Crossroads of America

[empirestate]

I would think Oklahoma City is decent choice (I-35, I-40, and I-44)

Not centraly located enough.

Oh, it absolutely is. Junction of the x5 Interstate that most centrally traverses the American heartland with the x0 Interstate that most centrally traverses the American heartland? Yup. Crossroads of America.

[Roadgeekteen]

I would think Oklahoma City is decent choice (I-35, I-40, and I-44)

Not centraly located enough.

Oh, it absolutely is. Junction of the x5 Interstate that most centrally traverses the American heartland with the x0 Interstate that most centrally traverses the American heartland? Yup. Crossroads of America.

more south central than central.

[empirestate]

I would think Oklahoma City is decent choice (I-35, I-40, and I-44)

Not centraly located enough.

Oh, it absolutely is. Junction of the x5 Interstate that most centrally traverses the American heartland with the x0 Interstate that most centrally traverses the American heartland? Yup. Crossroads of America.

more south central than central.

Doesn't matter; the city's location alone is not the basis for my selection. There's one other city I might consider equally suitable, based on my stated criteria; can you guess which?

[Bobby5280]

Kansas City is the nearest major city to the geographic center of the contiguous 48 United States. That point is Lebanon, KS. The United States' center of population as of 2010 was near Plato, Missouri. That's about 15 miles SSW from Fort Leonard Wood.

Kansas City is both a major rail hub and major highway intersection. Chicago is also both a major intersection of rail and national highways. But Chicago is really in the Northeast US, right off the Great Lakes. I don't think of Chicago being in the geographical center or population center of the country.

I think a good argument could be made for Oklahoma City being the geographic center of the Interstate Highway system, especially when one considers how the nation's population center has been slowly migrating West near the I-44 corridor. The Eastern Seaboard Cities (Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, DC) and Southern California are the nation's two biggest population centers. Oklahoma City is the halfway point between those population centers. Historic US-66 makes its turn Westbound in OKC, where I-44 and I-40 intersect. I-44 is a very busy route between Oklahoma City and St Louis. There is a lot of coast to coast traffic taking that route.

[US 89]

Kansas City is the nearest major city to the geographic center of the contiguous 48 United States. That point is Lebanon, KS. The United States' center of population as of 2010 was near Plato, Missouri. That's about 15 miles SSW from Fort Leonard Wood.

Kansas City is both a major rail hub and major highway intersection. Chicago is also both a major intersection of rail and national highways. But Chicago is really in the Northeast US, right off the Great Lakes. I don't think of Chicago being in the geographical center or population center of the country.

I think a good argument could be made for Oklahoma City being the geographic center of the Interstate Highway system, especially when one considers how the nation's population center has been slowly migrating West near the I-44 corridor. The Eastern Seaboard Cities (Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, DC) and Southern California are the nation's two biggest population centers. Oklahoma City is the halfway point between those population centers. Historic US-66 makes its turn Westbound in OKC, where I-44 and I-40 intersect. I-44 is a very busy route between Oklahoma City and St Louis. There is a lot of coast to coast traffic taking that route.

I agree with Kansas City. It has 4 2dis and 8 US highways, and not that many cities have so many routes. In addition, I think I-35 and I-70 are the interstates that run down the middle of the country, and they intersect in KC.

[ColossalBlocks]

For the Southern US, Lafayette, Louisiana. I-10 and I-49.

[Roadgeekteen]

For the Southern US, Lafayette, Louisiana. I-10 and I-49.

Jackson, Miss, would be a better choice.

[JJBers]

For the Southern US, Lafayette, Louisiana. I-10 and I-49.

Jackson, Miss, would be a better choice.

What about Atlanta, at least currently it is for the south.

[Roadgeekteen]

For the Southern US, Lafayette, Louisiana. I-10 and I-49.

Jackson, Miss, would be a better choice.

What about Atlanta, at least currently it is for the south.

If South includes Texas, Atlanta would not be centrally located enough.

[empirestate]

Kansas City is the nearest major city to the geographic center of the contiguous 48 United States. That point is Lebanon, KS. The United States' center of population as of 2010 was near Plato, Missouri. That's about 15 miles SSW from Fort Leonard Wood.

Kansas City is both a major rail hub and major highway intersection. Chicago is also both a major intersection of rail and national highways. But Chicago is really in the Northeast US, right off the Great Lakes. I don't think of Chicago being in the geographical center or population center of the country.

I think a good argument could be made for Oklahoma City being the geographic center of the Interstate Highway system, especially when one considers how the nation's population center has been slowly migrating West near the I-44 corridor. The Eastern Seaboard Cities (Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, DC) and Southern California are the nation's two biggest population centers. Oklahoma City is the halfway point between those population centers. Historic US-66 makes its turn Westbound in OKC, where I-44 and I-40 intersect. I-44 is a very busy route between Oklahoma City and St Louis. There is a lot of coast to coast traffic taking that route.

I agree with Kansas City. It has 4 2dis and 8 US highways, and not that many cities have so many routes. In addition, I think I-35 and I-70 are the interstates that run down the middle of the country, and they intersect in KC.

Kansas City is indeed the other city I was thinking of. The reason I somewhat discounted it, frankly, is because it does have so many routes intersecting–my thought was that a genuine "crossroads" is really the crossing of only two roads (I honestly forgot about I-44 in OKC).

But yes, if you figure that I-70 is the most central of the I-x0's, then it's KC. If you figure I-40, then OKC. (And if you're going by numerical median, it is I-40, although in that case the x5 would be 45 or 55...)

And that's just for Interstates...what's the crossroads if we're thinking US routes?

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Suburban Dayton, Ohio. (National Rd-Dixie Highway)


Drops mic.

[AlexandriaVA]

Suburban Dayton, Ohio. (National Rd-Dixie Highway)


Drops mic.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8908993,-84.1987681,3a,15y,71.64h,94.69t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sHsKOEj5JCdVtxQ3v8_G7rg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DHsKOEj5JCdVtxQ3v8_G7rg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D67.13583%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

[JJBers]

Suburban Dayton, Ohio. (National Rd-Dixie Highway)


Drops mic.

Nice one

[GaryV]

Suburban Dayton, Ohio. (National Rd-Dixie Highway)


Drops mic.

Ja but,

The other intersection of Dixie Highway and National Road is where?   

[US 89]

Kansas City is the nearest major city to the geographic center of the contiguous 48 United States. That point is Lebanon, KS. The United States' center of population as of 2010 was near Plato, Missouri. That's about 15 miles SSW from Fort Leonard Wood.

Kansas City is both a major rail hub and major highway intersection. Chicago is also both a major intersection of rail and national highways. But Chicago is really in the Northeast US, right off the Great Lakes. I don't think of Chicago being in the geographical center or population center of the country.

I think a good argument could be made for Oklahoma City being the geographic center of the Interstate Highway system, especially when one considers how the nation's population center has been slowly migrating West near the I-44 corridor. The Eastern Seaboard Cities (Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, DC) and Southern California are the nation's two biggest population centers. Oklahoma City is the halfway point between those population centers. Historic US-66 makes its turn Westbound in OKC, where I-44 and I-40 intersect. I-44 is a very busy route between Oklahoma City and St Louis. There is a lot of coast to coast traffic taking that route.

I agree with Kansas City. It has 4 2dis and 8 US highways, and not that many cities have so many routes. In addition, I think I-35 and I-70 are the interstates that run down the middle of the country, and they intersect in KC.

Kansas City is indeed the other city I was thinking of. The reason I somewhat discounted it, frankly, is because it does have so many routes intersecting–my thought was that a genuine "crossroads" is really the crossing of only two roads (I honestly forgot about I-44 in OKC).

But yes, if you figure that I-70 is the most central of the I-x0's, then it's KC. If you figure I-40, then OKC. (And if you're going by numerical median, it is I-40, although in that case the x5 would be 45 or 55...)

And that's just for Interstates...what's the crossroads if we're thinking US routes?

The central US x0's are US 40 and 50. If you're going by numbers, the central NS primary route is US 51. 50 and 51 intersect in a town called Sandoval IL. 40 and 51 intersect in Vandalia IL, which was the endpoint of the National Road...

The closest major city to these towns would be St. Louis, which is where US 61 meets with 40 and 50.

[The Nature Boy]

Crossroads of New England...Boston, then Hartford.

Lebanon, New Hampshire claims this title.



I-89/91 and US 4/5 intersect right across the river in White River Junction, Vermont so Lebanon misses the mark on claiming to be a crossroads of anything by a few miles.

Also, the star on that logo is nowhere near Lebanon.

[bzakharin]

New Jersey.. It would be Woodbridge(area) where NJTP(i95) and GSP cross..i287 and US 1&9 come into mix too... Its where i95 would have split off to use Somerset Expressway to Trenton...

But, but, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads,_New_Jersey
Seriously, though, I agree with you. Depending on how widely the Woodbridge area is defined, you also have NJ 440 and NJ 18, and to a lesser extent NJ 27.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'd say I-70 at I-25 is a pretty good cross-road that represents the boundary from the Mountain West to the Plains of the Mid-West.  Either side of that line is dramatically different in terms of terrain and character.

[JJBers]

Crossroads of New England...Boston, then Hartford.

Lebanon, New Hampshire claims this title.



I-89/91 and US 4/5 intersect right across the river in White River Junction, Vermont so Lebanon misses the mark on claiming to be a crossroads of anything by a few miles.

Also, the star on that logo is nowhere near Lebanon.

I-89 and I-91 severe somewhat of the same purpose in New England. I would only see the US 3/4 intersection as somewhat important

[ilpt4u]

Suburban Dayton, Ohio. (National Rd-Dixie Highway)


Drops mic.

Ja but,

The other intersection of Dixie Highway and National Road is where?   

Not sure exactly on the local Indy routing of Dixie Highway West Leg and National Road, but the intersection has to be in Indy, somewhere

Dixie Highway West Leg enters Indy on US 136 and leaves on IN-37 (but I don't know the "inside I-465" routing), and the National Road is US 40, which I believe used Washington St, historically, "inside I-465" thru Indy

So my best guess, West Washington St and West St? Unless Dixie didn't go that far East towards Downtown Indy...

That said, if Dixie Highway West and National Road cross(ed) in Indy, thats even more reason for Indy to have the "Crossroads of America" title

[briantroutman]

I think the population centers and corridors of commerce in today's United States are too geographically dispersed for the term "Crossroads of America"  to be very meaningful.

In the early 19th century, when the country's population was largely concentrated on the Eastern seaboard with a westward arm stretching from Pittsburgh through central Ohio and Indiana, you might claim that Baltimore (intersection of National Road and King's Highway), Hagerstown (intersection of National Road and Great Wagon Road), or Philadelphia (intersection of Great Wagon Road and King's Highway) were the crossroads. People or goods traveling from North to South–or East to West–would almost inevitably pass through or near these cities.

But by the middle of that century, as new population centers began mushrooming in the upper Midwest (Detroit, Chicago) and the country was connected in a web of railroads, the U.S. no longer had a single centralized hub of national transportation. Chicago emerged as a major railroad hub and a transfer point for raw materials of the Great Plains being refined or manufactured and shipped to the East–arguably a "Crossroads of America"  in the late 19th Century. But someone in 1900's New York could live an entire life wearing textiles from the mills of New England (made of Georgia cotton), eating food grown in New Jersey, and using consumer products manufactured in Pennsylvania that had never been west of the Alleghenies.

And today, while Kansas City, St. Louis, or Oklahoma City could arguably be the Crossroads of America due to their central location, this would ignore the lifetimes' worth of freight, commercial activity, and personal travel that occurs up and down the East Coast, from coast to coast on I-80 and I-90, and across the growing Sun Belt cities along the I-10 and I-20 corridors–none of which has to pass through Missouri or Oklahoma.

[Henry]

The crossroads of CA would actually be two: San Francisco and Los Angeles.

[epzik8]

Kansas City. I-70, I-35, I-29 and I-49.

[kkt]

St. Louis.  At the meeting place of east and west, and north and south.

Because of California's geography, there's not really one crossroads.  I guess Bakersfield if I had to pick someplace.

[Roadgeekteen]

St. Louis.  At the meeting place of east and west, and north and south.

Because of California's geography, there's not really one crossroads.  I guess Bakersfield if I had to pick someplace.

I would use Sacramento for California.