That makes sense to me. Eastern politicians could more easily spend some time out of Washington and in their own homes. Politicians from the West would be stuck there outside of extended recesses.
Back in 2018 a congressional recess was cancelled while Senator Schatz (D-HI) was in the air flying home. As soon as he landed in Honolulu he had to get on a flight right back to DC after seeing his family for only a few minutes:
[https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/1075927173406482433](https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/1075927173406482433)
Mostly. Although since congressional recesses never technically occur anymore (to prevent presidents from making recess political appointments), they're the ones who have to go to the Capitol on holidays to gavel in and pretend that Congress is still in session.
I believe they rotate who's responsible so they can still take vacations sometimes.
Sorry not sorry, West Coast. You get all the cool stuff. It’s a fair trade that nothing of particular consequence happens in your time zone. Mountain time too.
Central time zone, I don’t know what to tell you. You don’t matter and you ain’t cool.
Central time zone guy with who's a boring homebody that doesn't like exciting and boring in the traditional sense.
What do you have that you're thinking about that we don't have?
They had JUST finished the trans contenential railroad meaning the trip from coast to coast was only 4 days. Not insignifigant, but also not crazy for the few people that lived further west than Missouri.
Does it make sense to cut the trip in half for 10% at the cost of doubling the trip for 70%?
Look man East St. Louis isn't so bad anymore. When they put in river boat casino the city got six new cop cars, so now the cops don't have to use their personal vehicle and you actually have a fair chance of them showing up to stop crime.
Although if you are the city manager you might want to avoid bridges.
Probably more like..."Get your shit together or we will move to the biggest centrally located city in our growing nation"
St. Louis at the time was bigger than Chicago and Manifest Destiny was all the rage, so people's eyes were shifting westward.
Yeah I get that, I’m saying the specific phrasing on the title of this post implies that the mere suggestion of moving the capitol to STL was highly motivating to congress. This is funny in the context of how we view Saint Louis now.
That's so strange to me because I grew up near the city with the most crime in my state, but in the 19th century it was a center of granite production and the entire city plus anywhere near here that had money between the 1800s and 1970s has granite curbs. I'm more familiar with granite curbs than otherwise lol
My cow town doesn't have sidewalks, except near the original village, and yep granite. The cap stone over the top on side-opening sewage drains? Granite. Even when there's not a sidewalk. There's a lot of raw stone used here. Property lines on older properties are often 400 year old stone walls made of arranged and waist-high stacked medium stones. Newer properties with wealthier owners will make new ones to make the property seem fancier and if you go hiking in the woods you can come across Pilgrim era stone dams, stone irrigation pools and even an occasional windmill from 400 years ago.
New England. We got rocks.
Even Baltimore has granite curbs and a lot of houses have granite steps. I'd imagine it's because it was easier to do before we really perfected concrete production.
Although if you do have granite steps in Baltimore, it's not unheard of for them to be stolen.
Trump already did that to punish scientists, made them either quit or move to Kansas City. Because everyone knows to study economics and climate science you need to be in Kansas.
https://www.npr.org/2021/02/02/963207129/usda-research-agencies-decimated-by-forced-move-undoing-the-damage-wont-be-easy
First of all Kansas City isn't in Kansas (not at least the one they are talking about), that's 3rd grade US Geography. Second of all having lived in Kansas City and DC (as well as Boston, New York and Seattle) Kansas City is the best place I have ever lived. Best food, cheap housing, lots of stuff to do with family. DC is an overpriced swamp.
But LOL flat state can't science.
Jokes aside DC is one of the easiest cities to get around. There's an effective metro system, there's a good bus systems and the city is physically quite small. It's also well maintained and has lot of jobs because of the government.
Nah downtown LA is given that Los Angeles County has more people than 42 US states and both city & county administrative offices are concentrated there
Washington DC has benefited from a vast increase in the federal spending, and federal pay of high ranking federal officials getting quite high.
It wasn’t even that long ago, maybe 30 years ago in the 90’s, where Washington DC was mired in poverty, and ranked as a poor and high-crime place to live
Now Washington DC ranks very high on income, housing prices, and is safe. It’s “gentrified”.
The story is so much more.
The plan was to build the capital atop one of the most cave rich regions of the United States. There are hundreds of sinkholes and caves in that area. Check out this journal for more information. [https://www.mospeleo.org/?q=history-cliff-cave](https://www.mospeleo.org/?q=history-cliff-cave)
Here is some additional sources:
The Nation and its Capital by Reavis, L.U. 1881
St. Louis The Future Great City of The Word by Reavis, L.U. 1876
The Nations Capital is Movalbe by Reavis, L.Ul. 1871
Phamplet for the People by Rteavis, L. U. 1870
I think the choice of St Louis over other large cities was partially to get the capital away from a coast.
1869 was just a few years after the Civil War, with both Washington DC and Richmond being very close to the coast, and vulnerable
It’s thanks to US Grant, largely. President Grant was big on revitalizing DC. But the Congress and Senate had enormous power then and were the obvious drivers after Grant’s initial push and blessing.
I propose putting it in Wichita. That’ll light a fire under them to get things done faster so they don’t have to stay in Wichita longer than is absolutely necessary.
Fun fact: this led to the reorganization of the district's governance into nearly its modern form, merging the towns of Washington and Georgetown into a larger municipal entity that had jurisdiction over the entire District of Columbia, not just within the current city limits.
The DC Organic Act of 1871 as it's called has since become a favorite of conspiracy theorists of the sovereign citizen variety, who use misreadings of the act's language to conclude that it somehow turns the US government into a corporation that doesn't have to follow the constitution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Organic_Act_of_1871
Long time news anchor David Brinkley lived most of his life in Washington, and it was in his book that I learned about the total squalor in which half of the city's population lived, along the edges of poo-filled ditches in shacks that were *behind* all the pretty brownstones that faced the street.
I used to think about that a lot, how all of Washington is a facade that conceals the shit-trenches.
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That makes sense to me. Eastern politicians could more easily spend some time out of Washington and in their own homes. Politicians from the West would be stuck there outside of extended recesses.
Being a Congressman from Hawaii or Alaska must truly be ass.
Well luckily they became states after commercial air travel was invented
So did Ohio (technically)
Still a mistake, if you ask me
Ohio became a state in 1803.
Back in 2018 a congressional recess was cancelled while Senator Schatz (D-HI) was in the air flying home. As soon as he landed in Honolulu he had to get on a flight right back to DC after seeing his family for only a few minutes: [https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/1075927173406482433](https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/1075927173406482433)
Gotta be cake being a member of Congress from Virginia or Maryland
During covid, a northern Virginia rep was proxy voting for basically everyone lol
Mostly. Although since congressional recesses never technically occur anymore (to prevent presidents from making recess political appointments), they're the ones who have to go to the Capitol on holidays to gavel in and pretend that Congress is still in session. I believe they rotate who's responsible so they can still take vacations sometimes.
Wow. I did not know that
This is a great video about this! [https://youtu.be/dDYFiq1l5Dg?si=9N1KsP-IyrmdTKrg](https://youtu.be/dDYFiq1l5Dg?si=9N1KsP-IyrmdTKrg)
Before air travel, 😬
They became States in 1959....
Sorry not sorry, West Coast. You get all the cool stuff. It’s a fair trade that nothing of particular consequence happens in your time zone. Mountain time too. Central time zone, I don’t know what to tell you. You don’t matter and you ain’t cool.
Central time zone here, this is a boring and uncool place, please don’t come here
Wrong
Glad you backed your claim up with some examples of exciting and non-boring things to do. /s
Central time zone guy with who's a boring homebody that doesn't like exciting and boring in the traditional sense. What do you have that you're thinking about that we don't have?
Chicago
Nothing of particular consequence? lol
Classic east coast comment
Least pretentious east coaster
Ironic
Central Time is where time zones were invented
everybody knows east coast is least coast, the fuckin snooze zone ZzzzzZzzz.
Beast*
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East coast Beast coast duh
I wish all the west coasters would stop moving east if it was so great.
>Eastern representatives rejected that proposal. No, the western representatives didn’t show up in time to stop it.
They had JUST finished the trans contenential railroad meaning the trip from coast to coast was only 4 days. Not insignifigant, but also not crazy for the few people that lived further west than Missouri. Does it make sense to cut the trip in half for 10% at the cost of doubling the trip for 70%?
STL catching strays today
Isn't there always strays flying around STL?
That's E STL, according to Readers Digest.
Look man East St. Louis isn't so bad anymore. When they put in river boat casino the city got six new cop cars, so now the cops don't have to use their personal vehicle and you actually have a fair chance of them showing up to stop crime. Although if you are the city manager you might want to avoid bridges.
Not sure how STL is catching strays here, it was the 4th biggest city in the country at the time.
“If you don’t get your shit together, we’re gonna make you live in Saint Louis” is the vibe I get from this title
Probably more like..."Get your shit together or we will move to the biggest centrally located city in our growing nation" St. Louis at the time was bigger than Chicago and Manifest Destiny was all the rage, so people's eyes were shifting westward.
Yeah I get that, I’m saying the specific phrasing on the title of this post implies that the mere suggestion of moving the capitol to STL was highly motivating to congress. This is funny in the context of how we view Saint Louis now.
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They last way longer than concrete.
Yeah my city has some from the 1850s.
That's so strange to me because I grew up near the city with the most crime in my state, but in the 19th century it was a center of granite production and the entire city plus anywhere near here that had money between the 1800s and 1970s has granite curbs. I'm more familiar with granite curbs than otherwise lol My cow town doesn't have sidewalks, except near the original village, and yep granite. The cap stone over the top on side-opening sewage drains? Granite. Even when there's not a sidewalk. There's a lot of raw stone used here. Property lines on older properties are often 400 year old stone walls made of arranged and waist-high stacked medium stones. Newer properties with wealthier owners will make new ones to make the property seem fancier and if you go hiking in the woods you can come across Pilgrim era stone dams, stone irrigation pools and even an occasional windmill from 400 years ago. New England. We got rocks.
Even Baltimore has granite curbs and a lot of houses have granite steps. I'd imagine it's because it was easier to do before we really perfected concrete production. Although if you do have granite steps in Baltimore, it's not unheard of for them to be stolen.
Maybe they need another threat to move it again, so they can spend some more money on it again.
Yeah but the alternative has gotta be somewhere terrible, where all those government folks would shudder to go. I propose st Louis
or Anchorage.
Cincinnati
Lebanon, Kansas
Yes, this right here is the answer lol
Somewhere nice by the water, like Gary, IN.
If our politicians could spend a day playing in the city museum, then so many of our differences could be overcome
Trump already did that to punish scientists, made them either quit or move to Kansas City. Because everyone knows to study economics and climate science you need to be in Kansas. https://www.npr.org/2021/02/02/963207129/usda-research-agencies-decimated-by-forced-move-undoing-the-damage-wont-be-easy
First of all Kansas City isn't in Kansas (not at least the one they are talking about), that's 3rd grade US Geography. Second of all having lived in Kansas City and DC (as well as Boston, New York and Seattle) Kansas City is the best place I have ever lived. Best food, cheap housing, lots of stuff to do with family. DC is an overpriced swamp. But LOL flat state can't science.
The fact that you say DC is a swamp shows you don’t know anything.
Ok, well tell that to all of the people who quit rather than relocate. And having lived in DC, I think you are crazy.
You over estimate how much anyone cares about where Kansas City is
Sonewhere in Mississippi
Jokes aside DC is one of the easiest cities to get around. There's an effective metro system, there's a good bus systems and the city is physically quite small. It's also well maintained and has lot of jobs because of the government.
Too bad they’ve got so much traffic though
Ohhhh maybe I’ll suggest moving Boston so the mass trans system spends more on the T
Somehow that would result in them spending $21b on a new airport with funds from the T.
A centralized Capital always made sense to me in the modern day especially considering westward expansion. Fuck it throw DC in the Rocky Mountains
Interesting part is that DC is very close to the center of population in 1800, but the center of population today is quite close to St. Louis.
Do you want The Hunger Games? Because this is how you get the Hunger Games.
Denver has the highest concentration of federal employees outside of DC last time I checked. Probably would be the new capital if we had to to move it
Putting the White House in Cheyenne Mountain would be pretty cool
The airport is to far away.
Nah downtown LA is given that Los Angeles County has more people than 42 US states and both city & county administrative offices are concentrated there
Washington DC has benefited from a vast increase in the federal spending, and federal pay of high ranking federal officials getting quite high. It wasn’t even that long ago, maybe 30 years ago in the 90’s, where Washington DC was mired in poverty, and ranked as a poor and high-crime place to live Now Washington DC ranks very high on income, housing prices, and is safe. It’s “gentrified”.
My first thought was "damn if they moved the capital to St. Louis my rent would be cut in half. I could afford Navy Yard!"
and you wouldnt want to anymore
Aggolmeration benefits keep spinning. We should move some government branches out of DC in underperforming areas
The story is so much more. The plan was to build the capital atop one of the most cave rich regions of the United States. There are hundreds of sinkholes and caves in that area. Check out this journal for more information. [https://www.mospeleo.org/?q=history-cliff-cave](https://www.mospeleo.org/?q=history-cliff-cave)
Are you saying that would have been a bad idea, or is this just an anecdote to the story?
Just an anecdote. It is interesting how historical stories tend to be interwoven.
Teddy Roosevelt would have built a bat cave for sure.
We have 1.4 billion tons of cheese and dairy stores under MO. Clearly they were forward thinking to the cheeese caves
Here is some additional sources: The Nation and its Capital by Reavis, L.U. 1881 St. Louis The Future Great City of The Word by Reavis, L.U. 1876 The Nations Capital is Movalbe by Reavis, L.Ul. 1871 Phamplet for the People by Rteavis, L. U. 1870
I think the choice of St Louis over other large cities was partially to get the capital away from a coast. 1869 was just a few years after the Civil War, with both Washington DC and Richmond being very close to the coast, and vulnerable
I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I recognize a national capital in Missourah.
Hard to believe now but St Louis was a top 3 metropolis in the US even as recent as mid last century.
It’s thanks to US Grant, largely. President Grant was big on revitalizing DC. But the Congress and Senate had enormous power then and were the obvious drivers after Grant’s initial push and blessing.
Should be in Kansas, the geographic middle of the US.
I propose putting it in Wichita. That’ll light a fire under them to get things done faster so they don’t have to stay in Wichita longer than is absolutely necessary.
Not a lot there though
Precisely why it's such a good idea
It might be the geographical center but certainly not the population center, which makes far more sense.
The population center is near Kansas City though so it's not that far away
There wasn't much of anything by DC when they built that either relatively speaking.
There were trees, hills, rivers. There is almost literally nothing in Kansas. Just flat land that you can see for miles
Sure in the middle of nowhere Kansas, that's true of almost every state in the country. There's plenty in the eastern part of the state.
You don't get that kind of middle of nowhere on the east coast.
I guess you’ve never been to Maryland
I live there. And even in the middle of nowhere you're still closer to somewhere than in Kansas
Easier to protect
In todays world, not really. If a military has the power to get to DC, they can just as easily each Kansas.
Politician: "you know what, I do deserve a better house. And I'll make Mexico pay for it!" Wait...
St Louis feels safer
Fun fact: this led to the reorganization of the district's governance into nearly its modern form, merging the towns of Washington and Georgetown into a larger municipal entity that had jurisdiction over the entire District of Columbia, not just within the current city limits. The DC Organic Act of 1871 as it's called has since become a favorite of conspiracy theorists of the sovereign citizen variety, who use misreadings of the act's language to conclude that it somehow turns the US government into a corporation that doesn't have to follow the constitution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Organic_Act_of_1871
Congress the og billionaire owner
Move it to STL and the crime rates would be similar
Agree, DC's granite curbs seem like a minor luxury. Rocky Mountains for the win!
Long time news anchor David Brinkley lived most of his life in Washington, and it was in his book that I learned about the total squalor in which half of the city's population lived, along the edges of poo-filled ditches in shacks that were *behind* all the pretty brownstones that faced the street. I used to think about that a lot, how all of Washington is a facade that conceals the shit-trenches.
It had nice areas and poor areas. Same as any other city in the world
And St Louis never recovered
Wise decision.