Category: Distance

  • Bakersfield: A Better California Capital?

    We had a lot of fun and some great comments during the discussion of state capitals most inconvenient to the residents of the states’ largest cities. I mentioned that I’d found the U.S. Census Bureau’s list of Population Centers by State from the year 2000 census. Naturally I took the last two questions from the…

  • Worst State Capital Location

    Loyal Reader “Greg” read my recent article about whether the county seat of Benton Co., Washington should move because the center of population shifted overwhelmingly to the east. Greg said, “To go up an order of subdivision, I wonder what US state has the smallest capital city by population compared to (a) the state as…

  • Closer Than…

    There’s no overt or even covert intellectual discussion on Twelve Mile Circle today. In fact I won’t blame you at all if you choose to skip this post and come back on the weekend. I might do the same if it wasn’t already too late. I’m back to drawing lines again. I got fixated on…

  • Almost Landlocked

    Trivia. Trick questions. Fun Stuff. I love a good, lazy Sunday. Landlocked, double landlocked, borderlocking and boundary crosses have occupied my thoughts at various moments over the years. However, what about places not landlocked, but just barely? We all have our favorite territories that touch the sea by the thinnest of margins. Which ones would…

  • EXTREME County Counting

    Many of us are County Counters here on Twelve Mile Circle. I’m a practitioner myself and I’ve been known to go a couple hours out of my way to pick up a few new ones. However, what would you say about a plan to visit every single county in New England within a 24-hour period?…

  • Nuevo León’s Quirky International Border

    The border between the United States and Mexico has been a frequent topic of news and conversation this summer. But let’s be clear; Twelve Mile Circle doesn’t generally focus on political issues. Even so, it does have an interest in situations created by geography such as the recent border pirate phenomenon. In fact it was…

  • Ultralineamentum

    I follow the usual geography blogs each day like many of you probably do too. They all seem to have distinct personalities even if they cover the same subjects already blossoming in the popular media. I wouldn’t trade those blogs for anything. They’re informative and insightful, and I enjoy them. However, I wouldn’t try to…

  • Australia’s Longest Straight Line?

    Lines continue to fascinate me, both imaginary and real. I found myself pondering the website of Australian Rail Maps, looking at their Western Australia page. I’d heard about a specific segment crossing the hauntingly desolate Nullarbor Plain and I intended to investigate it further. It’s here, between kilometre 797 west of Ooldea (South Australia) and…

  • My Travel Box – American Meridian Edition

    My Travel Box article led to more interest than I expected both from longstanding and recent readers. It proves once again that I have no idea what resonates with a larger audience. So I’ll continue to write about what I find personally interesting and hope that a few of you join me for the ride.…

  • My Travel Box

    It struck me that I’d gone really north and really west when I went to Alaska, perhaps the farthest I’d ever been in either direction. That made me wonder about the most extreme latitudes (north/south) and longitudes (east/west) I’d visited during my lifetime. I was wrong on both counts by the way; Alaska was neither…