> Uhm, Colorado is not west any way you look at it. It is, in fact, quite definitely east of California.
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> Like Howard said, it's all relative, and that's what makes expressions like "out west" and "northerners" so interesting. "Out west," in particular, has always meant those states with roots in cowboy culture to me -- more of a cultural term than a geographic one. But I know that from an Eastern perspective, "out west" just refers to what I would consider the middle of the country. That's what is odd to me.
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> La"Perhaps that doesn't make any sense except in my head"Zorra


Then you might not know much about Colorado. In all fairness, a lot of people seem to think that Colorado is all mountains and nothing else. In reality, Colorado is one of the more important ranching and farming states in the nation. The Goodnight-Loving Trail ran through the state. Perhaps this link will interest you.