A possible item to consider with candidate cities is to look at how minor league clubs in those cities do in terms of attendance relative to other teams in the league and to the league average.
The ten highest-drawing teams in terms of per game average attendance in the U.S. minor leagues for the 2013 season:
Columbus Clippers (International League); 9,212
Lehigh Valley IronPigs (International League); 9,016
Indianapolis Indians (International League); 8,980
Sacramento River Cats (Pacific Coast League); 8,435
Dayton Dragons (Midwest League); 8,405
Buffalo Bisons (International League); 8,273
Louisville Bats (International League); 8,185
Round Rock Express (Pacific Coast League); 8,181
Albuqueque Isotopes (Pacific Coast League); 7,994
Pawtucket Red Sox (International League); 7,827
Quote:
Originally Posted by cephasjames
I'd rule out Riverside, San Jose, and Sacramento because they are all too close to existing MLB teams.
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Land distances between cities according to Google Maps:
Baltimore-Washington, DC, 39 miles;
Philadelphia-New York, 97 miles;
Los Angeles-San Diego, 120 miles.
Sacramento-Oakland, 81 miles;
Sacramento-San Francisco, 87 miles;
San Antonio-Houston, 197 miles.