Most populous “fort” cities on the map

Fortaleza, Brazil – Source: en.wikipedia.org

Below is a list of the largest cities in the world with the word “fort” in their name – while most are associated with a “fort,” there are a few that only have fort in their name by happenstance. Florida leads the way in the United States with six cities on the list; Colorado with three; and Alberta, Iowa, and Texas with two each.

The cities are ranked by the core city population, not by metropolitan area and must have a minimum population of 5,000 residents to be included (based on the most recent census. Those shown in italics are part of a metropolitan area exceeding 1,000,000 residents.

While 22 nations were represented by “port” cities, only six are included here. Perhaps other terms were utilized like “castle” or “citadel,” in some cases forts were not necessary, or the fort’s name did not transfer over to the name of the community. Any additions or corrections to the list are most welcome.

1. Fortaleza, Brazil = 2,571,896
2. Fort Worth, TX = 741,206
3. Fort Wayne, IN = 253,691
4. Fort Lauderdale, FL = 165,521
5. Fort Collins, CO = 143,986
6. Fort Smith, AR = 86,209
7. Fort-de-France, Martinique = 85,667
8. Fort Myers, FL = 65,725
9. Fort McMurray, AB = 61,374
10. Fort Portal, Uganda = 54,275 (added 12/19/19)
11. Fort Pierce, FL = 41,590
12. North Fort Myers, FL = 36,609
13. Fort Lee, NJ = 35,345
14. Fort Beaufort, South Africa = 25,668 (double fort city name)
15. Frankfort, KY = 25,527
16. Fort Dodge, IA = 25,206
17. Fort Walton Beach, FL = 19,507
18. Fort Saskatchewan, AB = 19,051
19. Fort St. John, BC = 18,609
20. Frankfort, IN = 16,422
21. Fort Thomas, KY = 16,325
22. El Fuerte, Mexico = 12,566
23. Beaufort, SC = 12,361
24. Fortuna, California = 11,926
25. Fort Morgan, CO = 11,315
26. Fort Madison, IA = 11,051
27. Fort Oglethorpe, GA = 9,994 (2019 est.) – Thank you, Andrew (added 5/6/21)
28. Fort Stockton, TX = 8,535
29. Fort Scott, KS = 8,087
30. Fort Frances, ON = 7,952
31. Fort Lupton, CO = 7,377
32. Fort Bragg, CA = 7,273
33. Fort Myers Beach, FL = 6,277
34. Fort Myers Shores, FL = 5,487

SOURCE: en.wikipedia.org