Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Twelve Mile Circle

  • Creative Marketing

    It’s wonderful when an article results in a comment that inspires an article, creating a self-perpetuating geo-oddity cycle. In this instance loyal reader “Pfly” mentioned the curious case of Guadalupe, California that nearly changed its name to Guadalupe Beach. However it was actually located several miles from the nearest beach. NOT on the Beach Local…

  • Reality in the Real World

    Apparently Twelve Mile Circle readers aren’t exactly aficionados of the Reality Television trend. Unfortunately my Jersey Shore article resonated with a distinct thud. I still think it’s rather odd to have a town called Jersey Shore in the middle of Pennsylvania, a solid four hour drive away from the nearest ocean. However, I’ve come to…

  • A Most Improbable Shore

    I have a soft spot for low-brow culture. I’ve admitted that before and I’m not ashamed of my enjoyment of certain popular trends. One would think in consideration that I’d be a huge fan of the Reality Television genre. I’m not, and I don’t know why. By all rights I should be able to enjoy…

  • Five Great Years

    There were 57,482,609 WordPress blog sites in the world when I checked this evening. Twelve Mile Circle is merely one. What is the average lifespan of a blog? I don’t know although I suspect it’s short. Most probably bite the dust in their first month. Those making their way through that first crucial phase tend…

  • Flip-Flopping

    Despite the title, this article has nothing to do with the upcoming election. I promise. I am so tired of living in a so-called Swing State this election cycle. Seriously, I’m ready to start breaking things. The incessant phone calls, the constant barrage of negative advertising, the people who won’t quit knocking on my door,…

  • Help Identify Hurricane Sandy Damage

    Greetings map-obsessed readers of the Twelve Mile Circle. Is it a slow day at work and you’d like to fritter away a few moments on something that’s actually useful and productive? Would you like to help identify and categorize Hurricane Sandy Damage? If so, please visit the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team website. From their website: “Hurricane…

  • Arizona Strip

    Arizona’s observance of time demonstrates considerable weirdness. This article isn’t about time, however, although it’s about Arizona. I think of Arizona at least twice a year, in Spring and in Autumn when the United States toggles between standard and daylight saving time. A disconnected memory triggered by the upcoming time change floated back into to…

  • Captain Thunderbolt

    Captain Thunderbolt, despite a name seemingly custom-designed for a comic book, was not a superhero. He certainly couldn’t stop bullets from penetrating his chest. I went in search of places named for “Captains Less Prestigious” recently. The effort intended to find memorable places associated with second-tier captains who never achieved the same level of fame…

  • Batten Down the Hatches

    I’ve been familiar with the phrase “Batten Down the Hatches” for so long that I can’t even recall when I first heard it. I’ve always understood it to derive from a nautical origin. However, in current usage it seems to mean a more general effort to prepare for the worst. One would want to cover…

  • Canada to Mexico

    [EDITOR’S NOTE: Google Maps changes its algorithms periodically. Times and distances were correct when published in 2012; they have changed in the meantime] The Twelve Mile Circle continues to generate all sorts of interesting search engine queries, an endless stream of potential article topics. I remember back in the early days of the blog I…

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  2. what is the total population that lives now in the land given back to Virginia should it be part of…

  5. Park ranger at Chalmette (New Orleans) Battlefield let me pull up the Union Jack 20 years ago. My dad would…