1.
U.S. Route 66
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U. S. Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was one of the original highways within the U. S. Highway System. US66 was established on November 11,1926, with signs erected the following year. It was recognized in popular culture by both the hit song Route 66 and the Route 66 television show in the 1960s. US66 served as a path for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Portions of the road passed through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway of the name Historic Route 66. Several states have adopted significant bypassed sections of the former US66 into the road network as State Route 66. His secondary orders were to test the feasibility of the use of camels as pack animals in the southwestern desert and this road became part of US66. Parts of the original Route 66 from 1913, prior to its naming and commissioning. The paved road becomes a road, south of Cajon. Before a nationwide network of numbered highways was adopted by the states, the route that would become US66 was covered by three highways. The Lone Star Route passed through St. Louis on its way from Chicago to Cameron, Louisiana, the transcontinental National Old Trails Road led via St. Again, a shorter route was taken, here following the Postal Highway between Oklahoma City and Amarillo. Finally, the National Old Trails Road became the rest of the route to Los Angeles, the original inspiration for a roadway between Chicago and Los Angeles was planned by entrepreneurs Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma and John Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri. The pair lobbied the American Association of State Highway Officials for the creation of a following the 1925 plans. The numerical designation 66 was assigned to the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route on April 30,1926 in Springfield, Louis streets and on Route 266 to Halltown, Missouri. Avery was adamant that the highway have a number and had proposed number 60 to identify it. A controversy erupted over the number 60, largely from delegates from Kentucky who wanted a Virginia Beach–Los Angeles highway to be US60, arguments and counterarguments continued throughout February, including a proposal to split the proposed route through Kentucky into Route 60 North and Route 60 South. The final conclusion was to have US60 run between Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Springfield, Missouri, and the Chicago–L. A. Avery and highway engineer John Page settled on 66, which was unassigned, because he thought the number would be easy to remember as well as pleasant to say
2.
U.S. Route 85
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U. S. Route 85 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 1,479 miles in the Mountain – Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Mexico–US border in El Paso, Texas, the northern terminus is at the Canada–US border in Fortuna, North Dakota, where the route continues north as Saskatchewan Highway 35. In both the United States and Saskatchewan, Canada the route is known as the CanAm Highway, sections of US85 are considered part of the Theodore Roosevelt Expressway. The highway passes through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, from Anthony, Texas to Fountain, Colorado, US-85 shares its alignment with interstate routes and is not signed. The route is concurrent with I-10 for the remainder of its route within Texas and this route is marked as Texas State Highway 20 north of the intersection with Mesa Street/Country Club Drive. The unsigned route of US85 through New Mexico exists only on paper to maintain continuity with signed sections in Colorado, except for a 4-mile segment through Las Vegas, US85 in New Mexico is entirely concurrent with Interstate Routes. For the first 20 miles it shares its route with I-10, US-85 was de-signed in segments between 1970 and 1990 as I-25 was built through the state. I-25 between Bernalillo and a point just south of Santa Fe was built over the old US85 alignment, I-25 was also built directly over US85 from east of Santa Fe to Las Vegas and from US64 to the Colorado border at Raton Pass. At one point, the route went along the historic El Camino Real, the original route from Anthony to Las Cruces is now signed as New Mexico State Road 478. US85 enters Colorado from New Mexico concurrent with I-25 but is not signed, approaching the south side of Denver, US85 again leaves I-25 at Exit 184. From there it heads west and north as a two lane rural highway and it becomes an expressway near Chatfield Lake and the southern Denver suburbs of Littleton and Englewood, where its commonly known as Santa Fe Drive. It continues north through Denver for a few miles before again joining with I-25 at mile marker 207. There it becomes a concurrency with US87 as well as I-25, at exit 214, US85 turns east and becomes a concurrency with I-70 and US6 for about a mile where it exits with U. S.6 and heads northeast through Commerce City. In just a few miles the US 6/US85 concurrency merges with I-76 at mile marker 9 and they travel concurrently for 3 miles until exit 12 when US85 becomes an expressway and continues north out of the Denver area through Brighton. From there it parallels I-25 for about 75 miles passing through Fort Lupton, Platteville, Evans, Greeley, US85 enters Wyoming from Colorado 8 miles south of Cheyenne. In Cheyenne it joins with Business Route 87, and a mile later with I-180 until it meets with US30, the segment with I-180 is the only fully at-grade interstate route in the U. S. At exit 12, it joins with I-25 and US87 in a concurrency for 5 miles until US85 leaves at exit 17 and travels northeast towards Meriden. From there it heads north to Torrington, where it meets with US26 and concurrencies for 10 miles until Lingle and it shares the next 47 miles with US18 and 33 miles later meets US16 near Newcastle
3.
El Paso, Texas
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El Paso is the seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The city is situated in the far corner of the U. S. state of Texas. El Paso stands on the Rio Grande river across the Mexico–United States border from Ciudad Juárez, the region of over 2.9 million people constitutes the largest bilingual and binational work force in the Western Hemisphere. The city hosts the annual Sun Bowl college football post-season game, El Paso has a strong federal and military presence. William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Biggs Army Airfield, and Fort Bliss call the city home, Fort Bliss is one of the largest military complexes of the United States Army and the largest training area in the United States. Also headquartered in El Paso are the DEA domestic field division 7, El Paso Intelligence Center, Joint Task Force North, Border Patrol El Paso Sector, and U. S. In 2010, El Paso received an All-America City Award, El Paso has been ranked the safest large city in the U. S. for four consecutive years and has ranked in the top three since 1997. As of July 1,2015, the estimate for the city from the U. S. Census was 681,124. Its U. S. metropolitan area covers all of El Paso and Hudspeth counties in Texas, the El Paso MSA forms part of the larger El Paso–Las Cruces CSA, with a population of 1,053,267. The El Paso region has had human settlement for thousands of years, the evidence suggests 10,000 to 12,000 years of human habitation. The earliest known cultures in the region were maize farmers, when the Spanish arrived, the Manso, Suma, and Jumano tribes populated the area. These were subsequently incorporated into the Mestizo culture, along with immigrants from central Mexico, captives from Comanchería, the Mescalero Apache were also present. El Paso del Norte was founded on the bank of the Río Bravo del Norte. El Paso remained the largest settlement in New Mexico until its cession to the U. S. in 1848, the Texas Revolution was generally not felt in the region, as the American population was small, not being more than 10% of the population. However, the region was claimed by Texas as part of the treaty signed with Mexico, during this interregnum, 1836–1848, Americans nonetheless continued to settle the region. The present Texas–New Mexico boundary placing El Paso on the Texas side was drawn in the Compromise of 1850, El Paso County was established in March 1850, with San Elizario as the first county seat. The United States Senate fixed a boundary between Texas and New Mexico at the 32nd parallel, thus largely ignoring history and topography, a military post called The Post opposite El Paso was established in 1854. Further west, a settlement on Coons Rancho called Franklin became the nucleus of the future El Paso, a year later, pioneer Anson Mills completed his plan of the town, calling it El Paso
4.
Interstate 10
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Interstate 10 is the southernmost cross-country interstate highway in the American Interstate Highway System. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica, California, to I-95 in Jacksonville and this freeway is part of the originally planned Interstate Highway network that was laid out in 1956, and its last section was completed in 1990. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following I-90, I-80, about one-third of its length is within the state of Texas, where the freeway spans the state at its widest breadth. Between its west terminus in Santa Monica, California, and the major East Los Angeles Interchange, the Santa Monica Freeway is also called the Rosa Parks Freeway for the segment beginning at I-405, and ending at I-110/SR110. The segment between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the city of San Bernardino,63 miles long, is called the San Bernardino Freeway, for example, a sign near the western terminus of the highway in Santa Monica proclaims this highway the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway. I-10 is known to a lesser degree as the Veterans Memorial Highway. In Palm Springs, I-10 is also named the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway as a tribute to the late entertainer who served both as the mayor and as a U. S. Congressman, another stretch a short distance east in Indio is proclaimed the Doctor June McCarroll Memorial Freeway. In Arizona, the highway is designated the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway, the portion through Phoenix is named the Papago Freeway, and it is a vital piece of the metropolitan Phoenix freeway system. This designation starts at Loop 101, near 99th Avenue, from the southern terminus of I-17 to the southernmost junction with Loop 202, the highway is signed as the Maricopa Freeway. This name holds true as well for I-17 from its terminus to the Durango Curve south of Buckeye Road. From Loop 202 south to the terminus of I-8 just southeast of Casa Grande. The Arizona Department of Transportation also has maps that show it as the Maricopa Freeway, while the American Automobile Association, the latters name is used on a stretch of Loop 101 from Loop 202 to I-17. Between I-17 in Phoenix and the I-19 interchanges in Tucson, I-10 is included in the federally designated CANAMEX Corridor, extending from Mexico City to Edmonton, in Tucson, Arizona, between I-10 mileposts 259 and 260 are interchange ramps connecting I-10 with the northern terminus of I-19. The highest elevation along I-10 occurs just east of Tucson,20 miles west of Willcox, at the mile marker 320 exit for the Amerind Foundation, the westbound lanes of I-10 briefly cross above 5,000 feet above sea level. I-10 passes through three Southern New Mexico municipalities of regional significance before the junction with I-25, Lordsburg, Deming, most of I-10 in New Mexico, between Exit 24 and Exit 135, is concurrent with US70. At Lordsburg is the junction of US70 and a concurrency. Several exits between Lordsburg and Deming are either for former towns or lack any town at all, at Deming is the western junction of US180, which also forms a concurrency with I-10 all the way to El Paso. One mile north of Deming on US180 is New Mexico State Road 26 which serves as a cut to north I-25
5.
U.S. Route 180
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U. S. Route 180 is an east–west United States highway. Like many three-digit routes, US180 no longer meets its parent, US80 was decommissioned west of Mesquite, Texas, and was replaced in Texas by Interstate 20 and Interstate 10 resulting in U. S.180 being longer than U. S.80. The highways eastern terminus is in Hudson Oaks, Texas, at an intersection with Interstate 20. Signage at an intersection with State Route 64 in Valle, Arizona 40 miles northwest of Flagstaff indicates that the ends at SR64. However, many maps continue the US180 designation to the rim of the Grand Canyon at Grand Canyon Village. Four National Parks can be accessed on the highway, Grand Canyon National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park and it also passes through the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountains in Arizona. In Flagstaff, US180 is concurrent with Interstate 40 Business, US180 joins the former routing of Route 66 in the center of Flagstaff and follows the roadway to where it merges with Interstate 40 east of the city. US180 shares numbering with Interstate 40 from Flagstaff, Arizona, to Holbrook, at Holbrook, US180 follows Interstate 40 Business along South Navajo Boulevard. Johns, Apache County, Arizona where it meets U. S. Route 191, after entering New Mexico from just east of Alpine, Arizona, US180 continues south until Silver City, New Mexico. From Silver City, US180 travels just east for roughly 4–6 miles, meeting up with New Mexico State Road 90, US180 now travels southeast for roughly 50 miles to Deming, New Mexico, where US180 meets up with Interstate 10. From Deming, US180 follows Interstate 10 through Las Cruces, New Mexico, the route is concurrent with Interstate 10 through the west and central portions of El Paso, Texas, and separates from I-10 at Paisano Drive, joining U. S. Route 62. US 62/180 is concurrent with Montana Avenue in East Central El Paso, continuing though Carlsbad, New Mexico, US180 and US62 travels toward Texas running through Hobbs, New Mexico, and exiting New Mexico just east of Hobbs. US180 is now a highway west of Carlsbad where it used to be a two-lane highway until around 2008. US180 is a highway in the entire state whereas before it was divided only east of Carlsbad. Speed limit was 65, now 70 west and 70 east of Carlsbad to about 15 miles west of Hobbs, after re-entering Texas from just east of Hobbs, New Mexico, US180 splits from US62 at Seminole, Texas. US180 continues eastward running through the towns of, Lamesa, Gail, Snyder, Roby, Anson, Albany, for the last portion of its length, the road runs through the scenic Palo Pinto Mountains, exiting them at Metcalf Gap. Towns in this portion include Palo Pinto, Mineral Wells. US180 comes into contact with Interstate 20 just east of Weatherford, Texas, and ends in Hudson Oaks, Texas
6.
Interstate 35
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Interstate 35 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the American–Mexican border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. In two stretches, both through twin cities, the splits into Interstate 35E—at Dallas and at Saint Paul, Minnesota—and Interstate 35W—at Fort Worth, Texas. At 1,568 mi, Interstate 35 is the ninth-longest Interstate Highway following Interstate 94, even though the route is generally considered to be a border to border highway, this highway does not directly connect to either international border. I-35s southern terminus is a signal in Laredo, Texas. Route 53 in Duluth, but that route is typically accessed from the south by Minnesota Highway 33 at Cloquet. Interstate 35 northbound begins at a intersection with Business Spur I-35 in Laredo, Texas, just north of the Rio Grande. Through Webb, La Salle, and Frio Counties, it has a mostly north-northeastern course and it then cuts across the corners of Medina and Atascosa Counties before entering Bexar County and San Antonio. Interstate 35 is named the Pan Am Expressway in San Antonio, there, it has brief concurrencies with both Interstate 10 and Interstate 410, and it serves as the northern terminus of Interstate 37. I-35 heads northward out of the city towards the capital, Austin. In Austin, Interstate 35 is the Interregional Highway, throughout Austin, elevated express lanes were constructed on either side of the original freeway. Prior to this expansion, this included an at-grade railroad crossing. From Austin, I-35 goes through Round Rock, Temple, in Waco, I-35 is the Jack Kultgen Freeway. The campuses of the University of Texas at Austin and Baylor University are located adjacent to I-35, I-35 then heads to Hillsboro, where it splits up into I-35W and I-35E and runs through the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The official mile markers follow I-35E through Dallas—I-35W, which is 85 miles in length, carries its own mileage from Hillsboro to Denton, in Dallas, I-35 is the R. L. Thornton Freeway south of I-30, which picks up the name heading east. North of I-30, it is the Stemmons Freeway, after passing through Dallas and Fort Worth, I-35s two forks merge in Denton near the University of North Texas campus. The unified interstate then continues north to Gainesville before crossing the Red River into Oklahoma, in Oklahoma, I-35 runs from the Red River at the Texas border to the Kansas state line near Braman. It passes through or adjacent to many of the major cities
7.
Interstate 40
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Interstate 40 is a major east-west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States generally north of Interstate 10 and Interstate 20 but south of Interstate 70. The western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California, its end is at a concurrency of U. S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington. It is the third longest interstate in the United States, behind Interstate 80 and Interstate 90. Much of the part of I-40, from Oklahoma City to Barstow, parallels or overlays the historic U. S. Route 66, east of Oklahoma City the route generally parallels U. S. Route 64. Interstate 40 is a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System and its western end is in Barstow, California. Known as the Needles Freeway, it heads east from Barstow across the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County to Needles, I-40 covers 155 miles in California. A sign in California showing the distance to Wilmington, North Carolina has been several times. Interstate 40 is a route to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, with the exits leading into Grand Canyon National Park in Williams. I-40 covers 359 miles in Arizona, just west of exit 190, west of Flagstaff, is its highest elevation along I-40 in the US, as the road crosses just over 7,320 feet. I-40 also passes through the Navajo Nation, the largest Indian reservation in the US, I-40 covers 374 miles in New Mexico. Notable cities along I-40 include Albuquerque, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari, Grants, I-40 also travels through several different Indian reservations in the western half of the state. It reaches its highest point of 7,275 feet at the Continental Divide in western New Mexico between Gallup and Grants. Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas are the three states where I-40 has a speed limit of 75 mph instead of 70 mph which happens in California, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee. In the west Texas panhandle area, there are several ranch roads connected directly to the interstate, one of the marked at-grade crossings is shown to the right. The only major city in Texas that is served by I-40 is Amarillo. I-40 has only one center in the state that Is located in Amarillo at the exit for Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. I-40 covers 331 miles in Oklahoma, Interstate 40 enters the west-central part of the state and runs for 284 miles in Arkansas. The route passes through Van Buren, where it intersects the southbound Interstate 540/US71 to Fort Smith, the route continues east to Alma to intersect Interstate 49 north to Fayetteville, Arkansas
8.
Interstate 44
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Interstate 44 is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Nominally an east-west road as it has a number, it follows a more southwest-northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, Texas at a concurrency with U. S. Route 277, US281, I-44 is one of five interstates built to bypass U. S. Route 66, this highway covers the section between Oklahoma City and St. Louis. Virtually the entire length of I-44 east of Springfield, Missouri was once US66, in the U. S. state of Texas, I-44 has a short, but regionally important,14.77 miles stretch, connecting Wichita Falls with Oklahoma. The route runs almost due north to the Texas–Oklahoma state line at the Red River, in Wichita Falls, I-44 runs concurrent with US277, US281, and US287, and is known locally as the Central Freeway. I-44 provides access to downtown Wichita Falls and Sheppard Air Force Base, I-44 in Oklahoma is mostly three separate toll roads, it is paralleled by former US66 from Oklahoma City to the Missouri line. In southwestern Oklahoma, I-44 is the H. E. Bailey Turnpike and is mainly south–north, in the Oklahoma City area, I-44 is either six or eight lanes, it runs concurrent with I-35 for about 4 miles in Oklahoma City. From Oklahoma City, I-44 becomes southwest–northeast as the Turner Turnpike towards Tulsa, after I-44 leaves Tulsa, it becomes the Will Rogers Turnpike to the Missouri state line. I-44 enters Missouri southwest of Joplin near the tripoint of Oklahoma, Missouri and it misses the Kansas border by less than 200 yards. The first exit in Missouri is for US-166, I-44 continues through the southern part of Joplin, where it becomes concurrent with the new Missouri segment of I-49. East of Joplin, I-49 splits off on its own alignment to Kansas City, I-44 then continues east on the former US-166 to Mount Vernon. At the northeast part of Mount Vernon, I-44 heads northeast, the section of road to Halltown is a completely new road, not bypassing any previous highways. At Halltown, the road follows the pathway of US-66 all the way to downtown St. Louis. I-44 passes through Springfield on the side of the city. At Waynesville, I-44 enters a hilly and curvy area until it passes Rolla. Although the road passes through some hilly areas, none are as steep as that particular stretch. At Pacific, I-44 begins to widen to six lanes, later to eight lanes, until a future second span of the new bridge is completed, there will be no way for I-44 traffic to utilize the new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial span without first exiting to surface streets. I-44 traffic wishing to continue northeast and east must use the Poplar Street Bridge, at some places, an Alternate I-44 is posted
9.
Oklahoma City
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Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U. S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 27th among United States cities in population, the population grew following the 2010 Census, with the population estimated to have increased to 631,346 as of July 2015. Oklahoma Citys city limits extend into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties, the city ranks as the eighth-largest city in the United States by land area. Oklahoma City has the largest municipal population of any city in the Great Plains region of the central United States as well as all neighboring states to Oklahoma, excluding Texas, lying in the Great Plains region, Oklahoma City features one of the largest livestock markets in the world. Oil, natural gas, petroleum products and related industries are the largest sector of the local economy, the city is situated in the middle of an active oil field and oil derricks dot the capitol grounds. The federal government employs large numbers of workers at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City is on the I-35 Corridor, which is one of the primary travel corridors south into neighboring Texas and Mexico and north towards Wichita and Kansas City. Located in the Frontier Country region of the state, the citys northeast section lies in a region known as the Cross Timbers. The city was founded during the Land Run of 1889, the city was the scene of the April 19,1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, in which 168 people died. It was the deadliest terror attack in the history of the United States until the attacks of September 11,2001, and remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U. S. history. Oklahoma City was settled on April 22,1889, when the known as the Unassigned Lands was opened for settlement in an event known as The Land Run. Some 10,000 homesteaders settled the area that would become the capital of Oklahoma, the town grew quickly, the population doubled between 1890 and 1900. Early leaders of the development of the city included Anton Classen, John Shartel, Henry Overholser, by the time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, Oklahoma City had surpassed Guthrie, the territorial capital, as the population center and commercial hub of the new state. Soon after, the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City, before World War II, Oklahoma City developed major stockyards, attracting jobs and revenue formerly in Chicago and Omaha, Nebraska. With the 1928 discovery of oil within the city limits, Oklahoma City became a center of oil production. Post-war growth accompanied the construction of the Interstate Highway System, which made Oklahoma City a major interchange as the convergence of I-35, I-40 and it was also aided by federal development of Tinker Air Force Base. In 1950, the Census Bureau reported citys population as 8. 6% black and 90. 7% white, patience Latting was elected Mayor of Oklahoma City in 1971, becoming the citys first female mayor. Latting was also the first woman to serve as mayor of a U. S. city with over 350,000 residents. As with many other American cities, center city population declined in the 1970s and 1980s as families followed newly constructed highways to move to housing in nearby suburbs
10.
Interstate 55
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Interstate 55 is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north-south route, the highway travels from LaPlace, Louisiana, at I-10 to Chicago at U. S. Route 41, at McCormick Place. The section of I-55 between Chicago and St. Louis was built as a route for US66. It crosses the Mississippi River twice, once at Memphis, Tennessee, when it was realized that a national highway system was needed, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 provided for a highway replacing the old Route 66 which I-55 filled. I-55 was originally constructed in the 1970s, to extend a section of Route 66 between I-294 and Gardner which had converted into a freeway and had Interstate signage installed in 1960. During the rest of the 1960s, I-55 was built in portions throughout Illinois eventually connecting St. Louis to Chicago where it became the direct route between them. As it goes southwards, most of the Interstate was purpose-built during the 1960s and 70s, the entire length was completed in 1979. In Louisiana, I-55 runs nearly 66 miles from south to north, from I-10 near Laplace to the Mississippi state line near Kentwood, approximately 1⁄3 of the distance consists of the Manchac Swamp Bridge, a nearly 23-mile causeway, often cited as the third-longest viaduct in the world. In Mississippi, I-55 runs 290.5 miles from the Louisiana border near Osyka, Mississippi to Southaven on the Tennessee border, noteworthy cities and towns that I-55 passes through or close by to are McComb, Jackson, and Grenada. This highway parallels US51 in its path roughly through the center of Mississippi, the eight miles from Hernando to the Tennessee state line coincide with the newer I-69. The Mississippi section of I-55 is defined in the Mississippi Code § 65-3-3, the Tennessee Department of Transportation currently has an interchange improvement project for this portion. Heavy truck traffic heading to and from Arkansas in this area is hence directed to detour via I-240 and I-40, for the Tennessee stretch of the Interstate, the usual national freeway speed limit of 70 mph is reduced to 65 mph. I-255 was the former numbering of I-240 between I-55 and I-40 through midtown Memphis, Tennessee, I-55 enters Arkansas from Tennessee as it crosses the Mississippi River on the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge. It overlaps I-40 for approximately 2.8 miles in West Memphis, after separating from I-40, I-55 turns northward and runs with US61, US63, and US64 until US64 exits in through Marion. I-55/US 61/US63 continue north through Crittenden County through rural farms of the Arkansas delta, I-55 passes through Blytheville, where it has a junction with Highway 18 before entering Missouri. I-55 parallels U. S.61 in its path through Arkansas, in Missouri, I-55 runs from the southeastern part of the state, at the Arkansas border, to St. Louis. In this city, I-44 merges in with I-55, and then I-64, among the cities and towns served by I-55 in Missouri are Sikeston, Cape Girardeau, and St. Louis. As noted above, I-55 parallels US61 for most of its course through Missouri, I-55 largely follows the 1940 alignment of the former US66, now Historic US66, through Illinois
11.
Interstate 57
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Interstate 57 is an Interstate Highway in Missouri and Illinois that parallels the old Illinois Central rail line for much of its route. It goes from Sikeston, Missouri, at Interstate 55 to Chicago, Illinois, I-57 essentially serves as a shortcut route for travelers headed between the south and Chicago, bypassing St. Louis, Missouri. In fact, both the cities on the overhead signs, as well as destination mileage signs, reference Memphis along southbound I-57. Likewise, at its end, Chicago is the control city listed for I-57 on signs on northbound I-55 south of Sikeston, Missouri. As of 2015, I-57 has no routes, nor are any planned for the near future. At a length of just over 386 miles, it is the second longest two-digit Interstate Highway without an auxiliary route, I-57 has one business loop in Charleston, Missouri. In the state of Missouri, Interstate 57 runs northbound from Sikeston to the Cairo I-57 Bridge over the Mississippi River south of Cairo, Illinois. After ending southbound at Interstate 55, the highway continues as U. S. Route 60, which meets U. S. Route 67 at Poplar Bluff, Missouri, the state of Missouri has proposed extending the I-57 designation down this corridor. However, this conflicts with Arkansas plans to extend the Interstate 30 designation north on U. S. Route 67. From the start of I-57 northbound, the US60 concurrency goes about 12 miles, in the state of Illinois, Interstate 57 runs from the bridge over the Mississippi River north to Chicago. I-57 is the longest Interstate Highway in Illinois and it then follows US45 bypassing cities of Champaign and Urbana, and heads north to Onarga whereafter it follows the formerly duplex path of US45 and old US54 to Kankakee. It serves as the terminus of Interstate 24 that leads southeastward to those cities. The route is a way for Chicagoans to reach Shawnee National Forest in the southern tip of the state. It also serves as an artery for college students in the state, running near Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Interstate 57 and Interstate 294 did not have an intersection for a long time and it was one of only a few examples where Interstates cross but didnt have interchanges with each other. Vehicles were directed to use Interstate 80 to access Interstate 294 instead, I-57 remains the only Chicago expressway that does not have a commonly used name. Its Chicago-area portion was known as the Dan Ryan Expressway–West Leg. I-57 was named the Ken Gray Expressway in southern Illinois after former U. S, congressman Ken Gray for his work on getting the route planned through southern Illinois
12.
Sikeston, Missouri
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Sikeston /ˈsaɪkstən/ is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the U. S. state of Missouri. It is situated just north of the Missouri Bootheel, although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way of Interstate 55, Interstate 57, and U. S. Route 60, the city is named after John Sikes, who founded it in 1860. It is the city of the Sikeston Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of all of Scott County. Before the 2010 census, it had been the second-most populous city in the district, Sikeston is located at 36°52′46″N 89°35′7″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 17.48 square miles. The city is situated upon the Sikeston Ridge which runs north and south from 10 miles north of Sikeston through New Madrid, prior to 1927, the New Madrid-Sikeston Ridge Levee was constructed to protect the area from flooding from the Mississippi River. In the 1920s, the Little River Drainage District was formed to drain the low land area west of the Sikeston Ridge, by 1931, the levee construction had created the New Madrid floodway. As of the census of 2010, there were 16,318 people,6,749 households, the population density was 942.1 inhabitants per square mile. There were 7,289 housing units at a density of 420.8 per square mile. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2. 32% of the population,31. 1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13. 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 38.5 years. 25. 1% of residents were under the age of 18,8. 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24,24. 1% were from 25 to 44,26. 2% were from 45 to 64, and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45. 8% male and 54. 2% female, as of the census of 2000, there were 16,992 people,6,779 households, and 4,602 families residing in the city. The population density was 947.4 people per square mile, there were 7,428 housing units at an average density of 414.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 75. 52% White,22. 36% African American,0. 27% Native American,0. 37% Asian,0. 49% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 1. 20% of the population. The major reported ancestries in Sikeston are 17. 1% American,11. 8% German,11. 5% Irish,6. 8% English,2. 9% French, and 1. 5% Scotch-Irish
13.
Interstate 24
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Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from I-57,10 miles south of Marion, Illinois, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, as an even-numbered Interstate, it is signed as an east–west route, though the route follows a more southeast–northwest routing. Because the routing of I-24 is diagonal, the numbering is a bit unusual as it not completely follow the Interstate Highway System numbering conventions. I-24 makes up the majority of a corridor between St. Louis, Missouri, and Atlanta. This corridor utilizes I-64 and I-57 northwest of I-24, and I-75 southeast of I-24, I-24 begins at exit 44A on I-57 in southern Williamson County, near the community of Pulleys Mill. The highway heads southeast into rural Johnson County, bypassing Goreville to the east and it reaches an exit at Tunnel Hill Road, which serves Goreville and Tunnel Hill. The highway continues south to its exit at U. S. Route 45 north of Vienna. It reaches its next exit at Illinois Route 146 in eastern Vienna, I-24 heads southeast from Vienna into Massac County. Its first exit in Massac County is at Big Bay Road, I-24 continues southward, bypassing the community of Round Knob before entering Metropolis. The highway meets US45 again in Metropolis and passes west of Fort Massac State Park and it leaves Metropolis to the south by crossing the Interstate 24 Bridge over the Ohio River, continuing into Kentucky. I-24 crosses into Kentucky on a bridge over the Ohio River, passing to the west of the city of Paducah and intersecting US60, US45, the freeway then passes near the communities of Woodlawn-Oakdale and Reidland, and connects with US68. East of this point, I-24 runs concurrently with I-69, intersecting US62 and crossing the Tennessee River, the roadway travels along the north shore of the Cumberland River as I-69 splits off to the east just north of Mineral Mound State Park. I-24 continues east, away from the river, through farmland for several miles, near the Tennessee border, I-24 passes north of Fort Campbell before crossing into Tennessee. I-69 runs concurrently with I-24 for 17 miles from the Purchase Parkway in Calvert City to the Western Kentucky Parkway near Eddyville, compared to grades elsewhere, Monteagles 4–6% grade does not come close to the steepest, but the slope is protracted over a distance of several miles. While all motorists need to exercise caution, truckers are particularly vexed by Monteagle, owing to geography, these two ramps are on the left side of the grade. This stretch of highway inspired Johnny Cash to write a song about Monteagle Mountain, there is more than a mile between the eastbound and westbound lanes at one point. The eastbound lanes descend the mountain on one side of a ridge, also of interest on Monteagle Mountain is the steep grade on I-24 north of Monteagle. This steep grade occurs for westbound traffic and features a sharp 45 mph curve to the right while descending steeply at the same time and this downhill curve also features off-ramp approach style lane dividers, in order to slow both motorists and truckers
14.
Paducah, Kentucky
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Paducah is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 24,864 in 2015, down from 25,024 during the 2010 U. S. Census, twenty blocks of the citys downtown have been designated as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Paducah is the hub of its area, which includes McCracken, Ballard and Livingston counties in Kentucky. Paducah was first settled as Pekin by James and William Pore c. 1821, the community – favorably located at the confluence of several waterways – occupied a site previously noted as a Chickasaw trading center. The town was out by William Clark in 1827 and renamed Paducah. Instead, it is probable that Clark named the town for the Comanches, Paducah was formally established as a town in 1830 and incorporated as a city by the state legislature in 1838. By this time, steam boats traversed the river system and its facilities were important to trade. In addition, railroads began to be developed that entered the region, a factory for making red bricks, and a foundry for making rail and locomotive components became the nucleus of a thriving River and Rail economy. It became the site of dry dock facilities for steamboats and towboats, because of its proximity to coalfields further to the east in Kentucky and north in Illinois, Paducah also became an important railway hub for the Illinois Central Railroad. This was the primary north-south railway connecting the cities of Chicago and East St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico at Gulfport, Mississippi and New Orleans. The Illinois Central system also provided east-west links to the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka, the Illinois Central Railroad began construction of their largest locomotive workshop at Paducah in 1924. Over a period of 190 days, a ravine between Washington and Jones Streets was filled with 44,560 carloads of dirt to enlarge the site to include 23 buildings. The eleven million dollar project was completed in 1927 as the fourth largest industrial plant in Kentucky and it became the largest employer in Paducah with 1,075 employees in 1938. The shops became part of the Paducah and Louisville Railway in 1986, at the outset of the Civil War, Kentucky attempted to take a neutral position. However, when a Confederate force occupied Columbus, a Union force under General Ulysses S. Grant responded by occupying Paducah. Throughout most of the war, Col. Stephen G. Hicks was in charge of Paducah, on December 17,1862, under the terms of General Order No. 11, US forces required thirty Jewish families to leave their long-established homes, Grant was trying to break up a black market in cotton, in which he suspected Jewish traders were involved. Cesar Kaskel, a prominent local Jewish businessman, dispatched a telegram of complaint to Pres, lincoln and met with him, together with similar actions by other Jewish businessmen and loud complaints by Congress, he succeeded in seeing the order revoked within a few weeks
15.
Interstate 65
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Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north-south route, I-65 connects several major metropolitan areas in the Midwest and Southern United States. It connects the four largest cities in Alabama and it also serves as one of the main north-south routes through Nashville, Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky, and Indianapolis, Indiana, each a major metropolitan area in each respective state. In the state of Alabama, I-65 passes through or near four of the major metropolitan areas, Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham. I-65 begins its path northward in Mobile at its junction with I-10, from I-10, I-65 runs west of downtown Mobile and through the northern suburbs of the city before turning northeasterly towards Montgomery. In Montgomery, I-65 connects with the terminus of I-85. In Birmingham, I-65 has an interchange with I-20/I-59, north of downtown, I-22 branches off I-65 towards Memphis. From Birmingham, I-65 continues north, crossing the Tennessee River near Decatur, a few miles north of the river, it interchanges with I-565, a short spur route which provides access to Huntsville. It then continues out of the Tennessee Valley to the state of Tennessee. I-65 enters Tennessee from the south near the town of Ardmore, then it reaches the outer parts of Columbia and making its way to Saturn Parkway, which brings travelers to the town of Spring Hill. I-65 then continues on to reach I-840 and progresses until it intersects SR96 at Franklin, then the highway goes through Brentwood, Nashville, Madison, Goodlettsville, White House, and then close to Portland, this highway passes into the state of Kentucky. I-65 enters the state five miles south of Franklin, throughout its length, it passes near Mammoth Cave National Park, Bernheim Forest, the National Corvette Museum and the Fort Knox Military Reservation. I-65 has intersections with four of the parkways in the state, the first major junction is with the William H. Natcher Parkway at Bowling Green, followed by the Cumberland Parkway north of the city between Smiths Grove and Park City. At Elizabethtown, it has two more interchanges with the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway and the Martha Layne Collins Bluegrass Parkway. I-65 also has interchanges with I-265, I-264, I-64, the widest stretch of Interstate 65 in its entirety is in Louisville at Kentucky Route 1065, where the main line is 14 lanes wide. The highway crosses the Ohio River into Indiana on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, the latter bridge opened in October 2016 as part of the Ohio River Bridges Project. Prior to the project, the Kennedy Bridge carried traffic in both directions, the project also included reconstruction of the I-65/I-64/I-71 convergence interchange just south of the Kennedy Bridge, plus renovating the older span to carry six lanes of southbound traffic. At one time, the stretch of I-65 from Louisville to Elizabethtown was a road bearing the Kentucky Turnpike name
16.
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
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Elizabethtown is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Hardin County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was estimated at 29,335 by the United States Census in 2012, making it the 10th-largest city in the state. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 25.8 square miles. On the list of all metropolitan areas as defined by the United States Census Bureau. Population estimates are current as of the 2010 Census, metropolitan statistical area names are current as of December 1,2005. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers, according to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Elizabethtown has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated Cfa on climate maps. Established in 1793, the Hardin County was named for Colonel John Hardin, in a few years, professional men and tradesmen came to live in the area. In 1793, Colonel Andrew Hynes had 30 acres surveyed and laid off lots and streets to establish Elizabethtown. Named in honor of his wife, Elizabethtown was legally established in 1797, Thomas Lincoln helped Samuel Haycraft build a millrace at Haycrafts mill on Valley Creek. After Lincoln married Nancy Hanks in 1806, they lived in a log cabin built in Elizabethtown and their daughter, Sarah, was born there in 1807. Soon after, they moved to the Sinking Spring Farm, where Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809, Thomas Lincoln took his family to Indiana in 1816. After his wife died in 1818, he returned to Elizabethtown and married Sarah Bush Johnston and she and her three children accompanied Thomas back to Indiana, where Sarah was stepmother to Thomas two children. John L. Helm, the grandson of Capt. Thomas Helm, became the president of the railroad in October 1854, the rail line was completed to Elizabethtown in 1858, with the first train arriving on June 15,1858. The opening of the railroad brought growth to Elizabethtown, which became an important trade center along the railroad. On December 27,1862, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his 3, during the battle, more than 100 cannonballs were fired into the town. Although he successfully captured Elizabethtown, Morgans chief goal was to disrupt the railroad and he proceeded north along the railroad, burning trestles and destroying sections of the track. After the battle, one cannonball was found lodged in the side of a building on the public square. After the building burned in 1887 and was rebuilt, the cannonball was replaced in the wall, as close to its original site as possible
17.
Interstate 75
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Interstate 75 is a major Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route and it travels from State Road 826 and SR924 on the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Canadian border, I-75 is the seventh longest Interstate Highway, the second longest north-south after I-95, and passes through six different states, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. Due to high levels on the Interstate, much of the route is six lanes even in rural areas. I-75 starts at an interchange with SR924 and SR826 on the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border in suburban Miami, the freeway enters the Tampa Bay metropolitan area before the interchange with I-275 northbound, which handles St. Petersburg-bound traffic. The freeway proceeds to enter suburban portions of Pasco, Hernando, afterward, the northmost stretch of I-75 in Florida exits the Sunshine State into southern Georgia. After Macon it passes the town of Forsyth. The freeway reaches no major junctions again until in the Atlanta metropolitan area, the first metropolitan freeway met is I-675, then followed by the Atlanta Perimeter bypass, I-285. It crosses inside the Perimeter and heads north several miles towards the Atlanta city center, Interstate 75 then runs concurrently with I-85 due north over the Downtown Connector through the central business district of Atlanta. The areas where I-85 and I-75 run concurrently are some of the most traffic-prone streets in the nation, after the two Interstates split, I-75 makes a beeline northwest, crossing outside the I-285 perimeter and heading towards the major suburban city of Marietta. This section of I-75 just north of I-285 has 15 through lanes, north of Marietta, the final major junction in the Atlanta metropolitan area is the I-575 spur. I-75 then traverses the hilly northwestern Georgia terrain as it travels towards Chattanooga, the freeway enters Tennessee directly in the Chattanooga metropolitan area, where it intersects with I-24. Exiting Chattanooga to the northeast, I-75 passes through a known for dense fog. Twelve people were killed and 42 were injured in a 99-vehicle accident on that stretch of I-75 in heavy fog on December 11,1990, I-75 does not meet any other highways until it overlaps Interstate 40 near Farragut and heads eastbound. Together, they enter the outskirts of Knoxville, where I-75 overlaps itself with a different road, this time I-640, near Walton, I-71 merges with I-75, making for yet another overlapped portion of freeway. I-275, which is the Cincinnati beltway, is intersected by I-71/I-75. After passing through Covington, the crosses the Ohio River via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge. I-74 westbound, Ohio State Route 562 eastbound, and SR126 all intersect the freeway as it makes its way northward, in Arlington Heights, a Cincinnati suburb, I-75 sees a carriageway split for a few miles
18.
Georgetown, Kentucky
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Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, in the United States. The 2015 population was 32,356 per the United States Census Bureau and it is the 7th-largest city by population in the U. S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county and it was originally called Lebanon when founded by Rev. Elijah Craig and was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a liberal arts college. Georgetown is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area, the citys growth began in the mid-1980s, when Toyota built Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, its first wholly owned United States plant, in the city. The plant, which builds the Camry, Camry Hybrid, Venza, Avalon. It is the largest building in terms of acres covered under one building in the United States, the city previously served as the training camp for the NFLs Cincinnati Bengals. Native peoples have lived along the banks of Elkhorn Creek in what is now Scott County for at least 15,000 years, european exploration can be dated to a June 1774 surveying expedition from Fincastle County, Virginia, led by Colonel John Floyd. For his military service, he was granted a claim of 1,000 acres in the area by the state of Virginia and he named it Royal Spring but did not settle it. John McClellan was the first to settle the area and established McClellans Station there in 1775, in 1782, the Baptist preacher Elijah Craig led his congregation to the site and established a new settlement which he called Lebanon. This was incorporated by the Virginia legislature in 1784, Craig established some of the first mills west of the Appalachian Mountains along the Royal Spring Branch, manufacturing cloth and paper. He also founded a distillery in 1789, as well as a called the Rittenhouse Academy. This eventually grew into Georgetown College, the citys name was changed to George Town in honor of President George Washington in 1790. When Kentucky became the 15th U. S. state in 1792 and formed Scott County, the name was formally changed to Georgetown in 1846. During the Civil War, Georgetown was raided by Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan twice, once on July 15,1862, following the war, the town became a railroad hub, connected to the Cincinnati Southern, the Louisville Southern, and the Frankfort & Cincinnati. The last was considered the route and brought much of the regions bourbon to market. From 1896 to 1987, the Cardome Centre site was the location of an academy founded by the Sisters of Visitation. It now serves as a community center for the city of Georgetown, throughout the 20th century, Georgetown has been in transition from an economy based primarily on agriculture, to a diversified one mixing manufacturing, small business, and the family farm
19.
Interstate 70
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Interstate 70 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah to I-695 near Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 approximately traces the path of U. S. Route 40 east of the Rocky Mountains, West of the Rockies, the route of I-70 was derived from multiple sources. The Interstate runs through or near major cities, including Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh. The sections of the interstate in Missouri and Kansas have laid claim to be the first interstate in the United States. The construction of I-70 in Colorado and Utah is considered an engineering marvel as the passes through the Eisenhower Tunnel, Glenwood Canyon. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest point along the Interstate Highway system with an elevation of 11,158 ft. Interstate 70 begins at an interchange with Interstate 15 near Cove Fort. Upon leaving the valley near Salina, I-70 crosses 7,923 ft Salina Summit, prior to the construction of I-70, the swell was inaccessible via paved roads and relatively undiscovered. It also became the longest piece of highway to be opened at one time. Although opened in 1970, this section was not formally complete until 1990, since I-70s construction, the swell has been noted for its desolate beauty. The swell has since been nominated for National Park and/or National Monument status on multiple occasions, if the swell is granted this status it arguably would be the first time a National Park owes its existence to an interstate highway. Most of the exits in this span are rest areas, brake check areas, I-70 exits the swell near Green River. From Green River to the Colorado state line, I-70 follows the edge of the Book Cliffs. Entering from Utah, I-70 descends into the Grand Valley where it meets the Colorado River, here I-70 serves the Grand Junction metro area before traversing more mountainous terrain. The last section of I-70 to be completed was the 15-mile Glenwood Canyon, construction was delayed for many years due to environmental concerns. Much of the highway is elevated above the Colorado River, the speed limit in this section is 50 mph due to the limited sight distance and sharp corners. The Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel, the highest vehicular tunnel in North America, because of the rugged and narrow terrain of the Rocky Mountains, I-70 is one of few roads connecting Colorados ski resorts with Denver. Descending through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the Denver skyline can be seen on a clear day. This can fool truckers and other unsuspecting drivers because there is still over 10 miles of steep grade road before reaching the city, a series of signs warns truckers of the steep grade
20.
Interstate 71
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Interstate 71 is an Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 and Interstate 65 in Louisville and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 in Cleveland, Ohio. I-71 runs concurrently with Interstate 75 from a point about twenty miles south of Cincinnati, almost three quarters of the route lies east of I-75, thereby putting it out of its proper place in the Interstate grid. While I-71 is designated a highway, it is a major east–west route for cross-country traffic. It links I-80 and I-90 to I-70, and ultimately links to I-40, in Kentucky, I-71 begins east of Downtown Louisville at the Kennedy Interchange, where it meets I-64 and I-65. This interchange is sometimes called the Spaghetti Junction, from Louisville, it roughly follows the Ohio River in a diagonal path toward Northern Kentucky. Between Louisville and Cincinnati, I-71 is largely a four-lane highway and it is one of the worst bus accidents in state and national history. I-71 merges with Interstate 75 near Walton and intersects Interstate 275, after passing through Covington, the freeway crosses the Ohio River via the lower level of the Brent Spence Bridge and continues into Cincinnati. In Cincinnati, I-71 splits immediately from I-75 and heads due east onto Fort Washington Way, just east of downtown, US-50 splits from I-71 and continues east, I-71 bends north and receives Interstate 471, a spur from southeast of the city. I-71 then heads in a general northeast direction through urban Cincinnati, after another interchange with the Interstate 275 beltway, the freeway leaves the metropolitan area and heads towards Columbus. It continues northeast until it reaches South Lebanon, Ohio, where it begins cutting east across the plains of southwest Ohio. The freeway crosses the Little Miami River on the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge, which is a truss bridge. I-71 heads towards Columbus then intersects with the bypass I-270 before heading north into urban Columbus, about a mile north of the I-70 junction, it intersects with I-670. After another interchange with the I-270 bypass, the exits out of Columbus and continues north until near Delaware. Beginning its path to Cleveland, I-71 enters the farm country on the edges of the Allegheny Plateau. It continues in this fashion to Lodi/Westfield Center and its junction with I-76, heading north to Medina, it meets the terminus of I-271. The highway then continues north into urban Cuyahoga County and Clevelands suburbs, passing Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, I-71 meets I-480 and enters Clevelands west side, continuing on to downtown. It junctions with State Route 176 and terminates at Interstate 90 on the Innerbelt, the first section of I-71 in Louisville opened in December 1966 between its terminus at Spaghetti Junction and Zorn Avenue, its first exit
21.
Columbus, Ohio
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Columbus is the capital and largest city of the U. S. state of Ohio. It is the 15th-largest city in the United States, with a population of 850,106 as of 2015 estimates and this makes Columbus the fourth-most populous state capital in the United States, and the third-largest city in the Midwestern United States. It is the city of the Columbus, Ohio, Metropolitan Statistical Area. With a population of 2,021,632, it is Ohios third-largest metropolitan area, Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County. The city proper has also expanded and annexed portions of adjoining Delaware County, named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816. As of 2013, the city has the headquarters of five corporations in the U. S, fortune 500, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, American Electric Power, L Brands, Big Lots, and Cardinal Health. In 2012, Columbus was ranked in BusinessWeeks 50 best cities in America. In 2013, Forbes gave Columbus an A rating as one of the top cities for business in the U. S. and later that included the city on its list of Best Places for Business. Columbus was also ranked as the No.1 up-and-coming tech city in the nation by Forbes in 2008, and the city was ranked a top-ten city by Relocate America in 2010. In 2007, fDi Magazine ranked the city no.3 in the U. S. for cities of the future, and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was rated no.1 in 2009 by USA Travel Guide. The area including modern-day Columbus once comprised the Ohio Country, under the control of the French colonial empire through the Viceroyalty of New France from 1663 until 1763. In the 18th century, European traders flocked to the area, the area found itself frequently caught between warring factions, including American Indian and European interests. In the 1740s, Pennsylvania traders overran the territory until the French forcibly evicted them, in the early 1750s, the Ohio Company sent George Washington to the Ohio Country to survey. Fighting for control of the territory in the French and Indian War became part of the international Seven Years War, during this period, the region routinely suffered turmoil, massacres, and battles. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded the Ohio Country to the British Empire, after the American Revolution, the Ohio Country became part of the Virginia Military District, under the control of the United States. Colonists from the East Coast moved in, but rather finding a empty frontier, they encountered people of the Miami, Delaware, Wyandot, Shawnee. The tribes resisted expansion by the fledgling United States, leading to years of bitter conflict, the decisive Battle of Fallen Timbers resulted in the Treaty of Greenville, which finally opened the way for new settlements. By 1797, a surveyor from Virginia named Lucas Sullivant had founded a permanent settlement on the west bank of the forks of the Scioto River
22.
Interstate 77
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Interstate 77 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina. It largely supplants the old U. S. Route 21 between Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina, as an important north–south corridor through the middle Appalachians, the southern terminus of Interstate 77 is in Columbia at the junction with Interstate 26. The northern terminus is in Cleveland at the junction with Interstate 90, the East River Mountain Tunnel, connecting Virginia and West Virginia, is one of only two instances in the United States where a mountain road tunnel crosses a state line. The other is the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, connecting Tennessee and Kentucky, I-77 begins as an eight-lane highway at I-26 in the far southeastern part of the Columbia metropolitan area. The Columbia skyline is visible from this interchange, in the Columbia area, I-77 offers easy access to Fort Jackson before meeting I-20 in the northeastern part of the city. This segment of I-77, combined with I-20 and I-26, form a beltway around Columbia, though it is not officially designated as such. In the Columbia area, the city for northbound traffic is Charlotte, N. C. while the control city for southbound traffic is Charleston, S. C and Spartanburg. After leaving the northern Columbia suburb of Blythewood, I-77 narrows to four lanes until it widens to eight lanes at Rock Hill from Exit 77 to the North Carolina state line at I-485. The final South Carolina exit, takes motorists to Carowinds, a theme park that was built along the North and South Carolina state line. Much of the Interstates path through Fairfield and Chester County is uphill and this marks the changing terrain from the Midlands to the Piedmont as the road climbs the fall line. The final section of the length of Interstate 77 was completed in Columbia in 1995. Interstate 77 through North Carolina begins at the South Carolina state line at Pineville where the Carowinds theme park is visible. It narrows to 6 lanes on the NC side south of Charlotte, in Charlotte it intersects Interstate 85 as well as intersecting each of the loops of Interstate 485 and Interstate 277. North of Charlotte, it skirts Lake Norman where it again to 4 lanes before passing through Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson. Forty miles north of Interstate 85, at Statesville it intersects Interstate 40, next, it crosses over U. S. Route 421 in Yadkin County and continues on through Elkin. Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina is also known as the Bill Lee Freeway, a 6-mile portion south of the city is called the General Younts Expressway. When I-77 crosses over I-85, the lanes are to the west of the southbound lanes
23.
U.S. Route 30
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U. S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U. S. route, after U. S. Route 20, the western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon, the eastern end is in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Despite long stretches of parallel and concurrent Interstate Highways, it has managed to avoid the decommissioning that has happened to other long haul routes such as U. S. Route 66. Much of the historic Lincoln Highway, the first road across America, became part of US30, it is still known by that name in many areas. The west end of US30 is at an intersection with U. S. Route 101 at the end of the Astoria–Megler Bridge in downtown Astoria, Oregon. It heads east to Portland, where it uses a section of freeway built for the canceled Interstate 505. From there it heads around the side of downtown on Interstate 405. Most of the rest of the route is concurrent with I-84, with only about 70 miles, under 1/5 of its length, off the freeway. Upon entering Idaho, US30 runs along its old route through Fruitland. It leaves at Bliss and soon crosses the Snake River, running south of it through Twin Falls and Burley before crossing it again, at the split with Interstate 86, US30 continues east with I-86 almost to its end at Pocatello. US30 cuts southeast through downtown Pocatello to Interstate 15, where it heads south to McCammon, there it exits and heads east and southeast, not parallel to an Interstate for the first time since Portland, into Wyoming. The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway is a section of old US30 in southern Idaho between the towns of Bliss and Buhl, dipping down into the Hagerman Valley and a canyon of the Snake River. These springs are outlets from the Snake River Aquifer, which flows through thousands of miles of porous volcanic rock and is one of the largest groundwater systems in the world. The aquifer is believed to be fed by the Lost River which disappears into lava flows near Arco, in Wyoming, US30 heads southeast through Kemmerer to Granger, where it joins Interstate 80 across southern Wyoming. It is also here that it joins the historic Lincoln Highway, from the state line to Grand Island, US30 closely parallels I-80. East of Grand Island, US30 diverges from I-80 and runs northeast towards Columbus on a parallel to the Platte River. At Columbus, it turns east towards Schuyler and Fremont and crosses the Missouri River into Iowa east of Blair, US30 crosses Iowa from west to east approximately 20 miles north of Interstate 80. Between Missouri Valley and Denison, the runs in a southwest-to-northeast direction
24.
Canton, Ohio
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Canton is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1805 alongside the Middle and West Branches of Nimishillen Creek, however, its status in that regard began to decline during the late 20th century, as shifts in the manufacturing industry led to the relocation or repositioning of many factories. After this decline, the industry diversified into the service economy, including retailing, education, finance. Canton is located approximately 24 miles south of Akron, and 60 miles south of Cleveland, Canton lies on the outskirts of the greater northeast Ohio metropolitan area anchored by Cleveland, and is also a short distance away from the periphery of the greater Pittsburgh area. The city lies on the edge of Ohios extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and Wayne counties to the citys west and southwest. Canton is located along Interstate 77, U. S. Route 62, and the historic Lincoln Highway, the present-day U. S. Route 30, and is also the terminus of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Canton is the largest incorporated area in the Canton-Massillon, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, as of the 2010 Census, the population was 404,422. Cantons city population declined 9. 7%, down to 73,007 residents, despite this decline, the 2010 figure actually moved Canton from ninth to eighth place among Ohio cities. Nearby Youngstown in Mahoning County, once more populous than Canton. Canton is chiefly notable for two reasons, the first is football, especially the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the formation in 1920 of what became the National Football League. The second is William McKinley, who conducted from his home in Canton the famed front porch campaign which won him the presidency of the United States in the 1896 election, the McKinley National Memorial and the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum commemorate his life and presidency. Canton was chosen as the site of the First Ladies National Historic Site largely in honor of his wife, Canton is currently experiencing an urban renaissance, anchored by its growing and thriving arts district centrally located in the downtown area. Several historic buildings have been rehabilitated and converted into upscale lofts, Canton was founded in 1805, incorporated as a village in 1822, and re-incorporated as a city in 1838. Bezaleel Wells, the surveyor who divided the land of the town, named it after Canton, the name was a memorial to a trader named John ODonnell, whom Wells admired. ODonnell had named his Maryland plantation after the Chinese city, as he had been the first person to transport goods from there to Baltimore, Canton was the adopted home of President William McKinley. Born in Niles, McKinley first practiced law in Canton around 1867, the city was his home during his successful campaign for Ohio governor, the site of his front-porch presidential campaign of 1896 and the campaign of 1900. Canton is now the site of the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, Cantons street layout forms the basis for the system of addresses in Stark County. Canton proper is divided into quadrants by Tuscarawas Street and Market Avenue
25.
Interstate 80
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Interstate 80 is a transcontinental limited-access highway in the United States that runs from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York City Metropolitan Area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the routes of the Interstate Highway System. Its final segment was opened to traffic in 1986 and it is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following I-90. I-80 is the Interstate Highway that most closely approximates the route of the historic Lincoln Highway, from near Chicago east to near Youngstown, Ohio, I-80 is a toll road, containing the majority of both the Indiana Toll Road and the Ohio Turnpike. I-80 runs concurrently with I-90 from near Portage, Indiana, to Elyria, in Pennsylvania, I-80 is known as the Keystone Shortway, a non-tolled freeway that crosses rural north-central portions of the state on the way to New Jersey and New York City. I-80 begins at an interchange with U. S. Route 101 in San Francisco and it then heads northeast through Vallejo, Sacramento, and the Sierra Nevada mountains before crossing into Nevada. A portion of the route through Pinole involved the experimental transplantation of the rare species Santa Cruz tarweed in the right-of-way, in Nevada, I-80 traverses the northern portion of the state. The Nevada portion of I-80 follows the paths of the Truckee and Humboldt rivers, the Interstate also follows the historical routes of the California Trail, First Transcontinental Railroad, and Feather River Route throughout portions of the state. I-80 in Nevada closely follows, and at points directly overlaps, the original route of the Victory Highway, State Route 1. After crossing Utahs western border in Wendover, I-80 crosses the desolate Bonneville Salt Flats west of the Great Salt Lake, the longest stretch between exits on an Interstate Highway is located between Wendover and Knolls, with 37.4 miles between those exits. This portion of I-80, crossing the Great Salt Lake Desert, is flat and straight, dotted with large warning signs about driver fatigue. It ascends Parleys Canyon and passes within a few miles of Park City as it follows a route through the mountains towards the junction with the terminus of the western section of I-84. From the junction it continues up Echo Canyon and on towards the border with Wyoming, the route of the Utah section of I-80 is defined in Utah Code Annotated § 72-4-113. In Wyoming, I-80 reaches its maximum elevation of 8,640 feet above sea level at Sherman Summit, near Buford, farther west in Wyoming, the Interstate passes through the dry Red Desert and over the Continental Divide. I-80 enters Nebraska west of Bushnell, the western portion of I-80 in Nebraska runs very close to the state of Colorado, without entering the state. The intersection of I-76 and I-80 is visible from the Colorado–Nebraska state line, from its intersection with I-76 to Grand Island, I-80 lies in the valley of the South Platte River and the Platte River. Along this length, the road does not vary from a straight line by more than a few yards. After Lincoln, I-80 turns northeast towards Omaha and it then crosses the Missouri River in Omaha to enter the state of Iowa
26.
Hubbard, Ohio
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Hubbard is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. It is formed part of Hubbard Township, which was formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 7,874 at the 2010 census and it is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. A post office called Hubbard has been in operation since 1826, the village has the name of Nehemiah Huubard, Jr. a Connecticut Land Company agent. Hubbard is located at 41°09′26″N 80°34′09″W and it is completely surrounded by Hubbard Township. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 3.91 square miles. As of the census of 2010, there were 7,874 people,3,442 households, the population density was 2,019.0 inhabitants per square mile. There were 3,701 housing units at a density of 949.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96. 5% White,1. 5% African American,0. 1% Native American,0. 3% Asian,0. 1% Pacific Islander,0. 3% from other races, and 1. 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1. 3% of the population,32. 6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15. 2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 43.9 years. 20. 3% of residents were under the age of 18,8. 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24,22. 3% were from 25 to 44,29. 6% were from 45 to 64, and 19. 1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47. 6% male and 52. 4% female, as of the census of 2000, there were 8,284 people,3,456 households, and 2,322 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,402.3 people per square mile, there were 3,666 housing units at an average density of 1,063.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98. 08% White,0. 92% African American,0. 11% Native American,0. 14% Asian,0. 01% Pacific Islander,0. 14% from other races, and 0. 59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0. 46% of the population,30. 0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15. 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the family size was 2.99
27.
Interstate 79
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It is a primary thoroughfare through western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and makes up part of an important corridor to Buffalo, New York, and the border with Canada. In West Virginia, Interstate 79 is known as the Jennings Randolph Expressway, in the three most northern counties it is signed as part of the High Tech Corridor. For most of its Pennsylvania stretch, it is known as the Raymond P. Shafer Highway, except at its northern end, I-79 is located on the Allegheny Plateau. Despite the somewhat rugged terrain, the road is relatively flat, most of the highway is at an elevation of about 1000 to 1200 feet above sea level, with some lower areas near both ends and higher areas near Sutton, West Virginia. In the hillier areas, this flatness is achieved by curving around hills, along ridges, from Sutton, West Virginia north, Interstate 79 generally parallels the path of U. S. Route 19. I-79 begins at a three-way directional Y interchange with Interstate 77 along the northwest bank of the Elk River just northeast of Charleston. For its first 67 miles, to a point just south of Flatwoods, I-79 is located in the watershed of the Elk River and it crosses the Elk River twice — at Frametown and Sutton - and never strays more than about 15 to 20 miles from it. I-79 enters Pennsylvania after leaving West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV, south of Washington, PA, I-79 traverses the mostly rural Greene County area. Between mile markers 34 and 38, I-79 is multiplexed with I-70 in the Washington, the freeway into Pittsburgh requires drivers to use I-376 while I-79 completely bypasses the city. Beyond the Pittsburgh area, I-79 traverses more rural areas in Butler, Lawrence, Mercer, Crawford, Route 422 for the 1973 and 1977 National Scout Jamborees, which were held at Moraine. The ramps were closed after the 1977 event, but remain in place as of 2013. I-79 was completely re-built in the Pittsburgh area in the early 1990s, the Pennsylvania General Assembly authorized the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to build two extensions in the 1950s. The Northwestern Extension, authorized in 1953, was to stretch from the main Pennsylvania Turnpike north to Erie, and would have included a lateral connection between Ohio and New York. The Southwestern Extension, authorized in 1955, was to run south from the line near Pittsburgh to West Virginia. This extension also paralleled US19 to near Sutton, where it turned westerly to reach Charleston, on December 21,1967, the first section of I-79 in West Virginia, between Exits 125 and 132, opened to traffic. This five-mile section bypassed part of WV73 between Bridgeport and Fairmont, another five miles opened in July 1968, extending the highway on a bypass of downtown Fairmont to Exit 137. It was further extended 9.5 miles towards Morgantown on October 15,1970, on June 29,1970 the swap of I-79 and I-279 was approved. At the same time, I-76 was extended west from downtown Pittsburgh over former I-79 to the new location of I-79 west of Pittsburgh, on December 3,1971, I-76 was rerouted to bypass Pittsburgh, and I-279 was extended to I-79 utilizing the former section of I-76
28.
Mercer, Pennsylvania
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Mercer is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,002 at the 2010 census and it is the county seat of Mercer County. Mercer is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, the community was named after physician Brigadier General Hugh Mercer. Brigadier General Mercer was a friend to General Washington and became a rallying point for the Battle of Princeton. The town is known for its Memorial Day Parade with the main street lined with 500 flags. Each February it holds Penns Woods West Arts & Crafts Festival at the Mercer Area High School as well as Victorian Days in the summer, Penns Woods West and Victorian Days are no longer being held in the Borough. The Mercer County Court House and Christiana Lindsey House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, at the time of his inauguration in Mercer in January 2002, Chris Portman was one of the youngest mayors in the history of the USA. Mercer is located at 41°13′35″N 80°14′15″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.2 square miles, all land. The United States post office in Mercer contains a mural, Clearing the Land, murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,391 people,1,020 households, the population density was 1,930.3 people per square mile. There were 1,086 housing units at a density of 876.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 96. 45% White,2. 17% African American,0. 17% Native American,0. 21% Asian,0. 04% Pacific Islander,0. 17% from other races, and 0. 79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0. 84% of the population,34. 2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13. 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the family size was 2.89. In the borough the population was out, with 22. 2% under the age of 18,9. 2% from 18 to 24,29. 2% from 25 to 44,22. 6% from 45 to 64. The median age was 37 years, for every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males, the median income for a household in the borough was $29,795, and the median income for a family was $46,979. Males had an income of $27,371 versus $19,576 for females
29.
New York State Route 104
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New York State Route 104 is a 182. 41-mile long east–west state highway in Upstate New York in the United States. The western terminus of NY104 is an intersection with NY384 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, while its eastern terminus is a junction with NY13 in the town of Williamstown, Oswego County. US104, which never connected to US4, its parent route, was redesignated as NY104 c. 1972. As part of the redesignation, NY104 was extended east to NY13 in Williamstown over what had been New York State Route 126. The 104 designation, whether it be US104 or NY104, has shifted from surface streets to expressways and super twos, particularly from Rochester east to Oswego. The first such realignment occurred in the 1940s in Wayne County and was completed by the realignment of NY104 onto the Irondequoit–Wayne County Expressway near Webster in the 1980s, NY104 begins near the Rainbow Bridge at the intersection of First Street and Niagara Street in downtown Niagara Falls. The Seaway Trail crosses NY384 and follows NY104 north on First Street for one block to the Niagara Scenic Parkway, NY104 follows Main Street through the citys largely commercial west side and intersects the northern or eastern terminus for US62 and US62 Business. North of US62 Business, the area becomes residential as NY104 meets NY182 southeast of the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge. To the north, NY 104s name changes to Lewiston Road as it passes the campus of Niagara University. Near the northern extent of the campus, NY104 intersects the terminus of NY31. At the city limits, NY104 meets the northbound Robert Moses State Parkway by way of a half-interchange, now in the town of Lewiston, NY104 comes within view of the Niagara River gorge and begins to run along its eastern rim. NY104 meets the northernmost point of NY61 at the campus of Niagara University. Past NY61, the passes by the Niagara Power Visitors Center and over the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. Past I-190, NY104 begins to deviate from the Niagara River and it heads through a small neighborhood situated between the Moses Parkway and NY104 and intersects the northern end of NY265. North of this junction, NY104 curves northeast to descend the Niagara Escarpment, as it heads downward in elevation, it intersects the western terminus of NY18 by way of an interchange. As part of the exit, NY104 meets the parkway one more time as well as the southern terminus of NY 18F near the village of Lewiston. Here, the Seaway Trail leaves NY104 to follow NY 18F, East of the exit, NY104 intersects NY18 again by way of another interchange. East of Lewiston village, NY104 follows Ridge Road through a populated area of Niagara County
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Niagara Falls, New York
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Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 50,193. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, the city is within the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Western New York region. While the city was occupied by Native Americans, Europeans who migrated to the Niagara Falls in the mid-17th century began to open businesses. After the 1960s, however, the city and region witnessed an economic decline consistent with the rest of the Rust Belt as industries left the city, globalization has played a large role in the decline of manufacturing in the city. Despite the decline in industry, Niagara Falls State Park. The population, however, has continued to decline from a peak of 102,394 in the 1960s due to the loss of manufacturing jobs in the area, before Europeans entered the area, it was dominated by the Neutral Nation of Native Americans. European migration into the area began in the 17th century, the first recorded European to visit the area was Frenchman Robert de la Salle, accompanied by Belgian priest Louis Hennepin, who was the first known European to see the falls. The influx of newcomers may have been a catalyst for already hostile native tribes to turn to warfare in competition for the fur trade. The City of Niagara Falls was incorporated on March 17,1892 from the villages of Manchester and Suspension Bridge, thomas Vincent Welch, a member of the charter committee and a New York state assemblyman and a second-generation Irishman, persuaded Governor Roswell P. Flower to sign the bill on St. Patricks Day, george W. Wright was elected the first mayor of Niagara Falls. By the end of the 19th century, the city was an industrial area. In 1927, the city annexed the village of La Salle from the Town of Niagara, the village was named for the French explorer Robert de la Salle. who built his ship, the Griffon, on the shores of the Niagara River five miles east. Industry and tourism grew steadily throughout the first half of the 20th century due to a demand for industrial products. Paper, rubber, plastics, petrochemicals, carbon insulators and abrasives were among the major industries. This prosperity would end by the late 1960s as aging industrial plants moved to less expensive locations, in addition, the falls were incompatible with modern shipping technology. In 1956, the Schoellkopf Power Plant on the river just downstream of the American Falls was critically damaged due to a massive collapse of the Niagara Gorge wall above it. This prompted the planning and construction of one of the largest hydroelectric plants to be built in North America at that time, causing an influx of workers
31.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
32.
New Mexico
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New Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. It was admitted to the Union as the 47th state on January 6,1912 and it is usually considered one of the Mountain States. New Mexico is fifth by area, the 36th-most populous, inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years before European exploration, New Mexico was colonized by the Spanish in 1598 Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain. Later, it was part of independent Mexico before becoming a U. S. territory and eventually a U. S. state as a result of the Mexican–American War. Among U. S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics, the major Native American nations in the state are Navajo, Pueblo, and Apache peoples. The demography and culture of the state are shaped by these strong Hispanic and Native American influences and its scarlet and gold colors are taken from the royal standards of Spain, along with the ancient sun symbol of the Zia, a Pueblo-related tribe. New Mexico, or Nuevo México in Spanish, is incorrectly believed to have taken its name from the nation of Mexico. The name simply stuck, even though the area had no connection to Mexico or the Mexica Indian tribes, Mexico, formerly a part of New Spain, adopted its name centuries later in 1821, after winning independence from Spanish rule. New Mexico was a part of the independent Mexican Empire and Federal Republic of Mexico for 27 years,1821 through 1848, New Mexico and Mexico developed as neighboring Spanish-speaking communities under Spanish rule, with relatively independent histories. The states total area is 121,412 square miles, the eastern border of New Mexico lies along 103° W longitude with the state of Oklahoma, and 2.2 miles west of 103° W longitude with Texas. On the southern border, Texas makes up the eastern two-thirds, while the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora make up the western third, the western border with Arizona runs along the 109°03 W longitude. The southwestern corner of the state is known as the Bootheel, the 37° N latitude parallel forms the northern boundary with Colorado. The states New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah come together at the Four Corners in the corner of New Mexico. New Mexico, although a state, has very little water. Its surface water area is about 250 square miles, the New Mexican landscape ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks. Despite New Mexicos arid image, heavily forested mountain wildernesses cover a significant portion of the state, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost part of the Rocky Mountains, run roughly north-south along the east side of the Rio Grande in the rugged, pastoral north. The most important of New Mexicos rivers are the Rio Grande, Pecos, Canadian, San Juan, the Rio Grande is tied for the fourth-longest river in the United States. Tourists visiting these sites bring significant money to the state, other areas of geographical and scenic interest include Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument and the Gila Wilderness in the southwest of the state
33.
Oklahoma
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Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central United States. Oklahoma is the 20th-most extensive and the 28th-most populous of the 50 United States, the states name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning red people. The name was settled upon statehood, Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were merged, on November 16,1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state to enter the union. Its residents are known as Oklahomans, or informally Okies, and its capital, a major producer of natural gas, oil, and agricultural products, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. In 2007, it had one of the economies in the United States, ranking among the top states in per capita income growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahomas primary economic anchors, with nearly two-thirds of Oklahomans living within their metropolitan statistical areas. With small mountain ranges, prairie, mesas, and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains, Cross Timbers, interior Highlands—a region especially prone to severe weather. The name Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw phrase okla humma, literally meaning red people, equivalent to the English word Indian, okla humma was a phrase in the Choctaw language used to describe Native American people as a whole. Oklahoma later became the de facto name for Oklahoma Territory, and it was approved in 1890. Oklahoma is the 20th-largest state in the United States, covering an area of 69,898 square miles and it is one of six states on the Frontier Strip and lies partly in the Great Plains near the geographical center of the 48 contiguous states. It is bounded on the east by Arkansas and Missouri, on the north by Kansas, on the northwest by Colorado, on the far west by New Mexico, much of its border with Texas lies along the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen, a failed continental rift. The geologic figure defines the placement of the Red River, the Oklahoma panhandles Western edge is out of alignment with its Texas border. The Oklahoma/New Mexico border is actually 2.1 to 2.2 miles east of the Texas line, the border between Texas and New Mexico was set first as a result of a survey by Spain in 1819. It was then set along the 103rd Meridian, in the 1890s, when Oklahoma was formally surveyed using more accurate surveying equipment and techniques, it was discovered the Texas line was not set along the 103rd Meridian. Surveying techniques were not as accurate in 1819, and the actual 103rd Meridian was approximately 2.2 miles to the east and it was much easier to leave the mistake than for Texas to cede land to New Mexico to correct the surveying error. The placement of the Oklahoma/New Mexico border represents the true 103rd Meridian, cimarron County in Oklahomas panhandle is the only county in the United States that touches four other states, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and Kansas. Its highest and lowest points follow this trend, with its highest peak, Black Mesa, at 4,973 feet above sea level, situated near its far northwest corner in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The states lowest point is on the Little River near its far southeastern boundary near the town of Idabel, Oklahoma, which dips to 289 feet above sea level
34.
Arkansas
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Arkansas is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Its name is of Siouan derivation from the language of the Osage denoting their related kin, the states diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and the Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U. S. Interior Highlands, to the forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River. Arkansas is the 29th largest by area and the 33rd most populous of the 50 United States, the capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the central portion of the state, a hub for transportation, business, culture, and government. The northwestern corner of the state, such as the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area and Fort Smith metropolitan area, is a population, education, the largest city in the eastern part of the state is Jonesboro. The largest city in the part of the state is Pine Bluff. The Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15,1836, in 1861 Arkansas withdrew from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Upon returning to the Union in 1868, the state would continue to suffer due to its reliance on slavery. White rural interests continued to dominate the politics until the Civil Rights Movement. Arkansas began to diversify its economy following World War II and relies on its service industry, aircraft, poultry, steel, tourism, cotton, and rice. The culture of Arkansas is observable in museums, theaters, novels, television shows, restaurants, wright, and physicist William L. McMillan, who was a pioneer in superconductor research, have all lived in Arkansas. The name Arkansas derives from the root as the name for the state of Kansas. The Kansa tribe of Native Americans are closely associated with the Sioux tribes of the Great Plains, the word Arkansas itself is a French pronunciation of a Quapaw word, akakaze, meaning land of downriver people or the Sioux word akakaze meaning people of the south wind. In 2007, the legislature passed a non-binding resolution declaring the possessive form of the states name to be Arkansass which has been followed increasingly by the state government. Arkansas borders Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, Oklahoma to the west, Missouri to the north, as well as Tennessee, the United States Census Bureau classifies Arkansas as a southern state, sub-categorized among the West South Central States. The state line along the Mississippi River is indeterminate along much of the border with Mississippi due to these changes. Arkansas can generally be split into two halves, the highlands in the northwest half and the lowlands of the southeastern half, the highlands are part of the Southern Interior Highlands, including The Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains. The southern lowlands include the Gulf Coastal Plain and the Arkansas Delta and this dual split can yield to general regions named northwest, southwest, northeast, southeast, or central Arkansas
35.
Missouri
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Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, achieving statehood in 1821. With over six million residents, it is the eighteenth most populous state, the largest urban areas are St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia. The capitol is in Jefferson City on the Missouri River, the state is the twenty-first most extensive by area and is geographically diverse. The Northern Plains were once covered by glaciers, then tallgrass prairie, in the South are the Ozarks, a forested highland, providing timber, minerals, and recreation. The Mississippi River forms the border of the state, eventually flowing into the swampy Missouri Bootheel. Humans have inhabited the land now known as Missouri for at least 12,000 years, the Mississippian culture built cities and mounds, before declining in the 1300s. When European explorers arrived in the 1600s they encountered the Osage, the French established Louisiana, a part of New France, and founded Ste. Genevieve in 1735 and St. Louis in 1764, after a brief period of Spanish rule, the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Americans from the Upland South, including enslaved African Americans, rushed into the new Missouri Territory, many from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee settled in the Boonslick area of Mid-Missouri. Soon after, heavy German immigration formed the Missouri Rhineland, Missouri played a central role in the westward expansion of the United States, as memorialized by the Gateway Arch. The Pony Express, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, as a border state, Missouris role in the American Civil War was complex and there were many conflicts within. After the war, both Greater St. Louis and the Kansas City metropolitan area became centers of industrialization and business, today, the state is divided into 114 counties and the independent city of St. Louis. Missouris culture blends elements from the Midwestern and Southern United States, the musical styles of ragtime, Kansas City jazz, and St. Louis Blues, developed in Missouri. The well-known Kansas City-style barbecue, and lesser known St. Louis-style barbecue can be found across the state, St. Louis is also a major center of beer brewing, Anheuser-Busch is the largest producer in the world. Missouri wine is produced in the nearby Missouri Rhineland and Ozarks, Missouris alcohol laws are among the most permissive in the United States. Outside of the large cities popular tourist destinations include the Lake of the Ozarks, U. S. President Harry S. Truman is from Missouri. Other well known Missourians include Mark Twain, Walt Disney, Chuck Berry, some of the largest companies based in the state include Express Scripts, Monsanto, Emerson Electric, Edward Jones, and OReilly Auto Parts. Missouri has been called the Mother of the West and the Cave State, however, Missouris most famous nickname is the Show Me State, the state is named for the Missouri River, which was named after the indigenous Missouri Indians, a Siouan-language tribe
36.
Illinois
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Illinois is a state in the midwestern region of the United States, achieving statehood in 1818. It is the 6th most populous state and 25th largest state in terms of land area, the word Illinois comes from a French rendering of a native Algonquin word. For decades, OHare International Airport has been ranked as one of the worlds busiest airports, Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics. With the War of 1812 Illinois growth slowed as both Native Americans and Canadian forces often raided the American Frontier, mineral finds and timber stands also had spurred immigration—by the 1810s, the Eastern U. S. Railroads arose and matured in the 1840s, and soon carried immigrants to new homes in Illinois, as well as being a resource to ship their commodity crops out to markets. Railroads freed most of the land of Illinois and other states from the tyranny of water transport. By 1900, the growth of jobs in the northern cities and coal mining in the central and southern areas attracted a new group of immigrants. Illinois was an important manufacturing center during both world wars, the Great Migration from the South established a large community of African Americans in Chicago, who created the citys famous jazz and blues cultures. Three U. S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, additionally, Ronald Reagan, whose political career was based in California, was the only U. S. president born and raised in Illinois. Today, Illinois honors Lincoln with its official slogan, Land of Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is located in the capital of Springfield. Illinois is the spelling for the early French Catholic missionaries and explorers name for the Illinois Native Americans. American scholars previously thought the name Illinois meant man or men in the Miami-Illinois language and this etymology is not supported by the Illinois language, as the word for man is ireniwa and plural men is ireniwaki. The name Illiniwek has also said to mean tribe of superior men. The name Illinois derives from the Miami-Illinois verb irenwe·wa he speaks the regular way and this was taken into the Ojibwe language, perhaps in the Ottawa dialect, and modified into ilinwe·. The French borrowed these forms, changing the ending to spell it as -ois. The current spelling form, Illinois, began to appear in the early 1670s, the Illinois name for themselves, as attested in all three of the French missionary-period dictionaries of Illinois, was Inoka, of unknown meaning and unrelated to the other terms. American Indians of successive cultures lived along the waterways of the Illinois area for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, the Koster Site has been excavated and demonstrates 7,000 years of continuous habitation
37.
Kentucky
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Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. Kentucky is one of four U. S. states constituted as a commonwealth, originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 Kentucky became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States, Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State, a nickname based on the bluegrass found in many of its pastures due to the fertile soil. One of the regions in Kentucky is the Bluegrass Region in central Kentucky. In 1776, the counties of Virginia beyond the Appalachian Mountains became known as Kentucky County, the precise etymology of the name is uncertain, but likely based on an Iroquoian name meaning the meadow or the prairie. Kentucky is situated in the Upland South, a significant portion of eastern Kentucky is part of Appalachia. Kentucky borders seven states, from the Midwest and the Southeast, West Virginia lies to the east, Virginia to the southeast, Tennessee to the south, Missouri to the west, Illinois and Indiana to the northwest, and Ohio to the north and northeast. Only Missouri and Tennessee, both of which border eight states, touch more, Kentuckys northern border is formed by the Ohio River and its western border by the Mississippi River. The official state borders are based on the courses of the rivers as they existed when Kentucky became a state in 1792, for instance, northbound travelers on U. S.41 from Henderson, after crossing the Ohio River, will be in Kentucky for about two miles. Ellis Park, a racetrack, is located in this small piece of Kentucky. Waterworks Road is part of the land border between Indiana and Kentucky. Kentucky has a part known as Kentucky Bend, at the far west corner of the state. It exists as an exclave surrounded completely by Missouri and Tennessee, Road access to this small part of Kentucky on the Mississippi River requires a trip through Tennessee. The epicenter of the powerful 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes was near this area, much of the outer Bluegrass is in the Eden Shale Hills area, made up of short, steep, and very narrow hills. The Jackson Purchase and western Pennyrile are home to several bald cypress/tupelo swamps, located within the southeastern interior portion of North America, Kentucky has a climate that can best be described as a humid subtropical climate. Temperatures in Kentucky usually range from daytime summer highs of 87 °F to the low of 23 °F. The average precipitation is 46 inches a year, Kentucky experiences four distinct seasons, with substantial variations in the severity of summer and winter. The highest recorded temperature was 114 °F at Greensburg on July 28,1930 while the lowest recorded temperature was −37 °F at Shelbyville on January 19,1994, due to its location, Kentucky has a moderate humid subtropical climate, with abundant rainfall
38.
Ohio
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Ohio /oʊˈhaɪ. oʊ/ is a Midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Ohio is the 34th largest by area, the 7th most populous, the states capital and largest city is Columbus. The state takes its name from the Ohio River, the name originated from the Iroquois word ohi-yo’, meaning great river or large creek. Partitioned from the Northwest Territory, the state was admitted to the Union as the 17th state on March 1,1803, Ohio is historically known as the Buckeye State after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as Buckeyes. Ohio occupies 16 seats in the United States House of Representatives, Ohio is known for its status as both a swing state and a bellwether in national elections. Six Presidents of the United States have been elected who had Ohio as their home state, Ohios geographic location has proven to be an asset for economic growth and expansion. Because Ohio links the Northeast to the Midwest, much cargo, Ohio has the nations 10th largest highway network, and is within a one-day drive of 50% of North Americas population and 70% of North Americas manufacturing capacity. To the north, Lake Erie gives Ohio 312 miles of coastline, Ohios southern border is defined by the Ohio River, and much of the northern border is defined by Lake Erie. Ohios neighbors are Pennsylvania to the east, Michigan to the northwest, Ontario Canada, to the north, Indiana to the west, Kentucky on the south, Ohio is bounded by the Ohio River, but nearly all of the river itself belongs to Kentucky and West Virginia. Ohio has only that portion of the river between the rivers 1792 low-water mark and the present high-water mark, the border with Michigan has also changed, as a result of the Toledo War, to angle slightly northeast to the north shore of the mouth of the Maumee River. Much of Ohio features glaciated plains, with a flat area in the northwest being known as the Great Black Swamp. Most of Ohio is of low relief, but the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau features rugged hills, in 1965 the United States Congress passed the Appalachian Regional Development Act, at attempt to address the persistent poverty and growing economic despair of the Appalachian Region. This act defines 29 Ohio counties as part of Appalachia, the worst weather disaster in Ohio history occurred along the Great Miami River in 1913. Known as the Great Dayton Flood, the entire Miami River watershed flooded, as a result, the Miami Conservancy District was created as the first major flood plain engineering project in Ohio and the United States. Grand Lake St. Marys in the west central part of the state was constructed as a supply of water for canals in the era of 1820–1850. For many years this body of water, over 20 square miles, was the largest artificial lake in the world and it should be noted that Ohios canal-building projects were not the economic fiasco that similar efforts were in other states. Some cities, such as Dayton, owe their emergence to location on canals. Summers are typically hot and humid throughout the state, while winters generally range from cool to cold, precipitation in Ohio is moderate year-round
39.
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania /ˌpɛnsᵻlˈveɪnjə/, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle, Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest, the 5th most populous, and the 9th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The states five most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, the state capital, and its ninth-largest city, is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 140 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States, it came into being in 1681 as a result of a land grant to William Penn. Part of Pennsylvania, together with the present State of Delaware, had earlier been organized as the Colony of New Sweden and it was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 12,1787. Independence Hall, where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were drafted, is located in the states largest city of Philadelphia, during the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in the south central region of the state. Valley Forge near Philadelphia was General Washingtons headquarters during the winter of 1777–78. Pennsylvania is 170 miles north to south and 283 miles east to west, of a total 46,055 square miles,44,817 square miles are land,490 square miles are inland waters, and 749 square miles are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States, Pennsylvania has 51 miles of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Cities include Philadelphia, Reading, Lebanon and Lancaster in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, the tri-cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, the northeast includes the former anthracite coal mining communities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston City, and Hazleton. Erie is located in the northwest, the state has 5 regions, namely the Allegheny Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and the Erie Plain. Straddling two major zones, the majority of the state, with the exception of the corner, has a humid continental climate. The largest city, Philadelphia, has characteristics of the humid subtropical climate that covers much of Delaware. Moving toward the interior of the state, the winter climate becomes colder, the number of cloudy days increase. Western areas of the state, particularly locations near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches of snowfall annually, the state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into fall. Tornadoes occur annually in the state, sometimes in large numbers, the Tuscarora Nation took up temporary residence in the central portion of Pennsylvania ca. Both the Dutch and the English claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their lands in America
40.
New York (state)
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New York is a state in the northeastern United States, and is the 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated U. S. state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015, New York City is the most populous city in the United States, the New York Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State, two-thirds of the states population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% lives on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th-century Duke of York, the next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany. New York has a diverse geography and these more mountainous regions are bisected by two major river valleys—the north-south Hudson River Valley and the east-west Mohawk River Valley, which forms the core of the Erie Canal. Western New York is considered part of the Great Lakes Region and straddles Lake Ontario, between the two lakes lies Niagara Falls. The central part of the state is dominated by the Finger Lakes, New York had been inhabited by tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans for several hundred years by the time the earliest Europeans came to New York. The first Europeans to arrive were French colonists and Jesuit missionaries who arrived southward from settlements at Montreal for trade, the British annexed the colony from the Dutch in 1664. The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were similar to those of the present-day state, New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and its ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. On April 17,1524 Verrazanno entered New York Bay, by way of the now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita. Verrazzano described it as a vast coastline with a delta in which every kind of ship could pass and he adds. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats and he landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazannos stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Marthas Vineyard, in 1540 French traders from New France built a chateau on Castle Island, within present-day Albany, due to flooding, it was abandoned the next year. In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse, located on the Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudsons 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement with the area, sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year
41.
United States Numbered Highway System
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The United States Numbered Highway System is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. The route numbers and locations are coordinated by the American Association of State Highway, the only federal involvement in AASHTO is a nonvoting seat for the United States Department of Transportation. Generally, north-to-south highways are odd-numbered, with lowest numbers in the east, the area of the thirteen states of the United States. Similarly, east-to-west highways are typically even-numbered, with the lowest numbers in the north, where roads were first improved most intensively, major north–south routes have numbers ending in 1 while major east–west routes have numbers ending in 0. Three-digit numbered highways are spur routes of parent highways but are not necessarily connected to their parents, some divided routes exist to provide two alignments for one route, even though many splits have been eliminated. Special routes, usually posted with a banner, can provide various routes, such as an alternate, bypass or business route, Routes were designated, auto trails designated by auto trail associations were the main means of marking roads through the United States. In 1925, the Joint Board on Interstate Highways, recommended by the American Association of State Highway Officials, after several meetings, a final report was approved by the U. S. Department of Agriculture in November 1925. They received complaints from across the country about the assignment of routes, so the Board made several modifications, as a result of compromises made to get the U. S. Highway System approved, many routes were divided, with alignments to serve different towns. In subsequent years, AASHTO called for such splits in U. S, expansion of the system continued until 1956, when the Interstate Highway System was formed. After construction was completed, many U. S, Routes were replaced by Interstate Highways for through traffic. Highways still form many important regional connections, and new routes are still being added, Routes do not have a minimum design standard, unlike the later Interstate Highways, and are not usually built to freeway standards. Many are designated using the streets of the cities and towns through which they run. New additions to the system, however, must substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards, as of 1989, the United States Numbered Highways system has a total length of 157,724 miles. Except for toll bridges and tunnels, very few U. S. AASHTO policy says that a road may only be included as a special route. U. S. Route 3 meets this obligation, in New Hampshire, but US Routes in the system do use parts of four toll roads, US51 uses part of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway in Illinois, the old road is Illinois Route 251. US278 uses the tolled Cross Island Parkway in South Carolina, US412 uses the Cimarron Turnpike in Oklahoma, the old road is US64. US412 also uses the Cherokee Turnpike in Oklahoma, the old road is Alternate US412, Routes follow a simple grid in the contiguous United States, in which odd-numbered routes run generally north to south and even-numbered routes run generally east to west
42.
Ozark Trail (auto trail)
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The Ozark Trail was a network of locally maintained roads and highways organized by the Ozark Trails Association that predated the United States federal highway system. The roads ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to El Paso, Texas and these roads were maintained by both private citizens and local communities. These roads comprised the major system in the region until U. S. Highway 66 was built in the 1920s. In Oklahoma, portions of the roads between Anadarko and Hobart are still referred to as The Old Ozark Trail. The Ozark Trails Association were a group of citizens that tried to encourage local municipalities to build. They erected large obelisks marking the roads and indicated distances to various towns. Twenty-one were constructed and of those only 7 still remain in existence, at Stroud, Oklahoma, Farwell, Dimmitt, Wellington, the Ozark Trail ran through southwest Missouri and across Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle, and on into New Mexico. Much of this became the famed U. S. Route 66. The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1925, which incorporated the Deep South into the Federal roads program, made the groups basic functions obsolete. William Hope Coin Harvey was closely associated with the organization
43.
Canadian River
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The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about 906 miles long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, the drainage area is about 47,700 square miles. The Canadian is sometimes referred to as the South Canadian River to differentiate it from the North Canadian River that flows into it and it is unclear why the river is called the Canadian. Fremonts route map of 1845, the name is listed as Goo-al-pah or Canadian River from the Comanche. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Spanish explorers in the 17th and 18th centuries called it the Rio Buenaventura, the upper part was called Rio Colorado by the Spanish. The name could be of Spanish origin from the word cañada, as the Canadian River formed a canyon in northern New Mexico. A few historical records document this explanation, edward Hale, writing in 1929, considered the French origin of the name most probable. The first European to explore the Canadian River was Juan de Oñate, the Spanish Governor of New Mexico, Spanish traders and hunters were soon actively working in this area. French voyageurs were active along the lower Canadian, bénard de la Harpe explored between the mouth of the river and the Kiamichi Mountains in 1715. Pierre and Paul Mallet followed the length of the river in 1740. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 resulted in all of the land east of the New Mexico border being acquired by the United States. In 1818, the Quapaw tribe ceded all its land north of the Canadian to the United States, in 1825, the Osage ceded their claims to land along the river. The Canadian was designated as the boundary between the Creek-Seminole lands on the side and the Choctaw on the south side. Major Stephen H. Long led an expedition up the Canadian River in 1821 and he proclaimed the land along the river as, the Great American Desert. Despite this assessment, trading posts were established along the river, camp Holmes was established by Colonel Henry Dodges Dragoons in 1834. Captain Nathan Boone led a dragoon troop up the river to the 100th Meridian, the Treaty of Doaks Stand in 1820, made the Canadian River the northern boundary of the Choctaw Nation. Early immigrants to California followed the bank of the Canadian to Santa Fe. In 1845 the river was explored by Lieutenants James William Abert and their journey was chronicled in the Journal of Lieutenant J. W. Abert from Bent’s Fort to St. Louis, first published in 1846
44.
Newcastle, Oklahoma
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Newcastle is a city in McClain County, Oklahoma, United States, and part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 7,685 at the 2010 census, the city was incorporated as South Newcastle in 1962, then a petition to change the name to Newcastle in 1965. The city limits of Newcastle encompassed just a few miles until around 1960. Newcastle expanded, as did Tuttle and Blanchard, to prevent the city trying to move across the river. The population grew very little until the mid-1970s, when Oklahoma City began expanding past SW 74th Street, in the 1980s, the city annexed the territory that lies near Norman. On May 3,1999, an F5 tornado struck parts of Newcastle, greater destruction occurred in Bridge Creek and Moore. In 2011, a tornado ripped through parts of Newcastle, there were an estimated 160 homes either damaged or destroyed and over 20 businesses damaged. However, there was no loss of life, on May 20,2013, another violent tornado damaged a small part of Newcastle, and did a large amount of damage to neighboring Moore and southern Oklahoma City. Newcastle is located at 35°14′50. 82″N 97°36′. 22″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 62.5 square miles. Newcastle is considered to be part of a growing area of northern McClain. Newcastle also is a part of a known as the Tri-City Area with Tuttle. Newcastle also serves as the largest incorporated community in McClain County, as of the census of 2010, there were 7,685 people,2,839 households, and 2,271 families residing in the city. The population density was 122.9 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 84. 53% White,0. 53% African American,5. 26% Native American,0. 32% Asian and 10. 30% from other races from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4. 31% of the population,14. 2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5. 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was out with 20. 6% under the age of 18,7. 56% from 18 to 24,29. 58% from 25 to 44,28. 24% from 45 to 64
45.
2013 Moore tornado
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On the afternoon of May 20,2013, an intense and destructive EF5 tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas, with peak winds estimated at 210 mph, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others. The tornado touched down just northwest of Newcastle at 2,56 p. m. CDT, the tornado was 1.3 miles wide at its peak. On May 20,2013, a prominent central upper trough moved eastward toward the Central United States, with an upper low pivoting over the Dakotas. Evidence of an air mass included temperatures in the low to mid 80s °F, dewpoints that ranged in the upper 60s °F to lower 70s °F. Deep-layer wind shear speeds of 40 to 50 knots would enhance storm organization, the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, had warned as early as May 15 that there was a possibility of severe weather on May 20. The most intense severe weather activity was expected across the southern Great Plains, specifically Central Oklahoma, as such, the Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms during the early morning hours of May 20 from southeastern Missouri to north-central Texas. The degree of wind shear, moisture and instability within the warm sector favored the development of supercells, very large hail and tornadoes were expected with the supercells, with the possibility of a few strong tornadoes. The Storm Prediction Center issued a tornado watch at 1,10 p. m, Central Daylight Time early that afternoon for the eastern two-thirds of Oklahoma, northwestern Arkansas and portions of north-central Texas. The thunderstorm that produced the tornado developed less than one hour after the tornado watch was issued, around 2,00 p. m. CDT. At this point, the tornado began to grow rapidly in size, evolving into a large, wedge-shaped structure, several homes in a subdivision further to the northeast sustained EF3 damage. The supercell also produced winds of 80 miles per hour for at least one mile surrounding the tornadic circulation. The tornado maintained EF3 intensity as it crossed the Canadian River into Cleveland County,277 bridge was severely damaged, this bridge had to be demolished after the tornado ripped part of it from its mount and tossed it across Interstate 44. The tornado then continued directly toward south Oklahoma City and Moore, roughly following Southwest 149th Street. At that point, it began to grow rapidly in width, and a brief area of EF4 damage was noted near South May Avenue, where several homes were leveled. A vehicle frame, engine block, and various vehicle parts were found tangled within a grove of completely debarked trees in this area. The tornado weakened briefly to an EF3 before re-intensifying to EF4 intensity near Forman Drive, as the tornado struck an oil production site, four oil tanks were blown away, one of which was never found. The others were thrown considerable distances, one of which was found a mile away, every building at Celestial Acres sustained EF4 damage, along with a nearby strip mall. A 10-ton propane tank on the Orr Farm property was picked up, the tornado continued east, heavily scouring an open field before intensifying even further and slamming into Briarwood Elementary School, which was completely destroyed at EF5 intensity
Fed. 45 
US 85 at the Mexican border in El Paso, TX
NY 104 at the Canadian border in Niagara Falls, NY
US 85 at the Mexican border in El Paso. US 62/US 85 travels concurrently through the city.
I‑110 in El Paso
US 54 in El Paso
I‑10 / US 180 in El Paso. US 62/US 180 travel concurrently to Seminole, with an approximate 106-mile-long (171 km) concurrency through New Mexico in-between.
US 285 in Carlsbad. The highways have a 2.0 miles (3.2 km) concurrency north.
US 180 / US 385 in Seminole. US 62/US 385 travel concurrently to Brownfield.
US 82 / US 380 in Brownfield. US 62/US 82 travels concurrently to Lubbock. US 62/US 380 travels concurrently through the city.
US 84 in Lubbock
I‑27 / US 87 in Lubbock
US 70 in Floydada. The highways travel concurrently to Paducah.
US 70 / US 83 in Paducah. US 62/US 83 travels concurrently to south-southeast of Wellington.
US 287 in Childress
US 283 in Altus
US 183 in Snyder
I‑44 / US 277 / US 281 in Lawton. I-44/US 62 travels concurrently to east of Medicine Park. US 62/US 277 travels concurrently to north of Fort Sill. US 62/US 281 travels concurrently to Anadarko.
US 81 in Chickasha. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I‑44 / I‑240 in Oklahoma City. I-240/US 62 travels concurrently through the city.
I‑35 / I‑240 / US 77 in Oklahoma City. I-35/US 62/US 77 travels concurrently through the city.
I‑40 / I‑235 / US 77 / US 270 in Oklahoma City. I-40/US 62/US 270 travels concurrently through the city.
US 177 in Jacktown
US 377 in Prague
US 75 northeast of Clearview. The highways travel concurrently to Okmulgee.
US 266 in Henryetta
US 64 north-northeast of Boynton. The highways travel concurrently to Muskogee.
US 64 / US 69 in Muskogee. US 62/US 69 travel concurrently through the city.
US 59 in Westville
I‑49 / US 71 in Fayetteville. The highways travel concurrently to Bentonville.
US 412 in Springdale
US 65 in Bear Creek Springs. The highways travel concurrently to Bellefonte.
US 167 in Ash Flat
US 63 in Hardy. The highways travel concurrently to Imboden.
US 67 in Pocahontas. The highways travel concurrently to Corning.
US 49 in Piggott
US 61 southwest of Howardville. The highways travel concurrently to Sikeston.
I‑55 in New Madrid. US 61-62 are also known as 
BL I-55, I-55 exit 44.
US 60 in Sikeston
Route 107 / BL I-57 in Charelston. BL I-57 forms a concurrency for 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to I-57 on the east side of Charelston.
US 51 in Cairo. The highways travel concurrently to Bardwell.
I‑24 in Paducah
US 45 in Paducah. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I‑24 / I‑69 in Calvert City
US 641 in Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park. The highways travel concurrently to Eddyville.
US 41 in Nortonville
US 431 in Central City
US 231 in Beaver Dam. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 31W in Elizabethtown
I‑65 in Elizabethtown
US 31E in Bardstown. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 31E / US 150 in Bardstown. US 62/US 150 travels concurrently through the city.
US 127 in Lawrenceburg
US 421 in Midway. The highways travel concurrently to northwest of Lexington.
I‑64 northwest of Lexington
US 25 in Georgetown
US 460 in Georgetown
I‑75 in Georgetown
US 27 southwest of Cynthiana. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 52 in Aberdeen. The highways travel concurrently to Ripley.
US 68 in Aberdeen. The highways travel concurrently to Redoak.
US 50 in Hillsboro
US 35 in Washington Court House
US 22 in Washington Court House. The highways travel concurrently for 0.7 miles (1.1 km) through the city.
I‑71 northeast of Harrisburg, I-71 exit 94.
SR 665 northeast of Harrisburg
I‑270 in Grove City, I-270 exit 2.
I‑70 in Columbus, I-70 exit 98A from westbound, no eastbound exit onto US 62/OH 3 and no entrance directly onto I-70 from US 62/OH 3.
US 23 / US 33 in Columbus. The highways travel concurrently for 0.4 miles (0.64 km).
US 40 in Columbus. US 40 travels concurrently with US 62 and OH 3 for 0.3 miles (0.48 km) before OH 3 heads toward Cleveland. US 40 continues 2.1 miles (3.4 km) before heading toward Reynoldsburg
I‑670 in Columbus, I-670 exit 7. The highways travel concurrently to west of Gahanna.
US 36 in Millwood
US 250 in Wilmot. The highways travel concurrently through the village for 0.07 miles (0.11 km)
US 30 in Massillion. The highways travel concurrently to Canton.
I‑77 in Canton. I-77/US 62 travels concurrently through the city to exit 107B.
US 224 in Canfield
I‑680 in Youngstown
US 422 in Youngstown
I‑80 north of Hubbard; I-80 exit 234
US 19 in Mercer. The highways travel concurrently to north of Mercer.
I‑79 southwest of Jackson Center
US 322 in Franklin. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 6 east-southeast of Youngsville. The highways travel concurrently to Warren.
I‑86 in Poland
US 20 south of Blasdell
I-190 / New York Thruway near Cheektowaga
I‑290 on the Amherst–Tonawanda town line
NY 104 in Niagara Falls
US 61
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