Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Even without Delaware and Maryland included, its still not even close. The Northeast wins this easily. The New England area alone could probably beat out Texas when it comes to natural scenery.
Yeah because we all know people flock to Cape Cod in the middle of December for a swim. The Atlantic begins its temperature drop by the end of October and it stays that way until March sometimes April. Gulf is just more warmer for snorkeling period.
Where did I say anything like that? You're missing the point. The thread is "which has better scenery," Not "which is better for swimming." The gulf is better for swimming, absolutely no question about it.
My point was the coast is "usable" year-round; just maybe not for swimming (one single "use") For commercial purposes (fishing, shipping, shipbuilding, etc), the coast is buzzing year-round. For recreational use, there's plenty although the uses differ with the season. You'll find surfers in New England's waters all year long. In fact, waves are better in the winter up here. Recreational fishing is very common in the winter. Ice Fishing, in fact, is almost a bigger hobby for many people up here than fishing during the summer. Because swimmers are gone, beaches are open to more uses. Dog walking (often times not allowed during the summer) is a big one. Snow-shoeing and cross country skiing are popular on the coast in the winter. Some beaches allow ATV and snowmobiles in the off-season. I take my boat out on the ocean from April-November. That leaves 4 months where I don't use it. Not bad.
Regardless of activities (and there are plenty in the winter), the thread is about natural beauty. And the coast of the Northeast is absolutely beautiful year-round. In fact, the multiple seasons offer different appearances for the same places as the lighting and foliage differ. Google "Portland Head Light" 4 times and add "summer" "winter" "spring" and "fall" before you start each search. 4 different looks at the same place and all of them are great. It reiterates my point that just because you can't swim in the Northeast from October-April, doesn't mean the coast isn't beautiful and active.
Quote:
I agree that New England is the treasure jewel for scenery in the northeast, a place that Texas cant compete with but there is no state in the northeast that offers as much as Texas or California or most western states. Pennsylvania and New York have their mountains and lakes which are very nice but their coastline compared to New England sucks, Pennsylvania doesn't even have a coastline so let alone it cant compete with SPI. No place in Jersey can either, you have to go to New England to get places that overtake that in scenery.
Your point is true, but only because of relative size. Texas is larger than all of New England. I can get from Southwestern CT to Northeastern Maine in less time than it takes me to get across Texas. State lines are invisible lines and the distances between places are what's really important. New England packs more into a smaller area than Texas does.
I won't argue Calfornia which I believe is more naturally beautiful than either Texas or New England (or the whole Northeast). No argument there from me.
Quote:
With the mountains its subjective, Texas's mountains all look arid so if you don't like that then you will like northeastern mountains which are the polar opposite forested. Texas's hills are forested but they don't hold a candle to the elevation of the hills in New England. Coastline is also subjective, New England as you mentioned has more elevated terrain and very desirable quality water and SPI has more tolerable water temperatures and desirable water quality but lacks the cliffs. For me Texas's coast south of Corpus is more usable for most of the year but the mountains and lakes in the northeast are easier to deal with than the mountains in Texas.
Yeah, this is all subjective. And what looks better depends on each individual's tastes. I prefer the appearance of New England's coast vs. Texas. Same with the mountains. I wouldn't have an argument for someone who likes the appearance of Texas's coast or mountains.
Even without Delaware and Maryland included, its still not even close. The Northeast wins this easily. The New England area alone could probably beat out Texas when it comes to natural scenery.
On the flip side, take away New England and I'd say Texas beats the rest of the region overall in natural scenery.
Texas is a victim of the stereotypes that people who have never visited (or only visited, say, Dallas or Houston) carry with them. So in my opinion, Texas is vastly underrated in terms of natural beauty.
However, I still find the Northeast more attractive physically. Even if you narrowed it down to just New England, I'd still say it's New England by a fairly large margin. The points about climate are valid, but I'm not so sure how the coast being "unusable" (and tell the thousands of fishing and transport vessels, year-round surfers and divers, shore casters, dog walkers, photographers, etc that they can't use the N.E. coastline in the winter-- they'd be pretty surprised to hear that) affects it's physical beauty or natural scenery? It's pretty beautiful year-round even if each season means different uses.
Anyway, this is highly subjective. There are plenty of people who will find Texas more appealing. Just like the poster that finds palm trees more appealing, I'll take the 100+ foot dunes of the National Seashore in Cape Cod or the rugged coastline of Acadia National Park over any palm tree lined beach.
Location: Appalachian New York, Formerly Louisiana
4,409 posts, read 6,536,583 times
Reputation: 6253
Texas is pretty in it's own way but it's not nearly as varied as the northeast.
The northeast has: Beaches, rocky coasts, lowland swamps, some great lakes, white winters, Appalachian hills and mountains through-out, Adirondack mountains, and firey colored trees in the Fall.
I'm partial to southern landscapes, so Texas would be my pick. From the haunting beauty of Caddo Lake to the understated serenity of the rolling plains.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
