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I've been around the western US enough to know it's one of the most beautiful and diverse areas on earth.
I mean, check out, for instance, some pics of Utah's five national parks. And that's just a small part of the amazing things you can see in this state, which includes the Rocky Mountains. People in Utah have complained how much land in the state the federal government owns, but I'm proud that the government wants to own and protect so much of it, and there's so much more of Utah that should be protected. utah national parks - Google Search
I've been to all western states except for New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska (but I've seen and heard much) and every one of them has outstanding, knockout features and beauty that you can't believe is even real, in some cases.
I agree I absolutely love the west! Both the mountain west, and the pacific coast. One of my favorite things are the people, we have some of the most live and let live accepting people, and awesome libertarian-leaning politics.
The west is easily the greatest region of the US IMO.
Haha, I'll never forget a quote I saw written somewhere in San Francisco stating, "Its a good thing that the Pilgrims didn't land on the west coast or the rest of the country would likely be uninhabited.
Last edited by bigdave01; 05-06-2011 at 11:01 AM..
I agree I absolutely love the west! Both the mountain west, and the pacific coast. One of my favorite things are the people, we have some of the most live and let live accepting people, and awesome libertarian-leaning politics.
The west is easily the greatest region of the US IMO.
Haha, I'll never forget a quote I saw written somewhere in San Francisco stating, "Its a good thing that the Pilgrims didn't land on the west coast or the rest of the country would likely be uninhabited.
I truly agree. And I especially love the libertarian/live-and-let-live mindset of most people out West. But seeing these pics currently seems bittersweet due to the economic recession. If only the world worked in a way that the jobs came to where the people want to live in and not the other way around.
The Federal Government owns so much land in the West that there really isn't much left the state COULD own. However, you are correct that the difference between the Western and Eastern states diminish when state owned land is thrown into the equation.
Top 10 Federal Lands by %
1. Nevada: 80.89%
2. Utah: 63.12%
3. Idaho: 61.36%
4. Alaska: 60.24%
5. Wyoming: 48.43%
6. Arizona: 41.10%
7. California: 40.12%
8. Colorado: 35.46%
9. New Mexico: 29.42%
10. Montana: 29.28%
Top 10 (owned by) State Lands by %
1. New York: 36.71%
2. Alaska: 28.98%
3. New Jersey: 15.58%
4. Florida: 13.71%
5. Pennsylvania: 12.75%
6. Arizona: 12.49%
7. Michigan: 12.35%
8. New Mexico: 11.20%
9. Minnesota: 10.56%
10. Wisconsin: 10.49%
Top 10 total public lands (Federal and State) 1. Alaska: 89.22%
2. Nevada: 81.07%
3. Utah: 70.40%
4. Idaho: 66.55%
5. Wyoming: 54.65%
6. Arizona: 53.59%
7. California: 42.36%
8. New Mexico: 40.62%
9. Colorado: 39.86%
10. New York: 36.97%
Without the doubt, the Western United States is one of the most scenic large scale regions in the World. Just the numerous beautful mountain ranges guarantee that. But when you add the sheer amount of land that belongs to the public, it blows just about every other major region away. And for the United States, we can see that 9 out of 10 of the states with the most public land are in the West, including Alaska.
Another amazing fact about Alaska is that she has a huge amount of Federal land (60%), she also voluntarily set aside of a huge amount of State land (almost 30%). For a combined total of 90%. Unbelievable. Great job Alaska!
All that open land in Alaska and the other Western States gives people alot of elbow room. And while the old colorful days of the Cowboys, Indians, Pioneers, Explorers, Pony Express Riders, Mountain Men and Gold Miners are mostly gone, you can still find the same open vistas they did.
And then we have to begin to talk about the scenic diversity of the West.....!
Thread revival: I went on a memorial day drive to SW Utah (I think plenty of SoCal residents don't realize that I-15 DOES go north of Las Vegas, but I digress) and found this in the waiting for me:
Zion National Park, Utah
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http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250274_10150205909811857_655271856_7434979_3106158 _n.jpg (broken link)
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/255145_10150205913276857_655271856_7435042_3261706 _n.jpg (broken link)
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Sometime this summer, I will do more local California trips (planning a Salton Sea, Joshua Tree, Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe trip with friends who've never been..) I've never really explored the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, so I hope I could do that
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Fairfaxian
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I truly agree. And I especially love the libertarian/live-and-let-live mindset of most people out West. But seeing these pics currently seems bittersweet due to the economic recession. If only the world worked in a way that the jobs came to where the people want to live in and not the other way around.
Not every Western state is in the doldrums right now (Washington State is doing REALLY well for itself right now!). I'm a believer that if you have a dream, and you want to make it happen: you can make it happen! That's the American way! Sure, it takes planning, and a bit of luck, but at the end of the day, things can always get to the right start!
I have much love for the United States, and I especially love the part of the United States I live in. Could it be better? For sure. But for now, I'm sufficiently satisfied with whats on my fingertips (even though I'm broke!)
Last edited by Lifeshadower; 06-15-2011 at 01:32 PM..
Ironically, I didn't take any pictures of the desert because..well, I literally drove from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon on 0 sleep (most of my Grand Canyon pics have my friends in them, and they don't understand why I take scenery shots..oh well!), and made a beeline for Phoenix and left there the next morning. Spur road trips are fun in this part of the United States!
If someone has pictures of the Arizona desert, that would be awesome! I should've taken pictures of it..oh well!
Traveling around the rest of the West and the high plains makes me appreciate how isolated California is from the rest of the country. That tremendous amount of relatively empty high desert to the east of us suddenly giving way to extremely populated and developed California is kind of a shock.
Traveling around the rest of the West and the high plains makes me appreciate how isolated California is from the rest of the country. That tremendous amount of relatively empty high desert to the east of us suddenly giving way to extremely populated and developed California is kind of a shock.
What's even weirder is that due to geographic constraints, you can drive hundreds and hundreds of miles without seeing any sort of development, and within 5 miles, be embroiled in dense suburban development, even in California. All of the major Western metropolitan areas are at least 100 miles away from each other, and there really aren't that many small towns dotting the landscape like you'd find east of the Rockies.
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