Category: U.S. States

  • The Wisconsin Highpoint

    Highpointing makes me feel conflicted. I love highpoints conceptually and I have nothing but the greatest admiration for those who collect them. I’ve featured some of these people in the past and of course I’m not beyond partaking myself whether at the state or county level. Highpoints, quite simply, represent perfect fodder for discussion on…

  • Four Corners

    Four Corners is a unique spot in the United States. It’s the only U.S. location where four states join together with a common boundary – a quadripoint. Thus, a visitor can touch Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona simultaneously. Maps of the area show this situation clearly and anyone can get there by automobile with…

  • 13 (No, 14!) of the United States are Split by Time Zones

    I keep getting hits on my website looking for the list of “13 states split by time zones.” There must be some kind of trivia quiz, scavenger hunt or homeschooling assignment in progress. Otherwise it’s all too oddly coincidental to contemplate. So I am going to provide an answer as a public service. Regular readers…

  • Reconciliation

    I mentioned Brian Brown’s wonderful Vanishing South Georgia website previously as I explored leaf-vein patterns left behind by swamp drainage. Brian uses an interesting minimalist approach. It allows imagery to portray a wistful almost melancholy longing for a heritage slowly slipping away. He’s attempting to preserve it all visually before it decomposes back into the…

  • Delaware Trifecta

    The Howder Clan found itself in northern Delaware this weekend. Indeed we traveled within the actual Twelve Mile Circle itself which inspired the name of this site. Of course I carved out some time for a few geo-oddities in this very rich concentration of such spots. Some of them I’ve discussed before and others I’ll…

  • Vale to Pensacola

    We’re in that wonderful time of the year when people are still getting used to Daylight Saving Time (that’s Saving without an “s” and no I don’t know why that bothers me). On Twelve Mile Circle that also means I’m getting an odd little bump in traffic that only happens when the time changes either…

  • Colorado is NOT a Rectangle

    Take a look at Colorado. Go ahead, stare at it for awhile. How would you describe its shape? Here’s the question: (a) It’s a rectangle. (b) It’s not a Rectangle I’ve already given you the answer and it’s not a trick question so there’s no way you can earn anything less than an A+ on…

  • Bad Signs

    I spent most of the day preparing my Federal income taxes so I’m not in much of a mood to think of anything profound. I swear the tax code gets more complicated every year. My brain has nothing left to give. Come back in a couple of days and I promise I’ll have a topic…

  • Hawaii is Closer than you Think

    Oh those intrepid Googlers, the source of so much amusement and adventure. I encounter them as I relentlessly review their keyword searches captured in my access logs. What would a weekend morning be without a cup of coffee and a pile of raw statistical data to mine through? Some people prefer the New York Times’…

  • State of Franklin

    The State of Franklin never existed, at least not officially, but it came amazingly close. Its territory extended across a swath of northeastern Tennessee and its borderlands along western North Carolina. The United States got off to a rocky start with burdensome debts remaining from the Revolutionary War and a weak central government formed under…