Category Archives: Geography

Jun 14

Royal Gorge fire in Colorado

August 5, 1995: Entrance to Royal Gorge park/tourist area. I presume this is in the area burned in the fire. Wildfires in Colorado have claimed the area around a major tourist attraction, Royal Gorge Bridge near Cañon City, Colorado. The … Continue reading

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May 28

Quest for 100

The 2012 city estimates by the Census Bureau show that Des Moines, with a population around 206,000, is the 104th largest city in the nation. It trails Birmingham by about 5,500. Wouldn’t it be nice to be in the top … Continue reading

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May 16

‘We don’t debate the apostrophe’

Why isn’t there an apostrophe in the names of Harpers Ferry WV or Harpers Ferry IA? Because the Domestic Names Committee of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names doesn’t like them. (Wall Street Journal)

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Apr 04

For those of us of a certain computer age

The Oregon Trail Company’s Official Moving Contract (should be valid only if played on an Apple IIe/IIGS) Why the Africa map on “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” is the most difficult task ever incorporated into a children’s game … Continue reading

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Mar 09

Whataburger trolls 40% of the Big 12

The “Big 12 Network” broadcasts of games often include ads for the Whataburger fast-food chain. This includes Iowa State-West Virginia, whose fans are literally hundreds of miles away from the nearest location. The northernmost Whataburger in the country is near … Continue reading

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Jan 14

Factoids about 2013-14 Iowa Legislature

No particular theme here, just some random pieces. All links are to PDF maps and district descriptions are approximations. Big state map (PDF) City insets (PDF) 55 House districts are smaller than the basic “4×4” county (572 square miles). So … Continue reading

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Oct 15

Political pronunciation of Missouri

How do you pronounce the name of Iowa’s southern neighbor when you’re in that state? The New York Times is looking at the political implications of pronouncing Missour-ee like a Northerner/urban/younger person or Missou-rah like a Southerner/rural/older person. Another dimension to … Continue reading

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Jun 12

Unclear on the Concept Dept.

Mitt Romney’s “Every Town Counts” bus tour across six states “with a focus on small towns” will stop in the third-largest city in Iowa.

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May 21

Conferencepocalypse III: Geography note

While the Pac-10 was ready to swallow the Big 12 South minus Baylor plus Colorado, it was as far “west” as its expansion targets allowed. Even then, when the state of Arizona was in Pacific Time, there would have only … Continue reading

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May 20

No Golden Domes for Clyde or Jack

Iowa State is one of three BCS teams within a 500-mile range of Notre Dame that the Fighting Irish have never played in football. The echoes have never been awakened at Clyde Williams Field or Jack Trice Stadium. The other … Continue reading

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