Not an answer to your question, but this reminded me of a time when I watched the sun set in Key West. This was not one of the more spectacular sunsets I’ve seen, since there was not a cloud anywhere in the sky or on the horizon, so no pink / orange / purple clouds. But I was able to watch the orange ball sink below the horizon, more quickly than I would have thought. It’s definitely faster than trying to watch a minute hand move. I was hoping to see the ‘green flash’ but sadly, I did not.
Wouldn’t “best sunset” be looking west over water? I’m in a land-locked state, so I’d never call our sunsets “the most beautiful”.
I like the Pacific Northwest “Maxfield Parrish” comment above. Seattle gets the long sunset, and you’re looking across Puget Sound with the Olympic mountains beyond that.
Once, when I was in Los Angeles visiting an uncle, he was oohing and aahing over how they got the best sunsets in the world there, and one evening showed me one that he thought was an especially fine specimen of a California sunset.
It consisted of just the Sun, with smog stripes across it. That was it. No clouds reflecting the colors, or anything like that. It was, honestly, about as boring as a sunset can get.
The two most spectacular sunsets I’ve ever seen were both when I looked out my living room window in Montana, and saw purple, orange, and pink filling the view (as an aside, I’m pretty sure I had the absolute best view in all of Bozeman). Which isn’t too impressive… until you realize that my living room window faced east.
“Big Sky Country”, indeed.
I’ve lived here and there in my life, and I can tell you confidently that Central Illinois, where I was born and raised, has little going for it. But the sunsets - my god the sunsets. Better than here in Southeast Missouri (you kind of need to be able to see the horizon to enjoy a good sunset), better than anywhere I’ve lived. I think it’s the impossibly-flat landscape and the distant horizon that makes them so special.
Yeah, in my book the most basic qualification for a place to have the “best sunset” would be a clear view. So the west coast would have a distinct advantage, Florida is probably good, and any place that’s sparsely populated and relatively flat would be a contender.
I live in the DC area, near Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the district, and I haven’t heard anyone from any of those states/regions gush about the sunset. I think it’s pretty safe to say that the DC area does not have the prettiest sunsets.
I find sunsets over the ocean to be pretty boring, unless the clouds are really great. I much prefer some landscape in the foreground to contrast with the sky.
I’d agree. The most spectacular sunsets I’ve seen meet this criteria. So either the Pacific Northwest or North America’s ‘third coast’ (ie. western shore of any Great Lake) would get my vote.
I grew up in West Virginia. There are some nice things about living in the mountains, but the sunsets aren’t one of them. The only way to see a decent sunset is to be at the top of a mountain. Otherwise the sun just disappears behind a mountain long before the sky gets pretty.
I have seen some truly beautiful pictures of sunsets from a mountaintop, but generally speaking, you can definitely cross West Virginia off of the prettiest sunsets list.
I live in Pennsylvania now, near Gettysburg. Western PA has the same terrain as WV. Eastern PA isn’t anywhere near as mountainous. We had a really beautiful sunset here last week (my son took a bunch of pics) but overall I wouldn’t come to this area for the sunsets.
Thanks! Ever since I read that damn Travis McGee book I’ve wanted to see a green flash. Every time I’m out around sunset, I look for it. I didn’t realize it was so subtle.
