AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: Genghixiani on February 26, 2024, 08:21:36 AM

Title: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Genghixiani on February 26, 2024, 08:21:36 AM
(PLEASE MOVE THIS THREAD IF IT IS IN THE WRONG PLACE) Alright, so we all know what control cities are. (if you don't, why are you here exactly?) I have been wondering, what are the smallest control cities you have seen? Mine is Lapel with a whopping 2,354 people.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Big John on February 26, 2024, 08:26:02 AM
As it has been rehashed many times, Limon CO.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Rothman on February 26, 2024, 08:26:59 AM
How do we measure the population of "Del Water Gap"?
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Brandon on February 26, 2024, 08:28:30 AM
Quote from: Big John on February 26, 2024, 08:26:02 AM
As it has been rehashed many times, Limon CO.

Want to try again?

Hennepin, Illinois for I-180: population 757.  Limon's is over 2,000.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: hotdogPi on February 26, 2024, 08:30:42 AM
Quote from: Rothman on February 26, 2024, 08:26:59 AM
How do we measure the population of "Del Water Gap"?

It's 675 in the 2020 census. Proof that it's referring to the borough and not the water itself:

Quote from: NE2 on November 24, 2016, 02:27:33 PM
25 miles to DWG (http://www.google.com/maps/@40.912484,-74.7413206,3a,75y,293.15h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7KdYUvj--r8QTotjmUAkpQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) just west of mile 24.5. The gap itself begins at Columbia (20-21 miles) and the NWR begins at about mile 3 (21-22 miles). The state line is, of course, 24.5 miles away, and it's another half mile to the exit for the borough. Voila, the control city is the borough.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Rothman on February 26, 2024, 08:40:17 AM
Quote from: 1 on February 26, 2024, 08:30:42 AM
Quote from: Rothman on February 26, 2024, 08:26:59 AM
How do we measure the population of "Del Water Gap"?

It's 675 in the 2020 census. Proof that it's referring to the borough and not the water itself:

Quote from: NE2 on November 24, 2016, 02:27:33 PM
25 miles to DWG (http://www.google.com/maps/@40.912484,-74.7413206,3a,75y,293.15h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7KdYUvj--r8QTotjmUAkpQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) just west of mile 24.5. The gap itself begins at Columbia (20-21 miles) and the NWR begins at about mile 3 (21-22 miles). The state line is, of course, 24.5 miles away, and it's another half mile to the exit for the borough. Voila, the control city is the borough.
So, smaller than Limon.

NWR?  Shouldn't that be NRA?

Dangerous business, taking mileages so literally... :D. I think we have some posts somewhere about how some control cities get shorter and further away depending on the sign...

Meh, I still think it refers to the geographic feature rather than the dinky borough.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: kphoger on February 26, 2024, 02:57:02 PM
Why is everyone only talking about Interstate control cities?  The OP's example is not on an Interstate at all.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: jlam on February 26, 2024, 03:10:12 PM
If we can include control cities along Interstates for exits (if those count as control cities), we can get quite low. For example (though this is likely nowhere near the lowest in Colorado), Starkville (I-25 exit 11) has a population of 62.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: kphoger on February 26, 2024, 03:12:58 PM
Exit destinations are not control cities.  If we could count those, then there are actual ghost towns that would qualify.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: mgk920 on February 26, 2024, 05:53:46 PM
Does unincorporated Cove Fort, UT even have a defined population?

Mike
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: JayhawkCO on February 26, 2024, 05:55:14 PM
Quote from: mgk920 on February 26, 2024, 05:53:46 PM
Does unincorporated Cove Fort, UT even have a defined population?

Mike

Yep. Zero.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: GaryV on February 26, 2024, 06:14:22 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 26, 2024, 05:55:14 PM
Quote from: mgk920 on February 26, 2024, 05:53:46 PM
Does unincorporated Cove Fort, UT even have a defined population?

Mike

Yep. Zero.

So then, same as "Mackinac Bridge".
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Scott5114 on February 27, 2024, 05:31:10 AM
Oklahoma has a few routes with a control of "End of route", so...
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Brandon on February 29, 2024, 08:10:01 AM
I'm just going to leave this right here then.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftomaszewski.net%2FImages%2FEndOfEarthSign.jpg&hash=0d955aaadc57e53c388a7ef0bb61c1fc09a265b2)

:bigass:
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: VortexJamz on February 29, 2024, 08:54:53 AM
At the interchange of I-84 and I-380 in Pennsylvania, Milford, a small town of just over a thousand (1,127) is signed as the eastbound control city. Never made much sense to me, always thought a larger city along I-84 like Hartford would've been a better control city.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: GaryV on February 29, 2024, 09:46:55 AM
Quote from: VortexJamz on February 29, 2024, 08:54:53 AM
At the interchange of I-84 and I-380 in Pennsylvania, Milford, a small town of just over a thousand (1,127) is signed as the eastbound control city. Never made much sense to me, always thought a larger city along I-84 like Hartford would've been a better control city.

But if you were going NB, you would have already turned east before getting to I-84 to get to Hartford.

Do control cities need to be the same for exits of both directions of the road you are already on?
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: oscar on February 29, 2024, 09:48:26 AM
For a different kind of "smallest", there's Aiea for Interstate H-201. Four letters, no consonants. (The Hawaiian alphabet has only seven consonants, so vowels get a lot of work out there.)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiihighways.com%2Fnew-exit19b-w%26%2339%3Bbound-overhead-large.jpg&hash=68efe8ee4e1b97adc4b125915be1e34f0971536c)
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: JayhawkCO on February 29, 2024, 10:38:02 AM
Quote from: oscar on February 29, 2024, 09:48:26 AM
For a different kind of "smallest", there's Aiea for Interstate H-201. Four letters, no consonants. (The Hawaiian alphabet has only seven consonants, so vowels get a lot of work out there.)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiihighways.com%2Fnew-exit19b-w%26%2339%3Bbound-overhead-large.jpg&hash=68efe8ee4e1b97adc4b125915be1e34f0971536c)

Trying to think of other four letter control cities -- Erie, Elko, Reno. Sure I'm missing a few.

For three letters, Tok would be one for I-A2 I suppose.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Scott5114 on February 29, 2024, 11:19:21 AM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 29, 2024, 10:38:02 AM
Trying to think of other four letter control cities -- Erie, Elko, Reno. Sure I'm missing a few.

Enid (not a control city for an interstate yet but will be whenever Oklahoma DOT figures out a number for the new interstate)
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: kphoger on February 29, 2024, 11:40:22 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 29, 2024, 11:19:21 AM
not a control city for an interstate

Neither is the OP example.  You're good.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: kphoger on February 29, 2024, 11:50:08 AM
In Somme (France), D615 has a control city of Y (https://maps.app.goo.gl/vBBMk494aqS9By199).
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Rothman on February 29, 2024, 12:45:54 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 29, 2024, 11:50:08 AM
In Somme (France), D615 has a control city of Y (https://maps.app.goo.gl/vBBMk494aqS9By199).
Y Not?
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Scott5114 on February 29, 2024, 01:18:23 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 29, 2024, 11:50:08 AM
In Somme (France), D615 has a control city of Y (https://maps.app.goo.gl/vBBMk494aqS9By199).

(https://www.aaroads.com/wp-content/uploads/blog_images/jake/photos/050968.jpg)
(photo by Jake Bear)
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: kphoger on February 29, 2024, 01:21:14 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 29, 2024, 01:18:23 PM

Quote from: kphoger on February 29, 2024, 11:50:08 AM
In Somme (France), D615 has a control city of Y (https://maps.app.goo.gl/vBBMk494aqS9By199).

(https://www.aaroads.com/wp-content/uploads/blog_images/jake/photos/050968.jpg)
(photo by Jake Bear)

The absence of a diacritic makes Y smaller (shorter) than Å.   :biggrin:
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: Scott5114 on February 29, 2024, 02:10:35 PM
That's not a diacritic. Å and A are entirely different letters in Norwegian (in much the same way that Ñ is a letter and not N with an accent in Spanish).
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: JayhawkCO on February 29, 2024, 02:20:33 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 29, 2024, 02:10:35 PM
That's not a diacritic. Å and A are entirely different letters in Norwegian (in much the same way that Ñ is a letter and not N with an accent in Spanish).

Pronounced effectively "Oh" and "Ah" respectively.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: kphoger on February 29, 2024, 02:59:28 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 29, 2024, 02:10:35 PM
That's not a diacritic. Å and A are entirely different letters in Norwegian (in much the same way that Ñ is a letter and not N with an accent in Spanish).

1.  That's a distinction that doesn't really persuade me.  I'd say that the letters Å and Ñ are formed by adding a diacritic to a glyph.  Even if they're separate letters, the little doodad is still a diacritic.  In my book, at least.

2.  If anything, you just proved my point even further.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: jlam on February 29, 2024, 11:22:54 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 29, 2024, 10:38:02 AM
Trying to think of other four letter control cities -- Erie, Elko, Reno. Sure I'm missing a few.
Utah
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: JayhawkCO on March 01, 2024, 12:37:05 PM
Quote from: jlam on February 29, 2024, 11:22:54 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 29, 2024, 10:38:02 AM
Trying to think of other four letter control cities -- Erie, Elko, Reno. Sure I'm missing a few.
Utah

As I despise control states, I will forget you said that. :) Iowa would apply too.
Title: Re: Smallest Control Cities
Post by: ran4sh on March 01, 2024, 08:26:30 PM
Quote from: GaryV on February 29, 2024, 09:46:55 AM

Do control cities need to be the same for exits of both directions of the road you are already on?

No, I don't think I've ever seen that restriction in the MUTCD, and the current MUTCD even includes a figure showing an example of the same exit having different destinations in each direction.