Why Do So Many American States Have Panhandles?

▶ In this video I talk about the US states that have panhandles, such as Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Alaska, Maryland, Idaho or West Virginia (which has two of them!) in addition to those of Connecticut and Nebraska. Understanding what these narrow strips of land are and the reasons and history behind why the borders of said states have them, even though they cause somewhat of an eye-sore on maps.
▶ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 What is a panhandle?
01:34 Not All Land Strips Are Panhandles
01:48 Which US States Have Panhandles?
02:58 Why Not Fix Them?
03:13 Oklahoma
04:06 Texas
04:46 Florida
05:36 Alaska
06:33 Idaho
07:01 West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle
07:21 West Virginia's Northern Panhandle
07:44 Connecticut
08:24 Nebraska
08:52 Maryland
09:33 Summary
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[@General.Knowledge]

*What other interesting panhandles are there in the US / other countries?*

[@dr.a006]

Chile: all handle, no pan😅

[@GervJean]

Namibia!!!

[@MrSuperMichel1997]

I guess Limburg (province) in the Netherlands? It's the leg/foot/boot of the Netherlands.

[@Yuriuri]

I think the most bizarre is the Norwegian land that borders Russia. Also try: Croatia.

[@FrutoseDeMorango]

It would be cool if you continued the megalopolises series with like: The 8 Brazilians Megalopolises The 13 Chinese Megalopolises The 13 Hispanoamerican Megalopolises Africa, Southeast Asia and East Asia (Excluding China) only have 6 megalopolises each, so Idk if it's possible to make videos Also, India is listed as having only 3 megalopolises, which is very strange, and the only others in the world aside these are the one in Turkey and the one in Iran, so Idk how to distribute them Anyways, that's just an idea, hope you'll take a liking to it and produce more amazing videos!

[@jimslancio]

If I were holding Texas like a pan, I'd hold it by the El Paso salient, rather than the Amarillo block. Those mountains near El Paso make for a better textured grip.

[@bobbywise2313]

The point might poke you though.

[@mremu4358]

Can't argue with that logic, especially if you hold it by the Corpus Christi. A lot of oil seeps down there making it a more slippery grip

[@HayTatsuko]

Amarillo looks more like what's being cooked in the pan than what one might hold said pan by.

[@garyshan7239]

Yeah but everything in Texas is bigger so they had to have a massive one

[@bentonrp]

You have a gift for logic, m'Lord...😶.

[@raviolerito4864]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but your little guy looks like Ferb cosplaying Napoleon. (from the tv show Phineas and Ferb)

[@General.Knowledge]

Never noticed that! It's true!

[@hpvspeedmachine4183]

@@General.Knowledge Make a video about river meanders and state borders !

[@deeptoot1453]

I always thought that's where the inspiration was drawn from

[@BinglesP]

Considering how often Phineas and Ferb dressed up in history-inspired costumes throughout that show, it's very in-character too.

[@yooochoob]

What’s a Ferb?

[@fastballfacts]

“Bootheel” is used for the southeastern corner of Missouri as it is smaller and protrudes southward, resembling the heel of a boot. The original plans for the Missouri border didn’t include the bootheel and would have kept the same border line that divides Kentucky and Tennessee but it was added when it was argued the area had more in common with the other Mississippi River towns in Missouri than it did with the Arkansas Territory. It is technically classified as a salient as well.

[@mrmoose6619]

That and the people of the area wanted to be in the same state as St. Louis so they would have a place to trade with in their own state from what I understand. Arkansas doesn't have much along the river... Memphis really dominates the area.

[@michaelrae9599]

@@mrmoose6619 i read it was primarily one man who owned most of that land and he wanted to live in Missouri.

[@timewave02012]

I watched the recent 2024 eclipse from that area (Kennett). Interestingly, I watched the 2017 eclipse from a part of IL that seems like it should be in MO (Kaskaskia), because it's on the western side of the Mississippi river, because the river changed course relative to the historic border. Maybe I'll find somewhere geographically interesting for the 2045 eclipse.

[@criticaloptimist]

Came here to say this but without the extra detail. lol thank you :)

[@revinhatol]

Ask New Mexico.

[@matthewperry2218]

Maryland was the 7th state to join the US not the 13th. Lol and I do indeed live less then 15 min from that narrow spot in our state

[@BigBuck3ts]

Both of you are right technically. Maryland was the last state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, but the 7th state to join the union when the Constitution was adopted.

[@jimslancio]

Oklahoma is the only state that looks like a pan.

[@jyrki21]

More like a deep fryer.

[@MewxPro]

3:20 In Texas we also called OK's panhandle the Cimarron Strip.

[@matthewkimble964]

We in Oklahoma call it the only real panhandle seeing as we are shaped like a pan.

[@ClementinesmWTF]

@@matthewkimble964and why doesn’t Texas drift into the gulf? Because Oklahoma sucks. Stfu Oklahomer, your opinion doesn’t matter

[@benn454]

@@matthewkimble964 A saucepan, to be precise.

[@matthewkimble964]

@@benn454 🤣

[@bernardo-martins]

@@matthewkimble964 oklahoma looks like a literal pan that exploded on the bottom

[@michaelrae9599]

The "Boot Heel" refers to the little part at the bottom of Missouri (that should have been in Arkansas).

[@leechjim8023]

New Mexico also has a bootheel.

[@michaelrae9599]

@@leechjim8023 it does. How THOSE lines were drawn would be interesting.

[@KLTRF]

@@michaelrae9599Orion 3:29

[@benn454]

@@michaelrae9599 They got 3/4 of a square, and then they screwed up the bottom.

[@filodipicori]

My Missouri friend loves this little anecdote "We could cede the Boot to Arkansas and the net IQ of both states would increase."

[@idaho_girl]

Fun facts about the shape of Idaho. There are stories that the original border with what is now Montana was supposed to follow the continental divide. However, the border was surveyed more to the west giving a big chunk of the west slope of the norther Rockies to Montana. Second, the original territorial capital of Idaho was in Lewiston, in the southern part of the panhandle. But when the capital was moved to Boise, the people in the panhandle were not happy and entertained the idea of joining Washington or Montana. In order to placate them, the territorial government put the state university, the University of Idaho in Moscow, which is about 35 miles north of Lewiston. The university was established about 6 months before Idaho got statehood. To this day, the North Idaho, i.e., the panhandle, feels like a different state in many ways than the southern part. This is only emphasized by the panhandle being in the Pacific Time Zone and the southern part being in the Mountain Time Zone.

[@jovetj]

Same case in Nebarska, which is quite varied and diverse from east to west. The dry grassy hilly sandy panhandle (in the west) feels like a different state than the lush green of the east.

[@criticaloptimist]

And soon, if eastern Oregonians get their way, the sale of Idaho will change drastically! lol

[@criticaloptimist]

@@jovetjI think it’s unavoidable when states reach a certain side. I heard the richest county in the country is in western Nebraska because it’s got like fifty residents that are all wealthy ranchers. lol something like that. In Oregon, eastern Oregon truly is so remote that they really don’t feel like they’ve got much in common with mist of the state. I don’t blame them.

[@peggyjones3282]

I think the panhandle was also pretty lawless. All the silver mining and logging camps. Washington didn't want the headache of governing it. So Idaho took it.

[@msmith3395]

@@criticaloptimistit won’t happen. Why not just become their own state? They’re big enough.

[@Accentor100]

You mentioned that you were intrigued in so many words that there could be disputes within one country. Bare in mind back in those days the states were more autonomous than they are now and functioned more like republics within a nation. it wasn't until after the civil war that power was more concentrated at the federal level. While states today still maintain a good deal of autonomy, claims to territory aren't one of them anymore and Congress would have to approve of any territorial changes between states which is why it's much harder today for states to secede from other states than it was prior to the civil war.

[@z0phi3l]

Also pre Revolutionary War the now states were culturally different, especially with the dutch, British, Spanish and French influences, those animosities were still prevalent here. And there was some religious differences too that can be factored in.

[@Accentor100]

@@z0phi3l Good points

[@lucinae8510]

They would have to consider the after effects of territories being seceded will have on the political balance in Congress and Electoral College, which is why Statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. has been stalled for so long.

[@bigscarysteve]

@@z0phi3l What Spanish and French influences? The USA didn't gain any territory settled by the Spanish or the French until the 1800's. The big differences were religious ones and cultural ones caused due to which regions of England settled which colonies. Read the book _Albion's Seed_ by David Hackett Fischer. The importance of religion and religious differences in America's history is a huge one, but one which has been downplayed by historians and history teachers in the last 95 years or so.

[@farpointgamingdirect]

There was a recent border dispute between MD and VA. VA claimed the border was in the middle of the Potomac River. MD claimed the entire width of the river. MD won

[@revinhatol]

TRIVIA: There are three types of salients in North America. A bootheel goes southward, a panhandle goes eastward or westward, and (though rarely used) a "chimney" goes northward.

[@carsarthu]

I don't understand what makes Utah's protusion not a panhandle though

[@Purriah]

I’m guessing here… The protrusion is larger than the section without the protrusion, so it’s more like it has a chunk missing out of it than a handle.

[@admirals818]

I'm with you. It's only 15 miles wider than Nebraska's panhandle.

[@iCanbEYOURrUKIA]

I see what you mean, but by that definition, that means Nebraska's wouldn't be a panhandle either, but it is. And both strips of land (Nebraska & Utah's panhandles) border 3 other states as well. Semantics I guess 🤔

[@leifkhas7425]

It's just the creator of the video forgot to mention it. Minnesota has one with Canada, called th3 Northwest angle but he forgot to mention it.

[@General.Knowledge]

There's definitely a difficulty in defining what constitutes a panhandle and what doesn't! I was confused myself making the video

[@marcelolopez1001]

Never thought of Misiones as a panhandle

[@encycl07pedia-]

@@weston407 These are not peninsulas. Learn the difference. Peninsulas are surrounded mostly by water.

[@axelprino]

It doesn't really fit the usual idea of a panhandle since it's mostly not caused by arbitrary lines in a map but rather actual geographical features, but I guess it technically counts as one.

[@marcelolopez1001]

@@axelprino Excellent point

[@cparle87]

Maryland wanted river access. That makes complete sense.

[@markgarin6355]

Thought Maryland boarder was just leftover from those around them

[@General.Knowledge]

It does!

[@cparle87]

@@General.Knowledge I mean, look at all the nations along the west coast of Africa. No matter how big they are or what shape they are, they fought to ensure they had ocean access. That would make a good future video, I think. Going from Morocco to South Africa explaining how the nations got shaped that way and why they all fought to ensure they had access to the ocean, even if it was a super tiny strip.

[@bigscarysteve]

@@cparle87 And yet, having ocean access doesn't help African countries that much. Africa has few harbors. Thomas Sowell has a good video about why Africa's geography works against its economic development.

[@jemiller226]

@@bigscarysteve But that would require listening to Soewll talk, which is a hazardous proposal.

[@thomasrinschler6783]

A quick correction on the OK panhandle - the Missouri Compromise line wasn't at 36 degrees, but 36 degrees and 30 minutes north.

[@johnhblaubachea5156]

Good point; the 34 mile difference with the southern boundary with Kansas (37 degrees) sounded too small.

[@stco2426]

Great vid. I knew little about this but now know much more. Thanks!!

[@_DJL27]

9:23 Maryland was the 7th state, not the 13th. Rhode Island is considered the 13th state, holding out on ratifying the Constitution until 1790. I believe what you are referring to here is that Maryland was the 13th and final state to ratify the Articles of Confederation. The Congress of the Confederation (no longer the Continental Congress at this point) granted the panhandle to MD in 1781, so they finally joined the Confederation of States at that time. To be fair, I definitely see the argument for calling MD the 13th state on these terms; however, Constitutional ratification is what most consider to be the date of statehood. Therefore I’d think that most consider Maryland to have became the 7th state in 1788. (Btw, could MD’s small eastern portion - between VA & DE - be considered a panhandle? It has 2 land borders!)

[@gplunk]

Amazing all the iterations the various territories went through; and the reasons behind those configurations....

[@farpointgamingdirect]

You forgot the PA panhandle on Lake Erie between NY and OH: "The Delaware River forms the boundary between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In the northwest a small panhandle separates Ohio and New York and forms a 40-mile (65-km) waterfront on Lake Erie, giving the state access to the iron ore barges and other commerce of the Great Lakes." --Encyclopedia Britannica

[@ericreese7792]

The trouble with that one is most of the panhandle shape is on the lake rather than on land.

[@lakemacaine2689]

Half of Alaska panhandle is on the sea

[@refosco1993]

You must be from PA

[@MrsBrit1]

Lol no. That doesn't count as a panhandle. It's a land fart at best.

[@navret1707]

Thanks for the info. I have been curious about Alaska’s panhandle as it really seemed to make no sense. I was just too lazy to look it up.

[@sifridbassoon]

Thank you for mentioning the earlier and larger panhandle of Texas. I'm wondering why you didn't include Mississippi and Alabama as having panhandles.

[@coold8144]

The entire state of Maryland is a bunch of panhandles stuck together.

[@anttheaquarist7922]

Great question!! Always wondered.

[@IamTalathia]

Western Maryland is very West Virginia-lite, but with a Maryland budget for its infrastructure.

[@jamesshively]

Idaho's panhandle used to be home to the State Capital, Lewiston. But when the capital was moved to Boise, the panhandle/northern Idaho felt disconnected from the politically, culturally and geographically and thus wanted to either join Washington or form its own state. To prevent that, the Idaho territorial Government put the state University (The University of Idaho) in the second biggest city at the time, Moscow. The cultural divide still exists today. UIdaho is still the state's main University, it's much more similar to Washington than the rest of Idaho, and the cities with the two biggest influences in the Panhandle are Moscow (Because of the UI and agg economic capital of the region) and Spokane, which is located in Washington (Because of its population, universities, and size, and infrastructure)

[@BonaparteBardithion]

Political borders can be funny like that. If states were divided solely by geography and/or culture and industry we could probably split Washington down the middle and give the eastern half the Idaho panhandle.

[@scotttaylor7146]

4:00 "Kansas wanted to match those of neighbouring states" But Kansas was the first state created out of those listed...

[@katherinec2759]

Did the others have already designated territorial boundaries first, though? That might still be accurate, even if Kansas was the first state of the group.

[@kenaikuskokwim9694]

Missouri and Arkansas are older than Kansas. Congress also had a policy of trying to keep new states roughly equal in area.

[@billmalec]

Grew up in the Maryland panhandle.

[@mariajoaoferrazdeabreu150]

Great video.

[@briangebbia6001]

I live in a panhandle to a panhandle in a state that used to be called 'The Panhandle State." I guess I should watch.

[@jimgreen5788]

The Alaska Panhandle is also the home of many prominent ports of the cruise lines, among which it's called the Inside Passage, and by many of the residents, it's simply Southeastern. Yes, the Westerners here were the ones you mentioned. However, there were a large number of Native Alaskans living there for hundreds to thousands of years before the arrival of the others, such as Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian.

[@ShootingStarMS39208]

Very interesting!

[@danihowe10]

Geography and terrain/rivers play a role in determining the boundaries as well.

[@morenauer]

I guess they like begging.

[@thomasrinschler6783]

8:10 @General.Knowledge You should look up the Toledo War. And that's just the one territorial dispute that came closest to outright war - there were several others that also ended up in fighting, but thankfully only just with fists...

[@mapwiz-sf5yt]

There was actually shooting and raiding between Maryland and Pennsylvania in 1733. @GeneralKnowledge got a good bit of the Maryland stuff wrong.

[@BigBuck3ts]

@@mapwiz-sf5ytGood ole Cresaps War. Maryland really has been screwed over with a lot of its border disputes in the past.

[@GolemDude]

Marylander here, our northern border (and Delaware becoming it’s own state) was a settlement after the Cresap's War with Pennsylvania during the 1730s, which we got the bad end of the deal, if things went our way, we would’ve had Philadelphia and the whole DelMarVa peninsula, our southern border was a river (except for the DC cutout) and the Mason Dixon line going any lower would’ve made an exclave There’s a whole Wikipedia page on it

[@vuchaser99]

Maryland is one of the most screwed states... related to relations with England as a Catholic colony and being the little sibling to Virginia. The original charter was to 40North... but as you said this splits Philly in half and 40N is north of the tidal Delaware River... which was vital for trade. Virginia stole the VA portion of thr peninsula, as the charter called all land east of the Chesapeake Bay with exception of a line tangent to the radius of 11 miles from the church at New Castle to the latitude of Cape Henlopen... for thr Swedish colony of Delaware (which became Dutch, then English). Though due to a map error by Lord Baltimore placing Cape Henlopen at Fenwick Island... Delaware more than doubled in size. Lastly, the southern boarder of Maryland was along the navigatable Potomoc river. Which should have been the south branch, but once again being the bigger brother VA made it the north branch.

[@Yora21]

This really should mention rivers and mountains. Everywhere a panhandle border isn't a straight line, one of these is a crucial factor in the story.

[@captainpalegg2860]

as of like 3 years ago there was a bid for maryland’s panhandle to become part of west virginia (which, i’m sure you’ll agree, would’ve made the map a lot nicer). i couldn’t find a follow-up on that, so i guess the idea was just quietly thrown in the trash.

[@lindaangus2307]

Don't you mean Virginia and not West Virginia? Maryland is nowhere close to West Virginia, look at the map again. The "Delmarva Peninsula" consists of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, NOT West Virginia.

[@michaelfoulkes9502]

@@lindaangus2307Western Maryland borders West Virginia.

[@captainpalegg2860]

@@lindaangus2307 maryland's panhandle is NOT the delmarva peninsula.

[@Camm0Blue]

If they would join West Virginia, I would move back home to Sharpsburg, but until then I will stay in West Virginia.

[@justmeherethereandeverywhere]

​@@Camm0BlueI'd probably go live with some family in Baltimore for a period, if that ever happened. I'd actually live a bit more eastward to begin with if I was in the financial position to do so.

[@jumpanama]

The entirety of New England is as much a panhandle as Florida is. Surrounded on the west, north and east (in Maine) by Canadian provinces.

[@justoad]

Yeah that's what I was thinking, I don't know why he didn't mention it in the beginning of the video

[@encycl07pedia-]

Florida has a panhandle. Florida is not itself a panhandle.

[@JhonnyBoi]

I thought this was about panhandlers tbh. I was happy someone was finally talking about it.

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

VERY interesting video. 🇺🇸🌎👍❤

[@Finch460]

West Texas looks like a panhandle as well.

[@lesterstone8595]

I agree.

[@gilesclone]

Yeah. I can’t see how it didn’t make the list

[@natekurtz3955]

What about Pennsylvania's panhandle along Lake Erie?

[@zach2382]

That’s not a panhandle

[@thecowboyofdrag]

You should do another video about the state Boot Heels New Mexico, Missouri, Minnesota's Northwest Angle, northern Utah are good examples of boot heels, which is what Connecticut's Panhandle should be classified as. You could also say that both Northern and Eastern Louisiana could be boot heels, same goes for Coastal Mississippi and Alabama

[@Rosco_spaceracesr]

Panhandles makes maps unique i for one am on the side to keep them forever

[@leechjim8023]

West Texas is also a pan handle.

[@paulturner8372]

Really odd boundary line's

[@potatogirth]

The British Empire was vast yet always (well jokingly so) struggled with forming borders that made any sense. I guess we Americans just carried on the tradition after our independence lol

[@zyxwut321]

I live in Northern Virginia (almost like a panhandle itself), and I've been to the narrowest spot in Maryland many times. There's a small working-class mountain town there called Hancock, Maryland, right off of I-70 (incidentally, it's also the section where I-70 and I-68 converge right outside of town). A lot of truck stops and industrial parks around there with the interstates and freight rail nearby across the Potomac River in West Virginia. There you can easily be in 3 states (West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania) in less than 10 minutes from any part of town. A lot of small farms and old homes of varying age and quality. The most famous town native is a late 19th century black drag queen named William Dorsey Swann, who performed in DC.

[@benjaminrobinson3842]

5:25 - You are certainly right about the Florida Panhandle having more to do with Alabama than Florida proper. Someone I worked with told me that the area was sometimes known as "LA," for "Lower Alabama."

[@symptomofsouls]

It's Floribama, part of Florida but the people are Alabama

[@lp-xl9ld]

Maryland was not the 13th state; Rhode Island was

[@nickporter9264]

Maryland was the final state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, in 1781 (as shown in the video). The present constitution wasn’t framed until 1787 with Rhode Island (who had ratified the Articles of Confederation in 1778) ratifying it in 1790.

[@bigscarysteve]

Maryland was the seventh state admitted to the Union, not the thirteenth! People don't agree as to where the eastern panhandle of West Virginia begins or ends. Some regard only the three easternmost counties as the panhandle, while others view it as consisting of eight counties. The reason the three easternmost counties are part of West Virginia have more to do with the strategic importance of the B&O railroad than the federal armory in Harpers Ferry.

[@kellz7313]

When he said that about MD, I thought that was incorrect 😁

[@bigscarysteve]

@@kellz7313 I couldn't remember what number Maryland was, but I knew Rhode Island was the thirteenth. That's easy to remember because Rhode Island refused to ratify the Constitution. Finally, the other states told Rhode Island to ratify it, or else they would start treating Rhode Island like a foreign country. That convinced them.

[@SantaFe19484]

Next, make a video about the states that have weird exclaves due to the Mississippi changing course, and a similar issue in Europe due to the Danube changing course.

[@MRSYSTEM96]

Alaska looks more like a peninsula than a panhandle because it is surrounded on 3 sides by water. Maryland does look very strange with its panhandle. West Virginia looks oddly shaped too. Virginia also seems to have a panhandle directly south of West Virginia (and a little smaller than Idaho's) but apparently its not "official". You could easily make a video of unofficial panhandles in America. Ireland has some panhandles, County Donegal and County Monaghan, and some smaller subnational ones.

[@planetarystargazer]

What If the United States 🇺🇸 never annexed Hawaii

[@Yondix]

Britan would

[@mikedrown2721]

​@@YondixBritain

[@sgtdebones]

UK

[@arden7713]

There's an alternate history hub video on this

[@igorlopes7589]

Then the great hawaiian replacement wouldn't have happened and americans would be slightly less hypocritical when talking about dA gReAt rEpLaCeMenT

[@Angelic_Vanguard]

Maryland is the best state, if we are to ever give up our panhandle it will only be through taking West Virginia's panhandle

[@lindaangus2307]

West Virginia is nowhere close to Maryland. Look at the map again. It's Virginia that is closest to Maryland NOT West Virginia.

[@Angelic_Vanguard]

@@lindaangus2307 confidently incorrect

[@shallbetterdj]

7:02 the Idaho Montana border was supposed to be on the great divide, but the valley just west of the divide had more in common with Montana and so the border was moved to the next mountain crest west

[@matthewwasser5621]

According to a book called Lost States, which is about states people tried to create but failed to gain statehood, there was a movement to turn the Oklahoma panhandle into its own state called No Mans Land, but it failed and eventually joined Oklahoma.

[@danielventura7310]

Afghanistan.

[@alexfarrell3815]

You always talk about us states, what about Portuguese states?, or whatever administrative division you guys use.

[@General.Knowledge]

We use districts! And then 'councils' which are essentially the administrative boundaries of municipalities within districts. I have long thought of making a series on each country's territorial organization, maybe I will!

[@joaopedroso196]

Brazil have the beat pan handle called "triângulo mineiro" or mines triangle

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

🙏 One official contact of you to the 🌎. Thank you very much.

[@loganbutler1016]

The state with the most panhandlers is California - by far.

[@TheLookingOne]

Interesting. I grew up in a panhandle. What about the 2 protuberances of New Mexico, especially the eastern one?

[@AGamerthatregretsalot]

Me when borders that go along rivers, mountains, and natural terrain: 😡 Me when straight lines: 😊

[@RYwoodview]

I think you're missing the geophysical reasons. The line between Idaho and Montana runs along the Continental Divide, and this natural travel obstacle is relevant to which side belongs to which state. The Alaskan panhandle is a long stretch of seacoast backing up against the Coastal Range in British Columbia. It is near impossible to travel on land between the state and province, and the natural seaways connect far more readily to mainland Alaska (and southward). Other people know Maryland and West Virginia better, but it's likely that other older transportation routes help explain their salients as well.

[@BlitherVids]

You forgot #11: Vermont. It has the smallest panhandle of any state. Look up the tiny town of Beecher Falls.

[@jakehr3]

You never explained why Maryland's panhandle gets so thin. While Maryland lobbied to get the Western half, that doesn't explain that much. The thinness comes from 2 factors: 1) the Potomac River and 2) the Mason-Dixon line. When the colonies were in their first years of establishing themselves, the Mason Dixon line was agreed upon between Maryland and Pennsylvannia as the dividing line between the two states. It also later became a de facto dividing line between the Northern and Southern States (although now a days most Marylanders would not consider themselves Southern). So that parallel was between those two states, and then the Potomac River was the Southern border with Virginia. Both borders get extremely close out west and that's why it gets so narrow.

[@lindaangus2307]

Proud to say my hometown is in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. It's Weirton, WV which is 35 miles west of Pittsburgh, PA.

[@tnt-boom]

Just by looking at the map i found way more that look like panhandles.

[@smithandshortdogs]

7:37 "Off we go into the wild blue yonder!"

[@DarkMight117]

I'm glad I'm not the only person that heard each of the armed services anthems.

[@Frankjc3rd]

Fun fact: There's a highway that connects the Northern panhandle of West Virginia and goes through the southwest corner of Pennsylvania to re-enter West Virginia. It has no exits in Pennsylvania whatsoever.

[@Bradferd333]

What Highway number is it? That's hilarious

[@Frankjc3rd]

@@Bradferd333 I actually forget right off the top of my head, I'm sure a map can be found somewhere.

[@justmeherethereandeverywhere]

Do you mean that bit of highway near Wheeling, West Virginia or am I mixing that up with something else? It's been years since I've been that way.

[@Frankjc3rd]

@@justmeherethereandeverywhere if that matches the description, then yeah. I haven't been there myself in years either.

[@impalaman9707]

Denmark is either the "middle finger" or the "sore thumb" that sticks up out of Continental Europe!🤣🤣🤣

[@iccolo]

im impressed you pronounced connecticut correctly

[@charlesmaurer6214]

In the thumbnail you left out WV with 2, is it because WV looks like a hand giving the bird?

[@Wildstag]

Fun fact about MD's panhandle, but it also cements more of its claim to the Potomac River. On the MD/VA border, the actual state line ends at the low tide mark of the Potomac. Also, since WV was originally part of VA, it could control most of the upper reaches of the Potomac and thus limit MD's river usage. But the current state line allows MD to control enough that it's a non-issue.

[@symptomofsouls]

Massachusetts has 1 random town that sticks out from the southern border because the guy they hired to mark the lines on a map screwed it up. There was a massive dispute about whether or not the southern half of the town should join Connecticut or stay part of Massachusetts. The town is now Southwick, MA

[@msmith3395]

…and ever since MD has been a PITA to all map puzzle makers everywhere. That piece just keeps snapping in half.

[@LightningSt0rm]

What's that little part at the bottom of Missouri called if not a panhandle too?

[@garylichtenberger7976]

Maryland was NOT the 13th state to join the union. It was 7th.

[@Kerguelen.Mapping]

I want you to know that one of rules of creating countryballs is “No circle tool”, so I think you should consider changing the way you do countryballs, as I think it would fit more into your change of thumbnails to a more hand-drawn style.

[@endebtedone]

it would really alter the landscape of our country and throw people into an uproar for years. you might have timezone issues, school district conflicts, budgets would be altered for tax purposes, people being unhappy with tax laws and other laws in different states, people selling their houses to remain part of the state they are in now, and so many more issues or conflicts just to appease the eye looking at a map.

[@ferretyluv]

I heard the reason Idaho has a panhandle is because they didn’t want people rushing in during the gold rush so they wanted all the mountains to stay in Montana.

[@jarink1]

The Missouri Compromise line is actually at 36°30′. The southern border of Kansas was created before the formation of Utah and Colorado (about half of Colorado was originally part of the Kanas Territory), so it's more accurate to say their southern borders were set at 37° to match Kansas.

[@NightmareRex6]

and im guessing theres pandhandles in countys too becuase when driging thugh ciry ~40 miles away i will pass from county A to county B to county C back to county B and then to county D.

[@herzogsbuick]

alaskan here: i grew up outside (that's what we call everywhere that's not alaska heh) in pennsylvania and have travelled a lot, but have never heard of alaska being called the panhandle of the US. especially since most people see it's outline on a map as an inset beneath california heh

[@Murphio25]

I think if the US were to change it's internal borders beyond letting in new states or letting territories or even states cede to become independent, that there should be a greater attention granted to a few things: Cultural or historical divisions, geographic/aquatic divisions, and last but certainly not least, changes voted in by the local people involved. Such a process would be monumental, especially if done all at once. Yet, I think that not only would this clean up the map to be more visually appealing (even if this point is subjective), but would also give certain regions potential for greater organization. Unfortunately, it would also give potential for rigging and jerrymandering, so it is not necessarily something I'd even want to really happen, more of a "In a perfect world" sort've thing.

[@mikehusanj1704]

9:02 "a 1 "mile" strip of land" Thank you

[@thinkscotty]

I was raised on the border between OKs and TXs panhandle. There's so so little out there.

[@linkspokemon4114]

Now do why so many states are shapped like a box/square

[@brianfox771]

I think a lot of it has to do with those states being rather remote from the population and political centers back east. Surveying of the western regions where those boxy states would arise had just begun and was rather incomplete so basing borders on natural physical boundaries was not practical or possible. It was just easier using latitude and longitude to define borders. Also, many of the initial settlements in the west would prove to be temporary and the local population centers would shift to another part of the territory in the future. California with Sacramento (vs. LA or SF), Oregon with Eugene (vs. Portland) and Nevada with Carson City (vs. Las Vegas) are good examples of this.

[@itsglen9646]

Many refer to that part as "Florabama"

[@encycl07pedia-]

lol. No they don't. There is a small town on the border called Florala (in Alabama).

[@Illumisepoolist]

I like the name Panhandle!

[@ilovemesomme]

Idaho’s panhandle exists because Washington didn’t want to have to deal with the rough silver miners in the Silver Valley.

[@mystic-malevolence]

Can the Alaska panhandle really be considered such, if the Administration part of Administrative Unit is located in the panhandle rather than in the larger geographical body?

[@nancienordwick4169]

The story of Idaho's panhandle is more complex than you have stated. The division between ID and MT was set to be the Continental Divide. However, when federal surveyors asked people in Butte, MT, where the continental divide was, they were directed to the Bitterroot mountains instead. This was a conspiracy of the people at the time in order to maintain both Butte and Great Falls in the same state because the Anaconda Copper Company had their mines in Butte and processing in Anacinda, but also Great Falls on the opposite side of the Continental Divide.

[@SoujiOkitaTwo]

Btw mistake in thumbnail Haida Gwaii isn’t part of Alaska

[@filodipicori]

How much harder would Sprocle's "Click US States" Quiz be without the panhandles?

[@MikeCee7]

Most famous Boot-Heel has got to be Italy (regardless, if it’s technically a peninsula)

[@harperburgess9769]

9:23 I don’t understand this? As a Marylander, I’ve always heard that we were the 7th state, so how can we be the 13th?

[@weslabrash8593]

I’m pretty sure the Alaskan panhandle is physically connected to the main body of the state. The eastern edge of the panhandle runs on the mainland all the way to the tip.

[@revinhatol]

*Hancock, Maryland?*

[@zach2382]

Yes, that’s a place in Maryland

[@jekanyika]

Thought you would mention DRC