Out West and Back East

nomad297 wrote:
Why do so many refer to traveling from the east to the west as "out west" and traveling from the west to east as "back east"?

All I can think of is that back in the old days, the majority of people lived in the east, sometimes traveling to the west, which was out there -- out west. Then, when they had their fill of the west, they would travel back east.

Does anybody know?

Bruce

Most of the US population STILL live in the eastern US.

They have a peculiar one in eastern Canada that puzzled me for years. Around the Toronto area it is/was known as 'Upper Canada'. However, when you went into Quebec, Montreal & Quebec City. it was known as 'Lower Canada', even though you were farther north.
I found out much later hat it referred to 'up the river' or 'down the river', The St. Lawrence that linked all the cities together.

"Out west" and "back east" are holdovers from the days when the U.S. pretty much consisted of territory along the Atlantic seaboard. Then came westward expansion/Manifest Destiny etc. Lewis and Clark went "out"; and then they came "back". Get it?

An interesting and little known variation on this semantical theme is that "the Northwest" originally encompassed what would become the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as the northeastern part of Minnesota. Map of "the Northwest" in 1787

That's why, once we settled a small kerfuffle with Canada as to who actually owned/controlled what was then known as the Oregon Territory, that whole area became known as "The Pacific Northwest.

When flying an aircraft directly over the North pole, all destinations will be South.

Heres another confusing one.
If I am at the north pole, how do I go north?

To further confuse the issue when one dies we say they - 'Went West".

Love that saying....:)

harold1946 wrote:
Kind of like going down south or going up north. Never understood either.

"Up" on maps is typically the north direction, and south is at the bottom. Same on a globe. We think about that here, as Aspen is south of us but higher elevation. So we go "u"p to Aspen, although from a directional point of view, we go "down" to Aspen!

Kind of like going down south or going up north. Never understood either.

gbopp wrote:
I think you answered your own question. You said what I was thinking.
It makes sense to go 'out west' and when returning you go 'back east'.

But, I find it interesting that even those who live in the west and have never been east refer to traveling east as "going back east." I find that more odd than those who live in the east saying they are going "out west."

Bruce

I think you answered your own question. You said what I was thinking.
It makes sense to go 'out west' and when returning you go 'back east'.