The Iowa State monograph merely used "micropolitan" as a synonym for "nonmetropolitan," which is not at all the same as Thomas' definition. The Iowa State authors considered all rural areas, no matter how sparsely settled, to be micropolitan. Thomas limited the term to regions that are economically dominated by small core cities that meet specific population requirements. He depicted micropolitan areas as miniature versions of metropolitan areas, which is the concept that was embraced subsequently by the Census Bureau. As such, he coined the term "micropolitan" as currently used.