Category Archives: Maps

Jan 11

2023 Iowa Legislature geography by the numbers

Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

There is the typical coverage of a new legislative session by demographics, so this post is going to focus on geography. Last time, I made a map, but this time, that job has largely been done for me, so thank … Continue reading →

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Jan 06

US 65 beltway is Polk County isthmus

Posted on Friday, January 6, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

It has annoyed me for a while that Altoona and Des Moines’ annexations in the early 2010s omitted the US 65 bypass between them, meaning that the two cities do not technically touch boundaries. It turns out that, intentionally or … Continue reading →

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Nov 18

Unclear on the concept, NBC graphics department

Posted on Friday, November 18, 2022, at 10:15 AM by Jeff

[rising electric guitar chords] THUNDER! SNOW! Um, that’s not Buffalo, that’s Watertown. why yes I have a lovely glass house thank you for asking

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Oct 24

Congressional district table updated

Posted on Monday, October 24, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Legislative Services Agency’s second map of 2021 made things annoying when it came to numbers. The designation for the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts flipped. There’s something about a rule of “easternmost.” Eyeballing the map, the geographic center of the … Continue reading →

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Oct 17

Huebinger’s Glidden map is wrong

Posted on Monday, October 17, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Corrections are important, even if they come 110 years late. This one affects stuff I’ve written recently. Huebinger’s Map and Guide for Iowa Official Trans-Continental Route, published in 1912, draws Glidden’s business district in the wrong place. Huebinger puts the … Continue reading →

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Jul 25

A RAGBRAI database, with some assistance

Posted on Monday, July 25, 2022, at 10:10 AM by Jeff

June 19, 1977/October 3, 2010: A daily map for RAGBRAI V, photographed from microfilm. The 1977 and 2022 routes share some similarities, including an overnight stop in Ida Grove, a route south of US 18 from Whittemore to New Hampton, … Continue reading →

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Apr 13

Analysis of 2022 RAGBRAI route

Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The full RAGBRAI XLIX route map was released March 27. It is abundantly clear to me that the map was drawn with assistance from Google Maps, based on the absence of certain county road markers and especially the presence of … Continue reading →

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Feb 14

Double or nothing

Posted on Monday, February 14, 2022, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

After the current Iowa Legislature session is over, a real scramble will begin as state legislators and challengers have to introduce themselves to new electorates. The 2020s redistricting plan, for the first time since the 1970s,* separates Traer from Tama-Toledo, … Continue reading →

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Oct 25

Notes on second redistricting plan

Posted on Monday, October 25, 2021, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The second redistricting plan is out and has some surprises. The LSA did not do what it did in the 2000s and use a different color for the district outlines in its second plan, because like in the 2010s it … Continue reading →

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Oct 18

Mocking Iowa’s 2020s congressional districts (10)

Posted on Monday, October 18, 2021, at 10:05 AM by Jeff

Mock 26: The X-rated gerrymander Is it possible to gerrymander Polk and Johnson counties together? There is, in fact, a workable (if no way compact) population-match district with that five-county span, plus Boone and Warren. Envision (or draw) it on … Continue reading →

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