Defining the Eastern and Western United States

[Big Z Man 1990]

I use a mainly time zone-based definition to define the East and West in the US.

The Eastern US under my definition includes the Eastern and Central Time Zones, and outlying areas in the Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico.

The Western US would include the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones, plus Alaska, Hawaii, and outlying areas in the Pacific.

Thus, the five states divided between the Central and Mountain Time Zones - North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas - would be divided between the East and the West.

The East thus contains about 80% of the US population.

How do you define the Eastern and Western US?

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[JMCx4]

The Mississippi River is the primary demarcation, based on U.S. expansion via the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

we should also consider that the vast majority of major league American sports teams are located in the Eastern and Central Time Zones as a whole, both east and west of the Mississippi

so, here are the true East/West splits for each big 4 league (including Canada):

MLB: 22/8
NFL: 25/7
NBA: 22/8
NHL: 22/9 (to be 10)

There are so many NBA and NHL teams in what would be Eastern North America using a time zone-based definition that each league's Western Conference contains at least some of the Central Time teams in those league (in the NHL, all of them)

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

the impact of time zones is a huge argument in favor of a history-based radical realignment of MLB upon expansion into 32 teams that uses each Eastern market's history in each of the two leagues in existence now to determine their assignments to one of three leagues in the new alignment (both the AL and NL would retain their respective teams in NYC and Chicago), and the 8 Western teams form the last remaining league

consider that MLB teams have far fewer off days than NBA or NHL teams, thus they feel the most brunt from traveling across multiple time zones

 

[JMCx4]

we should also consider that the vast majority of major league American sports teams are located in the Eastern and Central Time Zones as a whole, both east and west of the Mississippi ...

There are so many NBA and NHL teams in what would be Eastern North America using a time zone-based definition that each league's Western Conference contains at least some of the Central Time teams in those league (in the NHL, all of them)

You have just stepped out of the "science" realm (the social science of geography) and into commerce. Time to take your topic elsewhere.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

You have just stepped out of the "science" realm (the social science of geography) and into commerce. Time to take your topic elsewhere.

Please move this to "The Lounge" then unless there is a better place than that. It's an actual request.

 

[JMCx4]

Please move this to "The Lounge" then unless there is a better place than that. It's an actual request.

It did occur to me that this was more Lounge fodder than suitable to any other existing forum, but I'd hate to subject you to all that.

 

[JMCx4]

So let me phrase my point in a different way: "East" and "West" are geographical terms, so I chose a geographical boundary (a river) to define their shared border in the U.S.. Sports leagues have manipulated the geographical terms solely to suit their business models. So if you want to keep this discussion a "Science" chat per this Forum's name, it makes more sense to me to stick to geography. Your citations of sports leagues & time zone-related influences would seem more suitable to the sorts of discussions that pop up in the Fugu's Business of Hockey forum.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

I still want this moved to the Lounge so we can make it a broader discussion about the definition of East and West.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I still want this moved to the Lounge so we can make it a broader discussion about the definition of East and West.

I don't really think there's much discussion to be had. The Mississippi River has been the demarcation line for so long that the Arch is now a full-blown National Park.

If you go back far enough you can make Pittsburgh "the west," but since the Louisana Purchase there hasn't been much of a debate. The only other argument I could think of would be the Continental Divide...but any argument that has half of Montana in the eastern US isn't going to find (m)any subscribers.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Another huge reason why I include the entire Central Time Zone as part of the East is because when most television programming is airing in the Eastern Time Zone it is airing in the Central at the same time - like if you are watching a program at 8 PM ET it is airing at 7 PM CT as well. This would make Wichita, as an example, as much of an Eastern US city as Savannah.

 

[JMCx4]

Another huge reason why I include the entire Central Time Zone as part of the East is because when most television programming is airing in the Eastern Time Zone it is airing in the Central at the same time - like if you are watching a program at 8 PM ET it is airing at 7 PM CT as well. This would make Wichita, as an example, as much of an Eastern US city as Savannah.

Wait ... WHAT?! You should petition the Federal government to change the United States of America to "East America" and get it all over with.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

So, I would consider El Paso the new "Gateway to the West".

 

[tarheelhockey]

I agree that the Mississippi River is the generally accepted boundary. St Louis is the "Gateway to the West" for a reason.

Also I would add that the two major mountain ranges (Appalachian and Rockies) also play into the picture.

• "Eastern" cities like Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit were once considered the pioneer fringe, compared to cities on the other side of the Appalachians which were much older and more developed. The cultural difference between those cities and the east-coast cities is very noticeable. Nashville feels nothing like Baltimore.
• Likewise, there is a very large cultural difference between west-coast cities and those located in the plains/Rockies. Kansas City feels nothing like Portland.

From a historical/cultural/economic/sports/everything standpoint, the country is probably better understood when split into thirds (east, central, west) as defined by the mountain ranges, than when split into halves as defined by the Mississippi.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

For certain commercial purposes as I have stated, the "East" is the Eastern and Central Time portions of the Continental US and territories in the Caribbean, while the "West" includes the Mountain and Pacific Time portions of the Continental US, plus Alaska, Hawaii, and Pacific territories.

Take for instance El Paso and Houston. Both are in the state of Texas. However, they are in separate time zones. Houston is in the Central and thus airs primetime major network programming according to the East Coast scheduling, which is 8 PM ET, which would be 7 PM in Houston.

El Paso is in the Mountain Time Zone, and thus airs network programming on a one-hour delay from the East. For instance, on Wednesday nights in the East NBC airs Chicago Fire at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT. While Houston viewers are watching Chicago Fire on KPRC, those watching NBC on KTSM in El Paso at the same time, which would correspond to 7 PM in that city, are seeing Chicago Med, which has already aired in the ET/CT including Houston.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

The Pacific Time Zone receives major network programming on a three-hour delay from the Eastern Time Zone. Most of Alaska airs network programming simultaneously with the PTZ; the difference being that a program airing in San Francisco at 8 PM is airing at 7 PM in Anchorage.