nashville (which, it turns
out, does have snowplows).