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Location: Baghdad by the Bay (San Francisco, California)
3,530 posts, read 5,134,401 times
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Texas is indeed diverse, but its diversity is spread out across hundreds of miles. You can drive for five hours and only change elevation about 200' in the parts where most people live, the vast majority of that being pretty monotonous prairie and coastal plains.
People who try to use charts and numbers to rank Texas anywhere near California in this respect must have never been to Northern California. Surely, you have never seen 350 foot redwoods, then driven 30 minutes into the middle of a dense world city. Or, 15 minutes in the other direction and be on a rocky shoreline with 10 ft waves crashing against cliff sides. Or, 30 minutes another direction into grassy foothills, mountains and dramatic temperature and rainfall differences (just perfect for grape production) of the corresponding valleys. Or, continued on another three hours and been in rugged, alpine mountain territory, where snow capped peaks can last year-round and deep mountain lakes are crystal clear (naturally occurring lakes, mind you (Texas only has one murky natural lake and it's located all the way over on the Eastern side). Or, turn south into the Central Valley where hundreds of miles of the most fertile farm land in the country wedge between the country's most breathtaking national park, and a green, forested coastal mountain range. Or, continued on into the middle of a barren desert, with blowing sand dunes and salt flats.
All of these dramatically different landscapes are contained in an area equal to the driving time between Beaumont and Waco, an area that offers little more than the endless prairie, brown rivers and coastline and pine forests. Like I said, I agree that Texas is diverse, but it's just not in California's league. This state is amazing and its diversity is near where the people actually live.
Some of you guys need to stop searching Wikipedia for charts for your opinions and travel a bit.
Well, if we're going to talk ecoregions ... in descending order, the top ten (one caveat being I could find no data on Arizona):
CA: 13 level III ecoregions and 180 level IV ecoregions
MT: 10 level III ecoregions and 85 level IV ecoregions
WA: 10 level III ecoregions and 75 level IV ecoregions
ID: 10 level III ecoregions and 71 level IV ecoregions
OR: 9 level III ecoregions and 65 level IV ecoregions
TX: 12 level III ecoregions and 56 level IV ecoregions
NM: 8 level III ecoregions and 55 level IV ecoregions
OK: 12 level III ecoregions and 46 level IV ecoregions
WY: 7 level III ecoregions and 39 level IV ecoregions
CO: 6 level III ecoregions and 35 level IV ecoregions
"Mile for mile, Oklahoma offers the nation’s most diverse terrain. It’s one of only four states with more than 10 ecoregions, and has by far, the most per mile in America according to the EPA. Oklahoma’s ecoregions – or, terrains/subclimates – include everything from Rocky Mountain foothills to cypress swamps, tallgrass prairies, and hardwood forests to pine-covered mountains. Each is graced with wide blue lakes, rivers and streams."
The more pictures I see of the countryside in Oklahoma, the more I realize what a pretty place it is. I wonder what "Tablelands" is exactly in OK, and what is "Crosstimbers"?
Well, if we're going to talk ecoregions ... in descending order, the top ten (one caveat being I could find no data on Arizona):
CA: 13 level III ecoregions and 180 level IV ecoregions
MT: 10 level III ecoregions and 85 level IV ecoregions
WA: 10 level III ecoregions and 75 level IV ecoregions
ID: 10 level III ecoregions and 71 level IV ecoregions
OR: 9 level III ecoregions and 65 level IV ecoregions
TX: 12 level III ecoregions and 56 level IV ecoregions
NM: 8 level III ecoregions and 55 level IV ecoregions
OK: 12 level III ecoregions and 46 level IV ecoregions
WY: 7 level III ecoregions and 39 level IV ecoregions
CO: 6 level III ecoregions and 35 level IV ecoregions
AZ 7 level III ecoregions, couldn't get a count of level IV's (from the EPA)
The more pictures I see of the countryside in Oklahoma, the more I realize what a pretty place it is. I wonder what "Tablelands" is exactly in OK, and what is "Crosstimbers"?
Tablelands are "made up of dissected plains, hills, canyons, escarpments, plains, breaks, buttes, mesas, and terraces. It is more rugged than neighboring ecoregions. Rangeland and grassland occur but, unlike adjacent ecoregions, there is little cropland."
The Crosstimbers is a transition between the plains and forests; it's a mixture of prairie, savannah, and woodland.
Hey please don't confuse these folks with the facts. They all think the North East is diverse because its mostly covered in trees. Plus they already know Oklahoma is nothing but dusty flat plain, because that what they have seen in the movies. Hollywood is famous for it's accuracy.
Hahaha. I always thought it was weird when people thought of Oklahoma as a dusty, flat plain because I grew up in southeastern Oklahoma near the Ouachitas, that's the only Oklahoma I always knew growing up.
Here's a nice pic of the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma:
Texas is indeed diverse, but its diversity is spread out across hundreds of miles. You can drive for five hours and only change elevation about 200' in the parts where most people live, the vast majority of that being pretty monotonous prairie and coastal plains.
People who try to use charts and numbers to rank Texas anywhere near California in this respect must have never been to Northern California. Surely, you have never seen 350 foot redwoods, then driven 30 minutes into the middle of a dense world city. Or, 15 minutes in the other direction and be on a rocky shoreline with 10 ft waves crashing against cliff sides. Or, 30 minutes another direction into grassy foothills, mountains and dramatic temperature and rainfall differences (just perfect for grape production) of the corresponding valleys. Or, continued on another three hours and been in rugged, alpine mountain territory, where snow capped peaks can last year-round and deep mountain lakes are crystal clear (naturally occurring lakes, mind you (Texas only has one murky natural lake and it's located all the way over on the Eastern side). Or, turn south into the Central Valley where hundreds of miles of the most fertile farm land in the country wedge between the country's most breathtaking national park, and a green, forested coastal mountain range. Or, continued on into the middle of a barren desert, with blowing sand dunes and salt flats.
All of these dramatically different landscapes are contained in an area equal to the driving time between Beaumont and Waco, an area that offers little more than the endless prairie, brown rivers and coastline and pine forests. Like I said, I agree that Texas is diverse, but it's just not in California's league. This state is amazing and its diversity is near where the people actually live.
Some of you guys need to stop searching Wikipedia for charts for your opinions and travel a bit.
The OP never said anything about going from snow-capped mountains to farm land in a matter of 30 minutes being a requirement. He asked for the over all most diverse states. I've already stated that California is the clear winner, but Texas is still a worthy opponent, whether it personally impresses you or not.
The idea that a state loses points for not being absolutely covered in mountainous or hilly terrain is absurd.
Beginning a post with "Well duh sherlock" is being rude in the extreme.
Can you not see that? Or else, why did you bother putting it there ...
If you are offended by sarcasm as simple as well duh sherlock then you have plenty of growing up to do. Move on dude and stop derailing the thread with personal complaints. This is a discussion forum. If you cant handle critism, get therapy or dont read it
Hahaha. I always thought it was weird when people thought of Oklahoma as a dusty, flat plain because I grew up in southeastern Oklahoma near the Ouachitas, that's the only Oklahoma I always knew growing up.
Here's a nice pic of the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma:
Wow, thats a great picture of Southeastern Oklahoma! I been working up in the Marcellus Shale are of PA, NY and WV and when folks up ask me where I'm from, and I tell them I'm from Oklahoma, they say things like, well you must really enjoy working up here compared to Oklahoma. You must feel like your in paradise, or this must be a total shock for you. When I tell them this area looks a lot like the part of Oklahoma I'm from, they think I'm lying! LOL
I guess the dust bowl was so bad in the 5 or 6 of our 77 counties, and it got so much national attention, that the rest of the country thinks it was the whole state was a dust bowl.
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