2012 Rand McNally

[Quillz]

Does anyone know what font Rand McNally is using for their 2012 maps? I thought it was Interstate, but upon close inspection, I'm probably wrong.

[Mike_OH]

I discovered some errors on the 2012 Rand McNally Road Atlas.  In Downtown Cincinnati, the map shows an exit ramp from I-71 South to Third St and an on ramp from Sycamore St to I-71 South.  Those exits were eliminated about 10 years ago and Third Street now travels one way from east to west, not west to east as it is on the map.  The changes were implemented about the same time as construction of Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ballpark, both of which are on the map.

[Pilgrimway]

The RM 2012 still absolutely refuses to acknowledge Exit 98 on DE-1 on the Dover, Delaware insert (DE-8 at DE-1).  It may be a partial interchange but still...

[PAHighways]

On my weekly excursion to Wal-Mart this morning something told me to revisit the 2012 Rand again. Low and behold it was an updated version! To my surprise they now have Interstate 520 shown as complete to Interstate 20 northeast of Augusta (on both the inset and main map) and the PA 60 shields have been replaced with Interstate 376 shields. A green BL I-376 shield even appears in the Pittsburgh inset. The only thing they neglected to do in that inset was reset the exit numbers along I-376; they still reflect its original mileage before the extension.

Now we'll have A and B versions of atlases like we have of official maps?  They must have listened to me when I mentioned the errors, specifically this one, in reply to a post about the 2012 on their Facebook page back in April.

[formulanone]

If you only need a few states I would get the DeLorme Gazetteer atlases. They are zoomed in enough that you can do some pretty elaborate reroutes on back country roads if need be...or scan your route for possible old alignments that might be worth observing.

...the Delormes do not differentiate between dirt and paved roads, and sometimes show as a good through route a road that has not been maintained since 1977, and has had a bridge taken out since then!

Still have my Florida Gazetteer atlas, but it looks like it has been barely updated since 1989, when I see it on bookshelves. It's not very easy to read, with every road as a red line, but quite a level of detail for exploring.

As for the 2012 Rand McNally, well...I picked up a copy for the first time in years, a $5 smaller version of the national atlas with all the states and provinces so my daughter can track where I travel to. She's starting to notice if we take a different route to go to a certain location! Can't say I found any details that bugged me for the bargain price, but she prefers books to computers, anyhow. 

I don't know what all the fuss is about, every time I've read an RMN atlas, there's some level of detail that's omitted for the sake of design and quick legibility. Doesn't surprise me.

[ftballfan]

The Michigan Gazetteer has been updated somewhat to give different colors for roads (blue for Interstates, yellow for US highways, red for state highways).

[Scott5114]

There's a difference between omitting details for legibility (which is always necessary with a map of any scale) and just plain getting it wrong. RMcN often ends up in the latter category.

[sandiaman]

  The Rand McNally is  a sad  excuse  for  an atlas.  Too bad  that   Map Quest is out of business,  it was  a much easier atlas  to read,  better  colors,  larger font,  etc.   than RMcN.  For New Mexico, it consists  of  a single page,   one needs a  magnifying glass   to  find  any  route  or town.    One inch  equals 38  miles.  Of course   I realize NM  in  not a   hugely populated state,  but is    almost  overlooked  in the Rand  Mc Nally  atlas.

[bassoon1986]

yeah I've kinda wished Louisiana would get a 2 pager. Arkansas got upgraded to 2

[hbelkins]

The reading material in my bathroom is the '03 Rand McNally atlas. Connecticut had two pages in it.

[Scott5114]

The reading material in my bathroom is the '03 Rand McNally atlas. Connecticut had two pages in it.

That's about all Rand McNally is good for.

[Bickendan]

The reading material in my bathroom is the '03 Rand McNally atlas. Connecticut had two pages in it.

That's about all Rand McNally is good for.

I see what you did there.

[bassoon1986]

yeah I went and got the walmart 2012 and its the updated version now. I-520 completed, I-376 extended, and I-69 cosigned with I-55 on the Memphis inset! Was that on the previous years? I know its not on 2010.

I still wish they would upgrade some of the highways in the DFW area. I don't know why it doesn't show 121 as a freeway north of the airport to the Sam Rayburn Tollway split. Also wish Denton was included in the DFW inset. It's big enough IMO. So are cities like Abilene or Brownsville.

[kphoger]

I've submitted corrections to Rand McNally a few times, and they've only changed one of them.

The one they've changed is that US-65 from Springfield to Branson, MO, used to be shown as a freeway for its entire length; this was the correction for which I did not submit a reference other than a Google snapshot.

US-45 from Harrisburg to El Dorado, IL, has been four lanes since about 2007, but is still shown as two lanes in Rand McNally.  I even submitted a link to the construction project, but to no avail.

I've told them three times now, I think, that the entire state of Chihuahua changed time zones in 1998; this is well documented.  It's still wrong in the atlas.  This actually affected my travel plans once, as I was crossing the border at El Paso and then taking the bus most of the way into Chihuahua.  Fortunately, it worked to my advantage and I gained an hour of travel; if it had worked the other way, I wouldn't have gotten to my destination that night.

I have given up the idea that Rand McNally cares their information is incorrect.

[lamsalfl]

Everyone check your national map on pages 2-3.  Look at SC.  Does yours say "South Corolina" too?

[Android]

yep, mine sure does...  probably never would have noticed it if it hadn't been mentioned here.

[brownpelican]

I wish New Orleans would get a bigger inset map...or its own page. It's current inset map is a travesty.