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Source:https://news-en.opossumsauce.com/

Before the times of GPS and cell phones, maps were the main way to find one’s way from point A to point B without getting lost. Nowadays, we have maps for everything from land elevation to animal location origins. Maps are fantastic things, just ask the cartographer at the local map store, we’re sure that they feel the same way. Let’s take a look at 40 of the maps of America that, until now, have been missing from our lives.

1. Think The Drive Through Is Open?

After any big night out on the town it is imperative to grab some grub on the way home. But which are the most frequented establishments to go late at night in order to quench this craving?

Instagram: american_mapsThis all depends on where we find ourselves. As great as some late night hashbrowns and fries could be, few things are better than a nice greesy spoon breakfast, like the one we would find down the South East.

2. Shakin’ All Over

From icy Alaska down to sunny California, one reason for not living on the West Coast of the States could be the very healthy fear of being caught in an earthquake. In reality, it doesn’t matter where in America you live.

Instagram: american_mapsIn any state, at any time, there could be an Earthquake that has the possibility of shaking up the afternoon’s schedule. Preparation is key. Also, maybe don’t live in a house that’s on stilts.

3. With or Without Pulp?

A nice glass of fresh squeezed OJ is always nice with breakfast. It might be surprising to learn which is the only state increasing its annual orange production.

USDAEven the orange production is bigger in Texas. Out of the three main states that produce oranges each year only Texas has shown an increase in production.

4. Life’s Tough

Depression is a real problem amongst people of all ages and from all walks of life. Let’s have a look at which parts of America are affected the most.

Reddit: u/thow78It may be the lack of a winning sports team or maybe it’s the weather, but for some reason the North West and the Mid East seem to have the largest issues with depression.

5. Barking Up The Wrong Tree

It’s not just the diversity of its people that makes America so unique. Whether it’s for building a tree fort or for getting maple syrup there is a tree for everyone.

Reddit: u/Van_aeWith over a hundred different species of trees in some parts, the eastern coast of the States sports the most diverse tree population. However, with more than one thousand species of trees scattered across the country there is something for tree enthusiasts everywhere.

6. If A Tree Falls And No One Is Around To Hear It…

To answer the age-old question…yes it still makes a noise. All because no one is around to hear the tree fall that doesn’t mean no one is listening. If Orwell taught us anything, someone is always listening.

National Park ServicesNatural loudness is measured in decibels by the noises of the wild. This could be the sound of the wind, the water, the birds, and yes, even the sound of a tree falling in the forest with no one around.

7. Big City Folk

We have just seen that mother nature on the east coast has caused more natural noise pollution than elsewhere in the country. It is now time to see where the majority of all noise pollution in America comes from (not just the natural kind).

National Park ServicesIt does not come as any surprise that the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas produce a lot of noise, however they don’t call New York ‘The City That Never Sleeps’ for nothing.

8. Higher Education

Graduating from college is meant to be a celebratory occasion for a new graduate after all ‘Their future is now’ and starts with crippling debt.

Instagram: american_mapsUpon graduating, most graduates owe more in college debts than the average American earns in one year.

9. Moving To The Midwest Then Huh?

It is crazy to think that the average annual salary needed to buy a house in New York City is almost double that of being a homeowner in sunny Tampa Bay. But that’s nothing compared to the prices out west.

Instagram: american_mapsFor all those who are eventually looking at retiring out west think again. An average annual salary of over $100K is needed in almost every major western city. And don’t even think about the move to San Jose unless the family is bringing in at least a quarter of million dollars annually.

10. Two Creams And One Sugar Please

Over the past few decades, coffee culture is something that has taken the world by storm. For any Canucks heading down the east coast on a road trip, feel free to dunk those donuts but don’t expect to find too many Tim Horton’s around.

CaliperStarbucks has not only put itself at almost every major street corner and petrol station across the United States, it has also created its own coffee language. According to the map the majority of Americans do prefer their tall, non-fat, extra hot, no foam, one pump vanilla lattes.

11. Left Out In The Cold

It is a privilege to be able to go home at the end of a long hard day but not everyone is so lucky. This is one of those maps that helps to remind us just how fortunate we all are.

Reddit: u/ragggaeratOver 150 000 homeless people in California and almost 100 000 in New York alone. That is almost a quarter of a million homeless individuals in just two states.

12. Expansion

Presidents are constantly attempting to leave their marks and cement their legacies. Some of them are just better at the ‘Art of the Deal’ than others.

Instagram: american_mapsAndrew Johnson purchased Alaska for only 7.2 million dollars in the year the first Canada Day was celebrated in 1867, and the Louisiana Purchase cost Thomas Jefferson a whopping 15 million dollars in 1803.

13. That Sure Is Quite The Load

The great American railroad system has been moving supplies across the country for almost two hundred years, but these days it does not deliver the goods quite like it used to.

Kcida10 via WikipediaOut east, the waterways and highways take the majority of the loads down the coast. Out west one can always see a large number of cargo trucks hauling supplies along the national highway. It simply reaches more places these days than the railway does.

14. Mind The Bears

The American landscape is vast and beautiful. No matter where one goes in the country there are spectacular sites to be seen.

National Parks ServicesPlanning an Appalachian trail walk or cross country skiing through the Rockies? Fear not, this map has it all. Just steer clear of Yetis and keep away from those pic-a-nic baskets.

15. ‘Isn’t The Speed Limit 55?’

Driving along an empty highway road with music blaring and the wind blowing through our hair can be quite a freeing experience, as long as it is done within the confines of the laws of course.

IIHS Via WikipediaMost states do have a similar maximum speed limit but it is always better to check first before going on a roadtrip. Being pulled over by a state trooper is a great way to ruin a vacation.Advertisement

16. Route 66 Anyone?

Now that we know where the national parks are and how fast we can go, let us have a look how to get to them.

Maps Open SourceConnecting Americans with each other far and wide, the National HIghway Services helps to unite all parts of America, with over 164 000 miles of roads that stretch right across the country.

17. Soy Latte Please

Over the past few decades, we have seen an increase in alternative eating habits and soybeans have been the base of a lot of these products.

USDAThanks to the American prairies’ production of soybeans for her soy latte, ‘Starbucks Karen’ will have one less thing to complain about.

18. Healthy Eating

Continuing along the lines of healthy eating, a lot of people seem to have grown tired of eating foods covered in pesticides and other chemicals for some reason.

USDAOrganic foods could cost an arm and a leg but it sure is nice to know that there’s nothing toxic being sprayed onto our food.

19. Everyone’s Guilty Of Something

We all have that one vice that is just so hard to ignore sometimes. Let’s take a look at which states are the most angelic as well as the most sinful.

Reddit: u/ParadoxicalCabbageIf the movie ‘Seven’ taught us anything, it’s that giving in to temptation could get us into a lot of trouble. The bottom corners of the country sure do look like a lot of fun though.

20. Did You Want Fries With That?

We have already seen that McDonald’s is the most popular place for people to go for some late-night drunk food, but we all have our own favorite burger place to go to if given the opportunity.

CaliperHere we see that McDonald’s may be everywhere but it is not the only option. Burger King and the Queen of Dairy remain towards the top of the charts and Texans have made Sonic burger their choice.

21. And He’s In For The Touchdown

It is absolutely no surprise that the highest-paid public employees in America are connected to sports. The success of a college or high school sports team is paramount to a town’s happiness and it shows in how much they are willing to pay their coaches.

Twitter: @ManuscriptMapsA high school football coach makes an average of around $45K a year which is not too bad at all, but it’s no wonder the end game is to coach college. The average salary for a college football coach is 2.7 million dollars a year. Talk about scoring.

22. A Different View Point

The map that is used in Australian schools has Australia in the center and North America to the East. This is just a fun one for a bit of a different perspective.

Nations OnlineWith how secluded it is from the rest of the country it’s no wonder Alaska sees the rest of America as ‘that place down there’.

23. Poached Or Fried?

As long as people are eating breakfast there will be a demand for eggs. More than fifty billion eggs are laid in America each year and Iowa unexpectedly leads the way in production.

USDAFun uneggspected fact: brown eggs come from hens with red feathers and red ear lobes while white eggs come from hens with white feathers and white ear lobes.

24. Tis The Season

It is Christmas tradition for many families to pack themselves into the family car and head out looking for the perfect tree. Even the desert states have at least a couple of Christmas tree farms

USDAConsidering the enormous fines one would get for cutting a tree down off the side of the highway for Christmas, it’s probably for the best to know where the local farm is for the holidays.

25. ‘I’ll Get A Litre O’ Cola’

Some people call them chips and others call them crisps. Some call them cookies while others call them biscuits. But what happens when the chips and biscuits make us thirsty. What do we ask for?

Instagram: mapsoftheusDepending on where we find ourselves on this cross country road trip of ours, the answer may vary. Just don’t walk into a place on either coast and ask for some pop or the locals will be able to spot the tourists.

26. Need A Roommate?

New York and California maybe two of the more desirable places to live in America but that may change once learning the cost of any apartment bigger than a shoebox.

Instagram: american_mapsBetter start looking for a roommate. With an hourly wage of under $25 an hour don’t even bother looking for a place with more than one room.

27. A Job’s Job

When immigrating to a new country an individual knows that they may need to work a job that they are not too fond of. It is a sacrifice that is made with the ‘American Dream’ in mind.

Twitter: @simongerman600It is no big surprise to see here that most immigrants start off in a more subservient occupation, as these are the less desired jobs. A job is a job though.

28. Locked And Loaded

It is amazing to see the percentage of Americans who have decided to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Instagram: mapsoftheusFor all those who are against guns, maybe just steer clear of the entire center of the country.

29. ‘Wanna Play A Game?’

Here’s a fun one for the horror buffs out there. From the Texas Chainsaw Masacre’ to ’30 Days of Night’, horror films have taken place in every state right across the country.

Reddit: u/scouserdaveIt’s time to use that map of the interstate highways to get us the heck away from the midwest. And no summer camps either!

30. Cold War Era

Because of the fears that they would defect, it was very difficult in the times of the Soviet Union for Russians to gain permission to leave their own country. Even when they were able to leave there were limits on where they would be allowed to go once in the other countries.

Twitter: @simongerman600From the late 50s until the end of the cold war the places in red on this map were actually the places where Soviets were not allowed to go. Kind of takes the fun out of an American vacation doesn’t it.

31. Don’t Forget The Stuffing

About a month before Christmas every year Americans all over the country tell their loved ones about all the things they are thankful for. Without these next farms a lot of people would be a lot less thankful every November.

USDATurkey farmers right across the middle eastern part of the United States work hard every year to ensure that every little pilgrim out there has the thanksgiving they deserve.

32. Locked Up

Almost every state in the country has at least one federal prison. Whatever happened to those maximum security prisons in the middle of the mountains that we see in the movies?

US Department o JusticeAfter seeing how many federal prisons there are in America just imagine if the funding for even a third of those prisons would go into rehabilitation instead of imprisonment.

33. Self-Haters

Sometimes where we come from defines who we are, alternatively, it sometimes defines who we don’t want to be. One either has pride for their own state or they do not.

Twitter: @simongerman600That pride runs in their veins otherwise they usually have an escape plan. Maybe it’s because of all the noise pollution out East that’s causing the lack of state pride and desire to pack up.Advertisement

34. Origins

As we know, hundreds of years ago the United States of America was built by the hard work of immigrants from all over the world who were trying to find a better life for themselves and their families.

Twitter: @DNA_RNA_UniIn the hundred years between 1820 and 1930 more than 6 million germans and 4.5 million Irish made the long journey by boat from Europe to the New World. That makes up almost 10% of the entire population of America in 1930.

35. Where’s That Name From?

Now that we know where the majority of Americans’ ancestry lies let’s have a look at where the individual states’ names originated.

Wikipedia/Ixnay1It is no big shock to see that the majority of the States’ names are derived from Native words. What is a little amazing to learn however, is that the number of states with names of English origin is less than a dozen.

36. 3D Map of Population Density

This map is another of those which gives a bit of a different perspective on the country.

Twitter: @simongerman600Much like the numerous tall buildings that reside there, New York’s population density also towers over that of the other states.

37. Time To Head To The Coast

We are very lucky to be living in such a scientific age. As science and medicine progress, life expectancy has been on the rise.

Spooderman89 via WikipediaWith all the nice weather and oranges around for vitamins, it is no wonder why California and Florida are sporting two of the higher life expectancies in America.

38. Land Distribution

We’ve now seen where in the States the soybeans are grown and even where the majority of eggs and turkeys come from, but ever wonder how much of America is protected federal wilderness or used to make maple syrup? Well, it’s definitely not as much there should be.

Twitter: @LegalHeatBelieve it or not, there is more land dedicated to cow farming and their pastures than any other industry in the United States.

39. Final Resting Places

Some presidents have been put to rest in the Arlington National Cemetary while others have been laid to rest in their own hometowns. Let’s take a brief look at the distribution of the burial plots for the Commander in Chiefs who are no longer with us.

MinnesotanUser via WikipediaScattered across eighteen different states in addition to the District of Columbia, the deceased former presidents of the United States may be gone but they are surely not forgotten.Advertisement

40. Family Matters

We have now seen where all the highways and national parks are across the country and we know how fast we are allowed to drive in each state. We even know where most people go for food after a big night out. Now let’s have a look at whose family road trip will have the most cramped car.

Instagram: american_mapsAs we can see by this map even the family sizes are bigger in Texas. Families right across the southern part of America will have to jam pack themselves into the family car with not much leg room to spare.