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Old 06-14-2008, 08:38 PM
 
3,326 posts, read 8,817,690 times
Reputation: 2034

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Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeDog View Post
The gateway to the real west in my opinion is Denver. Everything to the East of that is the "midwest" but should be called just the mid. St. Louis is so far from anywhere I consider the west its a joke. Pittsburgh? That's the East. Omaha is garbage.
Miss out on elementary school, did we?
You see, once upon a very long time ago, our country wasn't as big as it is now. Early on, Ohio was the west. Then, it was the Mississippi River. Later, the Louisiana Purchase, and don't forget that little skirmish with Mexico... well, maybe you get the point.
The term "midwest" goes back a long way, even before you were born. It was used sometime after the "new" west was acquired (maybe that Louisiana thing?). These states were still considered "west", but now they were the middle west. Midwest.
To put it as simply as I can, what is now the "west", hasn't always been a part of the United States of America. It used to belong to other people. Our western boundary was in a different spot than what it is now. It used to be much further east. It gradually moved across the continent all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Denver would have been extremely far west to a guy like George Washington. He certainly wouldn't have considered it the gateway.

Someone in an earlier post mentioned Kansas City. Independence, now a suburb of Kansas City, was a popular "jumping off" point to the west. Two trails began there, and another one passed through the town... I think that's how the story goes, anyway.

Omaha is actually a very nice town. Clean, friendly, fairly low crime... it would be as far west as I care to go.

Southeast, southwest.... it's all very, very, much waayyyy too hot for me. I'll let the people who live in those places duke it out to see who can con the most people to live in such climates.
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Old 06-14-2008, 09:54 PM
 
2,502 posts, read 8,888,818 times
Reputation: 905
Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeDog View Post
No matter how big the SE gets, it will always suck.
That's uncalled for. No region "sucks". They all have something positive to offer.
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Old 06-14-2008, 11:30 PM
 
1,969 posts, read 6,371,082 times
Reputation: 1308
Quote:
Originally Posted by northbound74 View Post
Miss out on elementary school, did we?
You see, once upon a very long time ago, our country wasn't as big as it is now. Early on, Ohio was the west. Then, it was the Mississippi River. Later, the Louisiana Purchase, and don't forget that little skirmish with Mexico... well, maybe you get the point.
The term "midwest" goes back a long way, even before you were born. It was used sometime after the "new" west was acquired (maybe that Louisiana thing?). These states were still considered "west", but now they were the middle west. Midwest.
To put it as simply as I can, what is now the "west", hasn't always been a part of the United States of America. It used to belong to other people. Our western boundary was in a different spot than what it is now. It used to be much further east. It gradually moved across the continent all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Denver would have been extremely far west to a guy like George Washington. He certainly wouldn't have considered it the gateway.

Someone in an earlier post mentioned Kansas City. Independence, now a suburb of Kansas City, was a popular "jumping off" point to the west. Two trails began there, and another one passed through the town... I think that's how the story goes, anyway.

Omaha is actually a very nice town. Clean, friendly, fairly low crime... it would be as far west as I care to go.

Southeast, southwest.... it's all very, very, much waayyyy too hot for me. I'll let the people who live in those places duke it out to see who can con the most people to live in such climates.
Early on we had 13 colonies. Now we stretch from sea to shining sea. And now, Ohio is the Mideast. Texas is central. Arizona/New Mexico are the Southwest. Denver is the modern gateway. On one side you have the vast wasteland that is known as the "plains", on the other the majestic rockies and all of the greatness of the west.
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Old 06-14-2008, 11:39 PM
 
1,969 posts, read 6,371,082 times
Reputation: 1308
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetclimber View Post
I t is this kind of attitude that is the reason the Southeast will overtake the Southwest. You know uninformed and insecure! Who would want to be around someone with this kind of attitude about everywhere that is not California. Hate to break it to you, but California will always suck because of the people no matter how majestic the mtns are there!
I lived in the Southeast for several years. Met some really nice people. But for jobs/family almost 90% would prefer to live in the nice parts of the west. I hate humidity, bugs, and religon, so it was basically hell on earth for me.
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Old 06-15-2008, 09:18 AM
 
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,310 posts, read 43,763,348 times
Reputation: 16423
Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeDog View Post
I lived in the Southeast for several years. Met some really nice people. But for jobs/family almost 90% would prefer to live in the nice parts of the west. I hate humidity, bugs, and religon, so it was basically hell on earth for me.
Probably hell on earth for your neighbors, too.
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Old 06-15-2008, 09:32 AM
 
6,295 posts, read 11,000,317 times
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Will the Southeast overtake the Southwest?

Only with a very large, extremely well equipped army and air support.
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Old 06-15-2008, 04:39 PM
 
3,326 posts, read 8,817,690 times
Reputation: 2034
Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeDog View Post
Early on we had 13 colonies. Now we stretch from sea to shining sea. And now, Ohio is the Mideast. Texas is central. Arizona/New Mexico are the Southwest. Denver is the modern gateway. On one side you have the vast wasteland that is known as the "plains", on the other the majestic rockies and all of the greatness of the west.
As much as I hate the desert, and have called it a wasteland just for the fun of it, no place is truly a wasteland. Even the desert has something to offer. I just haven't quite figured out what that it yet. It's possible the majority of the food you eat comes the plains that you called a "wasteland". What a waste...

There is no modern single gateway to the west. The only "gateway" we have is the local airport. That makes Boston and Miami just as much as a gateway as Denver or Dallas.
Enough of all that. The west has been discovered. Been there. Done that. Who cares. When you think of it, there's no need for any gateway. After all that trouble of uncovering the west, we realize that it wasn't any better than the rest of the country. If anything, it's just that much harder to live off the land. Less rain, rocky soil... not much good for anything except recreation... and there's more to life than just having a good time.... I hope.

The mass migration to the west has slowed, because people realize that it has nothing more to offer other than relief from allergies.... or it did before people planted non-desert plants... in the desert... geniuses.
Will the southeast take over? No. Our public education system doesn't bother to tell people that water is essential to life. The westerners will just find that one out the hard way.
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Old 06-15-2008, 05:01 PM
 
345 posts, read 464,015 times
Reputation: 141
Here's my (admittedly jaded) opinion:

Southeast places with the best job prospects, like Atlanta, will always draw lots of transplants, but then they have to deal with the mediocre air quality and the traffic. Phoenix has the jobs too, and the traffic isn't as bad (but who wants those commutes and $4 a gallon gas in either place?), but the Phoenix air quality is as lousy as Atlanta's, and although you aren't bathed in sweat from the humidity all summer - in Phoenix you have to wrap your head around the reality that in the summer it's going to be 95+ degrees at 9:30 at night month after month, and then the monsoons arrive and bring heat a-n-d humidity. Florida? Crime rising, taxes rising, homeowners insurance rising. Get real! Been there done that, you don't want to. New Mexico? Most of that state is hardscrabble outside a couple of tourist destinations. Been there done that too. If you have the financial resources there are plenty of better choices than the Southeast, or the Southwest - but heavens forbid, you might have to experience a seasonable climate with a real winter with snow.

Last edited by Ria Rhodes; 06-15-2008 at 05:17 PM..
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Old 06-15-2008, 05:06 PM
 
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,633,692 times
Reputation: 1973
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonjj View Post
Even though eastern Texas is different from western Texas, it is not remotely like the southeast. Places like Charleston, Savannah, North Carolina, Florida are not at all like anything in Texas.
Have you visited Galveston? Jefferson? Houston shares characteristics with Atlanta, parts of Florida, New Orleans, and other Southern/Southeastern/Gulf Coast cities, from vegetation to climate to food to people. You obviously haven't traveled around Texas too extensively.
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Old 06-16-2008, 02:21 PM
 
345 posts, read 464,015 times
Reputation: 141
Quote:
Originally Posted by houstoner View Post
Have you visited Galveston? Jefferson? Houston shares characteristics with Atlanta, parts of Florida, New Orleans, and other Southern/Southeastern/Gulf Coast cities, from vegetation to climate to food to people. You obviously haven't traveled around Texas too extensively.
I've lived in Dallas/Fort Worth (Arlington) and San Antonio. I attended the 1968 HemisFair. My younger brother was born in Austin and I have some extended family still living in the state. I went through the Army there, and before me Dad flew lots of Navy A7 Corsairs and F8 Crusaders off Texas military runways. We used to go to Galveston for the shore when I was a kid. I've been back/through many times and I must say I prefer the Texas of my youth to todays Texas (many places haven't changed for the better IMO, so I'm not picking on the Longhorn State) - they call it progress, I call it something else). Sometimes I do think about Tony Lama billboards and good Tex Mex. Everything is bigger and better in Texas - just joshing. (~: Be well.

Last edited by Ria Rhodes; 06-16-2008 at 02:34 PM..
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