# Which Doper lives closest to the center of his/her state? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 17, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126 "2007-07-17T14:14:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/41 "2007-07-18T12:37:39Z")
I live on Earth, the center of all the universe! ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/42 "2007-07-18T20:42:01Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] I live less than 5 miles from the geographic center of Tennessee. The city _used to be_ the State Capital. About 175 years ago. Our newspaper is knincknamed _The Daily Snooze Journal_, Our University, MTSU, is knicknamed _Apathy U._ It’s that kinda burg. \ [/QUOTE] We call that same newspaper the News Urinal. By the way, I have run around the marker for the geographical center of Tennessee. Yes, alcohol was involved, why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/43 "2007-07-18T20:52:00Z")
[QUOTE=Cub Mistress] We call that same newspaper the News Urinal. By the way, I have run around the marker for the geographical center of Tennessee. Yes, alcohol was involved, why do you ask? [/QUOTE] For some reason this antic reminds me of some people I used to work with who decided to spend Halloween in a graveyard at Adams, TN, trying to raise the Bell Witch. If reports are accurate there was some dancing without the need for clothing and a fair amount of consumption of liquid refreshment. I decided to stay home so as to treat the kiddies in the neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/44 "2007-07-19T00:24:56Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] I don’t know aboout geographical center, but in two weeks I’ll be living at the [mean center of the US population](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_center_of_U.S._population) [/QUOTE] That calculation is incorrect, since it assumes the earth is flat. The actual center is actually a [bit to the north-northeast.](http://faculty.gvsu.edu/aboufade/web/census.pdf) Oh, and to contribute to the thread, I live about 10.5 miles from the center of Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/45 "2007-07-19T00:43:38Z")
I live in the smallest county in England (Rutland). 🙂 From this [map](http://www.rutnet.co.uk/villages/), it looks as if the centre of Rutland is the village of Whitwell. Since I live in Oakham, I can’t be more than 4 miles from the centre. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/46 "2007-07-19T01:06:12Z")
I may not win this contest: 355+ miles as the Google flies. Just for shits and giggles, I’m also about 1470 miles from both the center of the US and the center of the lower 48 states, as the Google flies. > [@Zeldar](#): > > Does anybody know of a website that shows similar pictures of all the states’ centers? I’d be curious to know how far the geographic centers of some states have drifted throughout history. You’d figure New York’s would stay the same, but what about the states that have had bitter border disputes like Maryland or Kansas? How about the rather substantial part of the US that used to be in Mexico? > [@Edward the Head](#): > > I’m going to have to go by there some time. I’m in Maryland. I grew up there. You’re not missing much. > [@billyb0b](#): > > Dagnabbit! I’m in Columbia, 49 miles from the 'Boro. I did spend 10 summers in Brady, TX growing up though. That’s pretty close. Let me get this straight. Your family migrated to _Texas_ for the _summer_? Voluntarily? ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/47 "2007-07-19T02:24:01Z")
For California: 38 miles east of Madera is Fresno county, not Madera county. Fresno (28 miles) is even closer to the center than Madera is, and Clovis is even more closer at 22 miles. I think we do have a doper in Clovis, just can’t remember who. Did some sleuthing and found that…[38 miles east of Madera is Bobs Flat Road…Yeehaw!](http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=37.025032~-119.534683&style=r&lvl=10&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&rtp=pos.q4t92j4zv62f_Madera%2C%20CA~pos.q4t6bw51t045_Center%20of%20California&sp=Point.q4t6bw51t045_Center%20of%20California ___~Point.q4t92j4zv62f_Madera%2C%20CA___ &encType=1) Probably someone from the Madera Chamber of Commerce reported this as a cheap pubstunt. Yeah, I’m about 173 straightline miles from that center. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/48 "2007-07-19T03:10:38Z")
I live in Wenatchee, WA, which is about as close as you’re going to get in Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/49 "2007-07-19T03:36:23Z")
I’m about 4000 feet from 4th & L. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126/50 "2007-07-19T03:53:48Z")
I lived in Albuquerque for a spell. That’s pretty close to the middle of New Mexico. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-doper-lives-closest-to-the-center-of-his-her-state/412126.md?page=2)