This review of seven Healthy People objectives for the nation's 100 largest cities and their surrounding areas documents considerable but inconsistent progress toward improving health in urban and suburban areas. It describes achievements in reaching Healthy People 2000/2010 goals, which were created by the Office of the Surgeon General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for a set of infant health and infectious disease indicators and homicide rates. The review uses data from various agencies of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of the Census. Results indicate that on average, cities and their suburbs met or made progress toward meeting Healthy People 2000 goals for infant mortality, AIDS, tuberculosis, syphilis, and homicide between 1990-1999 and 1999-2000. The 2000 target for reducing low birth weight rates in both cities and their suburbs were not met, on average, between 1990-2000. Fewer suburban areas met the Healthy People 2000 low birth weight goal in 1999 than 1990. Large metropolitan areas in the U.S. saw a 24 percent decrease in the incidence of AIDS between 1990 and 2000; metropolitan areas in the northeast have the highest average AIDS rates. A number of cities in the northeast and midwest remained far apart from their suburbs on meeting Healthy People objectives. Many southern cities and suburbs remained behind other regions on a number of key indicators, including homicide rates, infant mortality rates, and tuberculosis rates. Despite significant improvements, concerns remain about the uncertainty and fragility of the progress achieved. (SM)