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Is it me or is this becoming a p*****g contest? "Gulf Coast good", "Great Lakes bad". "Gulf Coast is Paradise", "Great Lakes are 3rd World countries." But, us Great Lake folks are used to it by now. We're used to having all kinds of shade thrown at us while the Gulf Coast barely has any shade thrown at them. JK .
Great Lakes cities have been at or near the top of the American food chain-Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland. When you're at the top, you get haters.
Obviously, you take great delight in the term "Rust Belt", even though it's derogatory and outdated. Milwaukee is a beautiful city, and no matter how it placed, it doesn't look "Rust Belt."
Milwaukee most certainly seems very rust-belt to me. Just have a look at the Courteen Seed building, that's about as industrial and gritty as it gets.
Not that there is anything wrong with being rust-belt. Personally, I greatly admire the gritty, industrial vibe of the rust-belt. To me, the rust-belt is the most attractive, beautiful region in the US.
True, but it is still a navigable river that serves a different drainage basin, all the agricultural products and whatever else that is produced in Alabama are shipped down the Alabama/Mobile river, not the Mississippi river. Obliviously New Orleans will always be the larger city since it serves a much larger market, but to say Mobile doesn't have one is disingenuous.
City (population) - City (Population): Ratio | distance in between
Buffalo (1,134,210) - Rochester (1,082,284): 0.95 | 66.62 miles
Seattle (3,939,363) - Portland (2,478,810): 0.63 | 145.17 miles
Washington (6,216,589) - Baltimore (2,802,789): 0.45 | 35.15 miles
Boston (4,628,910) - Providence (1,604,291): 0.35 | 41.15 miles New Orleans (1,262,888) - Mobile (413,757): 0.33 | 131.34 miles
New York (19,979,477) - Philadelphia (6,096,120): 0.31 80.59 miles
Houston (6,997,384) - New Orleans (1,262,888): 0.18 | 317.53 miles Chicago (9,533,040) - Milwaukee (1,572,245): 0.16 | 81.24 miles
So I guess you are right Milwaukee is not the best example, but there are plenty of other cities that beat New Orleans and Mobile, I guess the real surprising thing is how small New Orleans is, and true it doesn't have the best geographic lay out, but certainly another near by city could have sprouted as the hub for between international trade and domestic trade of the Mississippi river drainage basin, perhaps that city could've even been Mobile, or Biloxi?
And the fact that the Gulf state doesn't have enough "economic" room to support multiple major cities tells you that the Great Lakes region is superior to the Gulf coast, with out the tourist/retirement industry of Florida and energy field of Texas, Houston and Tampa wouldn't even be as nearly large as they are now.
Baton Rouge is also relatively close to New Orleans, much closer than Mobile or Biloxi are, and is also one of the top 10 ports in the nation and a very important center for the oil and gas industry. In fact the Mississippi in between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is lined with refineries and petrochemical plants and port facilities. Lake Charles is also an important center for the energy industry including the new LNG terminal that's currently under construction, one of the largest in the world. There's also Tampa and Houston which are booming. You never see this kind of boom in the Great Lakes, an area people have fled in droves partly due to the economic conditions and partly due to the miserable weather. I just think the Great Lakes area, with their lake effect snow, for example, is just very miserable to live in most of the year. I prefer a hot humid Louisiana summer over a Chicago winter anyday, not to mention a Buffalo winter. Now in Ohio, Columbus and Cincinnati do still have decent economies and a good quality of life (and isn't as cold as Cleveland) but those are away from the Great Lakes, and Cleveland and Toledo are definitely miserable in comparison. In Indiana, Gary would be part of the Great Lakes area while Indianapolis not really.
Milwaukee most certainly seems very rust-belt to me. Just have a look at the Courteen Seed building, that's about as industrial and gritty as it gets.
Not that there is anything wrong with being rust-belt. Personally, I greatly admire the gritty, industrial vibe of the rust-belt. To me, the rust-belt is the most attractive, beautiful region in the US.
I won't argue Milwaukee's Rust Belt status (it is) but it's odd that you would choose a seed storage building as proof of Rustiness. Normally Rust Belt is defined by the decline in manufacturing.
And from the article you posted;
"The building's original owner went out of business in the 1960s. Not much seems to have been done with the property since then, but a lack of boards and broken windows indicates some form of use and occupancy."
Again, not very rusty.
There are plenty of buildings that would fit the profile though.
Baton Rouge is also relatively close to New Orleans, much closer than Mobile or Biloxi are, and is also one of the top 10 ports in the nation and a very important center for the oil and gas industry. In fact the Mississippi in between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is lined with refineries and petrochemical plants and port facilities. Lake Charles is also an important center for the energy industry including the new LNG terminal that's currently under construction, one of the largest in the world. There's also Tampa and Houston which are booming. You never see this kind of boom in the Great Lakes, an area people have fled in droves partly due to the economic conditions and partly due to the miserable weather. I just think the Great Lakes area, with their lake effect snow, for example, is just very miserable to live in most of the year. I prefer a hot humid Louisiana summer over a Chicago winter anyday, not to mention a Buffalo winter. Now in Ohio, Columbus and Cincinnati do still have decent economies and a good quality of life (and isn't as cold as Cleveland) but those are away from the Great Lakes, and Cleveland and Toledo are definitely miserable in comparison. In Indiana, Gary would be part of the Great Lakes area while Indianapolis not really.
You are making this a AGENDA of downplaying a region and cities on everything you can dig into. The North is remaking Dixie..... far far more then Dixie is itself. Major cities have much less Dixie in them.
When it is such a downplaying of this region. That includes whole states. Despite much of the state might not be Great Lakes related as parts closest.
It's amazing to discover the state debts and city debts of this booming Sunbelt region and booming states Assistance level populations to poverty. Some of Deep Dixie isn't either like Mississippi and Alabama and much of Louisiana. Seem as if forgotten by the boom of Corporate America steering migrations from the North. So you have aspects of your own Rust-belt areas and the woes and rising debts while booming.
Baton Rouge is also relatively close to New Orleans, much closer than Mobile or Biloxi are, and is also one of the top 10 ports in the nation and a very important center for the oil and gas industry. In fact the Mississippi in between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is lined with refineries and petrochemical plants and port facilities. Lake Charles is also an important center for the energy industry including the new LNG terminal that's currently under construction, one of the largest in the world. There's also Tampa and Houston which are booming. You never see this kind of boom in the Great Lakes, an area people have fled in droves partly due to the economic conditions and partly due to the miserable weather. I just think the Great Lakes area, with their lake effect snow, for example, is just very miserable to live in most of the year. I prefer a hot humid Louisiana summer over a Chicago winter anyday, not to mention a Buffalo winter. Now in Ohio, Columbus and Cincinnati do still have decent economies and a good quality of life (and isn't as cold as Cleveland) but those are away from the Great Lakes, and Cleveland and Toledo are definitely miserable in comparison. In Indiana, Gary would be part of the Great Lakes area while Indianapolis not really.
It hasn't been mentioned yet, but Grand Rapids has definitely seen this boom and while not directly on the Great Lakes, it's MSA most certainly is.
Last edited by bartonro; 11-15-2019 at 08:43 AM..
Reason: Grammar
True, but it is still a navigable river that serves a different drainage basin, all the agricultural products and whatever else that is produced in Alabama are shipped down the Alabama/Mobile river, not the Mississippi river. Obliviously New Orleans will always be the larger city since it serves a much larger market, but to say Mobile doesn't have one is disingenuous.
Who said Mobile didn't have a market? I'm not sure what you're even arguing against right now.
Quote:
City (population) - City (Population): Ratio | distance in between
Buffalo (1,134,210) - Rochester (1,082,284): 0.95 | 66.62 miles
Seattle (3,939,363) - Portland (2,478,810): 0.63 | 145.17 miles
Washington (6,216,589) - Baltimore (2,802,789): 0.45 | 35.15 miles
Boston (4,628,910) - Providence (1,604,291): 0.35 | 41.15 miles New Orleans (1,262,888) - Mobile (413,757): 0.33 | 131.34 miles
New York (19,979,477) - Philadelphia (6,096,120): 0.31 80.59 miles
Houston (6,997,384) - New Orleans (1,262,888): 0.18 | 317.53 miles Chicago (9,533,040) - Milwaukee (1,572,245): 0.16 | 81.24 miles
So I guess you are right Milwaukee is not the best example, but there are plenty of other cities that beat New Orleans and Mobile, I guess the real surprising thing is how small New Orleans is, and true it doesn't have the best geographic lay out, but certainly another near by city could have sprouted as the hub for between international trade and domestic trade of the Mississippi river drainage basin, perhaps that city could've even been Mobile, or Biloxi?
Are you saying that another city could have been an additional hub or that one could have supplanted New Orleans as the hub?
Quote:
And the fact that the Gulf state doesn't have enough "economic" room to support multiple major cities tells you that the Great Lakes region is superior to the Gulf coast, with out the tourist/retirement industry of Florida and energy field of Texas, Houston and Tampa wouldn't even be as nearly large as they are now.
Obviously no city would be as large as it is without the key industries that support the local economy, but the major advantage of the Great Lakes cities is that they were much more industrial from the start and didn't have economies based on the "peculiar institution" that pretty much languished until the WWII era.
Milwaukee most certainly seems very rust-belt to me. Just have a look at the Courteen Seed building, that's about as industrial and gritty as it gets.
Not that there is anything wrong with being rust-belt. Personally, I greatly admire the gritty, industrial vibe of the rust-belt. To me, the rust-belt is the most attractive, beautiful region in the US.
Sure, every city has buildings like that, and every city has grit. Did you notice the links I attached, or were they too "not rust-belt" looking enough for you to acknowledge.
Well...Canada is the largest US trading partner if not usurped recently by China. The corridors of that trade comes through the Great lakes. Also, the Great Lakes region is HEAVILY populated. Outside of the Boston-Washington Corridor megalopolis, the Great Lakes region is the most densely and heavily population cluster/region in the nation.
So my vote goes for the Great Lakes region.....which includes Toronto. The main positive of the Gulf Coast region is population growth.
The trade gap between Canada and Mexico is very small, and port-wise, do the Great Lakes have an answer to New Orleans/Houston?
Its also hard to not notice the trends of population growth/decline in each region.
(yes, replying to an old post but the poll was left even)
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