Special Report: THE STADIUM DILEMMA

A HOME IN THE SUBURBS

Seven suburban and satellite communities currently have NFL stadiums within their boundaries. Here's a breakdown:

EAST RUTHERFORD , N.J.

Population: 8,754

Teams: New York Giants, New York Jets

Stadium: Giants Stadium

Year completed: 1976

Cost: $78 million

Financing: State

Notable: The stadium is the centerpiece of an entertainment complex that includes Continental Airlines Arena ---- home of the New Jersey Nets ---- and the Meadowlands Racetrack. One of the facility's main drawbacks has been the lack of public transportation, which has caused gridlock on game days.

FOXBORO , MASS.

Population: 16,354

Team: New England Patriots

Stadium: Gillette Stadium

Year completed: 2002

Cost: $325 million

Financing: Private

Notable: The Patriots were thought to be on the verge of moving from Foxboro to Hartford , Conn. , in 1999 when team owner Bob Kraft spurned Connecticut governor John Rowland, who had proposed a stadium to anchor a $1 billion development plan. Kraft eventually agreed to privately fund a new stadium in Foxboro with the aid of an NFL loan and $70 million in infrastructure improvements from the state of Massachusetts .

GLENDALE , ARIZ.

Population: 235,591

Team: Arizona Cardinals

Stadium: Cardinals Stadium

Year completed: 2006 (expected to be completed in time for NFL opener)

Cost: $455 million

Financing: State and private

Notable: The Cardinals are departing sweltering Sun Devil Stadium for a climate-controlled, state-of-the-art venue in the same city where the Phoenix Coyotes hockey team plays in a new arena. Glendale 's newest digs already is scheduled to host the 2007 Bowl Championship Series title game and the 2008 Super Bowl.

IRVING , TEXAS

Population: 194,547

Team: Dallas Cowboys

Stadium: Texas Stadium

Year completed: 1971

Cost: $35 million

Financing: City

Notable: The Cowboys' days in Irving are numbered, as a $650 million stadium near Ameriquest Field is scheduled to open in the suburb of Arlington , Texas , in 2009. Irving officials, meanwhile, have heralded the team's impending departure as a chance for development on the former stadium site.

LANDOVER , MD.

Population: 22,900*

Team: Washington Redskins

Stadium: FedEx Field

Year completed: 1997

Cost: $250.5 million

Financing: Private and state

Note: Landover, an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, has seen little commercial development since the completion of the stadium ---- but it did get an identity crisis. When the stadium was first built, Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke had its address listed as Raljon , Md. , after his sons Ralph and John.

* Greater Landover census area

MIAMI GARDENS , FLA.

Population: 105,414

Team: Miami Dolphins

Stadium: Dolphins Stadium

Year completed: 1987

Cost: $115 million

Financing: Private

Notable: Former Dolphins owner Joe Robbie built the stadium in what was an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County 16 miles from downtown Miami . In 2003, the area was incorporated into the new city of Miami Gardens .

ORCHARD PARK , NY .

Population: 27,866

Team: Buffalo Bills

Stadium: Ralph Wilson Stadium

Year completed: 1973

Cost: $22 million

Financing: County

Notable : The state of New York funded a nearly $100 million renovation in 1998 which added luxury suites and reduced the stadium's capacity from more than 80,000 to just under 74,000. On game days, the town's population surges early in the morning as thousands arrive early for one of the league's most vibrant tailgating scenes.