Jump to content

Geographic center of the contiguous United States

Coordinates: 39°49′41″N 98°34′46″W / 39.828175°N 98.579500°W / 39.828175; -98.579500
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aluvus (talk | contribs) at 04:17, 1 May 2014 (introduction inadvertently implied that Alaska and Hawaii are part of the contiguous US). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The geographic center of the contiguous United States is a point at the near the town of Lebanon, Kansas (Lat. 39°50' Long. -98°35'). It has been regarded as such by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey (NGS) since the 1912 additions of New Mexico and Arizona to the United States.

This is distinct from the geographic center of the United States, which reflects the 1959 additions of Alaska and Hawaii and falls at a point northeast of Belle Fourche, South Dakota.

While any measurement of the exact center of a land mass will always be imprecise due to changing shorelines and other factors, the NGS coordinates are recognized in a historical marker in a small park at the intersection of AA Road and K-191. It is accessible by a turn-off from U.S. Route 281 approximately 1.74 miles northwest of the town center of Lebanon, Kansas.

Geographic center of the contiguous United States is located in the United States
Geographic center of the contiguous United States
class=notpageimage|
Geographic center of the contiguous United States.

Marker

The marker located near Lebanon, Kansas
A close-up of the plaque on the historical marker
A small chapel and picnic ground adjacent to the marker

In order to protect the privacy of the private land owner where the point identified by the 1918 survey falls a proxy marker was erected in 1940 some half a mile away.

Its inscription reads:

The GEOGRAPHIC CENTER of the UNITED STATES
LAT. 39°50' LONG. -98°35'
NE 1/4 - SE 1/4 - S32 - T2S - R11W
Located by L.T. Hagadorn of Paulette & Wilson - Engineers and L.A. Beardslee - County Engineer. From data furnished by U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.
Sponsored by Lebanon Hub Club. Lebanon, Kansas. April 25, 1940

An American flag usually flies atop a pole placed on the monument. A covered picnic area and small four-pew chapel are nearby.

Method of measurement

In 1918, the Coast and Geodetic Survey found this location by balancing on a point a cardboard cutout shaped like the U.S. Although this method was only accurate to within twenty miles, and the Geodetic Survey no longer endorses any location as the center of the U.S., the identification of Lebanon has remained.[1][2]

Modern methodology has identified the location as Latitude 39.828127, Longitude -98.579404.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.kansastravel.org/geographicalcenter.htm
  2. ^ http://www.clui.org/clui_4_1/lotl/lotlsp99/geo.html

External links

39°49′41″N 98°34′46″W / 39.828175°N 98.579500°W / 39.828175; -98.579500

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geographic_center_of_the_contiguous_United_States&oldid=606576819"