The Book of Mormon account mentions the “great cities” of the Nephites numerous times (see, for example, Alma 16:9; 21:2; Hel. 1:18; 7:22; 8:5–6; 3 Ne. 8:25; 9:3–5, 9; 4 Ne. 1:8; Ether 10:20). Moroni in the Book of Ether notes that the Jaredites built many “mighty cities” (Ether 9:23). Along with the “great city” of Zarahemla, even newly built military cities, such as Moroni and Moronihah are referred to as “great” (3 Ne. 9:3–5). The phrases, “great city” and “mighty city” can be misleading. In older English the term “great” in this context refers to the role of the city and not its size. A great city would be a capital city (political, administrative, military or monarchical) or a city that functions as a central marketplace or in any significant role, even though its size could be rather small. The term “mighty” refers to a city’s power and strength as a fortified or defensible center and not its size. Even a small city can be well-fortified.

The phrases “great city” and “mighty city” cannot define or stipulate actual square miles, or number of buildings, the type of construction materials, population size or the age of settlement. Too often we apply modern interpretations of these phrases which causes confusion and misunderstanding of what would have been typical city sizes among the Book of Mormon record keepers. The question then becomes what does a “great city” mean in the Book of Mormon? The old-world city of Jerusalem is the only city mentioned in the Book of Mormon that we actually know the historic size and location. Four times Nephi refers to the Jerusalem of his youth as a “great city” (1 Ne. 1:4; 2:13; 10:3; 11:13). There is no doubt that Jerusalem was a significant city in the Biblical lands and could have been comparable to the major Book of Mormon cities. Using Jerusalem as a reference, we can attempt to estimate the relative size of what appears to be a “capital city which was the city of Zarahemla” (Hel. 1:27). A “capital” city refers to a city’s political or central role as the seat of government and not its size.

Some 2,000 years ago the city of Jerusalem occupied a total area of some 1,600 feet by 1,200 feet or 45 acres (see Map 12, “Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus,” in the LDS Bible Appendix). It is difficult to calculate the number who could have lived in Jerusalem and surrounding area at that time, but some estimate less than 10,000 people. By today’s standards, ancient Jerusalem was not a large city but rather a small town. A modern North American suburb covering this same 45 acres would only house about 500 residents. And yet Zarahemla and Jerusalem were known as “great cities” because of their significance and not their size, even though they were probably the largest cities in their respective lands. According to the Book of Mormon account, the city of Zarahemla was surrounded by numerous town and villages, not unlike Jerusalem or early Salt Lake City.

Before the arrival of the automobile and more affordable transportation such as the trolley car, nearly all cities, including Salt Lake City or Jerusalem or Zarahemla, were never large in area because of the restrictive travel times from one location to another and especially to reduce the travel times within the city and from the city or town to the surrounding rural agricultural areas. These travel times and distances, constraining the size and scope of cities and towns, especially in the past, are referred to by geographers as the “journey to work” principle. We should not look for remnants and evidence of Nephite cities similar to Los Angeles where size and scope are a function of modern automobile transportation. Instead we should look for cities comparable to compact Biblical and medieval towns that were highly constrained in size by walking distances. We can find no evidence in the Book of Mormon that the Nephites built expansive cities. They built “great cities,” not expansive cities. (See also, “Cities on the Land” in our topic article, Jared, his Brother and their Friends: A Geographical Analysis of the Book of Ether)