The regional planning agency is trying to decide whether to petition to become a recognized Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The latest population count for the urbanized portion of the region is 40,000. What would you advise the agency?
A. MSAs only require a core area with a large population nucleus, which is variously defined. They would likely qualify.
B. An MSA requires a conglomeration of large cities, and 40,000 is unlikely to be sufficient
C. To be recognized as an MSA, there needs to be a core area with a small central population nucleus, and 40,000 is a sufficient threshold
D. They do not have sufficient population.