Are river cities "landlocked?" (title, rated, best)
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I personally think it's situational, depending on how integrated the water is to the culture of the city, as well as the specific point of access to the ocean and distance from it. There are cities that are on the mouth of rivers or bays/estuaries that lead directly to the ocean, and I wouldn't consider them "landlocked" (because they're not), even though they're not truly "coastal" (beach culture, in addition to ports). "Maritime" I think would be the best descriptor.
As examples, I'm thinking specifically of Wilmington, DE and Baltimore in this region, which are not "coastal" cities in the truest sense, but have strong maritime histories, influence and "feel". Philadelphia I consider also as "maritime" (less so, imo, then either Baltimore or Wilmington, though noticeable), but definitely not "coastal". Washington DC I feel is the real outlier in the region, as it never gives off a maritime feel to me, despite being on the Potamac and Anacostia rivers.
I consider Baltimore a mix between coastal and landlocked so I agree with your "maritime" reasoning. Obviously there is the interaction with the water and it has the feel/history, but in terms of port activity it can be seen as landlocked. Yes Baltimore is the nation's top port for automobiles, but the tide of container traffic hasn't been particularly favorable in recent decades pre Panama Canal expansion. The port of Baltimore lost market share to East Coast rivals that also serve the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. In 2015, New York handled the equivalent of 6.4 million 20-foot containers and Norfolk moved more than 2.5 million, compared with Baltimore's roughly 800,000. This is largely due to the port's location at the top of the Chesapeake Bay in the heart of Maryland. It is perceived as a mixed blessing. Being the East Coast's farthest inland port off the Atlantic Ocean is much closer to Midwestern markets, however ships must spend an extra eight hours to arrive, which means some shipping lines pass it by when you have the port of Norfolk to the south and significantly closer to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay/Atlantic Ocean.
Last edited by Northernest Southernest C; 07-23-2017 at 11:20 AM..
I don't know about the rest of, but landlocked IMO means not having access to seagoing lanes. Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St Louis all have river access to oceans via the Ohio/Mississippi. Even Buffalo via the Erie canal.
Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas etc. They are landlocked cities
I think a lot of people posting various technical definitons of landlocked, are missing the point of the OP. Most people don't care much about pathways to the sea, or freight tonnage, or anything like that when considering the atmosphere and water recreation available in a city. The OP I think is referring to the importance of local bodies of water for those things, to the people of the city.
Pittsburgh used to be the largest inland port in the US, during the time it was a major industrial center, but at that time practically nobody wanted to be near the rivers to live, or for recreation, for the same reason. Now that has reversed and the rivers are seen as an attraction and not so much as an industrial asset.
I think a lot of people posting various technical definitons of landlocked, are missing the point of the OP. Most people don't care much about pathways to the sea, or freight tonnage, or anything like that when considering the atmosphere and water recreation available in a city. The OP I think is referring to the importance of local bodies of water for those things, to the people of the city.
Pittsburgh used to be the largest inland port in the US, during the time it was a major industrial center, but at that time practically nobody wanted to be near the rivers to live, or for recreation, for the same reason. Now that has reversed and the rivers are seen as an attraction and not so much as an industrial asset.
Thank you for clarifying Buster, saved me some time.
Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cincinnati (did I miss any?), all at one point exceeded their coastal rivals at one point in prosperity and influence. A city is on the ocean...ok, what are they doing with that location? Is any city in Florida known for being a significant commerce port?
So I'm talking about the individual, subjective meaning of landlocked, and how that relates to cities, water, and the importance of those things coming together. I flew out of Philadelphia last night....from the plane I saw naval/shipping activity that looked at or above the level of San Pedro/Long Beach. Someone had defined philly as landlocked lol
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Losfrisco
Thank you for clarifying Buster, saved me some time.
Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cincinnati (did I miss any?), all at one point exceeded their coastal rivals at one point in prosperity and influence. A city is on the ocean...ok, what are they doing with that location? Is any city in Florida known for being a significant commerce port?
So I'm talking about the individual, subjective meaning of landlocked, and how that relates to cities, water, and the importance of those things coming together. I flew out of Philadelphia last night....from the plane I saw naval/shipping activity that looked at or above the level of San Pedro/Long Beach. Someone had defined philly as landlocked lol
I think people use that term to refer to coasts/the ocean, and not just water in general. I'm sure every State has some form of body of water.
I think this poster said it best:
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQConvict
A landlocked state in the United States is any state whose territorial boundaries do not touch an ocean, gulf, or bay.
A state is called singly landlocked if one must travel through only one other U.S. state or Canadian province to reach an ocean, gulf, or bay.
A state is called doubly landlocked if one must travel through two U.S. states, or one U.S. state and one Canadian province to reach an ocean, gulf, or bay.
A state is called triply landlocked if one must travel through three U.S. states, or two U.S. states and one Canadian province to reach an ocean, gulf, or bay.
FWIW, I voted yes, but I think the answers are a bit dramatic. I wouldn't call it a stupid question or say that nobody cares about a river, but I voted yes.
I guess it depends on the river, is it the great Mississippi River or some local creek like river leading to nowhere?
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