Major Cities Could Dry Up in a Few Decades

The total population of the United States is around 332 million people. Of these 332 million people, 80% (approximately 265 million) live east of the line shown below. This means only 20% of all Americans live west of the line, although the west makes up around half of the total land in the country. Furthermore, of the 20% of Americans living in the west, 60% live in California alone. This leaves only 30 million people living west of the line besides California. This means that about a third of the land of the United States, and over 9 states, has around the same population as the New York Metropolitan Area alone, which is minuscule compared in size.

Well, why do so few people live west of the line? The conditions are drastically worse. Due to some environmental factors, most of the land in the western United States receives very little rainfall and has poor conditions for civilization. Just east of the line, Dallas gets 38 inches of rain annually. Just west of the line, Midland receives only 15 inches of rain per year. This significant difference is why Dallas is a major city, while Midland does not and cannot hold as many people. Midland is much drier. But why is there such a significant difference in rainfall levels between two cities in the same state? The Rocky Mountains in the western United States have massive peaks. These peaks block moisture from the pacific ocean, which casts a rain shadow around a large portion of land west of the line, including Midland. Because they do not receive enough moisture, these areas in the shadow receive little rainfall, worsening living conditions. So many people live in California because the Rocky Mountains are east of California, so it still gets moisture from the Pacific and has adequate rainfall levels.

Compared to 40 years ago, the line dividing the United States has moved east. This could be a significant problem because many cities are just east of the line, so they could be greatly impacted. Cities like Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Wichita would become drier in the future, so they would need to adopt new farming methods, or else the towns would not be able to exist anymore. One approach would be using crops that can withstand drier conditions, like some wheat crops. Irrigation is seemingly a sustainable solution but could contribute to lower water levels. Cities near the line are in danger over the next few decades because conditions are only getting drier.