Data Visualization: Distances to Nearest McDonald's
In an attempt to find the most remote piece of wilderness in the lower 48 states, Stephen Von Worley of the blog Weather Sealed created this visualization that represents distances to the nearest McDonald's.
Between the tiny Dakotan hamlets of Meadow and Glad Valley lies the McFarthest Spot: 107 miles distant from the nearest McDonald’s, as the crow flies, and 145 miles by car!
[via Chris H.]
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29 Comments:
Gross.
Phylum at 4:28PM on 09/22/09
That looks terrifying.
LHSK12 at 4:31PM on 09/22/09
must...move...to...Dakota....
Fudluvr at 4:35PM on 09/22/09
Pretty disgusting.
moo1018 at 4:55PM on 09/22/09
This rather upsets me for some reasin.
kitchenbea at 5:07PM on 09/22/09
whoa.
hmw0029 at 5:16PM on 09/22/09
Sad. Just plain sad.
madfishgrill at 5:33PM on 09/22/09
Is Montpelier, VT still without a McDs? For a while it was the only state capital without one and that made for a great trivia question.
foodwithlegs at 5:45PM on 09/22/09
guess where the next mcdonalds franchise is opening up.
mr guy at 6:19PM on 09/22/09
Of course, I should also note that one can drive for at least a couple hours in western South Dakota without seeing any public restrooms. ("We're coming up to Phillip! If you need to go, go now, or you're holding it until the Black Hills!) Ok, I might be exaggerating a teensy bit, but it was definitely like that when I was a kid.
fanghsing at 6:50PM on 09/22/09
Seeing this map turned my stomach, but I just read this news story:
http://www.nacsonline.com/NACS/News/Daily/Pages/ND0922095.aspx
about how Subway oficially has more locations than McDonalds. HOW CAN THERE BE MORE SUBWAYS THAN McDONALDS?! McDonald's looks like it's eating the country! I'd like to see a map outlining all McDonald's and Subway locations. It'll make me physically ill.
PumpkinBear at 6:55PM on 09/22/09
I noticed the East is more McDonalds dense than the West. Is it because the West Coast has In-n-Out?
ag3208 at 7:19PM on 09/22/09
@ag3208: Doubtful. In-N-Out is a relatively small chain in comparison. Also, McD's started in California.
According to the original post on Weather Sealed, the density of McD's corresponds to the interstate highways and population density. I haven't taken a survey, but the eastern half of the country seems to have more density along the interstates than the western half. My own anecdotal evidence bears this out, as I've driven a lot in both halves. Think of Ohio, for instance—it has a lot of large and mid-size cities along interstates and state highways. Prime locations for McD's. Whereas states in the west have long stretches between population centers and also have geography (mountains, deserts) that's inhospitable (with some exceptions—Phoenix, Vegas, etc.) to large cities and/or franchises.
Adam Kuban at 7:33PM on 09/22/09
It looks as if everyone in Ohio only has to step outside their door to arrive at a McDs.
chanterelle at 9:10PM on 09/22/09
This map is intimidating.
@ag3208: Of course McD follows the population density, hence the rather uneven spread. Look, the major metropolitan areas light up like galaxies.
Olivier76 at 9:44PM on 09/22/09
I can confirm the claim above that Montpelier has no McD's, the nearest one is ~20 miles away in Randolph, VT.
I have a similar map for Starbucks, and my house in NH is about 45 miles beyond the Starbucks frontier.
kaszeta at 7:00AM on 09/23/09
I live exactly two blocks from a McDonald's (NJ suburb). Close as the post office.
HeartofGlass at 9:00AM on 09/23/09
and people wonder why america's obese. not just fat-OBESE.
gastronomeg at 10:29AM on 09/23/09
gastro you took the words from my mouth.
hungrychristel at 1:30PM on 09/23/09
Well...they're not putting a gun to your head to eat there.
Cassaendra at 1:35PM on 09/23/09
I have to submit Miles City, MT to Billings, MT. 144 miles.
LaViolett at 2:47PM on 09/23/09
I mean 146 miles! haha
LaViolett at 2:49PM on 09/23/09
While it is pretty terrifying, don't blame McDonalds - they couldn't afford all these locations if people weren't buying their food!
Chew on That at 4:45PM on 09/23/09
146 miles closer than I'd like to be, but it's a good start! I'm approximately 300 yards from a McD's in a town of about 5,000 people! I guess that means I live downtown.
@ kaszeta, I am in NH as well, and was happily without a starbucks within dead cat swinging distance. Then BAM 2 opened up within the last 2 yrs... Bastages!
Pavlov at 9:18AM on 09/24/09
@Chew: exactly. Demand creates supply; no question. Therefore: we should be ashamed
hungrychristel at 11:30AM on 09/24/09
@Pavlov--dead cat swinging distance! I love it! I move to add that to every municipal planning code in the country. Will someone second that motion?
Supply and demand. . .just think how much cheaper ground beef, ketchup and french fries would be if McDonald's, Burger King, et al., hadn't created the demand. I could afford pot roast every night! But then what would all the corporate potato growers and feedlot owners and meat processors and nugget cutters and pickle makers do? Heck, then all the people who manufacture industrial meat grinders, feed, growth hormones, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers would be out of work, too, not to mention the plastic cup and plastic booth manufacturers and corral builders and bun bakers. And just where would the nation's youth gain valuable experience before hitting the real world? Gosh, this makes it seem that McDonald's is good for us and that I would be unAmerican for thinking otherwise. OMG, WHAT IF WE RUN OUT OF LAND?
All I really want to know is, if Sonic can decide to move west, why, oh why, won't White Castle build in Seattle? Please?
betteirene at 12:49PM on 09/24/09
There is nothing disgusting about a lot of McDonalds, that means jobs. Sorry if McDonalds isn't to many of your likings. No one forces you to eat this stuff, and the fact that most of you are turning your nose up suggest that you don't eat here often or at all so the question is, why is it such a big deal to you?
carmen89 at 9:20PM on 09/24/09
@ carmen89... don't forget to get me a filet-o-fish before you punch out!
Pavlov at 9:34AM on 09/25/09
@pavlov, tee-hee. I thought it was funny.
betteirene at 7:02PM on 09/28/09