On my way back to Laramie today, I took a weird route to finish up the state highway system in the western part of the state. Along the way, I drove from Marbleton to Medicine Bow along the following route:
Here (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=marbleton+wy&daddr=WY-28+E%2FDickinson+Ave+to:42.577355,-106.647034+to:medicine+bow+wy&hl=en&geocode=FdFQiQIdc91v-Sn3lqbF5AhXhzFs71Dbdm9MCA%3BFV6MhgId7C6C-Q%3B%3BFWFGfwIdvnGr-SlnyCl-VJhnhzHyw6e2kY-TFA&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=2&sz=9&via=1,2&sll=42.30169,-107.627563&sspn=1.058341,2.705383&ie=UTF8&z=9)
This was 326 miles between incorporated communities. I feel like that has to be just about the furthest one could possibly drive in the lower 48 (Alaska, obviously, is a whole different animal) without touching an incorporated community or driving the same road twice, but I love to be proven wrong, so does anybody know of any longer possible drives?
What impresses me is that it's all along signed highways, and it's a fairly direct route.
I'd have to think about if there are other examples. It's complicated as I often don't know which grease spots are incorporated or unincorporated!
Nevada may have you beat. According to 2009 American Map atlas, it's 381 miles between Las Vegas and Fallon. And according to the Census Bureau, these are all the incorporated cities in Nevada (http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2009-04-32.csv).
Heh, I guess that works. I didn't realize how hard it was to get incorporation in Nevada! Tonopah has 2600 and Hawthorne has 3300 people, however.
Okey doke- new question. With that in mind, the largest CDP/community between Marbleton and Med Bow that I passed through has 106 people in it (Jeffrey City). Is there any longer possible drive in the lower 48 where one passes through some named location over 326 miles without hitting a town with over 150 people in it?
I'd definitely suspect that if it exists, it would be in Nevada.
Eastern Oregon looks rather isolated.
Quote from: corco on August 21, 2010, 07:09:06 PM
Heh, I guess that works. I didn't realize how hard it was to get incorporation in Nevada! Tonopah has 2600 and Hawthorne has 3300 people, however.
If it weren't for Yerington, the distance between Las Vegas and Carson City would be an even longer stretch between incorporated cities at well over 400 miles. And to think how places like North Las Vegas and Spring Valley (both over at least 100K) are not incorporated.
Quote from: golden eagle on August 21, 2010, 09:40:35 PM
Quote from: corco on August 21, 2010, 07:09:06 PM
Heh, I guess that works. I didn't realize how hard it was to get incorporation in Nevada! Tonopah has 2600 and Hawthorne has 3300 people, however.
If it weren't for Yerington, the distance between Las Vegas and Carson City would be an even longer stretch between incorporated cities at well over 400 miles. And to think how places like North Las Vegas and Spring Valley (both over at least 100K) are not incorporated.
QuoteNorth Las Vegas city,"224,387","217,975","211,612","197,160","176,250","158,235","144,224","135,363","127,181","117,984","115,531","115,488"
Is incorporated according to that Census list.
I meant to say Sunrise Manor rather than North Las Vegas.
A little late to add, perhaps, but here's a decent routing, all on paved, striped roads:
Google Map (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=CA-111+N&daddr=32.7923,-115.50049+to:32.81835,-115.40611+to:33.928576,-115.2455572+to:34.54857,-115.7454+to:34.658129,-115.675679+to:35.25134,-115.93034+to:36.01986,-116.29422+to:36.93777,-116.72502+to:40.45986,-117.06077+to:I-80+W&geocode=FRj_8gEdH58d-Q%3BFexe9AEdNpod-SktRil9SWbXgDEIWEsvz3Z4PA%3BFa7E9AEd4gof-SljADlwCmnXgDHsOTBM5vBQDw%3BFYC1BQIdC34h-Sn_LRcJpV_QgDHu9q8TBsTIkw%3BFVorDwIdiN0Z-Slt38l6pVbFgDF07ZZV0snXgw%3BFVHXEAId4e0a-SndytaGA1jFgDHGhtYWcdIcLA%3BFYzkGQIdHAsX-Sk7TSrnhJDFgDGCirTlAjL_Qg%3BFZSeJQIdtH0R-SkTGcQvU1zGgDFMZsn1PCq7EQ%3BFSqgMwId5OoK-Sn1nResbJm4gDGC9RaIGHjVIA%3BFVReaQIdXssF-Smj0lWjvwOkgDG8mK0aa1bwrg%3BFWQgbwIdREoZ-Q&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=4&sz=9&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9&sll=34.250406,-115.518494&sspn=1.614123,2.263184&ie=UTF8&ll=35.310643,-116.490784&spn=1.602477,2.263184&t=h&z=9)
842 miles from Calexico, CA to Elko, NV. The routing is somewhat indirect in southern California, but well within tolerance for being a "scenic route" I would think. I've certainly driven more roundabout routes than this in the pursuit of roadgeeking.
If you want to limit it to signed routes, you have this route (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=US-395+N%2FThree+Flags+Hwy&daddr=36.3040271,-117.9829462+to:36.31174,-116.53376+to:36.93777,-116.72502+to:40.45986,-117.06077+to:I-80+E&geocode=FUyDEAIdTiIA-Q%3BFZv0KQIdHrn3-CnL8_8ouGPAgDE9ckAz48f4-g%3BFbwSKgIdANYN-SmbbEdmiwTHgDEFQENt86gnjw%3BFSqgMwId5OoK-Sn1nResbJm4gDGC9RaIGHjVIA%3BFVReaQIdXssF-Smj0lWjvwOkgDG8mK0aa1bwrg%3BFRTubgIdTvUY-Q&hl=en&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=5&sz=12&via=1,2,3,4&sll=40.774822,-115.807228&sspn=0.184854,0.282898&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12), 672 miles from Elko, NV to Adelanto, CA. It even features a stop at Death Valley.