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Although Mt. Elbert ranks a very respectable 4th in the lower 48, several east coast peaks such as Mt. Washington (New Hampshire), Mt. Marcy (New York), and Mt. Mitchell (North Carolina) rank above the majority of Rocky mountain peaks in terms of prominence.
That is not to diminish the grandeur of the Rockies, but the "big" mountains are further west (not to get into the immensity of southeast Alaska's peaks. And we won't even bring up Europe and Asia).
And I am not some east coast mountain homer, I live beneath (and love) these (and this depicts only about the top third of the mountains):
Are you suggesting that the West begins in the Sierra Nevada? Because the Rockies are not that big. Certainly not in terms of topological prominence.
I'd probably go with the Pacific Ocean (maybe include the beach in front of it), everything to the east is just Ohio with a few more cactus, mountains and wide open spaces.
The Rockies...West of the Rockies is the west. East of the Appalachians is the East. I think north and south are separated at a latitude around 39 or 40 degrees north.
Although Mt. Elbert ranks a very respectable 4th in the lower 48, several east coast peaks such as Mt. Washington (New Hampshire), Mt. Marcy (New York), and Mt. Mitchell (North Carolina) rank above the majority of Rocky mountain peaks in terms of prominence.
That is not to diminish the grandeur of the Rockies, but the "big" mountains are further west (not to get into the immensity of southeast Alaska's peaks. And we won't even bring up Europe and Asia).
And I am not some east coast mountain homer, I live beneath (and love) these (and this depicts only about the top third of the mountains):
I have to agree with this. 2-4,000 feet of elevation gain of most of the Rockies in absolute terms is great, but compared to a lot of other ranges it is not that great. It's why I jokingly call a lot of the peaks in the Rockies very large hills. The exception are the San Juans and Sangres which have peaks that are in the 5-7,000+ foot range in elevation gained.
The Rockies...West of the Rockies is the west. East of the Appalachians is the East. I think north and south are separated at a latitude around 39 or 40 degrees north.
What are some of you posters talking about, when you say that some east coast peaks are more prominent? Please see the link, and show me where I can find what you purport. (Don't ya think we have Google?)
The West begins in the western third of the states of Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota and in the far southwest Texas.
I think this is about right. There is a transition zone that takes up most of Oklahoma west of I-35 and goes into the Texas panhandle to about Amarillo. The mighty Arbuckles and the Flint Hills are on the eastern edge. Maybe draw a line from Palo Duro Canyon in TX to the Badlands in So. Dakota for the "west". And the Rockies are "big mountains" btw.
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