Time Zones in North America

Only 7.15% of the country lives in the 8 states of Mountain Census Bureau Region. Since Nevada's population is mostly on the California border they choose to follow Pacific Standard Time. Arizona technically stays on Mountain time, but because they don't follow Daylight Savings Time for over 7 months of the year they are on California Time. So for 7 months of the year there is barely 4.25% of the country's population on one time zone.

The main population centers of China are within 30 degrees of longitude (normally 15 degrees per time zone) but the entire country is kept on one time. At the extreme edges it must be awkward, but it does show that eliminating one time zone is very doable.

Is this a massive waste of productivity? The author's argument is that the increased use of e-mails and business conversations from home results in poor communication and does not equal meeting time together or phone messages that sit overnight.

Should we eliminate Mountain Time (assuming Canada and Mexico agree) and try to keep East and West Coast 2 hours apart instead of 3?

While some Asian countries like India are half hour off from Europe and America, it is unlikely that North America and Europe could function if times were not off by round numbers of hours. As a result the Pacific states would probably be the ones that would have to change (to present day Mountain Standard).

Is it possible to do this? Should we try? The author of the article says productivity gains would be large and immediate.

IMHO a waste to try. Having lived in ET and AZ I have gotten 3 time zones. It helps more than hurts business in some ways. Even if you Chang the clocks you cannot change the sun.

Puzzle time: John (who lives in Florida) calls Mary (who lives in Oregon) and have the following conversation:

John: What time is it there?
Mary: (states time)
John: That's strange, it is the same time here.

How is this possible? Please put answers in

About the question at hand, I would favor this, but would oppose it if I lived in Mountain time.

What I really want to know is what is the deal with Newfoundland being half an hour ahead of Atlantic Standard Time. Can any Canadians help me out with this one?

I think I know.

Newfoundland was its own country/dominion until around 1949, when it join the rest of Canada. They set their own timezone in that period, and have ever since resisted having it changed. The fact the Newfoundland has this weird half hour is probably the least strange quirk that Newfies have.

Quote: AZDuffman

I think I know.

Correct! I owe you a Wizard point.

I think I have heard this quiz

Quote: Wizard

Correct! I owe you a Wizard point.

I'm such a nerd I have a time-zone map at my desk for calling customers nationwide.

I'll still take the point!

Quote: Wizard

About the question at hand, I would favor this, but would oppose it if I lived in Mountain time.

It would bother people on Pacific Time.
Half the population lives on Eastern Time, and the population of Central Time exceeds Mountain and Pacific time zone population combined. Moving the relatively small percentage of people on Mountain Time one way or the other would have almost zero effect on productivity.

Alaska and Hawaii are not on Pacific Time.

One of the main goals would be keeping CONUS East and West coast only 2 hours apart. Since it would be impractical to move both East and Central time zones, California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada would have to move to current Mountain time. Canada and Mexico would have to make the same adjustment.

Denver and (Seattle & San Francisco) are only 17 degrees of longitude apart, which is just slightly over the 15 degrees of a standard time zone. But as nobody is suggesting that populous of an area move to half hour (like Labrador), California must move the farthest off norm.

New York is at longitude 74°, 1 degree to the east of the nominal center of the time zone. Chicago is at 87.65°, which is less than 3 degrees from the center, Denver is almost at exactly 105° which is the nominal center of time zone.

Mathematically it would be much easier for California if the entire USA moved half an hour from standard, but to move from equal hours from Europe and Eastern Asia would be asking a lot.

Having one time zone for the US would be a disaster. I think even if they changed it, it would cause more inefficiency because some businesses and people would go for it and some wouldn't. It just seems like chaos to me. A time zone change is not necessary for government workers, etc., to be on EST time without a time zone change. A day is a day and we should just keep it this way without people thinking their ideas are better and let them control the lives of others.