# "Contiguous" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743 "2016-06-30T00:05:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/21 "2016-06-30T11:36:20Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > If Everest didn’t start on the ocean floor, how could it’s summit be composed of marine limestone? Huh? But the summit of Mauna Kea is composed of magma, from below the earth’s crust. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/22 "2016-06-30T13:34:29Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Alaska is obvious, and Hawaii is [pretty damn close](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea). Yes they should say the contiguous 48 (and so the 48 must be the 48 contiguous states ) to be clear… The 3rd/5th state you might think of would be Colorado, but while it has numerous 14k peaks (peaks 14,000ft and higher ) its low point is at a relatively high 3000ft, being the spot where the Arikaree River flows into Kansas. See [List of the highest major summits of the United States - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_highest_major_summits_of_the_United_States) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/23 "2016-06-30T14:37:41Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > (snip)– kind of how the proper way to measure a penis is along its dorsal spine, which is almost always shorter than its ventral length. When I measure mine I do it the same way you measure a cat’s tail, starting from the asshole. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/24 "2016-06-30T14:37:42Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > If Everest didn’t start on the ocean floor, how could it’s summit be composed of marine limestone? Huh? We bought some sea salt from Utah. Sea salt that came from mines in Utah. There is a national park in Utah called Capitol Reef, because it used to be under water. Everest was just some underwater rocks, until India ran up against Asia and the Himalayan plain got shoved up into the sky. But when counting prominence, we do not measure from where the peak was millions of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/25 "2016-06-30T16:50:55Z")
When I read the OP, I thought: “Washington with Mt. Ranier must be one; and the only coastal state it is contiguous with is Oregon. Surely that’s too easy to be a Final Jeopardy question…” But “of the contiguous states” is a much different question. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/26 "2016-06-30T17:00:52Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > The 3rd/5th state you might think of would be Colorado, but while it has numerous 14k peaks (peaks 14,000ft and higher ) its low point is at a relatively high 3000ft, being the spot where the Arikaree River flows into Kansas. Washington has a single [county](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_County,_Washington) that goes from sea level to 14,411’. I remember reading once that that was a greater elevation change than any other county in the U.S., but I don’t know if it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/27 "2016-06-30T19:45:35Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > When I read the OP, I thought: “Washington with Mt. Ranier must be one; and the only coastal state it is contiguous with is Oregon. Surely that’s too easy to be a Final Jeopardy question…” Problem is, Oregon _used to have_ a very tall mountain, but then it turned inside out and exploded, so all that is left is a large divot with some water in it. The highest point in the state is currently a little over 11000’. Meanwhile, in Inyo county California, the highest point in the lower-48 is only about 80 crow-miles from Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the whole US. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/28 "2016-06-30T20:06:19Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > kind of how the proper way to measure a penis is along its dorsal spine, which is almost always shorter than its ventral length. Well, damn. Now I’m going to have to update all my dating site profiles, and not in an advantageous way. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/29 "2016-06-30T20:24:39Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Washington has a single [county](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_County,_Washington) that goes from sea level to 14,411’. I remember reading once that that was a greater elevation change than any other county in the U.S., but I don’t know if it’s true. > [@eschereal](#): > > Problem is, Oregon _used to have_ a very tall mountain, but then it turned inside out and exploded, so all that is left is a large divot with some water in it. The highest point in the state is currently a little over 11000’. > > Meanwhile, in Inyo county California, the highest point in the lower-48 is only about 80 crow-miles from Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the whole US. Yep, Inyo County is the winner. - elevation at Badwater: 282 feet below sea level - elevation Whitney summit: 14,505 feet - difference: 14,787 feet (distance betwixt them: over 80 crowmiles) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/30 "2016-06-30T21:18:00Z")
So the entire Tibetan plateau is a taller mountain than Mauna Kea. What, we’re disqualifying mountains for being too wide? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/31 "2016-06-30T21:56:42Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Yep, Inyo County is the winner. > > - elevation at Badwater: 282 feet below sea level > - elevation Whitney summit: 14,505 feet > - difference: 14,787 feet > (distance betwixt them: over 80 crowmiles) Maybe. The peak of Mt. Rainier to Commencement Bay is about 40 miles. So the line you would draw would be about 6.8% grade; the line from Mt. Whitney to Badwater Basin, being twice as long with only 300’ difference is only 3.5%. The obvious question would be dirt and rock vs. air: how much of the straightest line would the putative crow be able to traverse on the wing without having to walk over places where it cuts through intervening land? I am going to guess that Pierce County would win that one (especially as there are a lot more points to land the line in the sound than there is at the lowest point in death valley. Also, it might be worth noting that the nearest county line to the peak of Mt. Rainier is about three miles, whereas the Tulare county line is about ten feet from the high point of Mt. Whitney. And Mt. Whitney has the potential to kill far fewer people in an unexpected eruption. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/32 "2016-06-30T22:06:46Z")
[Whimper] … Oregon’s _always_ the ugly step-sister when it comes to mountains … ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/33 "2016-06-30T22:12:23Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > [Whimper] … Oregon’s _always_ the ugly step-sister when it comes to mountains … Oregon has the mountain that had an outdoor group named after it. Too bad we have no idea what it used to look like, but its wreckage is very pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/34 "2016-06-30T23:44:19Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Washington has a single [county](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_County,_Washington) that goes from sea level to 14,411’. I remember reading once that that was a greater elevation change than any other county in the U.S. Alaska’s counties are known as boroughs. Denali borough has elevations that range from around 400’ to over 20,000’ MSL. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/35 "2016-07-01T00:12:55Z")
So far, though, Alaska is not **“Contiguous”**. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/36 "2016-07-01T00:39:29Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Oregon has the mountain that had an outdoor group named after it. The other way around. The mountain was named after the climbing club. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/37 "2016-07-01T00:49:55Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > So far, though, Alaska is not **“Contiguous”**. But it is “in the U.S.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/38 "2016-07-01T03:33:34Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > But it is “in the U.S.” Only the Lower 48 are in question here. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/39 "2016-07-01T03:37:40Z")
Funny that we should call them the Lower 48 when Hawaii is even “lower”. Perhaps the “lower 48” includes Hawaii but excludes Alaska and the next northern most state. I mean, who needs Minnesota, anyway? They all talk like Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743/40 "2016-07-01T03:41:17Z")
Well, ya know, Canada _is_ our northernmost state. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contiguous/758743.md?page=3)