Okay, so the U.S. now has over 300 million people, but where are they?
Here they are.
Credit: NASA image by Robert Simmon, based on data archived by the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)
This map, based on population estimates made in 2005, charts out the number of people in every square kilometer of the United States.
As has been the case historically, the most densely populated parts of the United States are east of the Mississippi River. Rings of decreasing population density radiate out from the major urban centers of New York, Philadelphia, and Washington along the East Coast. Other cities—Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas—punctuate the map in the country’s interior. The west remains lightly populated except for clearly defined urban regions. Like their counterparts in the east, the largest cities in the west (San Diego and Los Angeles in the south; San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose farther north) hug the coast, with the densest populations in Southern California. Other large western cities readily visible here include Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, and Denver.
– New Image: United States Population Density, NASA, Earth Observatory, Newsroom, October 26, 2006
Unusual for U.S. maps, it includes both Alaska and Hawaii, in their geographically correct locations, rather than floating off to the side in little boxes as they usually do. The map also includes all of Canada.
Wow…that sure looks different compared to a road map that shows all the towns there are (regardless of population). I mean, when I look at an atlas, I feel sad, like our country is way overcrowded. But this map looks awesome, like there’s plenty of “wide open spaces”. I suppose neither kind of map paints an accurate picture, but this one sure makes me feel better!