A Map That Show A New Perspective
FACTABLE: The United States has one of the largest landmasses at its disposal and a very diverse one at that. With 3.8 million square miles to work with, it’s only natural that the land making up the United States has various uses, depending on where it’s located.
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While much of the western states use their land for forests and timber, middle America has great pastures for farm animals, such as cows, sheep, and horses. But even tiny spaces go a long way, like the national parks and the tiny northern splotch of land that produces maple syrup.
Middle America Has More Farmland Than Trees
America is home to eight percent of the world’s forests, having around 228 billion trees in the country. And, as the map clearly illustrates, those forests are more densely populated in the northwest as well as east of the Mississippi River.
Contrary to popular belief, the wood-per-acre average has significantly grown since the 1950s, which is amazing since the European settlers uprooted a lot of growth when they first arrived in America. Now more than ever, people realize the importance of nature. In 2007, the then-mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, made plans to plant one million trees In New York by 2017 — the goal was met!
Eight Million Miles Of Highway In The United States
Formed back on November 11, 1926, the United States Federal Highways has an expanded reach of 157,724 miles throughout the country. Each highway has a designated number, something that is coordinated among each of the 50 states.
And while the roadways stretch throughout the continental U.S., their maintenance is in the responsibility of state and local governments. If you’ve ever been on a New Jersey highway, then you know tax money is going to something other than fixing all of the highway potholes.
Abandoned Railroads Throughout The United States
Railways played a huge role in the construction of America, from the settlements in the west to the Industrial Revolution in the east. It was 1827 when the first railroad was constructed. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was the vision of John Stevens and catered to both freight and passenger transport.
Abandoned Railroads No Longer In Use
As the map shows, a majority of the abandoned railways are located in the east, slowly expanding out west. This pattern makes sense with the early settlements, slow construction, the 1893 economic panic that halted many projects, and the eventual invention of the automobile and the airplane that would become the more popular modes of transportation.