This is true? - Geographic oddities that defy conventional wisdom

[DandyDan]

Isle Royale National Park is closer to Minnesota than it is to the UP of Michigan.

[noelbotevera]

Erie Pennsylvania reaches farther north than Sandusky Ohio. Google Maps counts Cedar Point to be a part of Sandusky, but does not reach far enough to be farther north than Erie. Down here I copy and pasted the latitude and longitude for both, just to prove myself.


Sandusky OH:41.4467° N, 82.7092° W
Erie PA:42.1296° N, 80.0852° W

[sandwalk]

Erie Pennsylvania reaches farther north than Sandusky Ohio. Google Maps counts Cedar Point to be a part of Sandusky, but does not reach far enough to be farther north than Erie. Down here I copy and pasted the latitude and longitude for both, just to prove myself.


Sandusky OH:41.4467° N, 82.7092° W
Erie PA:42.1296° N, 80.0852° W

Erie, PA is farther north than any land-based location in Ohio.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Heck, I live sightly North of the latitude you quoted for Erie, but there are some parts of my hometown that are below that line.

The states are named after the rivers, not the other way around.

Then I should search for a new word, since also my region is named after the river...

[freebrickproductions]

The states are named after the rivers, not the other way around.

Then I should search for a new word, since also my region is named after the river...

Same with my area.

[jwolfer]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

[jwolfer]

Looking at a globe, it is amazing how far north Europe is compared to populated regions of North America. Labrador is same latitude as the UK.

[The Nature Boy]

Here are some:

The closest point in the United States to Europe is Hamlin, Maine.

Cairo, Illinois is closer to Memphis, Tennessee than to Chicago, Illinois.

The French Riviera is north of Boston.

Atlanta is closer to Chicago than Miami.

[Zeffy]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

Both Suffolk and Warren counties have a lot of undeveloped space too.

[Pete from Boston]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

Both Suffolk and Warren counties have a lot of undeveloped space too.

You mean Sussex?

I heard in college that the Pine Barrens represented the largest virgin forest in the East, but the true parameters changed every time I heard that.  Given that most eastern forests have been cleared at least once, there's probably something to that.

[jwolfer]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

Both Suffolk and Warren counties have a lot of undeveloped space too.

When I say undeveloped, it is close to wilderness as you can get in the East Coast. Not agricultural land like farms or ranches.. I assumed he meant Sussex County

[jwolfer]

Speaking of Sussex County.. It is the northern most County in NJ.. And Sussex means Southern or something like that

[The Nature Boy]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

Both Suffolk and Warren counties have a lot of undeveloped space too.

When I say undeveloped, it is close to wilderness as you can get in the East Coast. Not agricultural land like farms or ranches.. I assumed he meant Sussex County

As close to wilderness you can get on the east coast is about 2-3 hours north of Boston

I'll grant you that that part of New Jersey is as close to wilderness as you can get along the I-95 corridor. There are some pretty undeveloped places in NH, VT, ME and eastern Upstate New York though and those places are still on the "east coast."

[jwolfer]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

Both Suffolk and Warren counties have a lot of undeveloped space too.

When I say undeveloped, it is close to wilderness as you can get in the East Coast. Not agricultural land like farms or ranches.. I assumed he meant Sussex County

As close to wilderness you can get on the east coast is about 2-3 hours north of Boston

I'll grant you that that part of New Jersey is as close to wilderness as you can get along the I-95 corridor. There are some pretty undeveloped places in NH, VT, ME and eastern Upstate New York though and those places are still on the "east coast."

Yes of course.. I should have clarified East Coast meaning the Megalopolis. Because Okefenokee Swamp and Everglades are pretty much wilderness

[Pete from Boston]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

Both Suffolk and Warren counties have a lot of undeveloped space too.

When I say undeveloped, it is close to wilderness as you can get in the East Coast. Not agricultural land like farms or ranches.. I assumed he meant Sussex County

As close to wilderness you can get on the east coast is about 2-3 hours north of Boston

Most of which has been clear cut.  New England's (and the world's) economy was centered on wood as primary building material and fuel for a very long time.  Most of the forest was cut down to stumps.  Very little of what you find out there today is "old growth."  My understanding is that in the Pine Barrens this is not the case.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Here are some:

The closest point in the United States to Europe is Hamlin, Maine.

Implied in my location. I'm 3,229 miles in a straight line from there. What is mind-blogging, is that Hamlin ME is also the closest point of the US to the Canary Islands, despite them being located across the ocean from Florida.

[jeffandnicole]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

Both Suffolk and Warren counties have a lot of undeveloped space too.

When I say undeveloped, it is close to wilderness as you can get in the East Coast. Not agricultural land like farms or ranches.. I assumed he meant Sussex County

As close to wilderness you can get on the east coast is about 2-3 hours north of Boston

Most of which has been clear cut.  New England's (and the world's) economy was centered on wood as primary building material and fuel for a very long time.  Most of the forest was cut down to stumps.  Very little of what you find out there today is "old growth."  My understanding is that in the Pine Barrens this is not the case.

While there is some old growth in the Pine Barrens also, nature generally will take care of the old growth also.  There's always forest fires...both intentional (controlled burns) and accidental, due to lightning, careless smoking, etc.  And of course, storms.  Superstorm Sandy knocked down quite a bit of trees, but many other smaller storms come in during the year, producing flooding and wind damage.

[jwolfer]

Did you know that the NJ pine barrens is the most undeveloped space between DC and Boston.

Much of Ocean and Burlington Counties are undeveloped. With very low population density.  But the remainder is very suburban in character, or shore resort in the case of Ocean County

Both Suffolk and Warren counties have a lot of undeveloped space too.

When I say undeveloped, it is close to wilderness as you can get in the East Coast. Not agricultural land like farms or ranches.. I assumed he meant Sussex County

As close to wilderness you can get on the east coast is about 2-3 hours north of Boston

Most of which has been clear cut.  New England's (and the world's) economy was centered on wood as primary building material and fuel for a very long time.  Most of the forest was cut down to stumps.  Very little of what you find out there today is "old growth."  My understanding is that in the Pine Barrens this is not the case.

While there is some old growth in the Pine Barrens also, nature generally will take care of the old growth also.  There's always forest fires...both intentional (controlled burns) and accidental, due to lightning, careless smoking, etc.  And of course, storms.  Superstorm Sandy knocked down quite a bit of trees, but many other smaller storms come in during the year, producing flooding and wind damage.

In colonial times there was some iron mining in pine barrens.. But not much agriculture other than cranberries or blueberries

[jbnati27]

Bristol VA is closer to several other other state capitals (Charleston WV, Nashville TN, Raleigh NC, Atlanta GA, Frankfort KY, Columbia SC) than it is its own capital of Richmond.

[empirestate]

Here are some:

The closest point in the United States to Europe is Hamlin, Maine.

Implied in my location. I'm 3,229 miles in a straight line from there. What is mind-blogging, is that Hamlin ME is also the closest point of the US to the Canary Islands, despite them being located across the ocean from Florida.

And so, presumably, Maine is also the closest state to Africa?

[The Nature Boy]

Here are some:

The closest point in the United States to Europe is Hamlin, Maine.

Implied in my location. I'm 3,229 miles in a straight line from there. What is mind-blogging, is that Hamlin ME is also the closest point of the US to the Canary Islands, despite them being located across the ocean from Florida.

And so, presumably, Maine is also the closest state to Africa?

It is. The closeness that we share with the rest of the world interesting.

[CtrlAltDel]

Looking at a globe, it is amazing how far north Europe is compared to populated regions of North America. Labrador is same latitude as the UK.

This map really nails it home for me:

[The Nature Boy]

You also wouldn't think that the coast of France is as far from Saudi Arabia as Seattle is from Miami.

[jp the roadgeek]

It's about 150 miles shorter from New York to LA than it is to San Francisco even though I-80 runs directly from NY to SF.

Cumberland, MD is closer to Pittsburgh than Baltimore.

The southernmost point of Canada is on the same latitude as New Britain, CT

Miami is farther west than Buffalo, NY and Pittsburgh despite being a coastal city and Philadelphians referring to Pittsburgh as "The Midwest"

New York City is closer to Hartford and Trenton than to Albany.

Pensacola is 150 miles closer to Houston than to Miami

[bing101]

Hempstead New York has a population bigger Detroit but its population is as big as San Francisco.