Why does Frankfurt have so few inhabitants?

In comparison to other metropolitan areas (Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart, etc.) Frankfurt did only incorporate a few neighboring cities late in time. Many surrounding cities have remained sovereign to this day (Offenbach, Neu-Isenburg, Eschborn, etc.). At the Frankfurt city border it is not uncommon today to find legally different cities just by crossing the street. In real life, these suburbs are now today a part of the Frankfurt city region and should actually be incorporated into Frankfurt. And so it is no surprising that many people in the region today think:

• Bad Vilbel is Frankfurt.
• Offenbach is Frankfurt.
• Frankfurt is Eschborn.
• Dietzenbach is Bad Homburg.
• Wiesbaden is Mainz.
• Hanau is Kelsterbach.
• The metropolitan region is one.

Without these cities, Frankfurt would not be what it is today. It is only the surrounding area of the suburbs that makes Frankfurt a metropolis of more than a  million people due to around 400,000 commuters.

City limits are today primarily only annoying barriers for people, for example by mapping into tariff limits by the RMV regional transportation authority: A trip using the S-Bahn commuter trains from Offenbach to Frankfurt across the city limits is more expensive than a comparable trip within the City of Frankfurt.

Frankfurt is centrally located in Germany and today is only a few kilometers from the geographic center of the EU. Large national and international modes of transport meet here and create superlatives:

• Germany’s most frequented train station
• Germany’s largest airport
• Germany’s most used motorway junction
• Germany’s commuter capital
• Germany’s largest exhibition center
• Largest internet hub in the world

The convenient location between north-south and east-west ensures that Frankfurt has become a point of contact for people, goods and information. The location is Frankfurt’s unique selling point.

Frankfurt has developed an international reputation today due to its modes of transport, the trade fairs and commerce. The number of inhabitants within the city limits belies the actual metropolitan function. Only by being surrounded by the Frankfurt city region (2.7 million inhabitants) and the traffic hubs Frankfurt does become a world metropolis. Also, the skyscrapers of Frankfurt also make the city appear bigger than it is in reality.

But Frankfurt does not only consist of tall buildings. It includes various densely built-up inner-city quarters with a height of up to six storeys. But also the newly rebuilt old town (Neue Altstadt) and green spaces around the city are special. Frankfurt has other identities: the metropolis is a sports city, event center and hip destination for millions of visitors every year.