"central city : a city that constitutes the densely populated center of a metropolitan area — called also core city." -- Merriam-Webster

"suburb: a smaller community adjacent to...a [central] city." -- Merriam-Webster

Example: Atlanta and its suburbs

"Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) have at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties." -- US Census Bureau 

"Combined Statistical Areas (CSA) consist of two or more [metro areas]." -- US Census Bureau

Example: Stanford University is in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA and in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland CSA.

2020 State-based Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Maps

"Rural - Of a person: living in the country as opposed to a town or city; engaged in country occupations." --- Oxford English Dictionary

"Slum - a densely populated usually urban area marked especially by poverty." --  Merriam Webster

“Urban - That resides in or has property in a town or city.” - Oxford English Dictionary

How Do Households Describe Where They Live?

2017 American Housing Survey

What is your definition of city? How do you categorize where you live--urban, suburban, rural? 

The Census Bureau compared their classifications with those of the public. There was much overlap, but a small percent of people had a different sense of the type of place in which they lived. Why do you think categorizations might differ?