Hawaii

These are two very different regions, with very little in common.

Hawaii is largely occupied by a rugged landscape, with volcanoes responsible for the formation of the islands. Colorado, too, is made of a rugged landscape near Boulder.

The Colorado Rockies may not be as high as the peaks in Hawaii, but both are very intimidating.

Hawaii:

There is a fundamental difference between the similarity in landscape, however...

Colorado:

Hawaii:

Hawaii's tropical climate would never allow the peaks to be covered in snow like the Colorado Rockies...

Sources:

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

The North Pacific Coast

A major theme in the chapter of the text about the North Pacific Coast Region is the significance of forest products and green energy sources.

The North Pacific Coast region largely talks about significant potential from hydroelectric power due to the number of dams in the region.

Many people assume that Colorado is a key contributor to lumber production, when in reality, it produces less than 1% of the United State's lumber overall. A large part of Colorado is made up of National Parks, protecting the forests in the region.

In terms of renewable energy, Colorado is increasing the numbers of homes powered by solar energy, and has a group dedicated to promoting the expansion of renewable energy use in Colorado called the CRES (Colorado Renewable Energy Society).

Sources:
Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

http://csfs.colostate.edu/cowood/library/03_Our_Industry.pdf

http://www.cres-energy.org/about_pubs.html

California

Having spent much of my life in Southern California, and decent amount of time in Colorado, I must insist that these two places are very different. Northern California, however, strongly reminds me of Colorado at times.

Northern California:

Colorado:

They may be forests made up of different trees, but the feel of the forest surrounding you and the beauty of all the nature is incredible!

The gorgeous redwood trees and the climate in Northern California are similar to that of Colorado. Colorado is so green, vibrant and filled with nature. Southern California is largely urban, with so much traffic and a large population.

Southern California seems to have dominated and suppressed the nature in the area, while Boulder has built itself into it at the base of the Flat Irons.

Colorado is not subject to the dangerous earthquakes California experiences, but they both undergo disastrous forest fires from time to time.

The textbook uses the example of the Santa Clarita forest fire in October of 2007 that burned over 38,000 acres.

Boulder experienced the worst forest fire in Colorado's history last year, in the fall of 2010. Over 169 homes were lost to the fire.

Sources:

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2007_California_wildfires

http://ecopolitology.org/2010/09/09/fourmile-canyon-fire-a-sign-of-things-to-come-in-pine-beetle-ravaged-colorado-maybe-not/

The Southwest Border Area

The Southwest Border Area section of the book largely focuses on ethnic diversity within the region, and the blending of cultures.

Boulder has very little ethnic diversity, especially when compared to the Southwest Border area. The presence of the University of Boulder helps bring in some other ethnic groups, but the majority is still Caucasian.

The Southwest Border area is greatly defined by the variety of cultures, especially Hispanic and Native American. The second largest ethnic group in Boulder is Hispanic/Latino, but not anywhere near the percentage in the Southwest Border Area.

Above is an example of a Mariachi Band playing in the streets of San Antonio, Texas. This is located in the Southwest Border Area.

Boulder, Colorado Ethnicity Statistics:

White:    85,656

African American:      1,514

Hispanic or Latino:      7,801

Asian:      4,680

American Indian or Alaska Native:         952

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander:         149

Other:      4,129

There are some similarities in landscape, as parts of Colorado are occupied by the Colorado Plateau. This can resemble some of the canyons and plateaus that exist in the Southwest Border Area.

Sources:
Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

http://profiles.nationalrelocation.com/Colorado/Boulder/

The Empty Interior

I think the name of this region is kind of sad. 

Boulder is somewhat included in this region, and I don't think that the name of it does the region justice. It implies a boring, plain area without much excitement or beauty. Despite the fact that the name comes from the population (or rather, the lack thereof), I still disagree with the title choice.

I find it incredible that there is such a large area in the United States that is not overpopulated. Living in Los Angeles, it is sometimes difficult to remember that there are areas that aren't so congested with people and traffic...

Boulder does, however, fit into the category. Once you get outside the immediate city area, there is plenty of space for nature to persevere. It's a city only made up of 94,673. This may seem like a lot, but when compared to Los Angeles' 12,828,837, it really puts things into perspective.

There is a BIG difference.

In the Empty Interior, an important theme is water supply and irrigation. These two regions are actually connected by water in the Colorado River Basin.

Irrigation is an important issue in Colorado as well as the Empty Interior, making the transportation of water a big part of agricultural success.

Sources:

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

http://geography.howstuffworks.com/united-states/geography-of-boulder.htm
http://www.lcra.org/water/supply/irrigation.html
http://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ecs/Irrigation/CO_Irrigation_Guide.html

The Great Plains and Prairies

Again, there will definitely be some strong commonalities between Boulder and the region of the Great Plains and Prairies. A large portion of Colorado is included, as well as Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and even a tiny bit of Illinois.

Because Boulder shares some of the Great Plains region on it's eastern side leading up to the Rockies, there is a common base. Denver, Colorado's capital is located in the Great Plains and Prairies region.

The Great Plains region runs along the edge of the Colorado Rockies, just like the city of Boulder.

Because Colorado is partly included in the Great Plains and Prairies region, it has experienced some of the natural disasters that are common in the region. Tornadoes are one example.

In 2009, five consecutive tornadoes tore through Denver, Colorado- only an hour away from Boulder.

The Southlands mall was largely damaged from this specific occurrence.

Sources:

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/19683459/detail.html

The Agricultural Core

This region has some strong similarities with the area immediately surrounding Boulder in Colorado. Boulder's location on the border between the Colorado Rockies and the Great Plains provides a diverse range of physical characteristics.

The Agricultural Core includes a large part of the interior plains, spreading from the Appalachians to the Rockies.

Some similarities in the terrain are obvious. Again, a common theme between this region and Colorado is agriculture. It's obvious by the name that the Agricultural Core region is extremely focused on agriculture... 

Wheat, hay, barley, and livestock are commonly produced in both Colorado and places such as Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, etc.

Sources:

The Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

http://geography.howstuffworks.com/united-states/geography-of-colorado2.htm

The Southern Coastlands

The Southern Coastlands region includes parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and all of Florida.

In terms of topography and climate, Boulder and the Southern Coastlands are very different places. The climate in the Southern Coastlands is high in humidity, with high heat in the summertime and long growing seasons. The average temperature in the summertime in Colorado is only in the 70s (Fahrenheit).

This region is centered around the Gulf of Mexico, and the Ocean plays a large part in making the region what it is. This is often the most affected area in terms of hurricanes, such as Katrina in 2005.

Boulder, Colorado, faces no such storms. They experience severe snow storms in the winter, but nothing like the raging hurricanes in the Southern Coastlands.

Boulder is over a thousand miles from the ocean.

Agriculture is an important theme for both the Southern Coastlands and Colorado. Although the Southern Coastlands focus largely on citrus fruits, Colorado is mainly a producer of vegetables, sugar beets, potatoes, and peaches.

Colorado:

Florida:

Sources:

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

http://geography.howstuffworks.com/united-states/geography-of-colorado2.htm

http://bigpictureagriculture.blogspot.com/2011/07/farming-on-boulder-county-open-space.html

The Changing South

Talk about two very different regions in the United States...

... Culturally, economically, ethnically, agriculturally, and geographically.

Even our book, the Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada notes the unique and distinct culture of the South (p. 166).

Religion, surprisingly, is what turns out to be a similarity. Both areas have a high level of the Protestant and Catholic religions.

A Catholic church in the "Changing South." (Louisiana)

A Church in Boulder, Colorado...

Another important section in the text in reference to the "Changing South" region is dealing with poverty.

In the "Changing South," the Reconstruction was a period of constant poverty. Just like I previously discussed with Boulder, the "Changing South" was able to recover and grow with the economic boom caused by WWII.

Sources:

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Boulder-Colorado.html 

http://geography.howstuffworks.com/united-states/geography-of-colorado.htm

Appalachia and the Ozarks

Colorado and the Bypassed East definitely have some topography in common- although I must say that the Rockies are much more impressive than those Appalachians...

Rockies

Appalachians:

Both are beautiful- don't get me wrong. I just prefer the daunting, sharp, jaggedness of the Rockies to the smooth, hilly Appalachians.

They also have another aspect in "common": which is coal and mining.

Both regions have dealt with the dangerous job of mining- according to the Bureau Labor Statistics,  "Employees in coal mining are more likely to be killed or to incur a non-fatal injury or illness, and their injuries are more likely to be severe than workers in private industry as a whole."

This common industry these two places share helps create a similar culture in a way- the people in these areas share similar experiences (sometimes traumatizing) that can create a similar culture in its own way.

Sources:

http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/osar0012.htm

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

The Bypassed East

The Bypassed East and Colorado don't really have that much in common, either. They do share some of the same natural resources however...

This includes petroleum and natural gas.

In Colorado, it is in the fields in the Great Plains and Wyoming Basin regions.

In the Bypassed East, it is off the coast.

Both regions have to deal with a mutual problem that is a result of these natural resources: pollution. In an article from the Department of Justice, Petroleum distributors were required to pay $2.5 million in reparation for the pollution to states including Colorado.

Offshore drilling is extremely dangerous and damaging to the environment...

Although because of their differences in their locations, the two regions deal with the problems as a result from the same cause.

This points out an obvious difference the two areas have in location relative to the ocean, and both site and situation characteristics. This also largely affects climate.

Not only is the proximity of the ocean a factor, but the large difference in longitude is as well. The Bypassed East is much farther than Colorado, making the already very cold Colorado (compared to sunny California) seem warm and bright.

Topographically, although the Bypassed East has part of the Appalachians in its region, Colorado and the Bypassed East are very different. The part of the Appalachians in that region are not close to resembling the Colorado Rockies- they were largely eroded by glaciation hundreds of years ago. The same applies to the Adirondacks in the region.

Forests is another commonality between the regions. Although they are decidedly very different types of forests, they share the beauty of nature :)

Colorado:

The Bypassed East:

Sources:

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/May/11-enrd-571.html

http://geography.howstuffworks.com/united-states/geography-of-colorado2.htm
Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

The North American Manufacturing Core

The North American Manufacturing Core and Colorado have much more in common than when compared to Megalopolis...

First of all, they do share some similarities in the foundations of the two regions; both were driven by mining and the search for natural resources. Coal, also, is an important resource in both areas.

The development, too, of the area was largely aided by railroads in both Colorado and the North American Manufacturing Core.

Both of these regions, too, underwent changes in their economies due to manufacturing- especially during the WWII era. Although Colorado's manufacturing aspect was developed later on, manufacturing plays an important role in both regions.

While Colorado grows in the servicing manufacturing and technological manufacturing area, the North American Manufacturing Core has struggled between many different industries. Both struggle against foreign competition to revitalize manufacturing in their areas to keep jobs available.

 

Sources:

http://geography.howstuffworks.com/united-states/geography-of-colorado2.htm

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada

 

Megalopolis

Boulder is not one of the main cities in Colorado. It is, however, in close proximity to Denver- the capital of Colorado.

There is not much in common Boulder (or even Colorado for that matter) have in common with the Megalopolis region. For one, the site and situation characteristics are extremely different.

Colorado's only nearby water is from rivers and lakes. Megalopolis, on the other hand, is practically strategically bordering the ocean. Not to mention the fact that the ocean plays such an important part in how Megalopolis developed, and it is no where near Colorado...

Megalopolis:

Colorado:

Absolutely crucial to Megalopolis was the ocean ports and canals allowing access to the major cities. Much of Colorado, Boulder included, was difficult to get to. Only when settlers were motivated by the discovery of precious metals (gold and silver) did people make their way into the region.

Another contrast is that Megalopolis averages 901 people per square mile, where Colorado is only 41.5. In the year 2000, Megalopolis had 17% of the United States population living in 1.5% of the United States area. This region alone holds more than ten of the country's main cities.

Quite a huge contrast to Colorado... Especially Boulder...

Denver, Colorado's largest city, doesn't even compare. It's population is 554,636. The entire state of Colorado is only 4,301,261. New York City alone had a population of 8,008,278.

There are definitely a few key differences between these two regions...

However, an important similarity is the increase of technology, how the growing markets for it are affecting these two very different regions. Boulder, initially a major mining town, is slowly becoming an important region for the development of electronics and computers. Places such as New York, with such high demand for new technology, become more interconnected with places like Colorado...

Sources:

http://geography.howstuffworks.com/united-states/geography-of-colorado2.htm

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada