Iowa Trivia

Pop Quiz

  1. Why does Iowa have 99 counties?
  2. Why are many county boundaries not single straight lines?
  3. What is up with that "Double Tall" county five places East of the NorthWest corner of the state?

          Hint: Nebraska (with 93 counties) invites similar geometric conundrums.
 

Iowa Counties lifted from the internet
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Raggedy Ann's picture

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

mhagle's picture

And thanks RA for the New Mexico map of counties. I'll bet many of those lines are based on rivers and mountains. Yes?

1. 99 counties . . . I'll bet we were supposed to learn that during Iowa History. We were taught Iowa History in the 5th grade by some dude on TV. The thing I remember about him is that he would draw Abe Lincoln and turn it upside down and it would be George Washington. Something like that.

2. I think it is interesting that many are based on straight lines. And in north/northwest Iowa at least, the roads are all based on straight lines. Gravel roads are mile-long squares. My home is Lake Mills and I went to college a couple of years at Westmar College in LeMars (just north of Sioux City). I could drive home without a map. Just keep going north then east.

3. The double tall county is Kossuth. It is right next to my home county, Winnebago (Winnebago Motor Homes). An interesting thing about Kossuth is that all of the towns are very small except one, Algona. And the main school in Bancroft is a Catholic school.

Texas Counties

Straighter lines than I thought they would be. Some are parallel to the coast. I am in one of those.

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo