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That may very well be true, but most cities aren't built directly on salt water coastlines. They're usually a ways inland up the fresher water parts of a river or harbor. During the 18th century, it was probably pretty hard to desalinate ocean water. If this wasn't a limitation, plenty of other major cities would have been built directly on the coast as well.
If there's a river or rivers flowing into it then it's usually less salty than a coastline area without them. I don't know how settlers back then would have been able to determine how salty a body of water is, but I'm sure it was one of the factors for determining where a city was founded (in addition to military, shipping, near by resources, etc.)
If there's a river or rivers flowing into it then it's usually less salty than a coastline area without them. I don't know how settlers back then would have been able to determine how salty a body of water is, but I'm sure it was one of the factors for determining where a city was founded (in addition to military, shipping, near by resources, etc.)
You just have to taste it...
Anyways, most of the world's liquid freshwater is located in the ground. You could be next to the ocean (instead of a lake or river), and still have access to freshwater from the ground.
If there's a river or rivers flowing into it then it's usually less salty than a coastline area without them. I don't know how settlers back then would have been able to determine how salty a body of water is, but I'm sure it was one of the factors for determining where a city was founded (in addition to military, shipping, near by resources, etc.)
So why could they not build the down town of LA by the water? What was wrong with salt water.
So why could they not build the down town of LA by the water? What was wrong with salt water.
1) Drinking it is not pleasant at all.
2) It corrodes things (mostly metal) more quickly than fresh water. Just transporting salty water through pipes by itself would be an expensive and reoccurring problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by memph
You just have to taste it...
Anyways, most of the world's liquid freshwater is located in the ground. You could be next to the ocean (instead of a lake or river), and still have access to freshwater from the ground.
That is true. It mainly depends on the area. Too much of it, and you get a city like Savannah, GA; very swampy soils that isn't good for building on. I think in an alternate universe, Savannah would have been a great port city if the land was more favorable.
Speaking of Savannah (and to tie it back into the thread topic), I really like the grid the city has. It's pretty consistent even past the downtown area.
Had this law not existed, DTLA may have been built where downtown Long Beach is, which was mostly shallow marshland at the time.
But it was also because the LA River did not really have a path, the basin was just a giant flood-plain. I believe the location of DTLA is where the river was more predictable and manageable as it came around the mountains from the Glendale area.
Munchitup has it right, the Spanish needed a site with access to fresh water in the LA River that wasn't too flood prone. Their first site, before the plaza area, flooded a lot.
Munchitup has it right, the Spanish needed a site with access to fresh water in the LA River that wasn't too flood prone. Their first site, before the plaza area, flooded a lot.
Okay so they built the down town there because they did not want the down town to get flooded.
Also Who was the planner in LA that built most of the roads and where did he get that idea from and was most of roads in LA put in before before they build any thing. Well was LA planned city before they build any thing.Not like other cities that just spread out.
If I remember south central and many other places in LA was planned street care suburb that why many places look more urban suburb look and feel than your typical urban city or suburb city.
The ideas was very very very very short city blocks , grid system, building facing the street almost at street level or very tight parking and streetcar line living in bungalow house but walking to street care line.But many places the streetcar got removed and other places never put in place.
I have not seen grid system like this in other countries.
Anyways, most of the world's liquid freshwater is located in the ground. You could be next to the ocean (instead of a lake or river), and still have access to freshwater from the ground.
Im pretty sure most cities were built upstream from the shore itself because it was preferable to build wharves in a sheltered harbor, not for reasons of fresh water access.
Take NYC - Im sure the dutch got their drinking water from wells (or from small streams?) , not from the Hudson. Lower manhattan was a better place for the town then say, Coney Island, because sailing ships were better sheltered on Upper NY bay.
Miami Beach, say, is fine right on the ocean, because its not a port (mostly) , its a resort town.
See above. The placement on at the foothills next to the Los Angeles River is intentional because it was a more predictable stretch but there really is a pirate prevention clause in the Laws of the West Indies that would have made building DTLA in Long Beach "impossible".
so how was Monterrey possible? different time period?
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