It's heavily influenced by Texas which is a large centrally located state. El Paso is closer to LA than it is to Houston. Dalhart is closer to Idaho and Montana than it is to Houston, Texarkana is closer to North Carolina and Ohio than it is to El Paso, etc...
Close, but not quite:
El Paso to Los Angeles: 700.5 mi
El Paso to Houston: 678.4 mi
(San Diego would work better in this comparison at 627.52 mi, and El Paso to Anaheim is only one mile further than El Paso to Houston)Dalhart to Montana: ~625 mi
Dalhart to Idaho: ~615 mi
Dalhart to Houston: 601.25 mi
You were right about these though:
Texarkana to El Paso: 733.58 mi
Texarkana to North Carolina: ~565 mi
Texarkana to Ohio: ~645 mi.
