New Approach for USA Dopers to Stand Up and Be Counted

In My Humble Opinion
1

Since the thread for Non-USA Dopers has produced some remarkable results, thanks in large part to the work of Antonius Block, and since I have run into some snags with the effort to identify and count “Southern USA Dopers,” I have had an idea that (hopefully) can remove some of the arbitrariness from deciding which portion of the USA people live in and/or post from.

If we agree that there is an “officially recognized” geographical center to the Lower 48 states, then we can divide the country into four quadrants (NW, NE, SW, SE) based purely on that center point.

This thread is to explore the attitude toward that approach.

To acquaint yourself (if needed) with the Geographical Center, either read this page or accept my excerpt:

“The Lebanon, Kansas “center,” in fact, was determined by cutting the shape of the lower 48 states out of a cardboard sheet, and balancing it on a point. This determination of the “center of gravity” of the country (or at least of a jagged piece of cardboard) was used by the Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1918, and placed the center of the lower 48 states at 39? 50’N. longitude 98? 35W latitude. This method, even at its best, is believed to be accurate only within ten or twenty miles. Though the Geodetic Survey would later regret making any official declaration, this early endorsement was enough to enable Lebanon’s Hub Club to claim its center as official, beating a few other competing communities for the title, which, it was assumed, could lead to considerable tourist revenue, and literally put the community on the map.”
In effect the new approach would be to take any point north of that center as North, and point west as West, any point east as East, and any point south as South. Alaska and Hawaii would be NW and SW, respectively, as a result.

The difficulties would stem from having to take portions of some states as being in one quadrant while other sections of the same state would be in another. That would force the use of latitudes and longitudes for determining location. But at least we could appeal to Geography and not History or Politics or Culture for the purpose of sectionalizing the USA.

Reactions?

Is this already getting to be a dead horse?

2

Well, we’ve always got the Frappr map: frappr.com

3

Gauging from what I see there, this supports my contention that the heaviest quadrant of the USA Doper population is the Northeast, regardless of how “Northeast” may be defined.

The issue of where the Northeast stops and the Midwest or the Southeast begins could be easily solved in reference to the geographical center without having to resort to more sensitive criteria.

I do get the strong impression that very few others are all that concerned, especially with the recent threads asking people to “stand and be counted.”

That’s probably as it should be.

4

I’ll be the first to say I’m a Mid-Atlantic Doper. I don’t consider myself Southern or Northeastern.

The way I see it, Maryland is a Mid-Atlantic state, so that’s what I am. I don’t know if you were trying to divide the US into four neat little quadrants, but that’s the way it is.

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We’re directly west and perhaps a degree south of the centre.

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When you say “we” to whom are you referring. I thought “we” were in Maryland. Are y’all on the road or something?

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“We” meaning Bibliocat and myself. She lives just a short way away.

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The genesis of this whole business of where Dopers are located goes back to (at least) Which SDMB minority are you in? which I started 7-31-06. I made the prediction that the majority of Dopers lived East of the Mississippi and North of Virginia-Kentucky. The thread had enough exceptions to that, especially from non-USA dopers that I started another thread to explore that aspect of the geography of the boards.

That led to the Southern USA Dopers thread which was clicking right along until the issue of Maryland being or not being Southern brought it to an unpleasant point. I believe you may recall that.

Anyway, in the interest of placing USA Dopers into some groupings that would allow for easy identification without the need for consensus agreement as to what constitutes which region (South, Mid Atlantic, Northwest, Midwest, Southwest, whatever) I just thought the sterile and purely geographical “center” would cause the least friction.

Of course, this all depends on how important the issue of where we all are located really is.

That’s what I hoped this thread could help determine.

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I’m being whooshed here. The center is in Kansas, near the town of Lebanon. North central area of the state, maybe 1500 miles from Maryland and west and a bit south.

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Bibliocat lives just a few miles from ME. She is, in fact, on her way over now. We live quite a far distance from Kansas, I was merely pointing out that we are almost directly west of the centre point.

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But probably closer to say you’re EAST, Ginger.

Not that I’m saying anything or nothing.

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Okay, I posted to that one - hope it wasn’t too much of a zombie. Yes, I recall the"Maryland, Southern or not?" thread. I know it’s below the Mason-Dixon line, but Maryland is an odd mix of Southern and Northeastern. I think Mid-Atlantic is a better term.

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Oh Jesus. I need a nap.

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Jeez, did I throw you off that much? I shoulda brought chocolate.