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Because it snows? That's like saying Houston and LA have similar climates because they're both mostly warm year round. Can't really think of a Midwestern city with dry summers, low precipitation, abundant sunshine and weather patterns heavily influenced by a mountain range. With that said, Denver doesn't have similarities to any climate on the West Coast either. It's the only large city with a Semi-Arid climate classification so I think it's pretty unique in that regard.
Also being flatness isn't solely a trait of the Midwest. Most cities in the West are built on a flat plain or desert land. What makes Denver's location on the same type of landscape any different?
I think there are valid reasons
I agree with you. The climate is not really similar to either the Midwest or West Coast, but if I had to pick I'd pick the west coast on that front. It's much drier than the populated parts of the Midwest and has more sun and milder summers. I suppose some areas in western Kansas and Nebraska could be somewhat similar but nobody lives there. The Minneapolis climate is certainly not similar to Denver.
As far as terrain, I lived in the San Jose area for a short bit and it seemed every bit as flat as Denver. Both are located on a plain with nearby mountains. Most of the time cities are built in flat areas that are easier to traverse.. Sacramento is also similar, and even a lot of the LA area is quite flat.
San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and San Diego are all hilly. Same with parts of LA. All but Portland are on major bodies of water, and it has major rivers. LA's basins and SF's South Bay are the only predominantly flat areas in the big five.
Let's be real. Most people move for economic reasons. I'm talking about the types of people we'd generally associate with Texas versus the general types of people we associate with Colorado. Not every Dallas transplant is a conservative middle aged person, and not every Denver transplant is a young, progressive, outdoorsy, college grad, however these types are associated with their respective cities.
You realize that people moving to Dallas are far more diverse than those moving to Denver, right? DFW is like 20% foreign born and 40% white, compared to 12% foreign and 60% white in Denver, and 7%/70% in Colorado Springs.
San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and San Diego are all hilly. Same with parts of LA. All but Portland are on major bodies of water, and it has major rivers. LA's basins and SF's South Bay are the only predominantly flat areas in the big five.
True but the point is a city being located in a flat area next to mountains is hardly unheard of on the west coast. Nobody says that San Jose's terrain feels like the Midwest.
Because it snows? That's like saying Houston and LA have similar climates because they're both mostly warm year round. Can't really think of a Midwestern city with dry summers, low precipitation, abundant sunshine and weather patterns heavily influenced by a mountain range. With that said, Denver doesn't have similarities to any climate on the West Coast either. It's the only large city with a Semi-Arid climate classification so I think it's pretty unique in that regard.
Also flatness isn't solely a trait of the Midwest. Most cities in the West are built on a flat plain or desert land. What makes Denver's location on the same type of landscape any different?
I think there are valid reason some may say Denver is more similar to the Midwest but those aren't very good ones
The Midwest is a large region. Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska are part of the Midwest just as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Yes on a geographic and climate scale, Denver feels like Central Nebraska or South Dakota or Western Kansas. It does not feel like West Coast cities at all in terms of climate. It also does not feel like Chicago or Michigan.
And the landscape in the city of Denver reminds me a ton of the Nebraska Panhandle or Western Kansas, not LA, SD, or Seattle. The difference is of course, once you go west of the city, its mountainous and no longer feels like that section of the Midwest. That said, it still feels nothing like the cities on the West Coast.
The Midwest is a large region. Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska are part of the Midwest just as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Yes on a geographic and climate scale, Denver feels like Central Nebraska or South Dakota or Western Kansas. It does not feel like West Coast cities at all in terms of climate. It also does not feel like Chicago or Michigan.
And the landscape in the city of Denver reminds me a ton of the Nebraska Panhandle or Western Kansas, not LA, SD, or Seattle. The difference is of course, once you go west of the city, its mountainous and no longer feels like that section of the Midwest. That said, it still feels nothing like the cities on the West Coast.
The climate and scenery of Denver is different compared to other Midwestern cities. Much more dry. There aren't actually any major Midwestern cities directly on the great plains. The western parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas are more western than midwestern.
The climate and scenery of Denver is different compared to other Midwestern cities. Much more dry. There aren't actually any major Midwestern cities directly on the great plains. The western parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas are more western than midwestern.
Which is still considerably more similar to the Midwest than the West Coast.
The Midwest is a large region. Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska are part of the Midwest just as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Yes on a geographic and climate scale, Denver feels like Central Nebraska or South Dakota or Western Kansas. It does not feel like West Coast cities at all in terms of climate. It also does not feel like Chicago or Michigan.
And the landscape in the city of Denver reminds me a ton of the Nebraska Panhandle or Western Kansas, not LA, SD, or Seattle. The difference is of course, once you go west of the city, its mountainous and no longer feels like that section of the Midwest. That said, it still feels nothing like the cities on the West Coast.
My thing is, you're comparing Denver (a large city) to mostly desolate land where few people live. The parts of the Midwest with cities comparable in size do not share the same landscape or climate. Minneapolis and Kansas City, for example, look next to nothing like Denver. Or am I blind? I must be going blind chile...
To be clear my stance isn't that Denver is more similar to the West coast, but it's not as similar to many populated parts of the Midwest as some are suggesting either.
Denver’s climate is very similar to Bend, Oregon’s. More similar than to Wichita or Omaha or anywhere east of the 100th Meridian.
I feel like Lubbock is fairly similar as well, possibly more than Bend, but people on city data call that "the south", not the Midwest lol.
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