Common Census Map Project

Common Census Map Project

Earlier I wrote about the "Pop vs Soda (vs Coke) Page" It was hilarious, and it DID give an intriguing insight into who thought in what way, depending on how you viewed the bubbly drink you ingested WAY TOO MUCH OF (or at least I did...).

Here's another set of pages with this concept in mind, ony this is a bit more serious: Where does your place identify with? Is your area most strongly affected by the nearest large city, or is there another town that has your area in its thrall?

Interesting things to note (at least as I see it):

1. States where the capitol city is totally obliterated by a nearby big city (with the overpowering big city listed next to the state):
   
   • New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island (Boston)
     
   • New Jersey (NYC/Philadelphia)
     
   • Delaware (Philadelphia)
     
   • Maryland (Baltimore/Washington DC)
     
   • Illinois, Missouri (Saint Louis, although Illinois also has Chicago and Missouri also has Kansas City)
     
   • Kansas (Kansas City Area)
     
   • South Dakota (Soiux City)
     
   • Wyoming (Denver)
     
   • Montana (Helena)
     
   • Nevada (Reno)
     
   • Oregon (Portland)
     
   • Washington (Seattle)
   
   (The capitols of Michigan and Louisiana, while weak, still show up on the map. New Mexico, Nebraska, Maine and New York's capitols have their area outside (or bordering) the capitol city itself. And Minnesota's capitol is included in the "Twin Cities" designation).
   
   
2. Intriguing how Minnesota and most of New England can identify with one city while North Dakota splits itself between four towns (with three of them throwing their influence from a distance).
   
   
3. How Jonesboro seems to have a finger reaching down into Mississippi when it should be fighting off Memphis.
   
   
4. Some oddities in the map. Such as: is that yellow spot where Pennsylvania meets Lake Erie for the city of Erie? And is that Iowa City coloring in northwest Iowa, or Hayes, Kansas? And does Los Angeles REALLY have a finger reaching into Nevada?

Time (and the addition of votes) should tell (North Dakota cities total 31 votes in total; more votes should correct for most of the oddities there) with most of the items.