New York to California Distance: Why Centimeters Don't Work

The distance from New York City to Los Angeles is approximately 4,500 km (2,800 miles)—far too large for centimeters to be a practical unit.

In centimeters: ~450,000,000 cm (4.5 × 10⁸ cm). This unwieldy number illustrates why we use kilometers or miles for continental distances.

Practical Distances

• Air (great circle): ~3,940 km (2,450 mi)
• Road (I-80/I-40): ~4,500 km (2,800 mi)
• Flight time: 5.5-6 hours nonstop