In this thread, I thought it would be fun to explore some of the quirks of our home counties, both road-related and nonroad-related.
I'll start with Brazoria County, TX.
Road-related:
Largest county in Texas not to have an interstate or US route within its boundaries.
Has what might possibly be the highest signed clearance in America, at 23 ft, 9 in:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.124172,-95.4304301,3a,15y,4.51h,91.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sO0MCnHjnhTkVrKbYZ1tLEw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Has the only "FREEWAY ENTRANCE" signs I know of in Texas:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.1973843,-95.4491836,3a,76.8y,5.53h,68.26t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9MhKuhcu6MoVgdhPWI0oQA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Nonroad-related:
Has more species of birds than any other county in America (many species of birds migrate through here).
Buc-ee's is headquartered here.
Lake County, IN
Only county in the state with three x0/x5 interstates
Only county in the state with three x0/x1 US highways
Only county in the state with multiple casinos
Has the largest steel mill in North America
Borders a county with over 5 million people and a county with less than 15,000 people
Sebastian County, AR
Home of Judge Parker's Courtroom (The Hanging Judge)
Poteau River meets Arkansas River
Home of Fort Chaffee
Largest town in Arkansas (for now, Fort Smith) crossed by US 71
First 3di in the state (I-540)
Dane, WI
- Only county in the state with three 2di Interstates but no 3dis
- Has five US routes, I believe more than any other county in WI
- Second most freeway miles of any county in WI, just behind Milwaukee
- Max VPD of 110,000 (on the Beltline), second highest in the state
Other non-road facts . . .
- Has 16 Culver's locations, more than any other county in the world
- Both the second largest county in the state (after Marathon) and the second most populous county in the state (after Milwaukee)
- Fully or partially contains 5 of the 60 largest lakes in the state (Mendota, a tiny bit of Koshkonong, Monona, Kegonsa, Waubesa)
Quote from: thspfc on June 20, 2020, 04:49:02 PM
Dane, WI
- Only county in the state with three 2di Interstates but no 3dis
- Has five US routes, I believe more than any other county in WI
- Second most freeway miles of any county in WI, just behind Milwaukee
- Max VPD of 110,000 (on the Beltline), second highest in the state
I can't think of a county in Wisconsin that has even historically had more than 3.
Snohomish County, WA
Home to the world's largest building by volume (the Boeing factory in Everett)
Had the first identified COVID case in the U.S. (back in January)
Changed county seats two times, the last being "stolen" by Everett through sketchy votes
Has its own volcano that isn't prominent in the horizon due to how setback it is
My home county is named after Robert E. Lee, and thus probably will end up being renamed at some point in the future, given the current politically correct climate.
It's also the spot where the three upper tributaries of the Kentucky River come together to form the main stem of the river.
Saginaw County, Michigan
Stevie Wonder was born here.
Serena Williams was born here.
Home of Frankenmuth and Chesaning two cool little cities.
Home of the Zilwaukee Bridge.
It's not the most interesting county by any stretch. In fact I find Saginaw County very boring, it's a flat county with pretty much no inland lakes in a state that has thousands of them but we are only 15 miles from an inlet of a Great Lake, the Saginaw Bay part of Lake Huron.
Fresno County; we have the largest City in the Country not on an Interstate.
Anne Arundel county, Maryland ...
Only county in the USA with a 2di entirely within its borders :bigass:
Quote from: dlsterner on June 20, 2020, 10:22:47 PM
Anne Arundel county, Maryland ...
Only county in the USA with a 2di entirely within its borders :bigass:
An intercounty interstate ftw.
Quote from: dlsterner on June 20, 2020, 10:22:47 PM
Anne Arundel county, Maryland ...
Only county in the USA with a 2di entirely within its borders :bigass:
NC I-87 is entirely in Wake County.
Granted, it's temporary and will be extended towards northeastern NC and Hampton Roads in the long term.
Manistee County, MI:
- Smallest county by population with a Meijer (also the only Meijer with an entrance directly onto a 65 mph road)
- The lowest AADT section of US-31 is partially within Manistee County (AADT is only 3,235 between Glovers Lake Rd and M-115 [in Benzie County])
- Speaking of M-115, it's one of very few state highways to enter a county without intersecting another state highway
- Home to the only hospital speed limit zone in the state (US-31 drops from 55 to 45 in the vicinity of Munson Manistee)
- Has five Dollar Generals (and two more within five miles of the county line!)
Norfolk county- has not one, but two exclaves.
Quote from: Flint1979 on June 20, 2020, 10:35:33 PM
Quote from: dlsterner on June 20, 2020, 10:22:47 PM
Anne Arundel county, Maryland ...
Only county in the USA with a 2di entirely within its borders :bigass:
An intercounty interstate ftw.
No.
What you meant was an
intracounty interstate. There's a difference.
Quote from: dlsterner on June 21, 2020, 01:08:10 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on June 20, 2020, 10:35:33 PM
Quote from: dlsterner on June 20, 2020, 10:22:47 PM
Anne Arundel county, Maryland ...
Only county in the USA with a 2di entirely within its borders :bigass:
An intercounty interstate ftw.
No.
What you meant was an intracounty interstate. There's a difference.
Every other 2di would be intercounty.
Quote from: sprjus4 on June 20, 2020, 10:38:44 PM
Quote from: dlsterner on June 20, 2020, 10:22:47 PM
Anne Arundel county, Maryland ...
Only county in the USA with a 2di entirely within its borders :bigass:
NC I-87 is entirely in Wake County.
Granted, it's temporary and will be extended towards northeastern NC and Hampton Roads in the long term.
Also, I-11 is currently only in Clark County, Nevada.
Quote from: ftballfan on June 20, 2020, 11:44:08 PM
Manistee County, MI:
- Smallest county in the Lower Peninsula by population with a Meijer
FIFY. There's a Meijer in Sault Ste Marie.
Quote from: dlsterner on June 21, 2020, 01:08:10 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on June 20, 2020, 10:35:33 PM
Quote from: dlsterner on June 20, 2020, 10:22:47 PM
Anne Arundel county, Maryland ...
Only county in the USA with a 2di entirely within its borders :bigass:
An intercounty interstate ftw.
No.
What you meant was an intracounty interstate. There's a difference.
Yes that is what I meant.
Quote from: hbelkins on June 20, 2020, 07:53:51 PM
My home county is named after Robert E. Lee, and thus probably will end up being renamed at some point in the future, given the current politically correct climate.
It's also the spot where the three upper tributaries of the Kentucky River come together to form the main stem of the river.
They'll just change it to a different Lee. Probably Spike Lee at this point.
Johnson County, Kansas:
- The most populous county in the state.
- Has the second-most populous city in the state (Overland Park).
- Has the widest freeway segment in the state (I-435 between K-10 and State Line Road with four lanes in each direction plus an expansive C-D roadway network between K-10 and I-35 and between Quivira and Antioch Roads).
- Had four fully enclosed malls, but three have been demolished. (Mission Center Mall, Great Mall of the Great Plains, and Metcalf South Shopping Center have all been demolished in part or in whole. Only Oak Park Mall remains.)
- Has a short freeway that isn't part of any state or federal highway system (Shawnee Mission Parkway between I-435 and Lackman Road, but it used to be Kansas State Highway 12).
- Has seven consecutive two-lane roundabouts on Prairie Star Parkway: https://goo.gl/maps/Wf2vB4uaXy4MJUiT8 . I still would like to know if that's a record.
- Has an impressive collection of Eichler-inspired mid-centry modernist homes (http://www.kcmodern.com/residential , http://www.kcmodern.com/don-drummond-2).
- Has a large museum inside a retrofitted former bowling alley/ice skating rink that includes a prototype all-electric house: https://www.jocogov.org/facility/johnson-county-museum, https://www.jcprd.com/933/1950s-All-Electric-House .
- Probably wouldn't have been nearly as populous and built-up if I-35 had followed the entire length of the Kansas Turnpike instead of being routed onto the toll-free segment between Emporia and Kansas City that reduces the route's length by three miles.
- Has four diverging diamonds (I-35 and Homestead Lane, I-35 and 95th Street, I-435 and Roe Avenue, and K-10 and Ridgeview Road), and I wouldn't be surprised to see more in the future.
- Shares a street numbering system with neighboring Miami County, Kansas and Jackson and Cass Counties in Missouri, but not Wyandotte County, Kansas, which shares its street numbering system with Leavenworth County, Kansas.
Monroe County, NY:
-Contains three of I-90's nine NY children.
-Home of a single Thruway exit, 46 (future 134! :)).
-Home of the lowest interstate speed limit in the state (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=7904.msg180396#msg180396), 40 mph on I-490 in downtown Rochester
-Home to a twin pair of state route extensions of interstates, NY 390 and NY 590
-Known for light traffic, especially on the freeways, thanks to a great freeway network and the fact that I-90 bypasses the city to the south
-2019 Population 741,770
-Second-most populous county in upstate NY, after Erie
-Most populous county with Lake Ontario shoreline
-Home of Rochester, New York's third-largest city and America's first boomtown!
-Home of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony
-Home to the Genesee River, one of the longest US rivers that flows north
-Home to (former) Midtown Plaza, America's first urban indoor mall
-Home of Strong Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated to play
-Home of Kodak! Paychex, and Xerox
-Home of Zweigle's hot dogs
-Home of the trash plate
Coos County's port area around the body of water called Coos Bay was the world's largest timber products shipping port in the world.
One of the founders of United Airlines formed a bus transport company in the Coos Bay-North Bend area early in the 20th century.
If you like to run more than drive, then you will appreciate the fact that Steve Prefontaine came from Coos Bay. The largest punter in the history of college football was Brad Hunter from North Bend. Mel Counts, a star at Marshfield HS (Coos Bay), went on to star at Oregon State and in the NBA. For those who like to drive without a car, the Bandon Dunes golf complex is rated as one of the best golf resorts in the world.
Roy Scheider, who starred in "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind", got his start in acting at Little Theatre On The Bay in North Bend. Only two men have been to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. One is Jacques Cousteau. The man who accompanied him retired to a tiny hamlet along Old Wagon Road, which is the original road from the 1870's that got Coos County connected by a land route. A German who was a survivor of Hitler's bunker in 1945 took up residence here. He would give annual talks to students at Marshfield HS.
Our most secret submarine detection facility for the Pacific Ocean during the Cold War was located by Charleston at the Coos Head Naval Facility. The system was called SOSUS and it cost the modern dollar equivalent of $100 billion. We also had the 761st Radar Squadron (USAF) north of the unincorporated village called Hauser. Toss in a Coast Guard cutter, helicopter facility, rescue boats, maintenance facilities, a housing project and BX from that branch of the service. The National Guard has an armory here as well. In case of WW3, we would have been a prime target.
The sand dune formation which runs from Coos Bay to Florence is the second largest formation in the world. Frank Herbert saw it on a visit and was inspired to write the "Dune" series of books, of which one was made into a movie. No sandworms there, just mosquitos and careless operators of ATV's. Be careful!
The tallest building on the Oregon Coast at 9 stories is the Tioga Hotel, in downtown Coos Bay. The Coos Bay-North Bend area is the largest metro area on the Oregon Coast. Between the incorporated and urban unincorporated areas, the population numbers around 35K.
In a rarity for bridge naming, the longest bridge on the Oregon Coast which is entirely in Oregon is named after its designer, Conde McCullough. He also did a number of other bridges that tied US 101 together during the Great Depression.
There is plenty more to say but then this post would get into TLDR territory...LOL! Coos County is full of amazing people, places and stories.
Rick
Will County, Illinois (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_County,_Illinois)
- The most fourth most populous county in the state.
- The county seat, Joliet, also extends into neighboring Kendall County.
- Created in 1836 out of parts of Cook County (a southern portion came from Iroquois County, but was lost when Kankakee County was formed).
- Named for Dr. Conrad Will (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Will_(politician)), a longtime member of the General Assembly, and a businessman involved in the production of salt in southern Illinois.*
- Has the only F-5 (now EF-5) tornado (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Plainfield_tornado) to hit the Chicago area.
- Home to two very large intermodal yards (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CenterPoint_Intermodal_Center) that serve the Chicago area and surrounding parts of Illinois, Indiana, and even Wisconsin.
- Home to a collection of Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridges (4) in Joliet across the Des Plaines River.
- Home to the longest bridge in the Illinois Tollway system (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Plaines_River_Valley_Bridge), and the second longest bridge entirely within Illinois.
*Personally, I'd rather change it to "Marquette County" due to some of Dr. Will's associations. Plus, that would make Joliet the county seat of Marquette County, which is appropriate for historical reasons.
Quote from: dlsterner on June 20, 2020, 10:22:47 PM
Anne Arundel county, Maryland ...
Only county in the USA with a 2di entirely within its borders :bigass:
Thanks to
sprjus4 and
Scott5114 for reminding me about I-87 (NC) and I-11, respectively. I suppose I should modify my "fun fact" to:
Only county in the USA with a 2di
(once completed) entirely within its borders :bigass:
Worcester County, Massachusetts:
- Contains 4 out of MA's 7 3dis (most in the state)
- Contains MA's newest freeway segment (MA 146: 2007)
Rapides Parish Louisiana
-The name is a bit of a misnomer. It was named for rapids along this area of the Red River. The plural in French would have been "rapide" with an "e" and no "s" but it kind of got a mixture of French and English so Rapides was the name that stuck. It's pronounced RAP-peeds
-second largest parish in Louisiana by land area.
iPhone
Douglas County, Nevada:
Roads:
1. Most populous county in Nevada without an Interstate.
2. Nevada has only two 2-digit state routes, and this county has both of them: NV 28 and NV 88.
Facts:
1. When it happened on March 1, 1964, a plane crash on the ridge above my house (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Airlines_Flight_901A) had the second-highest death toll of any crash in US history involving a single airplane (a couple of midair collisions had taken more lives).
(https://i.imgur.com/I1nr7hc.jpg)
One can hike or mountain bike to a small informal memorial on the site, maintained by the victims' families. It's striking how, standing there, if the plane were just a couple hundred feet higher or a couple hundred yards to the south, they would have made it safely out to Carson Valley.
2. Probably the most exciting event was the bomb explosion at Harvey's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey%27s_Resort_Hotel_bombing) in 1980. Some news video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73S2qDzJr6g) with the money shot at about 1:14.
(https://i.imgur.com/LupaZdh.jpg)
In spite of the appearance, the damage to the building was mostly cosmetic. That building still stands.
3. Biggest annual event is the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, which will be held this year for television the weekend after July 4, without spectators. There have been a few misadventures off the course related to that, including infamously tournament participant Donald Trump's alleged dalliance with Stormy Daniels in 2006.
Quote from: Ben114 on June 21, 2020, 02:18:43 PM
Worcester County, Massachusetts:
- Contains 4 out of MA's 7 3dis (most in the state)
- Contains MA's newest freeway segment (MA 146: 2007)
Funny how Worcester has more 3dis than Boston.
Putnam County, WV:
Roads:
Nothing really remarkable.
Other:
- Named for Revolutionary War figure Israel Putnam, who was from CT, one of 12 counties in WV named for political/military figures who were not related to pre-war Virginia.
- Has four communities named for people using their first names. Winfield, the county seat, named for Winfield Scott (Mexican War); Elenore, originally a "new deal" cash free "new town", named for Elenore Roosevelt; Black Betsy, originally an all black town named for a early settler whose last name is lost to history, for those excluded from Elenore; and Pliny, named for early settler Pliny Brown.
- Largest town is Hurricane, pronounced hur-UH-cun, not Hur-i-KANE like the storm. Original surveyors, from coastal Virginia, found the remnants of a tornado, and being from the coast, thought it was from a hurricane.
- Contains one of three WV towns that are in two counties. Nitro, named for nitrocellouse, a gun powder ingredient made there during WWI.
- As the state lost population, had double digit %age growth in every census from 1960 to 2000.
- Contains a post office for a place that no longer exists. Teays, WV 25569. The place was just a few houses, destroyed for I-64, but the PO is still in existence, in a strip mall. But the mall has a Hurricane address, as Teays is only PO boxes, no geographic territory.
- Teays Valley, the generic joint name for the bedroom suburbs of Charleston, is named for the pre-historic ice age river, which has not existed for thousands of years. And it is pronounces "tays" not "tees", despite the common rule you learned in grade school about two vowels together in a word.
- One of the four HSs, Poca is the Poca Dots, and does a fair business in logo wear online.
- Second in the state (after DC bedroom community, Jefferson) in per capita income, and joins with it as the only two WV counties whose per capita income is higher than the national one.
- Fraziers Bottom is the site of a fictional Piggly Wiggly supermarket in the 2004 movie "Win A Date With Tad Hamilton" At the time WV did not have any Piggly Wiggly locations and Fraziers Bottom, portraited as a small town but which is actually little more than a collection of houses with no commercial district, still does not.
Quote from: SP Cook on June 21, 2020, 04:27:14 PM
- Has four communities named for people using their first names. Winfield, the county seat, named for Winfield Scott (Mexican War); Elenore, originally a "new deal" cash free "new town", named for Elenore Roosevelt; Black Betsy, originally an all black town named for a early settler whose last name is lost to history, for those excluded from Elenore; and Pliny, named for early settler Pliny Brown.
(Incidentally, the spelling is Eleanor, at least according to the wiki, for the town as well as the first lady.)Speaking of things named after first names, Illinois has two counties named after DeWitt Clinton: Clinton County and also DeWitt County. I'm not sure how that came about, though.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on June 21, 2020, 04:45:35 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on June 21, 2020, 04:27:14 PM
- Has four communities named for people using their first names. Winfield, the county seat, named for Winfield Scott (Mexican War); Elenore, originally a "new deal" cash free "new town", named for Elenore Roosevelt; Black Betsy, originally an all black town named for a early settler whose last name is lost to history, for those excluded from Elenore; and Pliny, named for early settler Pliny Brown.
(Incidentally, the spelling is Eleanor, at least according to the wiki, for the town as well as the first lady.)
Speaking of things named after first names, Illinois has two counties named after DeWitt Clinton: Clinton County and also DeWitt County. I'm not sure how that came about, though.
DeWitt Clinton was famous for being the political force behind the Erie Canal. Basically a product of Manifest Destiny, if you were to call it that.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on June 21, 2020, 04:45:35 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on June 21, 2020, 04:27:14 PM
- Has four communities named for people using their first names. Winfield, the county seat, named for Winfield Scott (Mexican War); Elenore, originally a "new deal" cash free "new town", named for Elenore Roosevelt; Black Betsy, originally an all black town named for a early settler whose last name is lost to history, for those excluded from Elenore; and Pliny, named for early settler Pliny Brown.
(Incidentally, the spelling is Eleanor, at least according to the wiki, for the town as well as the first lady.)
Speaking of things named after first names, Illinois has two counties named after DeWitt Clinton: Clinton County and also DeWitt County. I'm not sure how that came about, though.
Michigan has a Clinton County with a city named DeWitt in it.
Quote from: GaryV on June 21, 2020, 07:17:00 AM
Quote from: ftballfan on June 20, 2020, 11:44:08 PM
Manistee County, MI:
- Smallest county in the Lower Peninsula by population with a Meijer
FIFY. There's a Meijer in Sault Ste Marie.
Chippewa County has a significantly higher population than Manistee County. There are also Meijers in Mason County, Alpena County, Otsego County, and Wexford County, all of whom are between Manistee and Chippewa counties in population (Otsego County passed Manistee County within the past couple of years)
Quote from: ftballfan on June 22, 2020, 09:46:48 AM
Quote from: GaryV on June 21, 2020, 07:17:00 AM
Quote from: ftballfan on June 20, 2020, 11:44:08 PM
Manistee County, MI:
- Smallest county in the Lower Peninsula by population with a Meijer
FIFY. There's a Meijer in Sault Ste Marie.
Chippewa County has a significantly higher population than Manistee County. There are also Meijers in Mason County, Alpena County, Otsego County, and Wexford County, all of whom are between Manistee and Chippewa counties in population (Otsego County passed Manistee County within the past couple of years)
You are correct. I think I was looking at the population of Mackinac instead of Chippewa county.
At one point Monroe County led the state in COVID-19 cases per capita!
St. Louis County:
Most populous county in Missouri
Home to state's largest airport (Lambert Int'l)
Most interstates of any county in MO, with 7 of them (44, 55, 64, 70, 170, 255, 270)
Quote from: SP Cook on June 21, 2020, 04:27:14 PM
Putnam County, WV:
- Largest town is Hurricane, pronounced hur-UH-cun, not Hur-i-KANE like the storm. Original surveyors, from coastal Virginia, found the remnants of a tornado, and being from the coast, thought it was from a hurricane.
Wonder if the reasonably-close communities of Cyclone and Tornado were similarly named?
As for Pliny, it's best known as being the location of an adult bookstore that gets a lot of customers from truckers passing by on US 35.
Quote from: STLmapboy on June 22, 2020, 01:24:01 PM
St. Louis County:
Most populous county in Missouri
Home to state's largest airport (Lambert Int'l)
Tied with Jackson County (home to KC) for most interstates in a county. In STL County there are 6 (44, 55, 64, 70, 170, 270)
I-255 as well!
iPhone
Quote from: bassoon1986 on June 22, 2020, 10:12:13 PM
Quote from: STLmapboy on June 22, 2020, 01:24:01 PM
St. Louis County:
Most populous county in Missouri
Home to state's largest airport (Lambert Int'l)
Tied with Jackson County (home to KC) for most interstates in a county. In STL County there are 6 (44, 55, 64, 70, 170, 270)
I-255 as well!
iPhone
Thanks for the reminder! I guess we do definitively have the most interstates (7) in a MO county!
Baltimore County MD:
-3rd most populous county in the state (after Montgomery & Prince George's counties, which both border DC)
-County seat is Towson, and not Baltimore (which is an independent city)
-Contains the national headquarters of the Social Security Administration near the I-70/I-695 interchange
-Contains the only Guinness brewery on this side of the pond, near BWI (it even got its own blue "Attractions" sign (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2083206,-76.694974,3a,16.5y,338.16h,87.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sS7jvsd7gFfcS8I5sfutLeg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?hl=en) on I-195 leaving the airport)
-Has the most interstates of any Maryland county (7)
-Tied with Washington County for most 2di's (3)
-Tied with Anne Arundel County for most 3di's (4)
-Contains the first, and so far only, ETL's in the state, along a portion of I-95 northeast of Baltimore. (Montgomery & Prince George's, your move (https://495-270-p3.com/) :popcorn:)
-4 different types of passenger rail run in the county - light rail, heavy rail, commuter rail, & intercity rail (again, your move (https://www.purplelinemd.com/) Montgomery & Prince George's)
Quote from: jmacswimmer on June 23, 2020, 10:58:33 AM
-Contains the first, and so far only, ETL's in the state, along a portion of I-95 northeast of Baltimore. (Montgomery & Prince George's, your move (https://495-270-p3.com/) :popcorn:
Hopefully I-495 will be done right - HO/T lanes (HOV-3 free with E-ZPass Flex) instead of all tolled like along I-95 in Baltimore. I will say though, the toll rates are fairly reasonable on Baltimore's lanes compared to Northern Virginia.
Quote from: sprjus4 on September 25, 2020, 07:19:38 AM
Quote from: jmacswimmer on June 23, 2020, 10:58:33 AM
-Contains the first, and so far only, ETL's in the state, along a portion of I-95 northeast of Baltimore. (Montgomery & Prince George's, your move (https://495-270-p3.com/) :popcorn:
Hopefully I-495 will be done right - HO/T lanes (HOV-3 free with E-ZPass Flex) instead of all tolled like along I-95 in Baltimore. I will say though, the toll rates are fairly reasonable on Baltimore's lanes compared to Northern Virginia.
The toll rates are 'reasonable' because no one uses it (and you continue to have no understanding of how VA's ETLs are designed to work). I'll admit I really haven't been thru the area north of Baltimore during a regular rush hour, but the 22 or so hours outside of rush hour in each direction, the free lanes are fully adequate; even including the 3 lane portion thru 695. Predicting the future is tough, and Maryland had really bad timing when it came to the economic downtown after 2008 and now the Covid, but Maryland failed miserably in this respect. Even if the ETLs were built out as originally designed up to MD 24, the frequent delays seen currently due to a single lane reduction would've been expediently worse if more lanes narrowed down to 3 lanes.
The NJ Turnpike got it right when they went from 6 lanes to 3 lanes. Virginia got it right (on the 2nd try) when they merged in the Lexus lanes into the general lanes on 95. Maryland, by comparison, was flinging darts after a night at the bar to see what they should do.
Quote from: CoreySamson on June 20, 2020, 02:06:41 PM
Has what might possibly be the highest signed clearance in America, at 23 ft, 9 in:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.124172,-95.4304301,3a,15y,4.51h,91.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sO0MCnHjnhTkVrKbYZ1tLEw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Sorry I'm late but--is that a county road shield in Texas?!
My native county (Lycoming County, Pennsylvania)
- Largest county in Pennsylvania by land area
- Only Pennsylvania county to contain a three-digit Interstate but no two-digit interstates
Quote from: CoreySamson on June 20, 2020, 02:06:41 PM
Has what might possibly be the highest signed clearance in America, at 23 ft, 9 in:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.124172,-95.4304301,3a,15y,4.51h,91.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sO0MCnHjnhTkVrKbYZ1tLEw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Oklahoma has a policy of posting pretty much every bridge clearance, whether it makes sense or not, so I thought we might have had it beat at I-35/I-40/I-235, but it just barely misses out at 22'7" (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4635883,-97.4970317,3a,15y,234.71h,89.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swi2E1T5W4oeEuh_vtP8DzA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192).
Huron County, Ohio:
- originally consisted of the entire Firelands or Sufferers' Lands, which was the far western section of the Connecticut Western Reserve meant to be set aside as restitution for Connecticut residents whose homes were burned by the British during the American Revolutionary War.
- as a result, some of its place names are named for places in CT: Norwalk (city and township), New London (village and township), Greenwich (village and township), New Haven (unincorporated place and township), Village of North Fairfield, Fairfield Township, and Ridgefield Township.
- parts of the original Huron County were broken off and became part of other countries in the early 1800's: Danbury Township became part of Ottawa County, Ruggles Township became part of Ashland County, and 9 townships (including one called Groton) were broken off to form Erie County.
- Erie County's formation lead to a couple quirks: The city of Huron in not in Huron County, and the county seat Norwalk is not near the geographic center of the county.
- because it was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, it has townships that are 5 mile squares, as opposed to the 6 mile square townships defined by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 that start to the west in neighboring Seneca and Sandusky Counties.
Crook County.
Yup, that's all I got.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on September 25, 2020, 05:26:05 PM
Crook County.
Yup, that's all I got.
Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science & Indistry, ;)
Quote from: JoePCool14 on September 25, 2020, 05:26:05 PM
Crook County.
Yup, that's all I got.
Home of the city of "Shit"-cago
Quote from: Buck87 on September 25, 2020, 03:05:51 PM
- parts of the original Huron County were broken off and became part of other countries in the early 1800's: Danbury Township became part of Ottawa County, Ruggles Township became part of Ashland County, and 9 townships (including one called Groton) were broken off to form Erie County.
Micronations!
One state needs to have a county called Rental County. Think of what would happen to the license plates.
Quote from: 1 on September 25, 2020, 05:34:09 PM
One state needs to have a county called Rental County. Think of what would happen to the license plates.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/AlexandreBraga1908postal.jpg)
Ah, yes, the beautiful
Rental County, named after the illustrious State Dairy Commissioner
Anthony K. Rental, whose tenure was marked by the–
–I'm sorry, I'm getting a report that the Alanland thread is still locked. Shoot. Darn.
Quote from: STLmapboy on September 25, 2020, 09:29:05 AM
Quote from: CoreySamson on June 20, 2020, 02:06:41 PM
Has what might possibly be the highest signed clearance in America, at 23 ft, 9 in:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.124172,-95.4304301,3a,15y,4.51h,91.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sO0MCnHjnhTkVrKbYZ1tLEw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Sorry I'm late but--is that a county road shield in Texas?!
Yup. The shields were only installed on CR 220 when this overpass was built around 8 years ago. I've yet to find other county pentagons in my county unrelated to CR 220, so I'm thinking it was a contractor error. Guess that's another unique thing about my county.
Hurricane season reminded me of another fun fact about my county: In 1979, Tropical Storm Claudette dropped 42 inches of rain in 24 hours on Alvin, still the most precipitation recorded in 24 hours in the contiguous United States.
Cook County, Illinois, has a greater population than the 97 smallest counties of the state combined. The remaining 4 counties in the state each share a border with Cook.
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
1. Named for the Battle of Cerro Gordo in the Mexican American War
2. Meredith Willson was born in Mason City and The Music Man is based off of the people he knew growing up here.
3. Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens had their last concert in Clear Lake at the Surf Ballroom before the plane they were in crashed and killed them north of town.
4. Iowa Highway 122 is the only highway in Iowa that ends at the edge of town while leaving town.
5. The first paved highway in Iowa was between Mason City and Clear Lake.
Quote from: 1 on September 25, 2020, 05:34:09 PM
One state needs to have a county called Rental County. Think of what would happen to the license plates.
You know if that happened it would be a state that didn't have county names on license plates.
Since I don't have a county to write about, and I have a hard time to think what would be a county-equivalent in my country, I'm doing a random one.
San Bernardino County, California:
- Largest county in the Lower 48, and thus largest county to be officially called a "County" (half of Alaska's county-equivalent divisions are larger). It is larger than 9 states.
- The only county split into three different NWS County Warning Areas: The parts included in Joshua Tree NP are in NWS Phoenix, the Southwestern corner in NWS San Diego and the rest in NWS Las Vegas.
Allen County is the largest in the state of Indiana by land area. It has one of the lowest costs of living in the country, and the top two leading employers are medical groups (with GM at a distant 3rd). It makes sense why there has been an explosion in population and in retirement communities.
Fort Wayne is home to the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Midwest League), Komets (ECHL), and Mad Ants (NBA G-League).
Universities include Purdue-Fort Wayne (formerly IPFW)(D-I men's basketball), St Francis, and Indiana Tech. There is also presence of Ivy Tech Community College.
The Fort Wayne DMA is not considered as a home market for any NFL teams (thanks to our position between/near Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, as well as having strong fanbases of Pittsburgh, New York, St Louis, and other cities' teams) and thus I have never experienced any blackout restrictions (for any sports).
Quote from: hbelkins on June 20, 2020, 07:53:51 PM
My home county is named after Robert E. Lee, and thus probably will end up being renamed at some point in the future, given the current politically correct climate.
Funny, my home county was originally named after William Rufus DeVane King, and renamed for three reasons:
- career in politics didn't include anything that's still significant today. (Was Vice President for six weeks before dying of natural causes)
- was never anywhere near what later became my county, or state for that matter
- slaveholder
No prize for guessing who the county is named after now...
Quote from: kkt on September 29, 2020, 06:19:41 PM
- was never anywhere near what later became my county, or state for that matter
Neither did George Washington.
Quote from: 1 on September 29, 2020, 06:25:54 PM
Quote from: kkt on September 29, 2020, 06:19:41 PM
- was never anywhere near what later became my county, or state for that matter
Neither did George Washington.
No, but Washington's career in politics was pretty significant, so he's batting 333.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on September 28, 2020, 05:23:25 AM
Since I don't have a county to write about, and I have a hard time to think what would be a county-equivalent in my country, I'm doing a random one.
San Bernardino County, California:
- Largest county in the Lower 48, and thus largest county to be officially called a "County" (half of Alaska's county-equivalent divisions are larger). It is larger than 9 states.
- The only county split into three different NWS County Warning Areas: The parts included in Joshua Tree NP are in NWS Phoenix, the Southwestern corner in NWS San Diego and the rest in NWS Las Vegas.
Nearby Riverside County, CA is 7,208 square miles (18,670 square kms) which is equally large like the state of Massachusetts with a similar rectangular shape. We are the 10th most populous county in the US with 2,189,641 in the 2010 census, while it has been one of the fastest-growing in the last 50 years. Coachella has a NOAA/NWS radio station in English and Spanish to cover Riverside (the city with its namesaske also has it's own by San Diego), San Bernardino (covered by San Diego-Riverside and Coachella) and Imperial counties' weather conditions (San Diego's covers the area as well).
My county (Jackson County, MO) has two county seats - Kansas City and Independence.
In addition, KC, where I live, also extends into Platte and Clay Counties, as well as a small section in Cass County.
Santa Clara County, CA:
1. Home to the largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area (San Jose)
2. Home to one of the most odiferous festivals in the county - Gilroy Garlic Festival
3. Prior to earning the nickname "Silicon Valley", most of the county was filled with fruit orchards, such as apples, pears, apricots and cherries. Fruit orchards date back to the late 1800s.
St. Louis County, MN
-second largest county east of the Mississippi (Aroostook)
-some of the largest open pit mines in the world
-some of the largest remaining pristine wilderness in the United States, the BWCA
Moved from the Hometown/City thread:
Quote from: Dirt Roads on October 23, 2020, 05:15:29 PM
The Putnam County Fair in West Virginia many years held the "International Crawdad Race". Somebody always flew in several large crawdads from Louisiana every year, which were quite slow in comparison to the "mountain crick" varieties. When I was growing up, the fair was held at the "new" Hurricane High School (constructed in the early 1970s). They missed a few years, and the moved to the County Park over in Eleanor.
I must have been anticipating this thread because a few months ago I checked their website and couldn't find anything about the crawdad races in recent years.
Fun fact: Putnam County may be the only place for this one. Locals always called the famous Southern dish "Green Fried Tomatoes" instead of fried green tomatoes, because it was opposite what locals served for breakfast "Red Fried Tomatoes". "Red Fried Tomatoes" were usually topped with redeye gravy (which will make dadgum near everthing taste mighty fine). As Teays Valley has become a melting pot, I'm pretty sure that there are no restaurants left serving them. Since Tudor's Biscuit World was partially acquired by the Craigo family, I'm surprised this tasty treat didn't show up on the menu there.
This is the third time in recent weeks that one of my posts ended up in a thread with a similar name. The first time, I caught it before sending. Second, I caught it right after sending. Next time, I'll get an all expense paid trip to my favorite assisted living complex.
Riverside county CA has an official county seat (Riverside in the western half) and an "unofficial" one (Indio in the middle of the county), 70 miles or a hour (without traffic) apart. A few counties in the US are like that, when they find it convenient. Indio is the largest city in the Coachella Valley (twice the population of the more famous Palm Springs), it has a freeway, 3 historic US now CA state routes and a railroad cross through the town, and the county fairgrounds with a winter fair in Feb (the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival). In San Bernardino county, you have Victorville and in L.A. County you have Pomona with similarities, except Pomona is on the LA-San Bernardino county line, the "middle" of Southern California.
Waukesha County WI
Population around 400,000
3rd largest county in Wisconsin
Richard Sears founder of Sears spent his last days here
Home of NFL stars Joe Thomas and JJ Watt
Fmr Olympic stars Paul and Morgan Hamm are also from here
Quote from: thspfc on June 20, 2020, 04:49:02 PM
Dane, WI
- Only county in the state with three 2di Interstates but no 3dis
- Has five US routes, I believe more than any other county in WI
- Second most freeway miles of any county in WI, just behind Milwaukee
- Max VPD of 110,000 (on the Beltline), second highest in the state
Other non-road facts . . .
- Has 16 Culver's locations, more than any other county in the world
- Both the second largest county in the state (after Marathon) and the second most populous county in the state (after Milwaukee)
- Fully or partially contains 5 of the 60 largest lakes in the state (Mendota, a tiny bit of Koshkonong, Monona, Kegonsa, Waubesa)
Wrong on the first one. Waukesha County also has three 2 digit interstates 41,43 and 94 and no 3 digits. And that isn't even the only other one. Neighboring Columbia County also has 39,90 and 94 with no 3 digits. And neighboring Rock County has 39,43 and 90 with no 3 digits.
Quote from: dvferyance on November 30, 2020, 03:26:11 PM
Waukesha County WI
Population around 400,000
3rd largest county in Wisconsin
Richard Sears founder of Sears spent his last days here
Home of NFL stars Joe Thomas and JJ Watt
Fmr Olympic stars Paul and Morgan Hamm are also from here
Until this year, it was strongly Republican, even more than the rural areas. Most suburbs of blue cities aren't
that red. (It's not redder than rural Wisconsin anymore, but it's still redder than you would expect a generic suburban county to be.)
Camden County, NJ
Road related: First traffic circle (specifically for auto traffic; yes, I know other roundabouts predate the Airport Circle).
Other fun facts: Birthplace of Campbell's Soup.
First drive-in, although it wasn't called that yet. They called it the Park In. Oddly, that particular one didn't last very long (shut down after 3 years).
First relatively complete dinosaur fossil was found in Haddonfield - Hadrosaurus. Our state dinosaur.
Tons of stuff named Haddon - is named after a woman, Elizabeth Haddon. While it's not unheard of for towns and such to be named after female settlers, it is fairly uncommon. The Wikipedia article on Haddonfield argues with itself and attributes the name to both Elizabeth and separately to her father John, except that John Haddon NEVER CAME TO AMERICA. Also; Elizabeth later married a John (weird, but I guess there weren't a ton of British men's first names then) and kept her surname.
Lastly, Jersey loves its shopping malls, and the Cherry Hill Mall is held to be the first of its kind east of the Mississippi. It's generally accepted that when Delaware Township had to change its name in the 60's that Cherry Hill was a shoe-in choice thanks to the mall. Or it would have been Deltown. One of the choices was Deltown. Not many cherries in Cherry Hill anymore - and it's rather flat - but it's a pretty name!
There you have it, Camden County! Don't make me go into my birthplace, Hudson County. With Hoboken history alone, I'd be typing all night!
Quote from: J3ebrules on November 30, 2020, 10:25:49 PM
Lastly, Jersey loves its shopping malls, and the Cherry Hill Mall is held to be the first of its kind east of the Mississippi. It's generally accepted that when Delaware Township had to change its name in the 60's that Cherry Hill was a shoe-in choice thanks to the mall. Or it would have been Deltown. One of the choices was Deltown. Not many cherries in Cherry Hill anymore - and it's rather flat - but it's a pretty name!
I visited Cherry Hill Mall in 2007, before they started overhauling it. It's a Victor Gruen mall, so the history is very noteworthy. Nearby Moorestown Mall seemed to be doing at least as well, if not better, however. I hope Cherry Hill Mall is still doing well, although it's a very bad time for malls in general.
Norfolk County MA: has two exclaves, Brookline and Cohasset.
Quote from: stridentweasel on December 01, 2020, 12:12:38 PM
Quote from: J3ebrules on November 30, 2020, 10:25:49 PM
Lastly, Jersey loves its shopping malls, and the Cherry Hill Mall is held to be the first of its kind east of the Mississippi. It's generally accepted that when Delaware Township had to change its name in the 60's that Cherry Hill was a shoe-in choice thanks to the mall. Or it would have been Deltown. One of the choices was Deltown. Not many cherries in Cherry Hill anymore - and it's rather flat - but it's a pretty name!
I visited Cherry Hill Mall in 2007, before they started overhauling it. It's a Victor Gruen mall, so the history is very noteworthy. Nearby Moorestown Mall seemed to be doing at least as well, if not better, however. I hope Cherry Hill Mall is still doing well, although it's a very bad time for malls in general.
Ooh, no, Moorestown Mall is NOT doing well. It's been dying for as long as I've lived in the area - about 6 years or so. They put some high-end stores in to save it, but with Sears leaving, and high vacancy rates - and now COVID? It's not looking good. Cherry Hill will hang in, though, I do believe. You should see them both around Christmastime. Parking at CH is downright impossible, whereas before Sears closed, I recall getting front-row parking by them to run in and buy some gifts last year (or maybe it was 2018).
Quote from: J3ebrules on December 02, 2020, 12:01:29 AM
Quote from: stridentweasel on December 01, 2020, 12:12:38 PM
Quote from: J3ebrules on November 30, 2020, 10:25:49 PM
Lastly, Jersey loves its shopping malls, and the Cherry Hill Mall is held to be the first of its kind east of the Mississippi. It's generally accepted that when Delaware Township had to change its name in the 60's that Cherry Hill was a shoe-in choice thanks to the mall. Or it would have been Deltown. One of the choices was Deltown. Not many cherries in Cherry Hill anymore - and it's rather flat - but it's a pretty name!
I visited Cherry Hill Mall in 2007, before they started overhauling it. It's a Victor Gruen mall, so the history is very noteworthy. Nearby Moorestown Mall seemed to be doing at least as well, if not better, however. I hope Cherry Hill Mall is still doing well, although it's a very bad time for malls in general.
Ooh, no, Moorestown Mall is NOT doing well. It's been dying for as long as I've lived in the area - about 6 years or so. They put some high-end stores in to save it, but with Sears leaving, and high vacancy rates - and now COVID? It's not looking good. Cherry Hill will hang in, though, I do believe. You should see them both around Christmastime. Parking at CH is downright impossible, whereas before Sears closed, I recall getting front-row parking by them to run in and buy some gifts last year (or maybe it was 2018).
The Moorestown Mall was always in the shadow of Cherry Hill Mall. Arguably in a better location just off 295, it wasn't conveniently accessible from 295 until a developer created the East Gate Square mega store shopping area and convinced NJDOT to close the direct 295 South to 73 North ramp on favor of a ramp from 295 that snaked thru several poorly timed traffic lights to 73. Moorestown also was a dry town, so no restaurants with liquor licenses could open at the mall. (That has since changed)
The Deptford Mall, about 13 miles away off Routes 42 & 55, is less well known, yet has done very well and their sales per square foot are among the leaders in the overall region. They had 4 anchors; lost only one (Sears) pre-pandemic. The remaining 3 remain open, and a Dicks Sporting Goods and and a Dave and Busters type entertainment center filled up the former Sears anchor location.
Pierce County, WA is known for a few things (other than being named after an inconsequential president):
* Galloping Gertie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1940)), the bridge (over the Narrows) that famously collapsed very shortly after construction. Since replaced by the modern twinned Tacoma Narrows Bridge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge).
* Mt Rainier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rainier), an active volcano that could produce a large-enough lahar to totally wipe out several cities that lie below it. It's considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world (https://time.com/5300683/volcanoes-most-dangerous-active/).
* Frequent filming location for Cops; also well known for movies like 10 Things I Hate About You and the Hand That Rocks the Cradle, amongst others.
* Joint-Base Lewis-McChord (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Base_Lewis%E2%80%93McChord); with all the military personnel, it's very common to see out of state plates all throughout the day. Particularly Texas, Virginia, Hawaii, and Alaska.
* The Ruston ASARCO Smelter (https://ecology.wa.gov/Spills-Cleanup/Contamination-cleanup/Cleanup-sites/Tacoma-smelter); the awful pollution put off by the smelter eventually helped to inspire Frank Herbert to write Dune (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)). Nearby Dune Peninsula (https://www.metroparkstacoma.org/place/dune-peninsula/) is named after the book.
Quote from: 1 on November 30, 2020, 03:38:50 PM
Quote from: dvferyance on November 30, 2020, 03:26:11 PM
Waukesha County WI
Population around 400,000
3rd largest county in Wisconsin
Richard Sears founder of Sears spent his last days here
Home of NFL stars Joe Thomas and JJ Watt
Fmr Olympic stars Paul and Morgan Hamm are also from here
Until this year, it was strongly Republican, even more than the rural areas. Most suburbs of blue cities aren't that red. (It's not redder than rural Wisconsin anymore, but it's still redder than you would expect a generic suburban county to be.)
True in fact Trump did even better in Adams County until 10 years ago that county was reliably blue. Although I do expect it to move a bit to the right post Trump. Both Walker and Johnson have recently done better there. Keep in mind though that until recently rural Wisconsin was unusually more moderate than many other rural areas in the country. That has only changed in recent years.
The county where I grew up, from 4th grade through high school: Rawlins County, KS
{1} Home of former governor Mike Hayden.
(I knew his brother, who is perhaps the opposite of a governor. His three passions were football, his dog, and fishing. I remember when he was assistant Boy Scouts master, the "scouting activity" often ended up being just playing football in the park. At some point, he somehow went to Belize, fell in love with the fishing there, and acquired beachfront property. After that each year, during the farming year he would farm his family's land in Kansas, then drive down through Mexico to Belize to enjoy fishing from his house down there during the off-season, then drive back up to Kansas again for next year's farming. At one point, his van was stolen by thieves in Mexico, and the police basically told him "oh well, that's what you get". When I was in high school, he was the butt of jokes and not exactly what you'd call an "eligible bachelor". Fast-forward two decades, and he ended up marrying the most popular girl in my high school class. Funny how life works out sometimes.)
{2} Home of Rudolph Wendelin, artist of Smokey Bear.
(When one of the churches my dad pastored–4½ miles north of Ludell–burned to the ground one Sunday morning, due likely to old wiring, Rudy painted a picture of the church from memory. After that congregation merged with the one in Atwood, that painting hung inside–and still does, for all I know. Rudy used to be fond of saying he could draw Smokey Bear with his eyes closed. After he moved to the DC area to be with family, but before he died, his eyesight failed, and he eventually forgot how to draw Smokey Bear. Sad how life works out sometimes.)
Arapahoe County, CO
- 3rd highest population in Colorado
- Contains the 3rd most populous city in the state (Aurora) which might also be among the most anonymous cities in the U.S. with a population over 350K (and where I live)
- Is a minimum of six times "wider" than it is "tall"
- The border between Arapahoe and Adams counties at various points has US40, I-70, and US36 running along the county line
- Site of the first gold rush in Colorado (in Englewood)
- Has two exclaves completely surrounded by Denver - City of Glendale and Holly Hills CDP
- The county seat, Littleton, is basically as far west as you can go in the county (which is 72 miles from east to west)
- Contains a city, Centennial, that didn't exist prior to 2001. When it was incorporated, it had >100,000 people, the largest incorporation in U.S. history
Chris
Quote from: jayhawkco on December 02, 2020, 03:36:23 PM
Contains a city, Centennial, that didn't exist prior to 2001. When it was incorporated, it had >100,000 people, the largest incorporation in U.S. history
Being familiar with Michener's book "Centennial", which took place in a fictional town in northeastern Colorado, I just find that so weird.
Quote from: kphoger on December 02, 2020, 03:51:49 PM
Quote from: jayhawkco on December 02, 2020, 03:36:23 PM
Contains a city, Centennial, that didn't exist prior to 2001. When it was incorporated, it had >100,000 people, the largest incorporation in U.S. history
Being familiar with Michener's book "Centennial", which took place in a fictional town in northeastern Colorado, I just find that so weird.
Meanwhile, thanks to a book I had as a kid about the 50 states, I've known that "the Centennial State" is Colorado's nickname for many years. If anything, I'm surprised Centennial, CO hasn't existed for much longer than that!
Quote from: webny99 on December 02, 2020, 03:56:50 PM
Quote from: kphoger on December 02, 2020, 03:51:49 PM
Quote from: jayhawkco on December 02, 2020, 03:36:23 PM
Contains a city, Centennial, that didn't exist prior to 2001. When it was incorporated, it had >100,000 people, the largest incorporation in U.S. history
Being familiar with Michener's book "Centennial", which took place in a fictional town in northeastern Colorado, I just find that so weird.
Meanwhile, thanks to a book I had as a kid about the 50 states, I've known that "the Centennial State" is Colorado's nickname for many years. If anything, I'm surprised Centennial, CO hasn't existed for much longer than that!
And had it not already been taken, there's a good likelihood that it would be used coming soon. The Stapleton neighborhood in Denver is changing its name as the Stapleton family has some KKK ties. It's changing to Central Park, but I imagine Centennial would have been on the list of possibilities.
Chris
Ashe County, NC: Birthplace of the bluegrass heroine and legend Ola Belle Reed
Quote from: jayhawkco on December 02, 2020, 03:36:23 PM
Arapahoe County, CO
- 3rd highest population in Colorado
- Contains the 3rd most populous city in the state (Aurora) which might also be among the most anonymous cities in the U.S. with a population over 350K (and where I live)
- Is a minimum of six times "wider" than it is "tall"
- The border between Arapahoe and Adams counties at various points has US40, I-70, and US36 running along the county line
- Site of the first gold rush in Colorado (in Englewood)
- Has two exclaves completely surrounded by Denver - City of Glendale and Holly Hills CDP
- The county seat, Littleton, is basically as far west as you can go in the county (which is 72 miles from east to west)
- Contains a city, Centennial, that didn't exist prior to 2001. When it was incorporated, it had >100,000 people, the largest incorporation in U.S. history
Chris
I wonder if nearby Highlands Ranch will ever do the same.
Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on December 03, 2020, 10:08:04 PM
Ashe County, NC: Birthplace of the bluegrass heroine and legend Ola Belle Reed
And an old original Kraft cheese process plant that is now the center of the universe. Or at least home to some really good old style hoop cheese.
Quote from: Dirt Roads on December 12, 2020, 06:45:36 PM
Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on December 03, 2020, 10:08:04 PM
Ashe County, NC: Birthplace of the bluegrass heroine and legend Ola Belle Reed
And an old original Kraft cheese process plant that is now the center of the universe. Or at least home to some really good old style hoop cheese.
Cheeeeeeeeese! :) :)