I recently finished reading / skimming through a book called How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein. It probably isn't something you think about it but it's an interesting book. I mean, why does Michigan have that area on the other side of Lake Michigan? This book will tell you.Each state gets its own chapter, so it's basically broken down into 51 chapters (DC gets its own) of 3-5 pages each. It's even presented alphabetically, so you can skip over the states that don't really matter (sorry, Tennessee!). I have to admit that I really blew through the second half of the book because the book can get incredibly dry. I hate to spoil it for you, but a lot of state boundaries are set because of rivers and/or mountain ranges.
I think the most interesting thing(s) I learned were how much foresight our forefathers had in planning our country out and acquiring land. They intended each state to be equal in size (hence you get a lot of states shaped like Wyoming, Colorado, etc.) but then some states come along and screw that up (Texas). There are also a few notes about how much impact one individual can have on a state's boundary lines because of their political connections.
Also of interest is why California is so freakin' big when it came into the Union so late - it's basically because the United States needed California more than California needed the US. With access to the Pacific Ocean and the amount of people flocking here during the Gold Rush, California could have been its own country. So basically, California set up its own boundary and the government was like, "Okay, you get to keep all that land if you join us." ¡Viva California!
5 comments:
this actually sounds really interesting! :B
Is Hawaii like a one-page chapter? Because, you know, it's an island, not much they can do there with the state lines.
Is "Sorry, Tennessee!" a reference to John Henson on the old Talk Soup?! I totally remember him saying that...A LOT.
Tyler - Hawaii is one of the shorter chapters, but it's still covered. Besides the main 5 islands, Hawaii actually composes a lot of smaller uninhabited islands so it kind of covers those.
Diane - yes, yes it is.
I will admit right up front that I love geography. I even minored in it in college, plus I'd been to all 50 states before I turned 35 (I'm 45 now). I came across this book and found it curious, so I bought it. I think it's one of the most fascinating books I've ever read.
I've met a lot of people who, when told the topic, thought the book would be boring, they are wrong. One person said to me, "tell me one interesting fact in the book." My simple reply, "Cleveland used to be part of Connecticut." When they inquired how, I told them they'd have to read the book.
Like you, I thought I'd only read about a handful of states of interest in (mostly Northeast and California). But I found myself reading the entire book.
Particularly interesting to me since I'd been to all those states and frequently wondered why their borders were specifically located where they were.
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