9 New Ways to Look at the United States

Some of my favorite kinds of data visualizations are maps. I’m not sure why – maybe it’s the thrill of seeing something familiar presented in a brand new way. I’ve seen geographic maps of the United States a million times, for example. But it’s exciting to see those mountains, lakes, rivers, and valleys turn into a map of where each MLB team’s fans are. Or where the heathens who pronounce pecan “pick-AHN” live. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy these quirky maps of the United States just as much as I did!

 

Let’s get started …

New York, Texas, and California would be some of the biggest losers if we redrew state lines and gave land away to whichever state capital was closest. Look at Florida stealing half of Georgia, though!

State Boundaries to Capitals MapSource: Brian Brettschneider

 

Puerto Rican Dash

Ever wonder where you’d end up if you started in the center of Puerto Rico and took off running in a random direction? No? Well, check this out anyway.

Straight Line from Puerto Rico MapSource: u/Just_Wanted_To_Know

 

Pick-AHN, pee- KAHN, what?

Potato, potato; tomato, tomato; pecan, pecan, pecan … words are weird.

Words Are Weird MapSource: Joshua Katz

 

Percentage of Folks with No Car and No Supermarket They Can Walk To

Getting to the grocery store is a real odyssey in much of America. On the upside, take-out places probably make a killing.

Getting to the Supermarket MapSource: American Nutrition Association

 

Pro-Sports Territories

Here’s a map to teach you precisely where in Massachusetts you should stop asking, “How ‘bout them Yankees?”

Sports Fan Territory MapSource: NY Times

 

Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, Shots, EVERYBODY!

Who knew the Lemon Drop, of all things, would be such a popular shot?

Favorite Shots by Region MapSource: For Hangovers

 

Enjoying a Beer After a Taxing Week …

Raise a glass this weekend and toast to everyone in Tennessee. We’re sorry Tennessee. This one’s for you.

Beer Tax MapSource: Tax Foundation

 

Around the U.S. in 58 National Parks

Looking to go on and adventure? Why not take a road trip to every U.S. National Park?! A kind soul named Randal Olson mapped out the fastest and best route to take. Check out his blog post for more information about the route!

Road Trip MapSource: Randal Olson

 

Visualizing Where the U.S. Gets Their Oil

Oh…Canada?

Where the US Gets Oil MapSource: u/datashown

 

 

Bonus Map: The United States Ranked by the Tallest Building in Each State

(Update 02/05/17) This neat visualization has been making its rounds over the past few weeks and we couldn’t resist adding it to the list. Each state is visualized in 3-D as being as tall as the tallest building in that state to allow us to easily discern which state has the tallest buildings. Following that, the bar graph of buildings is one of the coolest things we’ve seen in a while; I didn’t realize the Sears (what’s the Willis Tower?) Tower was so close in height to One World Trade!

The United States Ranked by the Tallest Building in Each State MapSource: High Rises

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