@geography_joe: Ever heard of #TheHole? This region of the #GreatPlains, consisting of several #counties in #Montana, #Wyoming, #NorthDakota, and #SouthDakota, is the least densely populated region in the #Lower48. These counties, of which the largest city is #BelleFourche in #SD, were originally settled by ranchers and homesteaders, but poor conditions for settlement have left the area depleting in #population for roughly 100 years. Back in the days where #ManifestDestiny was the #USA’s top priority, something known as the ‘#Frontier Line’ was established by congress and the Census, stating that any Westward land with a population density below 2/mi² is frontier territory. By 1890, following the #homestead act, mining booms, and the completion of railroads, the Frontier Line was abolished, as no American land met the <2/mi² criteria anymore. But, in ‘The Hole,’ the population has been depleting for over 100 years, and today, this area not only falls below <2, but it has a similar population density to #Mongolia or #Australia, two of the world’s least densely populated countries. Its no surprise that the meeting point of these four rather empty states is itself so empty, but its still jarring to be reminded that parts of the Continental #US can still be this desolate. So much room to grow! #geography #america #usa #wy #mt #nd #midwest #mountain #west #populationdensity #history #populationgrowth #greatplains #plains #rural

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Thursday 27 June 2024 21:33:14 GMT