Largest US Counties In Each State Without a US Highway or an Interstate

[TheHighwayMan3561]

In Minnesota you have to drop all the way to Roseau County (13,500; 54th of 87). We're very well served by US and interstates.

The largest by area today is Lake County, but for counties that have never had a US route, it's Roseau again.

[-- US 175 --]

As far as physical size in TX, Brewster is the biggest county (6,193 square miles), and it has no interstates (I-10 would be the closest), but it has US 67, US 90, and US 385.

The biggest in physical size without either interstates or US highways, is Brazoria (yes, again): 1,387 square miles.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Brazoria might be as well as the most populated county to never have had any nationally-numbered routes (be it US Routes or Interstates).

[CoreySamson]

Brazoria might be as well as the most populated county to never have had any nationally-numbered routes (be it US Routes or Interstates).

I think there might be a couple reasons why.

1. Its population has only just recently skyrocketed, after interstates stopped being built en masse.

2. It's in a weird place south of Houston, a city allergic to US highways and Interstates in general.

[Max Rockatansky]

So it Tulare County the largest by population presently without a US Route or Interstate?  Brazoria is the second highest so far from what I've seen listed.

[sprjus4]

Brazoria might be as well as the most populated county to never have had any nationally-numbered routes (be it US Routes or Interstates).

I think there might be a couple reasons why.

1. Its population has only just recently skyrocketed, after interstates stopped being built en masse.

2. It's in a weird place south of Houston, a city allergic to US highways and Interstates in general.

I-45 comes within 2 miles, but none within the county itself.

[DandyDan]

In Iowa, it's Marion County, with 33,309 population. They did have US 63 and US 163 historically. The county which never had a US or Interstate highway is Appanoose County, with only 12,884.

[Road Hog]

Arkansas has only 5 counties without a US highway: Yell, Perry, Cleburne, Stone and Izard. A sixth county, Logan, has a tiny loop of US 71 cutting across a corner, and the same is true for Newton County and US 65. Cleburne (25,230) is the most populous of all of them.

There are no counties in Arkansas with an interstate but no US highway. Of the counties with no Interstate, the largest is Garland, which includes Hot Springs.

[US 89]

2. It's in a weird place south of Houston, a city allergic to US highways and Interstates in general.

What? Greater Houston has I-10, 45, 69, and 610, and US 59, 90, and 290 today. That's a ton compared to a place like, say, Phoenix which just has I-10, I-17, and US 60.

[Road Hog]

I wouldn't say Texas in general is allergic to interstates and US highways, but they certainly do use them sparingly. Just look at DFW's freeways.

[Rothman]

I wouldn't say Texas in general is allergic to interstates and US highways, but they certainly do use them sparingly. Just look at DFW's freeways.

I see lots of Interstates and US highways there.

[CoreySamson]

I wouldn't say Texas in general is allergic to interstates and US highways, but they certainly do use them sparingly. Just look at DFW's freeways.

That's kind of what I meant, especially compared to how many states on the east coast have tons of US highways.

[webny99]

2. It's in a weird place south of Houston, a city allergic to US highways and Interstates in general.

What? Greater Houston has I-10, 45, 69, and 610, and US 59, 90, and 290 today. That's a ton compared to a place like, say, Phoenix which just has I-10, I-17, and US 60.

The Houston metro is about 7 times more populous than the Rochester, NY metro, yet it has just 1 single 3di serving the area, while Rochester has 3. Houston has tons of freeway mileage, too. They've got quite a few US routes, but not near the concentration of interstates we're used to east of the Mississippi. Houston is much closer to the Phoenix end of the spectrum than the NYC end.

[gonealookin]

Every county in Nevada has at least one US highway or interstate within its borders.  Even tiny 264 square mile Storey County, which is basically the Virginia City mining district, just barely creeps to the north side of I-80 at its northeast corner near Wadsworth and Fernley.

[bing101]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz_County%2C_California


Santa Cruz, County California has to be the largest in the Monterrey Bay Area to not have a US Route or Interstate.

[Jmiles32]

Believe Virginia is pretty well covered with only a couple of counties and independent cities without either an interstate or US highway. Of these, Westmoreland County would be the winner with a population of just under 18,000. After the Coalfields Expressway (US-121) is eventually completed in Dickenson County, the counties of Craig, Mathews, Lancaster, and the City of Poquoson would be the other localities left.

[ozarkman417]

Polk County, MO (pop 31,137) is the largest county in the state without the two types of highways. However, State Route 13 is a four-lane divided highway throughout the county, and a freeway through Bolivar, the County Seat of about 10k.

[Thing 342]

Believe Virginia is pretty well covered with only a couple of counties and independent cities without either an interstate or US highway. Of these, Westmoreland County would be the winner with a population of just under 18,000. After the Coalfields Expressway (US-121) is eventually completed in Dickenson County, the counties of Craig, Mathews, Lancaster, and the City of Poquoson would be the other localities left.

The city of Manassas (pop 41641) is larger and has no Interstates or US Routes. Manassas Park (pop 14273) also meets the criteria.

[Jmiles32]

Believe Virginia is pretty well covered with only a couple of counties and independent cities without either an interstate or US highway. Of these, Westmoreland County would be the winner with a population of just under 18,000. After the Coalfields Expressway (US-121) is eventually completed in Dickenson County, the counties of Craig, Mathews, Lancaster, and the City of Poquoson would be the other localities left.

The city of Manassas (pop 41641) is larger and has no Interstates or US Routes. Manassas Park (pop 14273) also meets the criteria.

Oh jeez, how could I forget Manassas and Manassas Park practically in my own backyard! Guess I forgot that I-66 doesn't actually enter the city limits and just serves the adajent and still highly populated area of Bull Run (commonly reffered to still as Manassas).

[hobsini2]

BTW, all 3 Delaware counties and all 8 Connecticut counties do have a US highway. In Rhode Island, Birstol and Newport have no Interstates or US Highways. Newport is the largest at 82,888.

[X99]

For South Dakota, Clay County (population 13,864) is served by three state highways only. I-29 runs north-south less than half a mile past the county line.

[CoreySamson]

Here's all the states we have so far again.

Some expected states are near the top, but there are a few surprises, such as Rhode Island.

California: Tulare County pop. 442,000
Texas: Brazoria County pop. 370,200
Hawaii: Hawaii County pop. 185,000
New Jersey: Cumberland County pop. 150,972
Georgia: Fayette County pop. 107,500
New York: Tompkins County pop. 102,793
Rhode Island: Newport County pop. 82,888
Michigan: Barry County pop. 60,000
Louisiana: Washington Parish pop. 46,690
Virginia: Independent City of Manassas pop. 41,641
Iowa: Marion County pop. 33,309
Illinois: Randolph County pop. 32,546
Missouri: Polk County pop. 31,137
Alabama: Geneva County pop. 26,421
Arkansas: Cleburne County pop. 25,230
Indiana: Fayette County pop. 24,277
Florida: Union County pop. 15,535
South Dakota: Clay County pop. 13,864
Minnesota: Roseau County pop. 13,500
North Carolina: Pamlico County pop. 13,144
Utah: Wayne County pop. 2,690

States where every county is serviced by a US highway or an interstate:
New Hampshire, Nevada, Delaware, Connecticut, Arizona

[tchafe1978]

Here's all the states we have so far again.

Some expected states are near the top, but there are a few surprises, such as Rhode Island.

California: Tulare County pop. 442,000
Texas: Brazoria County pop. 370,200
Hawaii: Hawaii County pop. 185,000
Georgia: Fayette County pop. 107,500
New York: Tompkins County pop. 102,793
Rhode Island: Newport County pop. 82,888
Wisconsin: Wood County pop. 74,000
Michigan: Barry County pop. 60,000
Louisiana: Washington Parish pop. 46,690
Virginia: Independent City of Manassas pop. 41,641
Iowa: Marion County pop. 33,309
Illinois: Randolph County pop. 32,546
Missouri: Polk County pop. 31,137
Alabama: Geneva County pop. 26,421
Arkansas: Cleburne County pop. 25,230
Indiana: Fayette County pop. 24,277
South Dakota: Clay County pop. 13,864
Minnesota: Roseau County pop. 13,500
North Carolina: Pamlico County pop. 13,144
Utah: Wayne County pop. 2,690

States with no counties either serviced by a US Route or an Interstate:
New Hampshire, Nevada, Delaware, Connecticut

Wood County for Wisconsin is wrong. US 10 runs east-west south of Marshfield. I'd have to do some looking to see which county qualifies for Wisconsin, but it's not Wood County.

[Konza]

States with no counties either serviced by a US Route or an Interstate:
New Hampshire, Nevada, Delaware, Connecticut

Please add Arizona to this list.  Twelve of Arizona's fifteen counties are served by an Interstate highway.  The other three- Gila, Graham, and Greenlee, are all on US 70.

[Konza]

2. It's in a weird place south of Houston, a city allergic to US highways and Interstates in general.

What? Greater Houston has I-10, 45, 69, and 610, and US 59, 90, and 290 today. That's a ton compared to a place like, say, Phoenix which just has I-10, I-17, and US 60.

Houston was also on US 75 before it was decommissioned in favor of I-45.

Phoenix was also on US 80 and 89 before they were decommissioned, and US 70 before it was truncated west of Globe.  In fact, US Highways 60, 70, 80, and 89 were multiplexed from Florence Junction west to the corner of Grand and Van Buren in Phoenix.