How the states got their shapes / Mark Stein.

"How the States Got Their Shapes is the first book to tackle why our state lines are where they are. Here are the stories behind the stories, right down to the tiny northward jog at the eastern end of Tennessee and the teeny-tiny (and little known) parts of Delaware that are not attached to Delaware but to New Jersey." "How the States Got Their Shapes examines: why West Virginia has a finger creeping up the side of Pennsylvania; why Michigan has an upper peninsula that isn't attached to Michigan; why some Hawaiian islands are not Hawaii; and why Texas and California are so outsized, especially when so many Midwestern states are nearly identical in size." "Packed with oddities and trivia, this guide also reveals the major fault lines of American history, from ideological intrigues and religious intolerance to major territorial acquisitions. Adding the fresh lens of local geographic disputes, military skirmishes, and land grabs, Mark Stein shows how the seemingly haphazard puzzle pieces of our nation fit together perfectly."--Jacket.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-314) and index.

Don't Skip This 1 -- Alabama 11 -- Alaska 18 -- Arizona 21 -- Arkansas 27 -- California 33 -- Colorado 39 -- Connecticut 44 -- Delaware 52 -- District of Columbia 59 -- Florida 65 -- Georgia 70 -- Hawaii 75 -- Idaho 79 -- Illinois 86 -- Indiana 92 -- Iowa 95 -- Kansas 101 -- Kentucky 108 -- Louisiana 113 -- Maine 119 -- Maryland 126 -- Massachusetts 134 -- Michigan 141 -- Minnesota 145 -- Mississippi 151 -- Missouri 156 -- Montana 163 -- Nebraska 168 -- Nevada 174 -- New Hampshire 179 -- New Jersey 185 -- New Mexico 192 -- New York 197 -- North Carolina 206 -- North Dakota 216 -- Ohio 220 -- Oklahoma 226 -- Oregon 231 -- Pennsylvania 236 -- Rhode Island 243 -- South Carolina 248 -- South Dakota 253 -- Tennessee 257 -- Texas 263 -- Utah 270 -- Vermont 276 -- Virginia 281 -- Washington 288 -- West Virginia 293 -- Wisconsin 297 -- Wyoming 302.