# Your geographical misconceptions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294 "2020-12-30T20:58:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 56
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1104 "2026-10-16T00:11:30Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Fort Kent is way TF up there. In 2002, in the pre-GPS days of a paper atlas in the pouch behind the passenger seat, I had to drive from Fall River up to Presque Isle for a day trip for work. I’ll just head up and back, no biggie. About 9 hours into what I thought was a 5 hour drive and I was just getting there. A hotel room was needed that night. And Fort Kent is still waaayy TF past Presque Isle. Maine is both deceptively huge and empty. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1105 "2026-10-16T01:10:05Z")
The fact they number highway exits sequentially, rather than by milepost number like most of the other states is an especially cruel joke played on visitors and newbies. It can be 40 minutes and 40 miles between exit 12 and exit 13. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1106 "2026-10-16T03:22:18Z")
I believe they have remedied that. Saco is no longer “Sortie Cinq” as it was when I was in high school. But, yeah, the top part of the state is biiig and empty. Ever driven the “airline” from Ellsworth to Machias? Woof, that’s a lot of nothing but trees. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1107 "2026-10-16T15:30:49Z")
Oddly enough, I’ve had better success with “port” and “starboard” than with instantly trying to pin down “left” and “right”. The mind is a mysterious thing, alright. ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1108 "2026-10-17T01:31:17Z")
Indeed. Maine switched to mile-based exit numbers a few years ago, around the same time Massachusetts did. New Hampshire is still sequential. Been that way forever, any other way is just wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1109 "2026-10-17T01:39:13Z")
Oh my. Did the renumbering in Maine result in the removal of my favorite highway sign, “No Exit 5”? It’s not every day you see the interstate system boosting sequels to one of Sartre’s finest works. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1110 "2026-10-17T03:34:04Z")
Meh, New Hampster doesn’t matter, only 10 miles or so to get from Mass to ME. And the state liquor stores don’t have exit numbers. One I have a little trouble with is the layout of the building I work in. I’ve been there a year and a half and I’m still having trouble figuring out what I am underneath in the basement. If someone could show me a drawing I’d be very happy. I know my wood shop is below the community room, just from the sound of dragging chairs and running children. Next room over, I get lost. The museum is sooo not a rectangle. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1111 "2026-10-17T14:09:15Z")
Great user title/post combo ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1112 "2026-10-17T14:54:04Z")
I haven’t seen that one in years. The prequel sign “No Exit 4” on 95 southbound in Rhode Island also went away with their renumbering. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1113 "2026-10-17T18:50:47Z")
> [@KCB615](#): > > The prequel sign “No Exit 4” on 95 southbound in Rhode Island also went away with their renumbering. I remember that one. It was a favorite “Dad joke/mild teasing” to tell a small child (who could read, of course) that we needed to get off on Exit 4 and to keep an eye out for it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1114 "2026-10-17T22:50:26Z")
Assuming nysroads dot com is up to date: I-87 has three sets of sequential-numbered exits: 1. Exits 1-14 (all within NYC). 2. Exits 1-24 (to Albany and the Thruway split to I-90). The sequence continues along I-90. 3. Exits 1-43 (Albany to Canadian border). I-91 has sequentially-numbered exits: Exits 1-29 (Vermont to Canadian border) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1115 "2026-10-18T01:13:34Z")
I’m in Ohio, and I’ve always thought of of Arkansas and Oklahoma as being west. And while they are very much west of Ohio, they are also very much _south_. So SW, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1116 "2026-10-18T03:30:39Z")
That’s around the same amount of driving to get from our just outside DC to our son’s house in Ithaca. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1117 "2026-10-18T04:15:39Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > > [@eschereal](#): > > > > Some maps seem to show a mythical pair of large islands a fair distance to the SW of Australia > > Some have another pair of islands to the SE of Australia as well. Aha. The only islands I could think of to the SW of Oz were Kerguelen and Heard & McDonald, and I certainly wouldn’t have thought of them as large. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > The fact they number highway exits sequentially, rather than by milepost number like most of the other states is an especially cruel joke played on visitors and newbies. In Connecticut, exits on I-395 were changed to milepost numbers a few years ago, but I-95 exits are still numbered sequentially. > [@dtilque](#): > > I’m going to guess that this is a result of glacial rebound. That is, the land that was under the ice 10,000 years ago is very slowly rising up to its isostatic elevation. The same thing has happened to islands in Scandinavia, for example. Isn’t that happening in Great Britain, too? Scotland is going up, southern England is going down… ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1118 "2026-10-18T04:25:55Z")
Right now, it’ll take you an hour to get anywhere in Ithaca. They cleverly decided to wait until the students came back to do all the road work. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1119 "2026-10-18T04:43:34Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > I’m going to guess that this is a result of glacial rebound. That is, the land that was under the ice 10,000 years ago is very slowly rising up to its isostatic elevation. The same thing has happened to islands in Scandinavia, for example. > > Isn’t that happening in Great Britain, too? Scotland is going up, southern England is going down… Any land that was under the most recent glaciation is very slowly rising. Scotland was definitely under that ice and I thought the entire island of Great Britain was. I could be wrong about that. Areas that were near but not under the ice are also rebounding downward. That’s because when the ice pushes down in one area, it displaces some (molten) rock outward, so areas near the glaciation were elevated during the ice age. I’m not sure how for away from the ice this effect goes, but if England wasn’t glaciated, then I’m sure it was close enough to be rebounding downward. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1120 "2026-10-18T06:08:30Z")
A couple decades ago, we spent the night in a town in western Kentucky and the next day got on the freeway to head north. The freeway was called “Pennyrile Parkway”, and it threw me off balance because it was numberless. Looking at the map, I could see at least two other freeways that had names but no numbers. I had gotten so accustomed to every road having numbers that this scheme was disorienting.        And, of course, these roads do have numbers now, some of them added to the Interstate highway system. Which, oddly enough, seems a tad disappointing. It is sad to see a place being stripped of its quirkiness. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1121 "2026-10-18T08:10:32Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Scotland was definitely under that ice and I thought the entire island of Great Britain was. The far south of England was never under an ice sheet in the Quaternary ice ages (ie the last 2.6m years). The last time an ice sheet went as far south as London was about half a million years ago, while the last time Scotland was nearly all covered was about 22 000 years ago. So yes, parts of Scotland are still rebounding upwards from the last ice sheet, I think the situation in England is complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1122 "2026-10-18T14:19:48Z")
It’s interesting to think that there were entire landscapes in the previous interglacial period that were completely obliterated by the following glaciation. Mythical lost realms anyone? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294/1123 "2026-10-18T15:32:31Z")
Yup. But … For primitive constructions of stone or wood, glaciers are pretty effective total erasers. All our constructions more poleward than WAG 40 degrees latitude will be erased in the next glaciation too. If, net of AGW, there is one. But we leave a much larger signature to be found by the next round of post-glacial Earth inhabitants. It sure won’t look like abandoned cities overrun w vegetation. but there will be anomalous concentrations of all sorts of detectable stuff pulverized into the surface soil. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294.md?page=55) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-geographical-misconceptions/929294.md?page=57)