Think of the flag of the United Nations, centered on the North Pole. Even so, the USGS has no official definition of a geographic center and no agreed upon method for determining it, Yin reports. And the current center does not include islands in the Caribbean, which are part of North America. There is also no particularly compelling scientific reason to calculate or debate the point.
It's more of a matter of civic pride than scientific advancement, Rogerson tells Baumgarten. At best, the surveyors placed it within a ten- or twenty-mile radius.
And the measurement is complicated by other factors: do we assume America is a country of uniform density and thickness everywhere? Do we move the center every time a shoreline erodes? A bigger problem for Lebanon's sole claim to fame happened on January 3, , when Alaska joined the Union. Hawaii followed that August. As you can imagine, the addition of a giant chunk of cardboard to the national map moved the center considerably—about miles to the northwest, in fact.
But at least the Lebanon monument is the original "best guess" at the center of the contiguous 48 states, right? Um, no. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me while I visited both geographical centers of the United States — I was traveling on business both times, so I did not have a camera with me; and The Gate did not yet exist — but at least you can visit the one in South Dakota vicariously through this article written by Dan Miller of Points With a Crew , which includes photographs and a visit which was years more recent than mine.
Perhaps one day I will go back to both centers of the United States and get to the real exact points once and for all — although with my luck, they may eventually drift due to the shifting of land…. Additional graphics by Brian Cohen. The center of the 48 contiguous United States was officially designated on Sunday, June 29, , James — almost 18 years prior to Alaska and Hawaii joining the union.
The center of the smallest circle just touching the mainland of the Lower 48 states is near the Omaha Country Club. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. The next stop is?!? News and Weather. Travel Alert October Severe Weather Affects Northeastern United States See which airlines have either issued or amended travel waivers as a result of this weather event.
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The points — not your skin.
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