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I lived in KC for close to 25 years, and all I remember about any place I've visited west of Salina, KS was the wind.
There was a thread a while back titled, "Windiest City you've lived in," and although I don't think people avoid this area due to wind, I would caution anyone who is considering relocating here to consider how windy it is.
Take a look at this map and it shows some of the highest avg. wind speeds pinned across the country. Many locations are in the central plains from N to S in this underpopulated region.
We reside near ATL now and my favorite part of Atlanta is that it's never really that windy. Windy conditions can wreak havoc on any outdoor plans such as picnics and even golf. No bueno.
Hold on a sec, regarding that map. The most windy cities are in Massachusetts? I find that incredibly difficult to believe.
Following this line of thought, during pre railroad times, people basically skipped the entirety of the American west and just settled the Mediterranean or oceanic climates on the coast. It wasn't till railroads and later autos they funneled into the rest. They left the plains during the dust bowl but the Rockies kept growing. Going to the future, will the plains bounce back? I think so, but it'll be 30-50 years out.
I've always said that Nebraska is one of the undersold American miracles, converting what people initially passed over as basically a desert and making it one of the most productive food producing regions on earth. But this all happened despite the region never really booming in population as it happened after mechanized agriculture.
Interesting thoughts on Nebraska, I haven't explored the state but I have been to Omaha several times and it's a nice area. The worst thing about that part of the country is that it not only has cold winters but also shockingly hot summers. That has to be one of the worst climates in the continental US.
65% of Americans live withing 100 miles of the coast.
Think about that for a minute. 3,000 miles from coast to coast. 200 million people live within 100 miles of a cost. 100 million people live in the 2,800 miles in between **. That is pretty stunning.
Middle America is basically empty.
** Well, techically the coasts include Florida and all of the Gulf states, but you get the point. The interior is empty.
This video didn't really have anything new. Settlement between the 98th and 105th meridian had always been limited due to the dry line, and no irrigation like the West had in the Central and Willamette Valleys. The Texas cities, especially Midland, benefitted from oil and the Permian Basin.
It is not new. It is just very well presented and easy to understand. The video is extremely well done, comprehensive, and informative.
65% of Americans live withing 100 miles of the coast.
Think about that for a minute. 3,000 miles from coast to coast. 200 million people live within 100 miles of a cost. 100 million people live in the 2,800 miles in between **. That is pretty stunning.
Middle America is basically empty.
** Well, techically the coasts include Florida and all of the Gulf states, but you get the point. The interior is empty.
Are Houston and New Orleans tallied into the coats, or the interior?
Are Houston and New Orleans tallied into the coats, or the interior?
They're both within 100 miles of the Gulf coast, so I would assume they'd be tallied with the coasts. Another interesting tidbit is that a lot of the people who live more than 100 miles from the coasts are along the shores of the Great Lakes (Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Cleveland, etc.) or along the Mississippi River (Memphis, St. Louis, etc.) Proximity to water, especially oceans and lakes and navigable rivers, has always been a major factor in settlement patterns.
That's only because the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska hasn't fallen has rapidly as Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. Nebraska can't sustainably grow corn for many more decades in most of the western 2/3 of the state. They will be switching to less profitable dryland farming. The Sand Hills are the lowest population density areas east of the Rocky Mountains other than eastern Montana.
The Sandhills are also what's recharging the aquifer. It all depends on how precipitation plays out, if it increases, they are fine, decreases, and there's problems. Trending though, the area has been steadily increasing because all those sand hills used to be sand dunes before, meaning it was more arid.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whereiend
Interesting thoughts on Nebraska, I haven't explored the state but I have been to Omaha several times and it's a nice area. The worst thing about that part of the country is that it not only has cold winters but also shockingly hot summers. That has to be one of the worst climates in the continental US.
That's the trees for you. The reason the SE US can have such consistent temperatures is the transpiration and shade from trees. They are like giant swamp coolers. More transpiration and less wind would help the climate out, though continental areas will always have more swings than coastal ones. So here's to hoping the treeification continues.
I know why my family left. They could no longer make a living on the family farm. And once they experienced the warm weather of California, they really didn't want to be in the cold blizzards of the Dakotas again.
I went back there to explore my roots & drove for miles on dirt farm roads & didn't see anyone else. The vastness and the quiet was overwhelming but also sad because there is now a lot of unfarmed, barren land & small farm towns that are basically ghost towns.
Interesting thoughts on Nebraska, I haven't explored the state but I have been to Omaha several times and it's a nice area. The worst thing about that part of the country is that it not only has cold winters but also shockingly hot summers. That has to be one of the worst climates in the continental US.
Nebraska does not have hot summers. The real hot summers are in the Dallas, TX area.
I know why my family left. They could no longer make a living on the family farm. And once they experienced the warm weather of California, they really didn't want to be in the cold blizzards of the Dakotas again.
I went back there to explore my roots & drove for miles on dirt farm roads & didn't see anyone else. The vastness and the quiet was overwhelming but also sad because there is now a lot of unfarmed, barren land & small farm towns that are basically ghost towns.
I think Cal Worthington's family was from Oklahoma, not the Dakotas.
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