Which Doper lives closest to the center of his/her state?

[Zeldar]

Non-USA Dopers are welcome to treat the geographical center of whatever country, province, territory or the like they live in in the same fashion as those listed at the Geographic centers of the United States Wikipedia article.

Using the point shown for your state and some mapping software like Yahoo! Maps determine how far your residence is from state center and see if you’re closer than the closest listed distance.

As a starting distance, I live roughly 26 driving miles (closer as the crow flies) from Tennessee’s center near Murfreesboro.

[Helen_s_Eidolon]

Maybe 5 miles, maximum (when I’m in State College, PA). As far as I’m aware, the university was founded to be at the geographic center of the state.

[Giles]

That article says that the centre of Ohio is in Delaware County, but doesn’t say where in that county. I live about 10 miles from the nearest part of Delaware County.

[Sock_of_Doom]

Another State College, PA resident here. Wikipedia says that the state’s center is 2.5 miles SW of Bellefonte, and the center of State College is about 10 miles southwest-ish from the center of Bellefonte.
Gotta love putting a university in the center of the state. Equally inconvenient for people from any real city.

[Anaamika]

I’m not far, even though NY is a big state. I’m about 100 miles from Wampsville, NY, which is the county seat of Madison County, which is the center of the State.

If you look at a map of NY, though, Albany certainly looks kind of like the center!

Map of NY

[Helen_s_Eidolon]

Synthetically Organic, I think we’ve got this one in a lock. Small compensation for being 3 hours away from civilization, though!

I didn’t know there were more State College dopers - are you a student?

[Zeldar]

@Synthetically Organic

Another State College, PA resident here. Wikipedia says that the state’s center is 2.5 miles SW of Bellefonte, and the center of State College is about 10 miles southwest-ish from the center of Bellefonte.
Gotta love putting a university in the center of the state. Equally inconvenient for people from any real city.

By that logic I suppose MTSU in Murfreesboro meets that test. Home of WMOT Jazz radio.

When I lived in Alabama I was even closer (for a year or so) to state center, on the order of 5-10 miles.

[Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker]

9 miles, maybe 10.

[frog_princess]

I’m 20 miles from the center of Massachusetts.

[MadTheSwine]

Im about 25 miles from the center of Michigan.

[Foxy40]

I have no idea what the exact center of the sunshine state is but Orlando must be pretty close to it.

[Zeldar]

@Foxy40

I have no idea what the exact center of the sunshine state is but Orlando must be pretty close to it.

The precision may be slightly off, but

Florida Hernando County, 12 miles NNW of Brooksville

ought to get you close enough to gauge your distance from it.

[Frosted_Glass]

I live about 28 miles from the center of NJ. They list the center as 5 miles SE of Trenton. I guess it makes sense that Trenton would be nearly at the geographic center of NJ.

[Zeldar]

@Frosted Glass

I live about 28 miles from the center of NJ. They list the center as 5 miles SE of Trenton. I guess it makes sense that Trenton would be nearly at the geographic center of NJ.

It might be fun to see which state capitals are farthest from “state center.” I know that Nashville and Montgomery are fairly close to the middle. Atlanta is pretty far away, as is Baton Rouge and Tallahassee, but most other Southern capitals are fairly centrally located. Boston may be as far from center as any.

[Spit]

What a cool thread- I say that only because I have sat on this little piece of trivia for years:

A point on my Grandparents farm IS the geographical center of Virginia.

There is even a sign! (I don’t know the person in the picture)

I don’t live there now, but I grew up on that farm.

[Zeldar]

@Spit

What a cool thread- I say that only because I have sat on this little piece of trivia for years:

A point on my Grandparents farm IS the geographical center of Virginia.

There is even a sign! (I don’t know the person in the picture)

I don’t live there now, but I grew up on that farm.

Outstanding!

Does anybody know of a website that shows similar pictures of all the states’ centers?

[gigi]

@Spit

What a cool thread- I say that only because I have sat on this little piece of trivia for years:

A point on my Grandparents farm IS the geographical center of Virginia.

There is even a sign! (I don’t know the person in the picture)

I don’t live there now, but I grew up on that farm.

Wow, how cool!

It looks like I am 63 miles away from Vermont’s center. Hard to do in such a small state.

[Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker]

@Spit

(I don’t know the person in the picture)

Tom Green

[Kyla]

I live about 20 km from the geographical center of Bulgaria. I got that number from someone in my town, but I actually find it slightly hard to believe. I mean, if you look at a map, my town REALLY looks like the very center of the country. Here’s a little map of Bulgaria. The red dot is my town. (I couldn’t find any normal political maps that included my tiny town.)

[Zeldar]

@Kyla

I live about 20 km from the geographical center of Bulgaria. I got that number from someone in my town, but I actually find it slightly hard to believe. I mean, if you look at a map, my town REALLY looks like the very center of the country. Here’s a little map of Bulgaria. The red dot is my town. (I couldn’t find any normal political maps that included my tiny town.)

Great to hear. Thanks for being the first non-USA Doper to play this game, if that’s what it is. The red dot does look very close to the middle to my eye.