Which Major American MSAs has the most impressive nature?

17 comments

1. Definitely Phoenix!

2. Los Angeles has a mountain range running through the middle of it with lots of parks. Towards the west, that mountain range is in a National Recreation Area, so it’s undeveloped.

3. DC is a lot closer to the Blue Ridge then people think.

4. I’ll give a shout-out to my town–Pittsburgh, PA. There are some incredible parks within the city, and you don’t have to go far outside the city limits to be in some beautiful wooded areas with hills and streams and rivers.

5. Clearly biased, but the bay area is pretty solid. Beaches and rugged coastline with steep hills covered with redwoods and getting 50 inches of rain a year. Oak dotted inland hills incised by lush riparian zones.

   Both Portland and Seattle are both fantastic though as well. Those three are a tier above any of the other major US cities I’ve visited.

6. Of the top 5, it’s gotta be LA. Dramatic mountain ranges with elevations >10,000 feet (and all the climate variety that implies), rugged coasts, rich farmland, local microclimates. Chicago, Dallas, Houston don’t come close, and NYC has a bit more variety than those 3 but doesn’t really come close either.

   If we expand to the top 50 it’s hard to really pick a single winner, because one could argue if it’s a question of diversity of habitat/landscape, most impressive nature meaning best preserved, what your personal preferences are for scenery and climate, etc. Los Angeles would stay on the list for sure, and I’d probably include Salt Lake City, San Jose, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, and Miami. Each of these MSAs has a wide variety of natural assets, extensive areas of protected land nearby, and unique ecosystems.

7. Salt Lake City.

   LA.

   San Francisco.

   Portland.

   Seattle.

   Denver.

   Nashville.

   Honolulu almost makes it.

   I’d throw Buffalo/Niagara Falls in too. There’s some surprisingly pretty country there.

   Chicago isn’t “nature” like wilderness but has so many amazing parks. It should be on the list depending on how you define it. DC too but only if you are counting urban parks.

8. Either San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Seattle.

9. Seattle #1. You’ve got the Cascades, Olympics, Mt Rainier, and Puget Sound right at your doorstep.

   Denver, Salt Lake City, Portland, Phoenix, San Diego, Portland, Las Vegas and Los Angeles are all very solid as well.

10. Glorious Cincinnati

11. Largest 50, Salt Lake City

    20, Denver

    10, DC

    5, I’ve only been to Dallas so…LA.

    But Salt Lake wins them all.

12. Seattle for sure. You have the water right there (Puget Sound on one side and Lake Washington on the other). 3 national parks within a few hours drive (Mt Rainer, Olympic and North Cascades). 2 mountain ranges in view (Cascades and Olympics). Rainforest nearby (Ho rainforest). Desert areas in Eastern Washington.

    Edit: pictures to back up my claim
    [Deception Pass](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.visitskagitvalley.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F13214528_10154271429856320_364534566_o.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.visitskagitvalley.com%2Fdeception-pass-state-park%2F&tbnid=ccjy4BPSJUK0uM&vet=12ahUKEwjp3OqU96v7AhWQKjQIHTgKABwQMygWegUIARD8AQ..i&docid=pltYuwps4rkXNM&w=1300&h=867&q=deception%20pass%20washington&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwjp3OqU96v7AhWQKjQIHTgKABwQMygWegUIARD8AQ)
    [Diablo Lake](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fexplorewashingtonstate.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F04%2Fdiablo-lake-1024×565.jpeg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fexplorewashingtonstate.com%2Fvisiting-diablo-lake-in-the-north-cascades%2F&tbnid=Dg6PrZul1kTNQM&vet=12ahUKEwjwsrfs9qv7AhWKFjQIHSlDCEEQMygDegUIARDlAQ..i&docid=Mfj3vWtHMPyc_M&w=1024&h=565&q=diablo%20lake%20washington&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwjwsrfs9qv7AhWKFjQIHSlDCEEQMygDegUIARDlAQ)
    [Snoqualmie Falls](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsmalltownwashington.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F11%2Fshutterstock_1422734282-scaled.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsmalltownwashington.com%2Fsnoqualmie-falls-hike%2F&tbnid=zULgt0o5xiKg7M&vet=12ahUKEwjUk9z09qv7AhUlADQIHeHNAEgQMygCegUIARDbAQ..i&docid=EOVTMOIRkrgyfM&w=2560&h=1440&q=snoqualmie%20falls%20washington&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwjUk9z09qv7AhUlADQIHeHNAEgQMygCegUIARDbAQ)
    [Mt Rainier](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fodors.com%2Fassets%2Fdestinations%2F696121%2Fmt-rainier-and-bench-lake-washington-usa_980x650.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fodors.com%2Fworld%2Fnorth-america%2Fusa%2Fwashington%2Fmount-rainier-national-park&tbnid=4m7BqpINReD1KM&vet=12ahUKEwickbb-9qv7AhXcMzQIHbaJDtsQMygKegUIARD4AQ..i&docid=NOSoF0XdNnHuXM&w=980&h=650&q=mt%20rainier%20washington&client=firefox-b-d&ved=2ahUKEwickbb-9qv7AhXcMzQIHbaJDtsQMygKegUIARD4AQ)
    All within a few hours drive

13. Usually I’m a proud Chicagoan but on this one… not us.

    The lake is pretty great!
    The Dunes in MI are nice!

    Everyone should drive through cornfields on land so flat you see the curvature of the earth at least once but it’s not the usual kind of ‘impressive’ you are looking for.

14. Seattle, Tacoma, or Colorado Springs

15. What are MSAs?

16. There’s more to nature than landscape. Boston has whales and seals (and more recently, great white sharks) within an easy boat ride. With luck, you can see humpbacks making bubble nets.

    It’s not the only city with whale watching. I just think it deserves mention.

17. Everyone’s been talking about metro areas out west, and for good reason, so I’m gonna highlight some eastern metro areas that have nice nature. Knoxville is easily a contender for the most naturally beautiful metro area east of the Mississippi, as it has the western half of the Great Smokey Mountains in its boundaries. And even though it’s much more well known for its urban amenities, the New York metro area actually has a lot of natural beauty. There are beaches, the Palisades and a part of the Catskills that all technically fall within the New York metro!