I wonder what it would be like if instead of the east coast of North American being "discovered", inhabited and developed by Europeans, it was the west coast of North America being discovered, inhabited and developed by Asians (or maybe, for whatever reason, Europeans) Would the west coast be the main places of population? What would be the main cog of the west coast? Seattle? Portland, Vancouver (BC)? You can't tell me it'd be Southern California because there are parts of Florida that rival Californias weather, but they're not the hub of the US. Would Seattle be New York, Portland be Boston? Maybe Vancouver would be Montreal or Toronto, San Fransisco could be Baltimore.. What would be the nations capital? Would LA be Miami? Would Boise be Cleveland? and Spokane would be Milwaukee? Maybe Denver could be Chicago...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Menzies http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/17/world/a-new-theory-puts-chinese-fleet-ahead-of-columbus.html
The cities on the west coast were developed as a result of the gold rushes and fur trades in the 1800s, which are a far cry different than the motivations of the early settlers of America. So, if people came to the west coast in the 15/1600s looking to settle and form colonies, then I'm sure the cityscapes would be much different, simply based on the fact that building would have started hundreds of years earlier. There certainly would have been far more deforestation. Portland and Seattle would still be the biggest cities around, based on the waterways available.
I'm sure you're aware that those theories have been rejected outright by the entire academic community of historians.
The English looked for a climate they were used to and settled the Northeast. For the same reason, the Spanish took the South and also south of the Rio Grande. France is between England and Spain, so the French settled in both the North and the South and got squeezed out of both. Looking north to south in the 1600s: The Koreans have settled Vancouver Bay. The Manchurians have Puget Sound, the Columbia, and San Francisco Bay. The Japanese are being forced inland like the French were. This leaves the desert wasteland of Southern California to the Vietnamese to subdue with search and attack missions and defoliate with Agent Orange. Look! No forests there anymore.
Fast forward, 2011: Tens of millions of Vietnamese immigrants from south of the Rio Grande have taken over the American gardening and basketball video editing industries. Of course, it's not called America. The country's name is "Eggroll." And we're in debt up to our noses to the new power, Europe. Did you get that joke HCP, or did it fly right over your head?
Only a month ago! http://sportstwo.com/threads/191777-BBall-game-vs-Bedge?p=2643275&viewfull=1#post2643275
you know, I bet during my slumber I heard someone on the radio talking about it, much like Paul McCartney is convinced he heard a song on the radio, but doesn't know the name of it..but thinks it might be the melody of Yesterday. Or whatever song it was.
the west coast would have at least 150 million people to this day, people that lived in the east, just kept moving west because how gross the weather is, many of them would have just stayed there would be NOBODY in new england a thought the california redwood oldgrowth would have been discovered immediately, and would have made england a gaggle of money, therefore they would have been able to dominate us in the revolutionary war, and would have sold us as slaves to the indian tribes for use as musicians and dog meat
