Geography of Despair

Does it suck to be in Kentucky?



U.S. Mood Map: Kentucky Saddest, Hawaii Gladdest? from National Geographic News:

A team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through telephone surveys, asked American adults about their mental health.

This county-by-county map shows the percentages of residents who reported "frequent mental distress" (FMD)—defined as 14 or more days of emotional discomfort, including "stress, depression and problems with emotion," during the previous month. Three days of mental distress is considered average, the researchers say.

The bad news is that Kentucky had the highest level of frequent mental distress. It doesn't look so good for West Virginia or Mississippi either, but they say life is good in Hawaii.

HT to Gwen

Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday

Today is Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. A few maps in commemoration:

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site:


The Route of Abraham Lincoln's Funeral Train:


The Lincoln Highway:


"Now he belongs to the ages" -- Edwin Stanton

Lost States

Last week I wrote about How the States Got Their Shapes. It turns out that the fifty states we know and love were not the only states that we might have seen... Over the course of our history, many other states have been proposed, only to be shot down or ignored.

Michael Trinklein has written a book about these failed attempts: Lost States: Real Quests for American Statehood. Heavily illustrated, this book tells the tale of would be state-builders and forgotten corners of geography, with wit and humor. Some of these attempts were very serious, some no more than pranks. Here are two examples:

The colonists who followed Daniel Boone through the Cumberland Gap in the 1770s called their coloney "Transylvania" (wich means "through the woods" and has nothing to do with vampires). After the start of the Revolutionary War, representatives went to the Continental Congress seeking recognition, but Virginia, who claimed most of that land, would hear nothing of it. Later, the area was rearranged into Kentucky and Tennessee.



Many new states have been proposed by carving up or rearranging already existing states. Often because residents of a region feel neglected by the rest of the state government. Folks in norther California often feel ignored and underappreciated by the rest of the state. The same goes for southern Oregon. In 1941 a new state, Jefferson (to keep Washington company?), was proposed. A cabal attempted to declare independence on December 4... but were overshadowed by the events of December 7.



For more samples, visit the author's website.

Kentucky: The Blue Grass State

Just when you thought it was safe to go back out into the political mainstream... It's another primary! On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton is expected to win Kentucky, but not by as much as she did in West Virginia...



I don't care what they say, the grass in Kentucky looks green to me. Just like every other state...



The State of Kentucky is known throughout the world for its magnificent horses and horse farms. The most famous horse race in the country (in the world?) takes place in Louisville, Kentucky. The 134th running of the Kentucky Derby took place on May 3, 2008.



Speaking of Louisville, I am looking forward to spending this Memorial Day holiday weekend there.