Category Archives: Maps

Jul 11

Quietly, finally, 2017 Iowa state map released

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at 8:46 PM by Jeff

During or shortly after the holiday weekend, the Iowa DOT put the 2017-18 highway map online. As I suspected, judging by the press release put out Monday, the ascension of Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds to the top job held the … Continue reading →

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Jun 01

A slight extension of this website’s coverage

Posted on Thursday, June 1, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Blog post 2000! With all the Iowa highway information newly available online, there’s plenty of work I can do. I’ve been doing some of that by editing the pages with the most important changes (or obvious corrections). I announced a … Continue reading →

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Apr 20

The 1981 map and the tail end of the Great Decommissioning

Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The disclaimer on the 1981 Iowa highway map. From the start, I have limited the reach of Iowa Highway Ends to those state highways on the 1981 map and later. (For the US routes, since there are far fewer, any … Continue reading →

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Apr 19

Why we don’t have a 2017 map yet

Posted on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The first part of the year used to herald the annual arrival of two Map Days. One, in late winter, would be the release of the full RAGBRAI map in a Des Moines Sunday Register. That appears to have been discontinued … Continue reading →

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Mar 21

Analysis of 2017 RAGBRAI route

Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 23, 2008: RAGBRAI riders enter the west side of Tama. FORTY YEARS after its first and only visit to Allamakee County, RAGBRAI is going to end in Lansing. From Orange City (which is new as a starter town; others … Continue reading →

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Jan 23

RealClearPolitics analysis of Midwest presidential vote

Posted on Monday, January 23, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Maps, stats, and charts abound in the RealClearPolitics study of how Donald Trump nearly swept the Midwest in 2016. Iowa is one of the states selected for extra study, and was picked out again in the conclusion to the RCP … Continue reading →

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Jan 10

A look back at the Avoca courthouse

Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Daily Nonpareil has a feature on when Pottawattamie County had two courthouses — but, depending on how you interpret the wording of an 1886 law, maybe not two de jure county seats. Pottawattamie is the second-largest county in Iowa (954 … Continue reading →

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Nov 16

The last time the county voted for…

Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Donald Trump’s near-sweep of Iowa in the 2016 election is even more shocking when you take it into longer-term context. The only time in the past half-century that the Democratic candidate failed to win at least 10 counties in Iowa … Continue reading →

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Nov 10

Republicans expand rural reach in Iowa

Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

New York Times visualization of the 2016 presidential vote by county. Note that the Driftless Area (NE IA, SW WI, SE MN) tilted Republican, and while not strongly so, it’s in deep, stark contrast to the 2008 map. First, go read … Continue reading →

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Oct 04

Why DON’T we have Iowa-shaped waffles?

Posted on Tuesday, October 4, 2016, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

January 25, 2012: Texas Ranch Road 1, Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site, Stonewall, Texas. The last time I was in Texas, more than one hotel had waffle irons that would give you a waffle in the shape … Continue reading →

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