Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Tag: California

  • Right Place – Wrong Side of the Atlantic

    I recently read the the Basement Geographer’s True Name Map of the West Kootenay/Boundary. That, in turn, derived from an earlier project from Kalimedia. I wondered how a detailed True Name map would look for my little corner of the world as I considered the project. For now it remains on that large pile of…

  • Rock Bands with Geographic Names

    The idea started, as it often does, with a random search engine query recorded in my web logs. A member of the public wanted to know something about an alternative rock band that she followed. It didn’t matter who she was or where she lived. She asked and I indulged. Bethany Curve The band was…

  • Bakersfield: A Better California Capital?

    We had a lot of fun and some great comments during the discussion of state capitals most inconvenient to the residents of the states’ largest cities. I mentioned that I’d found the U.S. Census Bureau’s list of Population Centers by State from the year 2000 census. Naturally I took the last two questions from the…

  • Worst State Capital Location

    Loyal Reader “Greg” read my recent article about whether the county seat of Benton Co., Washington should move because the center of population shifted overwhelmingly to the east. Greg said, “To go up an order of subdivision, I wonder what US state has the smallest capital city by population compared to (a) the state as…

  • Islands Below Sea Level

    Are there any islands below sea level? The question seemed absurd on its surface when I noticed it lodged in my web logs in the form of a search engine query. However I’ve learned to not be so dismissive. I’ve uncovered increasingly obscure artifacts and encountered surprisingly unusual situations in the years I’ve written Twelve…

  • Driving on the Opposite Side

    I noticed an anomaly recently as I pondered a map of Interstate 5 covering California. Generally speaking, the custom in the United States is to drive on the right side of the road.(1) Just north of Santa Clarita near Castaic Lake, however, I-5 splits and switches that order. Vehicles driving steadily along on the right…

  • This Tour Made Possible by… You

    I sent out an appeal for sights I could cram into a single afternoon in San Francisco. Of course, the readership of Twelve Mile Circle came through with flying colors. I wrapped up the business that had occupied me for most of the week and set out on my journey to absorb as much of…

  • Make my Trip

    Twelve Mile Circle traveled to San Francisco, California this week. I don’t have much time to enjoy many of the sites, thought. Unfortunately the sun sets early this time of year. That gives me maybe a half-hour each afternoon after a full day stuck in an office building. My touring record isn’t very good on…

  • How Often Does This Get Stolen?

    Roadway warnings in the United States are almost always feature yellowish diamond-shaped signs. They might convey information such as upcoming curves, steep grades, dangerous intersections, rock slide areas, deer crossing areas or various other things to watch out for as one drives along. I saw a rather unusual one as I researched my recent article…

  • 90210: Myth and Reality

    Postal Codes in the United State known as “ZIP Codes” take on a whole variety of fascinating geographical dimensions totally unexplored thus far on Twelve Mile Circle. I can think of no better way to start than with what is arguably the most famous ZIP Code on the planet, one known widely throughout pop culture…