Boundaries
A Boundary Follows the Land, Until It Does Not
County boundaries can follow rivers and ridgelines, but records and terrain may diverge. Learn how to read both…
The reading room
All stories
Read pieces on county boundaries, landscapes, place names and the built features that connect places, each approached as one part of a larger geographical picture.
Landscapes
Contour Lines or Shaded Relief: Two Ways to Read a Landscape
Contour lines or shaded relief can reveal different parts of a landscape. Learn what each map shows, what it hides…
Place Names
What a Place Name Can Preserve, and What It Cannot
Learn what a place name can preserve about language and local use, and how to check its limits before treating it as a…
Built Heritage
The Landmark Trap: One Building Cannot Stand for a County
A county landmark can open a view of local identity, but reading it beside homes, roads, work sites, and public…
Local Identity
A Kitchen-Table Map Session for Two Neighboring Counties
A kitchen-table map session helps compare neighboring counties through one shared river or road, while keeping each…
Our point of view
Place makes more sense in context
A county boundary is one way to describe a place, not the whole story. We look across the lines to the features and connections that give places their character.