Have you ever wondered what all the cities and states are on LinkedIn that are hidden gems? As we have all come to know LinkedIn doesn’t always play nice on the playground and certainly does not make it easy for someone to be able to find that information in a quick and streamlined manner. (I am pretty sure they are not going to compile a beautiful and neat list for us to utilize.)
So a few months ago, I was sitting at home on a quiet Friday night watching re-runs of Law and Order while doing some Boolean searches and I was thinking about sourcing as usual, and the thought came to me, what exactly are all the U.S.-based cities and states in LinkedIn? Is there a way for me to compile a list and make it user-friendly for myself? I know there have been lists published in the past, but I thought surely there are more than what was on that list of approximately 250.
What if I am missing peoples in some sleepy town such as Adak, Alaska? You don’t want to miss out on that ideal candidate in Abita Springs, Louisiana?
During the start of my adventure, I did a bit of research and found there are over 34,000 cities in the United States, impressive I thought, who would have known? Could knowing that number help me find more cities to help improve my range of search and not miss out on that ideal candidate? Possibly and I decided to continue on my journey to see what I could come up with.
As we all know, looking up one city at a time can be a daunting, tiring experience and with my bandwidth small as it is I asked myself, how could I make this process easy on myself while still gathering the information needed?
Ah-ha!! It came to me while eating some ice-cream during a commercial break, why not utilize my favorite sourcing method – Boolean! I proceeded to create an X-ray search (site search) with LinkedIn. I find this method of search most used in my bag of “good old handy dandy” and probably a tool that everyone has come to use on a daily basis.
As an example, I used the following string below:
site:linkedin.com/in ” * Texas”
This method allowed me to identify over 2900 cities of states in the United Sates. Of course, I am continuously updating the list (sharing is caring so you can find the list below) for a start to your search.
Additionally, if you feel inclined to look up cities one at a time and enter them into the Boolean search below is my favorite list of cities and states in the Unites States. Below you will find some sites that I used for gathering lists of cities to research:
http://www.topix.com/city/list
During my search, I found this handy list via GitHub (this list includes Puerto Rico as well):
And still another:
http://www.expertrating.com/fitness/alphabetical/a-to-z-index.asp
Whether you need an accountant in Yukon, Oklahoma or a nurse in Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico I believe this will keep you from missing out on those hidden gems!