The Nicknames of America / / No Comments Some U.S. cities have very quirky nicknames. Apparently, the citizens of Auburn, Alabama like to call their town the ‘Armpit of the Confederacy’. While their nearby neighbors in Gordo, Alabama call their home the ‘Armpit of Civilization’. Elmwood and Belleville in Wisconsin both claim to be the ‘UFO Capital of the World’ (presumably because of all the strange, alien-looking folk living in Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: America, Nicknames
China vs America – World Influence Map / / No Comments The Global Influence Index (GII) shows the influence of the United States and China on 191 countries around the world based on 28 different economic, security, and political criteria. Using the GII’s new 3D globe you can tell at a glance where in the world either the U.S. or China has the greatest influence.Individual countries on the GII globe are colored to show whether they are aligned more Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: America, China, Influence, World
The Book Banning Map of America / / No Comments The American Library Association (ALA) reports that attempts to ban books “surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022 numbers, reaching the highest level ever documented by ALA.” Nearly half of the books targeted for banning were related to issues of LGBTQ+ communities or race.Now the ALA has partnered with Little Free Library and PEN America to release an interactive map which shows Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: America, banning, book
The Riskiest Places to Live in America / / No Comments Los Angeles County is a dangerous place to live. According to the National Risk Index the residents of Los Angeles County are more likely to suffer from a natural hazard than anywhere else in the United States. The residents of Los Angeles County are more likely to experience an earthquake than any other US location. They also have one of the highest chances of experiencing a landslide and Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: America, live, Places, Riskiest
The 100 Most Segregated School Districts in America / / No Comments In the United States school district boundaries drawn onto economically and racially segregated neighborhoods ensure that most poor and non-white students receive a much worse education than students in the more affluent school districts.Back in 2016 NPR examined how school funding in the USA is used to ensure that the rich get the best schools. They created an interactive map which visualized Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: America, Districts, most, school, Segregated
The Chain Restaurants of America / / No Comments Map of McDonald’s outlets in the USAThe Georgia Institute of Technology’s Friendly Cities Lab has released a new interactive map which reveals which chain restaurants dominate which areas of the United States. The U.S. Chain and Independent Restaurants map shows the locations of over 700,000 restaurants across the country, organized by restaurant chain and by frequency. The map reveals that Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: America, chain, restaurants
Mapping the Growth of America / / No Comments This animated map shows the growth of built-up areas in San Francisco from 1860-1930. It visualizes the rapid growth of the city following the California gold rush in the second half of the 19th Century.This animated GIF was made using the interactive map Historical Built-Up Areas, 1810 – 2015. This amazing map uses data from the HISDAC-US: Historical Settlement Data Compilation for the United Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: America, Growth, Mapping
The 100 Most Boring People in America / / No Comments Who is the most unnotable person in your town?I asked ChatGPT to find me the most unnotable people in America’s biggest towns and cities. The results can be seen on my Unnotable People map. On this map the placename labels of the 100 largest towns and cities in the USA have been replaced with each town’s most insignificant person.Using ChatGPT to find each town’s most unnotable person means Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: America, Boring, most, people