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Ill take my acerage on a country lake with a 4 BR 3 Ba split level in the Midwest for less than 225 thousand. From my small town I can drive to any number of large cities in less than 3 hours including Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinatti, St Lou, Louisville and Indy. If I want to see or talk to a neighbor I walk across several acres and knock on their door otherwise we don't bother one another aside from holiday dinner invitations and summer BBQs or if we need to borrow tools or to help each other out. My commute is a 30 minute drive through beautiful countryside with Nstar set on cruise and a little BOC (the best thing to ever come out of NY) blasting on the CD. We live in a majestic grand an beautiful country from coast to coast so its just a matter of preference and those are a few of mine
And this doesn't even speak to the 25 years I spent in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the remote Hiawatha Natl forest on the Northern shore of Lake Michigan.
The eastern cities do not have MORE history, and especially not more "soul". They have a different history. Denver was first a gold mining camp.
They were established cities for far longer, meaning they have built up history from every decade. Denver does not have this. There is basically nothing there whatsoever before the Civil War. Somewhere like Boston has historical houses from the 1600s. It's a major difference. I can walk down to a bar in New York and eat where George Washington gave farewall to the Continental Army. I can go down where the Dutch were hanging out in "New Amsterdam" in the 1630s. There is architecture and historical sites reflecting every single decade since the founding of the country.
They were established cities for far longer, meaning they have built up history from every decade. Denver does not have this. There is basically nothing there whatsoever before the Civil War.
Exactly my point. That's several centuries after the british / dutch colonies were active and building things.
There wasn't much going on anywhere in 1658. There were people living on the eastern plains of Colorado well before Denver was established as a city.
US History: 1600 - 1700
1664 - The Dutch New Netherlands colony becomes English New York after Gov. Peter Stuyvesant surrenders to the British following a naval blockade.
1681 - Pennsylvania is founded as William Penn, a Quaker, receives a Royal charter with a large land grant from King Charles II.
1706 - January 17, Benjamin Franklin is born in Boston. In November, South Carolina establishes the Anglican Church as its official church. https://www.google.com/search?q=map+...ml%3B600%3B600
I don't see how people can like the crowded cities where buildings and houses, are like almost attatched to each other. I like seeing cities that are more spread apart and especially seeing the new buildings. Not ones that are old and look like they're falling apart. Though with old buildings that have been preserved, that's a different story.
I don't see how people can like the crowded cities where buildings and houses, are like almost attatched to each other. I like seeing cities that are more spread apart and especially seeing the new buildings. Not ones that are old and look like they're falling apart.
Which you are certainly entitled to! However, I disagree with a lot of that, especially the "historical" part. I am a history aficionado and I've learned the history of each state where I've lived. There is a lot of interesting history everywhere. For example, did you know that a major civil war battle was fought on the CO-New Mexico border? Battle of Glorieta Pass - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Plus, the western states have a lot of their own interesting history. It's just not the same as the eastern Revolutionary War, Civil War, etc type stuff. It's more about the exploration of the west.
If you are a history buff you should at least admit that Colorado does not even remotely compare to eastern states like Virginia, Massachusetts, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Louisiana or Pennsylvania etc. for history. Its not even remotely close.
I love the West because of its dramatic mountain scenery and its large undeveloped spaces. But having said that, I also feel its missing something that is hard to describe, like a historic sense of place that you find in areas like the Northeast or the South.
That is not to say I do not find western history to be fascinating. I read a book about the Comanches last year and found the relationship between the Comanches and the other Indian tribes, the Mexicans and the early Texans to be very interesting.
Western USA history tends to be more small scale about individuals and the obstacles they faced. While this is also true of the East, in the East there is also larger scale history like the Civil War, the War of 1812 and of course the Revolution.
For instance, the "major" battle you mention, a battle of some 2,000 soldiers, would have been considered a skirmish in the East where several armies of 50,000+ or more were facing each other. Although very small, it was important for strategic reasons however.
I know that everyplace on earth that humans have occupied have some history. I grew up in South Florida near Miami and the local history was fascinating. The native tribes of the pre-Columbian era occupied the mouth of the Miami over 2,000 years ago and archeologists are always finding new burial sites and excavating for artifacts is always going on.
The older cities and towns of the east coast have more of a historical ambiance and charm. I'm talking about streetscapes, architecture, institutions, monuments and so on. Even the cemeteries over here are more glorious ... for example, just taking a stroll through the historic Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn or Laurel Hill or the Woodlands Cemeteries in Philly - one is astonished by the sheer number and magnificence of Victorian statuary, monuments, and mausoleums that reflect the grandeur of 19th Century tastes.
What I'm trying to say is the obvious presence of history all around me. Every week I walk down 18th Century cobblestone streets that were familiar to people like Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross. These lanes were not designed for automobiles. Every day I pass a house or a building that represents every architectural style from Georgian Colonial to Federal to Greek Revival to Italianate to Queen Anne to French Second Empire (my house) to Victorian Eclectic.
For me it's about quaintness, character, charm and overall ambiance.
Every part of North America - north, south, east and west - has miles of sprawling soulless suburbs of boxy tract-like houses and driveways, banal shopping malls, parking lots, big box stores, etc. They are just less obvious here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by grapico
They were established cities for far longer, meaning they have built up history from every decade. Denver does not have this. There is basically nothing there whatsoever before the Civil War. Somewhere like Boston has historical houses from the 1600s. It's a major difference. I can walk down to a bar in New York and eat where George Washington gave farewall to the Continental Army. I can go down where the Dutch were hanging out in "New Amsterdam" in the 1630s. There is architecture and historical sites reflecting every single decade since the founding of the country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LINative
If you are a history buff you should at least admit that Colorado does not even remotely compare to eastern states like Virginia, Massachusetts, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Louisiana or Pennsylvania etc. for history. Its not even remotely close.
I love the West because of its dramatic mountain scenery and its large undeveloped spaces. But having said that, I also feel its missing something that is hard to describe, like a historic sense of place that you find in areas like the Northeast or the South.
That is not to say I do not find western history to be fascinating. I read a book about the Comanches last year and found the relationship between the Comanches and the other Indian tribes, the Mexicans and the early Texans to be very interesting.
Western USA history tends to be more small scale about individuals and the obstacles they faced. While this is also true of the East, in the East there is also larger scale history like the Civil War, the War of 1812 and of course the Revolution.
For instance, the "major" battle you mention, a battle of some 2,000 soldiers, would have been considered a skirmish in the East where several armies of 50,000+ or more were facing each other. Although very small, it was important for strategic reasons however.
My commute is a 30 minute drive through beautiful countryside ...
My commute is a 16-18 minute 9 block walk (about 4/5 of a mile) across the campus of an "Ivy League" University past stately and elegant structures designed by some of the greatest 19th Century architects: Frank Furness, George Hewitt, Samuel Sloan, et al.
I don't need to use my car for days on end.
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