Counties I've Been To

This section details the many places I have been to in the United States, broken down county by county. NOTE: In the state-by-state listings, the year denotes the time of my last visit to each county.

These listings indicate the states and counties I have been to on the ground. In addition to the 42 states I have visited on the ground, I have flown over Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico, and possibly Montana.

Click here for a pop-up national map of the counties I've been to.

Maps and information are current as of July 7, 2008.

Number of states I've been to: 42 (not including DC)
1980s: 15 - NE, IA, SD, KS, MO, IL, IN, KY, TN, MS, AL, LA, TX, OK, AR
1990s: 13 - NE, IA, SD, KS, MO, IL, IN, KY, TN, WY, CO, MN, WI, (AL?)
2000s: 36 - NE, IA, SD, MO, PA, DE, MD, NJ, VA, WV, KY, OH, IL, IN, NY, GA, (DC), VT, NH, ME, MA, RI, CT, NC, SC, TN, AL, FL, KS, MI, WI, MN, ND, CA, TX, WA, OR

Electoral-vote value of my 42 states and D.C. (2007): 499 (out of 538 possible)

Number of counties I've been to: 767 (including 10 Louisiana parishes), plus 13 independent cities, and the District of Columbia

Population (2000) of counties I've been to including independent cities and D.C.: 141,394,951 (50.2% of U.S. population - excluding territories)

Number of uncertain counties (not included in above totals): 7

Number of counties I've lived in: 8

Top 10 states (counties visited): GA (82), IA (58), IL (44), NE (42), MN (40), IN (36), KY (32), TN (31), KS (31), VA (28)

Top 10 states (% of total counties): DE (100%), NJ (90%), MD (67%), RI (60%), IA (59%), GA (52%), CT (50%), MN (46%), NE (45%), IL (43%)

Geographic extremes, among places I've been (not including in-flight travel):
Farthest north: Northwest 57th Street, Ballard neighborhood, Seattle, Wash. (47° 40' 10" North latitude, Aug. 20, 2007)
Farthest south: State Highway A1A, Atlantic Boulevard at Reynolds Street, Key West, Fla. (24° 32' 49.9" North latitude, November 17, 2007)
Farthest west: Interstate 5 southbound near Grand Mound, Thurston County, Wash. (123° 00' 40" West longitude, Aug. 23, 2007)
Farthest east: U.S. Highway 1 at Maine Route 236, Kittery, Maine (70° 44' 46" West longitude, Oct. 15, 2001)

Alabama
First visit: Childhood, no later than 1987
Counties: 21 out of 67 (31%)
State population (2000): 4,447,100
Population of counties visited: 2,234,563 (50%)

2006: Cleburne, Calhoun, Talladega, St. Clair, Jefferson, Blount, Cullman, Morgan, Madison, Jackson, DeKalb, Cherokee
2005: Etowah, Marshall
2002: Chambers, Lee, Russell
1987: Sumter, Greene, Tuscaloosa

Arkansas
First visit: 1980s
Counties: 12 out of 75 (16%)
State population (2000): 2,673,400
Population of counties visited: 768,908 (29%)

mid to late 1980s: Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Pope, Conway, Faulkner, Pulaski, Lonoke, Prairie, Monroe, St. Francis, Crittenden

California
First visit: October 8, 2004
Counties: 7 out of 58 (12%)
State population (2000): 33,871,648
Population of counties visited: 19,055,911 (56%)

2006: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego
2004: San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa

Colorado
First visit: July 1991
Counties: 9 out of 64 (14%), plus 1 uncertain
State population (2000): 4,301,261
Population of counties visited: 1,933,327 (45%) -- does not include Arapahoe County

1991: Sedgwick, Logan, Washington, Morgan, Weld, Adams, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer
Uncertain: Arapahoe (1991)

Connecticut
First visit: October 16, 2001
Counties: 4 out of 8 (50%)
State population (2000): 3,405,565
Population of counties visited: 2,120,734 (62%)

2001: New London, Middlesex, New Haven, Fairfield

Delaware
First visit: Jan. 14, 2000
Counties: 3 out of 3 (100%)
State population (2000): 783,600
Population of counties visited: 783,600 (100%)
Delaware is the only state in which I've visited all the counties.

2001: New Castle
2000: Kent, Sussex

District of Columbia
First visit: April 7, 2001
Counties: 0 out of 0
Population (2000): 572,059

Florida
First visit: October 25, 2002
Counties: 11 out of 67 (16%)
State population (2000): 15,982,378
Population of counties visited: 5,340,001 (33%)

2007: Miami-Dade, Monroe
2006: Hillsborough, Pinellas
2002: Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Baker, Nassau, Duval, St. Johns

Georgia
First visit: July 1, 1991
Counties: 82 out of 159 (52%)
State population (2000): 8,186,453
Population of counties visited: 6,688,457 (82%)

Lived in: Cobb (Oct 2001 - Jun 2002), Fulton (Jun 2002 - present)

2008: Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Clayton
2007: Cherokee, Bartow, Gordon, Whitfield, Catoosa, Walker, Dade
2006: Douglas, Carroll, Haralson, Floyd
2005: Forsyth, Pickens, Gilmer, Fannin
2004: Henry, Fayette, Walton, Barrow, Jackson, Banks, Franklin, Hart, Hall, Dawson, Lumpkin
2003: Chattooga, Murray, Polk, Paulding, Habersham, Rabun, Towns, White
2002: Stephens, Coweta, Meriwether, Troup, Harris, Muscogee, Talbot, Taylor, Upson, Pike, Spalding, Clarke, Oconee, Butts, Lamar, Monroe, Bibb, Crawford, Peach, Houston, Dooly, Crisp, Turner, Tift, Cook, Lowndes, Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Bulloch, Candler, Emanuel, Treutlen, Laurens, Bleckley, Twiggs, Union, Rockdale, Newton

Illinois
First visit: Early childhood
Counties: 44 out of 102 (43%)
State population (2000): 12,419,293
Population of counties visited: 10,386,224 (84%)

2003: Cook, DuPage, Kane, DeKalb, Ogle, Lee, Whiteside, Rock Island, St. Clair, Clinton, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Williamson, Johnson, Massac
2000: Henry, Knox, Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, McLean, De Witt, Piatt, Champaign, Vermilion, Wayne, White
1995: Jo Daviess, Winnebago, Lake
1992: Bureau, La Salle, Grundy, Kendall, Will
1991: Douglas, Coles, Cumberland, Shelby, Effingham, Clay, Fayette, Marion

Indiana
First visit: Early childhood
Counties: 36 out of 92 (39%)
State population (2000): 6,080,485
Population of counties visited: 3,288,618 (54%)

2003: Lake, Newton, Jasper, White, Tippecanoe, Clinton, Boone, Hendricks, Marion, Johnson, Shelby, Bartholomew, Jackson, Scott, Clark, Porter, LaPorte
2000: Vermillion, Fountain, Montgomery, Posey, Warrick, Spencer, Dubois, Perry, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Hancock, Henry, Wayne, Vanderburgh
1993: Vigo, Sullivan, Knox, Gibson

Iowa
First visit: 1976 or 1977
Counties: 58 out of 99 (59%)
State population (2000): 2,926,324
Population of counties visited: 1,996,992 (68%)

2008:  Fremont, Mills, Pottawattamie, Harrison, Monona, Woodbury
2007: Osceola, O'Brien, Sioux, Plymouth, Crawford, Shelby, Cass, Adair, Madison, Dallas, Polk, Story, Hamilton, Wright, Franklin, Cerro Gordo, Worth
2003: Scott, Cedar, Johnson, Iowa, Poweshiek, Jasper, Emmet, Palo Alto, Clay
1999: Winnebago, Hancock, Sac, Calhoun, Webster, Hardin, Carroll
1996?: Cherokee
1995: Butler, Ida, Grundy, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque
1994: Lyon
1993: Guthrie, Greene, Boone, Marshall, Tama
early 1990s: Dickinson, Buena Vista
1989: Kossuth, Humboldt
1989?: Pocahontas

Kansas
First visit: September 1976
Counties: 31 out of 105 (30%)
State population (2000): 2,688,418
Population of counties visited: 2,016,363 (75%)

Lived in: Doniphan (Sep 1976 - Jul 1977)

2003: Wyandotte
1999: Johnson
1998: Marshall, Riley, Geary, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Douglas, Leavenworth
1997: Republic, Cloud, Ottawa, Saline, McPherson, Harvey, Sedgwick, Butler, Chase, Lyon, Coffey, Osage, Franklin, Miami
1995?: Doniphan (may have been more recently)
1994: Nemaha, Brown
1992: Atchison, Jefferson
1987: Sumner
mid 1980s: Reno, Cowley

Kentucky
First visit: Early childhood
Counties: 32 out of 120 (27%)
State population (2000): 4,041,769
Population of counties visited: 2,016,634 (50%)

2004: Boone
2003: Simpson, Warren, Edmonson, Barren, Hart, Larue, Hardin, Bullitt, Jefferson, McCracken, Marshall, Livingston, Lyon, Caldwell, Trigg, Christian, Todd
2000: Shelby, Franklin, Woodford, Scott, Fayette, Clark, Montgomery, Bath, Rowan, Carter, Boyd
1993: Henderson, Webster, Hopkins

Louisiana
First visit: 1987
Parishes: 10 out of 64 (16%)
State population (2000): 4,468,976
Population of parishes visited: 1,173,134 (26%)

1987: Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Acadia, Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberville, West Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Tangipahoa

Maine
First visit: October 15, 2001
Counties: 1 out of 16 (6%)
State population (2000): 1,274,923
Population of county visited: 186,742 (15%)

2001: York

Maryland
First visit: June 3, 2000
Counties: 16 out of 24 (67%), plus 1 independent city
State population (2000): 5,296,486
Population of counties and independent city visited: 4,007,277 (76%)

2004: Anne Arundel, Howard, Prince Georges, Baltimore county, Baltimore city, Carroll, Frederick, Washington
2001: Cecil, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, Worcester

Massachusetts
First visit: October 16, 2001
Counties: 6 out of 14 (43%)
State population (2000): 6,349,097
Population of counties visited: 4,536,430 (71%)

2001: Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Bristol

Michigan
First visit: October 18, 2003
Counties: 20 out of 83 (24%)
State population (2000): 9,938,444
Population of counties visited: 1,405,785 (14%)

2003: Berrien, Van Buren, Allegan, Ottawa, Kent, Montcalm, Mecosta, Osceola, Wexford, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Cheboygan, Mackinac, Chippewa, Luce, Schoolcraft, Delta, Menominee

Minnesota
First visit: August 1994
Counties: 40 out of 87 (46%)
State population (2000): 4,919,479
Population of counties visited: 3,705,441 (75%)

2007: Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Scott, LeSueur, Sibley, Nicollet, Blue Earth, Watonwan, Cottonwood, Jackson, Nobles, Freeborn, Steele, Rice, Dakota
2004: Carver, McLeod, Renville, Chippewa, Yellow Medicine, Lyon, Lincoln, Pipestone, Wilkin, Grant, Douglas, Todd, Stearns, Wright
2003: Washington
1999: Martin, Faribault, Mower, Olmsted, Winona, Houston, Goodhue, Wabasha
1994: Rock

Mississippi
First visit: 1987
Counties: 8 out of 82 (10%)
State population (2000): 2,844,658
Population of counties visited: 595,412 (21%)

1987: Pike, Lincoln, Copiah, Hinds, Rankin, Scott, Newton, Lauderdale

Missouri
First visit: At birth (August 1976)
Counties: 16 out of 115 (14%), plus 1 independent city
State population (2000): 5,595,211
Population of counties and independent city visited: 2,961,592 (53%)

Born in: Buchanan

2008: Platte, Buchanan, Andrew, Holt, Atchison
2003: Jackson, Lafayette, Saline, Cooper, Boone, Callaway, Montgomery, Warren, St. Charles, St. Louis, St. Louis city
2000: Clay

Nebraska
First visit: 1976 or 1977
Counties: 42 out of 93 (45%), plus 3 uncertain
State population (2000): 1,711,263
Population of counties visited: 1,460,191 (85%)

Lived in: Dakota (Jul 1977 - Aug 1994, May 1995 - Aug 1995), Lancaster (Aug 1994 - May 1995, Aug 1995 - Oct 1998), Douglas (Oct 1998 - Apr 2000)

2008: Douglas, Sarpy, Washington, Burt, Thurston, Dakota
2005: Cass, Lancaster, Saunders, Dodge, Cuming
1998: Otoe
1997: Madison, Wayne, Stanton, Platte, Buffalo, Kearney, Adams, Hall, Hamilton, Polk, York, Thayer, Butler, Seward, Jefferson
1997?: Gage
1996: Saline
1995: Merrick
1995?: Colfax
mid 1990s: Johnson
1994: Fillmore
1994?: Nemaha, Richardson
1992?: Cedar, Pierce
1991: Deuel, Keith, Lincoln, Dawson
early 1990s: Dixon
Uncertain: Knox (1980s), Antelope (1980s), Holt (1980s)

New Hampshire
First visit: October 15, 2001
Counties: 3 out of 10 (30%)
State population (2000): 1,235,786
Population of counties visited: 732,025 (59%)

2001: Cheshire, Hillsborough, Rockingham

New Jersey
First visit: July 8, 2000
Counties: 19 out of 21 (90%)
State population (2000): 8,414,350
Population of counties visited: 8,165,586 (97%)

2001: Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, Mercer, Middlesex, Union, Essex, Hudson, Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, Morris
2000 or 2001: Salem

Click here for a pop-up map of the NYC/North Jersey area.

New York
First visit: October 14, 2000
Counties: 15 out of 58 (26%)
State population (2000): 18,976,457
Population of counties visited: 10,205,398 (54%)

2001: New York, Richmond, Kings, Bronx, Queens, Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, Westchester, Rockland

North Carolina
First visit: October 23, 2001
Counties: 21 out of 100 (21%)
State population (2000): 8,049,313
Population of counties visited: 3,365,553 (42%)

2004: Cleveland, Gaston, Mecklenburg
2003: Macon, Jackson, Swain, Clay
2002: Cherokee
2001: Northampton, Halifax, Nash, Franklin, Wake, Durham, Orange, Alamance, Guilford, Randolph, Davidson, Rowan, Cabarrus

North Dakota
First visit: June 14, 2004
Counties: 1 out of 53 (2%)
State population (2000): 642,200
Population of counties visited: 17,998 (3%)

2004: Richland

Ohio
First visit: September 3, 2000
Counties: 10 out of 88 (11%)
State population (2000): 11,353,140
Population of counties visited: 2,319,185 (20%)

2000: Preble, Montgomery, Clark, Madison, Franklin, Fairfield, Licking, Muskingum, Guernsey, Belmont

Oklahoma
First visit: 1980s
Counties: 17 out of 77 (22%)
State population (2000): 3,450,654
Population of counties visited: 1,942,356 (56%)

1987: Kay, Noble, Payne, Logan, Oklahoma, Cleveland, McClain, Garvin, Murray, Carter, Love
1980s: Pawnee, Osage, Tulsa, Wagoner, Muskogee, Sequoyah

Oregon
First visit: August 23, 2007
Counties: 1 out of 36 (3%)
State population (2000): 3,421,399
Population of counties visited: 660,486 (19%)

2007: Multnomah

Pennsylvania
First visit: Jan. 12, 2000
Counties: 26 out of 67 (39%)
State population (2000): 12,281,054
Population of counties visited: 7,951,280 (65%)

Lived in: Chester (Apr 2000 - Apr 2001), Delaware (Apr 2001 - Oct 2001)

2007: Philadelphia
2005: Delaware, Montgomery, Berks, Chester
2001: York, Lancaster, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Bucks, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Susquehanna
2000: Washington, Westmoreland, Somerset, Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon, Franklin, Cumberland
 

Click here for a pop-up map of the Philadelphia area.

Rhode Island
First visit: October 16, 2001
Counties: 3 out of 5 (60%)
State population (2000): 1,048,319
Population of counties visited: 912,238 (87%)

2001: Providence, Kent, Washington

South Carolina
First visit: October 24, 2001
Counties: 6 out of 46 (13%)
State population (2000): 4,012,012
Population of counties visited: 1,082,513 (27%)

2004: Oconee, Cherokee, Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson, York

South Dakota
First visit: Early childhood
Counties: 12 out of 66 (18%)
State population (2000): 754,844
Population of counties visited: 308,798 (41%)

2004: Union, Lincoln, Minnehaha, Moody, Brookings, Deuel, Hamlin, Codington, Grant, Roberts
1993?: Clay
1990: Yankton

Tennessee
First visit: late 1970s
Counties: 31 out of 95 (33%)
State population (2000): 5,689,283
Population of counties visited: 3,159,638 (56%)

2007: Hamilton
2005: Marion
2003: Grundy, Bedford, Coffee, Rutherford, Davidson, Sumner, Robertson, Montgomery, Cheatham
2002: Polk, Williamson, Maury, Marshall, Giles
1994: Lincoln, Moore
1992: Wilson, Smith
1980s: Shelby, Fayette, Haywood, Madison, Henderson, Decatur, Benton, Humphreys, Hickman, Dickson, Carroll

Texas
First visit: 1987
Counties: 26 out of 254 (10%), plus 1 uncertain
State population (2000): 20,851,820
Population of counties visited: 10,157,548 (49%)

2005: Bexar, Guadalupe, Comal, Hays, Travis, Williamson, Blanco, Burnet
1987: Cooke, Denton, Dallas, Kaufman, Henderson, Anderson, Cherokee, Navarro, Freestone, Leon, Madison, Walker, Montgomery, Harris, Galveston, Chambers, Jefferson, Orange
Uncertain: Tyler (1987)

Vermont
First visit: October 15, 2001
Counties: 2 out of 14 (14%)
State population (2000): 608,827
Population of counties visited: 81,210 (13%)

2001: Bennington, Windham

Virginia
First visit: August 25, 2000
Counties: 28 out of 96 (29%)
Independent cities: 11 out of 39 (28%)
State population (2000): 7,078,515
Population of counties and independent cities visited: 4,117,211 (58%)

Counties
2004: Loudoun
2001: Accomack, Northampton, Isle Of Wight, Southampton, Greensville
2000: Fairfax, Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, Hanover, Henrico, Charles City, James City, York, Surry, Prince George, Chesterfield, Goochland, Powhatan, Louisa, Fluvanna, Albemarle, Nelson, Augusta, Rockbridge, Alleghany

Independent Cities
2001: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Emporia
2000: Alexandria, Richmond, Williamsburg, Hopewell, Charlottesville, Clifton Forge*, Covington

* no longer an independent city as of 2001; does not count toward independent city total. Population was absorbed into Alleghany County so the population numbers are not affected.

Washington
First visit: August 19, 2007
Counties: 6 out of 39 (15%)
State population (2000): 5,894,121
Population of counties visited: 3,151,995 (53%)

2007: King, Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Cowlitz, Clark

West Virginia
First visit: August 28, 2000
Counties: 9 out of 55 (16%)
State population (2000): 1,808,344
Population of counties visited: 642,218 (36%)

2004: Jefferson
2000: Greenbrier, Raleigh, Fayette, Kanawha, Putnam, Cabell, Wayne, Ohio

Wisconsin
First visit: August 1992
Counties: 22 out of 72 (31%)
State population (2000): 5,363,675
Population of counties visited: 3,194,326 (60%)

2003: Marinette, Oconto, Shawano, Marathon, Clark, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn, St. Croix
1999: La Crosse
1995: Grant, Lafayette, Iowa, Dane, Jefferson, Waukesha, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Rock
1992: Ozaukee

Wyoming
First visit: 1991
Counties: 1 out of 23 (4%), plus 1 uncertain
State population (2000): 493,782
Population of county visited: 81,607 (17%)

1991: Laramie
Uncertain: Albany (1991)

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