I would say sticking to the 0s and 5s, except for a few long intermediate routes (I-94 comes to mind), what interstate traverses the biggest change in landscape and also culture? You could probably say the culture thing to all the long interstates, but some of them don't change landscape as much as culture.
I am speaking route as a whole, not end to end. You could say I-95 starting in downtown Miami but ending in northern Maine is drastic, but I am talking about so much more than that.
My vote is Interstate 10. It starts out in the east in the Florida Panhandle, goes through the deep forest of the deep south, but at the same time not being the Bible Belt interstate. No, I-10 goes just south of the bible belt, hugging the gulf coast, so a mix of beach culture plus southern living is along it's route. Then it travels through French America, first Alabama, Mississippi, then through southern Louisiana, going through New Orleans and traveling Bayou Country. It crosses a few swamps before it crosses into Texas. It follows the gulf coast topography for a bit longer until it reaches the Texas Hill Country, then mesas, then mountains. By the time it leaves Texas, goes through New Mexico and then into Arizona, it has traveled across one desert and is now in another, meanwhile being within eye shot of desert mountains; a very far cry from it's southern coastal beginnings. Across dessert California, it lands in Los Angeles, which is....well, Los Angeles.
I would love to hear your ideas on this subject.
I cannot imagine a different one. The other transcontinental ones don't even compare.
I think we could narrow this down to within states. For example, I-40 in NC starts from the west as a treacherous mountain highway, only to end as a flat and straight route through the coastal plain. There is also a wide variety of Piedmont in between those points.
I thought we done this topic before, or at least a similar one, with the change in landscape part.
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 01, 2021, 05:58:30 PM
I thought we done this topic before, or at least a similar one, with the change in landscape part.
I think he's asking for something specific, though. Not just the greatest variance along a route–such as desert to swamp–but the greatest number of unique landscapes and cultures along its route.
I-80 by far. I-80 has three of the biggest Metro Areas on the Country (the Bay Area, Chicagoland and the Tri-State area) that all have massively different personalities. I-80 also has the Great Plains, Rockies, Salt Lake Valley, the rural mountains of Nevada, the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Central Valley of California as further cultural divides.
I-10 has a crap ton of desert from Coachella Valley through to Central Texas. Desert folk really aren't all that greatly different from one state or desert biome (I say that living/working in them for most of my adult life) from one another.
I-35. From deep south Texas to Duluth.
Landscape shifts are much more dramatic going east/west than they are going north/south.
but
Culture shifts are much more dramatic going north/south than they are going east/west.
80 and 90
Quote from: webny99 on February 02, 2021, 09:23:18 AM
Landscape shifts are much more dramatic going east/west than they are going north/south.
but
Culture shifts are much more dramatic going north/south than they are going east/west.
They aren't as different as you might think due to retirees and Snow Bird culture. Florida might as well be New York Junior come the winter months.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 02, 2021, 12:07:06 PM
They aren't as different as you might think due to retirees and Snow Bird culture. Florida might as well be New York Junior come the winter months.
Except the Miami area, where there's a huge Cuban population.
I-55 from Chicago and a liberal/urban culture to deep southern Louisiana is a pretty big culture shift.
Landscape, however, not so much.
Quote from: SEWIGuy on February 02, 2021, 09:11:17 AM
I-35. From deep south Texas to Duluth.
Once you get past Dallas it's all fairly similar Plains culture.
I-10, then I-40, then I-80 for east / west.
I-5 has quite a lot of variance as well. From the US/MX border to the vast metros of San Diego, then the Inland Empire / LA, then the vast Central Valley of California, then on to the next big metropolis (Bay area) and then back to some more farmland and then on to the mountainous terrain of northern CA and the vast greenery (with tall mountains flanking the freeway) of OR and WA, and then on to Canada.
Quote from: 1 on February 02, 2021, 12:09:00 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 02, 2021, 12:07:06 PM
They aren't as different as you might think due to retirees and Snow Bird culture. Florida might as well be New York Junior come the winter months.
Except the Miami area, where there's a huge Cuban population.
Also considering the entire width of the country, such as Upper Midwest vs. Mississippi/Louisiana, and SoCal vs. Pacific Northwest
Quote from: TXtoNJ on February 02, 2021, 12:39:11 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on February 02, 2021, 09:11:17 AM
I-35. From deep south Texas to Duluth.
Once you get past Dallas it's all fairly similar Plains culture.
Yeah, I don't notice a whole lot of landscape and culture variety along I-35. And I've pretty familiar with it all the way from Laredo to Minneapolis. South of San Antonio, it's flat scrubland with ranching culture. North from San Antonio to, oh, somewhere between Dallas and the Oklahoma line, it's pretty uniform in terms of both landscape and culture: a lot of towns plus some mid-sized cities, with occasional stretches of tree- and grassland. Through Oklahoma and all the way up to Minnesota, it's most farmland with some ranching thrown in here and there especially toward the southern end, and every town along the way is basically "generic Midwest". About the only unique landscape is the Flint Hills of Kansas. Minneapolis is a lot like Des Moines, which in turn is a lot like Kansas City.
Quote from: kphoger on February 02, 2021, 01:33:31 PM
Quote from: TXtoNJ on February 02, 2021, 12:39:11 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on February 02, 2021, 09:11:17 AM
I-35. From deep south Texas to Duluth.
Once you get past Dallas it's all fairly similar Plains culture.
Yeah, I don't notice a whole lot of landscape and culture variety along I-35. And I've pretty familiar with it all the way from Laredo to Minneapolis. South of San Antonio, it's flat scrubland with ranching culture. North from San Antonio to, oh, somewhere between Dallas and the Oklahoma line, it's pretty uniform in terms of both landscape and culture: a lot of towns plus some mid-sized cities, with occasional stretches of tree- and grassland. Through Oklahoma and all the way up to Minnesota, it's most farmland with some ranching thrown in here and there especially toward the southern end, and every town along the way is basically "generic Midwest". About the only unique landscape is the Flint Hills of Kansas. Minneapolis is a lot like Des Moines, which in turn is a lot like Kansas City.
I was thinking culture more than landscape.
Quote from: capt.ron on February 02, 2021, 12:50:05 PM
I-10, then I-40, then I-80 for east / west.
I-5 has quite a lot of variance as well. From the US/MX border to the vast metros of San Diego, then the Inland Empire / LA, then the vast Central Valley of California, then on to the next big metropolis (Bay area) and then back to some more farmland and then on to the mountainous terrain of northern CA and the vast greenery (with tall mountains flanking the freeway) of OR and WA, and then on to Canada.
My only rebuttal for I-5 is the Pacific Northwest is so isolated from the rest of the country that going north to south is agreeably different, but not in the same way as going north to south from Mississippi to Pennsylvania as an example. Ye, there is nothing similar being in Seattle to being in San Diego, but it's (in my opinion) a smaller scale than any other trip north to south. Yes life is different in both cities, but there is a lot of California influence that moves up I-5 north to Seattle.
I would also say I-70 may be at the top of my list. To start (east) in Baltimore, just north of our nation's capital, running south of the Mason-Dixon line, then crossing north of the line, crossing the Appalachians, and traversing some beautiful landscape through tunnels. Then passing through the Midwest with the good natures people of the Midwest of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois then crossing the Mississippi into St. Louis, the famous "Gateway to the West". Then crossing more farmlands of Missouri, then the flatness of Kansas and Colorado, then I-70 crosses the Rockies. Like crossing the Appalachians before, it crosses mountains and goes through tunnels, but these are on steroids. It passes ski resort land and culture. Then you are dumped out into the mid dessert region of Utah. You are just north of Arches National Park and traveling through a state known for being "everyone's land". It terminates into I-15 just north of the Grand Canyon and within a few hours of Las Vegas, and sin city itself.
Quote from: SEWIGuy on February 02, 2021, 01:45:10 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 02, 2021, 01:33:31 PM
Quote from: TXtoNJ on February 02, 2021, 12:39:11 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on February 02, 2021, 09:11:17 AM
I-35. From deep south Texas to Duluth.
Once you get past Dallas it's all fairly similar Plains culture.
Yeah, I don't notice a whole lot of landscape and culture variety along I-35. And I've pretty familiar with it all the way from Laredo to Minneapolis. South of San Antonio, it's flat scrubland with ranching culture. North from San Antonio to, oh, somewhere between Dallas and the Oklahoma line, it's pretty uniform in terms of both landscape and culture: a lot of towns plus some mid-sized cities, with occasional stretches of tree- and grassland. Through Oklahoma and all the way up to Minnesota, it's most farmland with some ranching thrown in here and there especially toward the southern end, and every town along the way is basically "generic Midwest". About the only unique landscape is the Flint Hills of Kansas. Minneapolis is a lot like Des Moines, which in turn is a lot like Kansas City.
I was thinking culture more than landscape.
To me, there are the following cultural zones:
1. Minnesota and northern Iowa. These people think Taco Bell is spicy, put ketchup on scrambled eggs, go ice fishing, and say "you betcha" a lot.
2. Southern Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma. These are Midwestern farmers and ranchers, or their friends and family. They like college basketball, think they have no accent, love their pickup trucks but roll their eyes at ones with oversized tires, and joke about their weather.
3. Texas north of San Antonio. These people like shopping and fishing, look with envy at pickup trucks with oversized tires, couldn't live without pork but don't really care for porkchops, and don't know how to drive on ice.
4. Texas south of San Antonio. There aren't very many of these people. They are a combination of rugged ranchers and rugged oil workers, and Mexican immigrants or their descendants. They eat burritos for breakfast and beef for supper, live in a world halfway between the US and Mexico, and dislike having to stop at the I-35 checkpoint when they haven't even crossed the border in twelve years.
I-64, I-75, and I-81 come quickly to my mind. I-64 goes from the midwest to the east coast, clips a bit of the south, and traverses the heart of Appalachia. I-75 gets Florida, the south, Appalachia, the industrial midwest, and the upper midwest. I-81 gives you the south, Appalachia, the eastern seaboard, and skirts the northeast (depending on how you count the Scranton/WB area and upstate New York).
Quote from: TXtoNJ on February 02, 2021, 12:39:11 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on February 02, 2021, 09:11:17 AM
I-35. From deep south Texas to Duluth.
Once you get past Dallas it's all fairly similar Plains culture.
It's not the most jarring shift out there, but Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and Minneapolis are all pretty different.
I think a case could be made for I-15 too. San Diego->Inland Empire->Desert Towns->Vegas->Utah->Rockies->Western Edge of Great Plains.
Chris
Quote from: hbelkins on February 02, 2021, 04:25:39 PM
I-64, I-75, and I-81 come quickly to my mind. I-64 goes from the midwest to the east coast, clips a bit of the south, and traverses the heart of Appalachia. I-75 gets Florida, the south, Appalachia, the industrial midwest, and the upper midwest. I-81 gives you the south, Appalachia, the eastern seaboard, and skirts the northeast (depending on how you count the Scranton/WB area and upstate New York).
I always thought I-81 was an interesting bird. Known as the Eastern Seaboard inland bypass, it connects Canada with New York.
It begins in Tennessee.
I-175 (Florida) :-D
Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 02, 2021, 09:53:10 PM
I-175 (Florida) :-D
Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?
I-476 may be one to start with here.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 02, 2021, 09:53:10 PM
I-175 (Florida) :-D
Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?
495 (NY), going from the largest city in the US to what feels like semi-rural New England (despite not being part of New England).
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 02, 2021, 09:53:10 PM
I-175 (Florida) :-D
Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?
Most 3di are too short to compare in changes to the 2dis mentioned, but since I-476 has been mentioned already, I'll go with I-275 taking into account that a lot of people consider Ohio and Kentucky to be in different regions of the US, with the former as a midwestern and latter as a southeastern state. Also between rural and urban, I-275 seems like any other rural interstate on its southwestern side, but it's a busy suburban interstate on its northern side.
Quote from: 1 on February 02, 2021, 09:58:15 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 02, 2021, 09:53:10 PM
Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?
495 (NY), going from the largest city in the US to what feels like semi-rural New England (despite not being part of New England).
As mentioned, I-476 (PA) could be a good candidate, and I'd include I-390 (NY) as well.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on February 02, 2021, 05:53:28 PM
I always thought I-81 was an interesting bird. Known as the Eastern Seaboard inland bypass, it connects Canada with New York.
It begins in Tennessee.
I-81 covers a lot of different territory even within NY, with the areas north and south of Syracuse being fairly distinct regions.
It's on the fringes of the East Coast at points, but I'm not sure you could say it hits it from a cultural perspective. Probably the Harrisburg area would be the closest you come to the Bos-Wash sphere of influence, maybe Scranton a little less so. Neither one is close enough for me to consider it a true sample of the East Coast. And then once you get past Scranton, I-84 assumes the role of "inland bypass", although it's less effective than I-81.
I-410 in Texas even though it's a loop. North end near the airport is urban like and has six or more lanes. South end is rural with four lanes and little or no development.
I-57 as it is just plain weird in MO. It crosses over to hilly terrain in southern IL only to end up in Chicago.
Quote from: webny99 on February 02, 2021, 10:27:39 PM
Quote from: 1 on February 02, 2021, 09:58:15 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 02, 2021, 09:53:10 PM
Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?
495 (NY), going from the largest city in the US to what feels like semi-rural New England (despite not being part of New England).
As mentioned, I-476 (PA) could be a good candidate, and I'd include I-390 (NY) as well.
I-376 in Pennsylvania would also be a good candidate. And I saw someone else mention I-275 (KY-OH-IN).
I also think I-20 shares a lot in common with I-10, but because it terminates in West Texas, it can't compare with the overall change in culture I-10 has. It travels the heart of Dixie to Dallas, then through the West Texas plains to the West Texas desert. I think culture wise, it never really leaves a bible thumping zone the entire way, just a different type of thumping of the bible.
I am also fascinated with how I-20 piggybacks on I-10 to be a trans-continental route. I can't think of another route that makes it's way 2/3rds of the way across the state then defaults on to another 0 or 5 to finish the job. I-85 kinda does that, but it's a smaller scale, then again I-95's total length is a smaller scale than the trans-continental routes are. I-29 also helps I-35 be border to border, but its more like half and half.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on February 03, 2021, 04:34:28 PM
I also think I-20 shares a lot in common with I-10, but because it terminates in West Texas, it can't compare with the overall change in culture I-10 has. It travels the heart of Dixie to Dallas, then through the West Texas plains to the West Texas desert. I think culture wise, it never really leaves a bible thumping zone the entire way, just a different type of thumping of the bible.
I am also fascinated with how I-20 piggybacks on I-10 to be a trans-continental route. I can't think of another route that makes it's way 2/3rds of the way across the state then defaults on to another 0 or 5 to finish the job. I-85 kinda does that, but it's a smaller scale, then again I-95's total length is a smaller scale than the trans-continental routes are. I-29 also helps I-35 be border to border, but its more like half and half.
I-70 piggybacks on I-15 south of its western terminus to form its transcon corridor, as most of the traffic on WB I-70 at that point are heading towards Vegas and Socal.
I-40 also piggybacks on I-15 south, but for a much shorter distance than I-70.
I-78 feels like a branch of I-70 into NYC, as it continues the trajectory of the latter route in the Midwesr really well.
After I-69 gets finished at least in every state besides MS and AR, it will effectively be an extension of the I-71 corridor, continuing the NE-SW trajectory of I-71 into cities like Memphis and Houston.
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on February 03, 2021, 10:49:26 AM
I-57 as it is just plain weird in MO. It crosses over to hilly terrain in southern IL only to end up in Chicago.
I wouldn't include it as it stays in the midwest for the whole time. Same with I-81, it's mostly in Appalachia.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 03, 2021, 05:50:14 PM
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on February 03, 2021, 10:49:26 AM
I-57 as it is just plain weird in MO. It crosses over to hilly terrain in southern IL only to end up in Chicago.
I wouldn't include it as it stays in the midwest for the whole time. Same with I-81, it's mostly in Appalachia.
Do you know the difference in culture in Southern Illinois versus Chicago? The Sikeston, MO area is different in terrain and culture then just over the river into Illinois.
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on February 04, 2021, 08:18:33 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 03, 2021, 05:50:14 PM
Quote from: Avalanchez71 on February 03, 2021, 10:49:26 AM
I-57 as it is just plain weird in MO. It crosses over to hilly terrain in southern IL only to end up in Chicago.
I wouldn't include it as it stays in the midwest for the whole time. Same with I-81, it's mostly in Appalachia.
Do you know the difference in culture in Southern Illinois versus Chicago? The Sikeston, MO area is different in terrain and culture then just over the river into Illinois.
I know, but it's not the largest change.
Quote from: hbelkins on February 03, 2021, 02:46:44 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 02, 2021, 10:27:39 PM
Quote from: 1 on February 02, 2021, 09:58:15 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on February 02, 2021, 09:53:10 PM
Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?
495 (NY), going from the largest city in the US to what feels like semi-rural New England (despite not being part of New England).
As mentioned, I-476 (PA) could be a good candidate, and I'd include I-390 (NY) as well.
I-376 in Pennsylvania would also be a good candidate. And I saw someone else mention I-275 (KY-OH-IN).
I-270 (MD) probably isn't the winner, but I think it deserves mention. Goes from the Lower Montgomery County-DC suburbia to upper Montgomery County-lower Frederick County rural rolling hills, before hitting Frederick suburbia at the very end.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on February 03, 2021, 04:34:28 PM
I am also fascinated with how I-20 piggybacks on I-10 to be a trans-continental route. I can't think of another route that makes it's way 2/3rds of the way across the state then defaults on to another 0 or 5 to finish the job.
This dives into fictional, but I always thought it would have been cool if instead of I-20 ending at I-10, it continued west in an overlap to Casa Grande AZ, with I-10 then following I-8's current route to San Diego and I-20 following I-10's current route to LA/Santa Monica. If for no other reason than allowing I-20 to be a fully trans-continental route as you allude to. :nod: (Also FWIW, this hypothetical I-10/I-20 overlap would take the longest-interstate-duplex title away from I-80/I-90).
Quote from: jmacswimmer on February 04, 2021, 09:54:43 AM
This dives into fictional, but I always thought it would have been cool if instead of I-20 ending at I-10, it continued west in an overlap to Casa Grande AZ, with I-10 then following I-8's current route to San Diego and I-20 following I-10's current route to LA/Santa Monica. If for no other reason than allowing I-20 to be a fully trans-continental route as you allude to. :nod: (Also FWIW, this hypothetical I-10/I-20 overlap would take the longest-interstate-duplex title away from I-80/I-90).
I had an identical idea a while ago, along with I-70 to Bay Area and I-80 to Portland reroutes, to get more x0 interstates to the west coast without being FritzOwl and building interstates where not needed.
Quote from: roadman65 on February 03, 2021, 09:49:40 AM
I-410 in Texas even though it's a loop. North end near the airport is urban like and has six or more lanes. South end is rural with four lanes and little or no development.
I-695 in MD is the same way. From exits 2 to 36, it goes through lots of built-up residential and commercial areas (because after all, this is Baltimore which it serves), but the remainder of it, including the Francis Scott Key Bridge, has nothing but open country and large industrial parks. Hell, even when it does a short pass through the city, it's still industrial.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on February 03, 2021, 04:34:28 PM
I also think I-20 shares a lot in common with I-10, but because it terminates in West Texas, it can't compare with the overall change in culture I-10 has. It travels the heart of Dixie to Dallas, then through the West Texas plains to the West Texas desert. I think culture wise, it never really leaves a bible thumping zone the entire way, just a different type of thumping of the bible.
I am also fascinated with how I-20 piggybacks on I-10 to be a trans-continental route. I can't think of another route that makes it's way 2/3rds of the way across the state then defaults on to another 0 or 5 to finish the job. I-85 kinda does that, but it's a smaller scale, then again I-95's total length is a smaller scale than the trans-continental routes are. I-29 also helps I-35 be border to border, but its more like half and half.
Well, originally it was the same thing in reverse - US 90 ended at US 80, the transcontinental route, in Van Horn.
The interesting bit to me is that I-20 is the more important transcontinental route past the divergence.
Texas will have a long 3di (eventually) in I-369. From Tenaha to Texarkana, there is exactly 0.00 change in landscape and culture.
The landscape of I-84 changes drastically east of The Dalles