Any map geeks in here?

[Tammer in Philly]

I thought this was interesting; video depiction of how borders in Europe have changed over the last millennia.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f54_1337075813

That's pretty awesome. Would love to be able to zoom on certain areas, particularly in the long period after the breakup of the HRE.

-tammer

[geordi]

A timeline would have been nice feature. I could get a rough estimate of a time period when some of the major empires appeared.

I agree with Tammer... a zoom feature to detail the HRE area to present day Germany would be interesting. Quite a colorful mosaic it depicted thru the years.

[Mike W.]

I thought this was interesting; video depiction of how borders in Europe have changed over the last millennia.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f54_1337075813

The last millennia? I just threw out a really nice world atlas that was from ~1980. It was worthless, things have changed that much.

[davintosh]

Here's a new one;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/ ... rld-apart/

Plug in your zip code to see how your area ranks.

A Zip’s ranking is a number between 0 and 99 representing the average of its percentile ranks in college education and in income. The 650 Zips with rankings of 95 and higher are called Super Zips. The analysis was adapted from one used by author Charles Murray. Click the map for details.

Mine is a 66; $54,248 median household income, 40% college graduates.

[Jeremy]

72. $84,154 Median household income
27% College graduates

Bunch of hard working people in my zip code apparently. I would've thought the college grad number would be way higher. My previous zip code was a 44 and it kinda showed to be honest. Great people there, but you could very much see the lesser incomes and lesser education levels compared to some of the neighboring areas.

This might need a thread split for the new map. I dunno.

[Tammer in Philly]

72. $84,154 Median household income
27% College graduates

Bunch of hard working people in my zip code apparently. I would've thought the college grad number would be way higher. My previous zip code was a 44 and it kinda showed to be honest.

Subtle implication that people with college degrees work less hard? ;-)

I looked at this a month ago and plugged some numbers in. From an e-mail I sent then:

(Score/ median income/ college grad %)

Youth (birth through HS):
45/ $50k/ 22%

Undergrad:
36/ $45k/ 20%
(interesting: it's a small school in the 2nd-poorest county in Indiana--clearly the academic population is not enough to swing the total ZIP scores; I would guess the average income is much higher than the median in this case)

Baltimore:
67/ $50k/ 50% (residence)
17/ $27k/ 18% (school where I taught)

Grad school:
42/ $33k/ 36% (residence 1)
53/ $56k/ 32 (res. 2)
35/ $22k/ 33% (school)

Chicago:
95/ $87k/ 83% (res 1)
62/ $50k/ 39% (current res)

What surprises me most is that the immediate University of Pennsylvania ZIP (bolded) is so poorly off overall.

-tammer

[unt0uchable]

That's pretty cool.

Youth:
59/$65k/22%

MS-HS Age:
47/$48k/24%

Current:
89/$85k/52%

Outlook seems alright for my children someday...ha.

[Mike W.]

For those who think the wine country or Northern California is all that well off,

$57,407

23%

53

Not exactly starvation, but I see others doing well with what is probably a lower cost of living. Not that I want to move to some of those places, just sayin'

[davintosh]

Here's a new one;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/ ... rld-apart/

Plug in your zip code to see how your area ranks.

A Zip’s ranking is a number between 0 and 99 representing the average of its percentile ranks in college education and in income. The 650 Zips with rankings of 95 and higher are called Super Zips. The analysis was adapted from one used by author Charles Murray. Click the map for details.

Mine is a 66; $54,248 median household income, 40% college graduates.

Joining in on the stages-of-life theme, the zip code I lived in for a couple of years during high school scored a 65, but things are a bit different there; $68,705 / 26%. That zip is a smallish bedroom community in a mostly rural area just outside Sioux Falls, whereas where I live now is considered the central part of the city. Interesting that the score is just one point different, yet the income is $14k higher and 14% fewer college grads. The map doesn't tell it, but I know the population density is much lower as well. The math behind those numbers is probably pretty simple, but it would still be interesting to see.

[Jeremy]

Subtle implication that people with college degrees work less hard?

Absolutely not. Just that the same amount of works tends to turn into fewer dollars without a degree of some kind. I was surprised by how high the median income was and how low the college degree rate was in comparison. Typically, those numbers reflect each other to some extent.

[davintosh]

Subtle implication that people with college degrees work less hard?

Absolutely not. Just that the same amount of works tends to turn into fewer dollars without a degree of some kind. I was surprised by how high the median income was and how low the college degree rate was in comparison. Typically, those numbers reflect each other to some extent.

See my comment above; fewer college grads, higher median income. Seems strange, but in my case those numbers might be affected by the low population and the number of family farms.

[Acid House]

I actually prefer an Atlas when on road trips, it's so boring on the interstate. I keep one in my car at all times!

If I'm not in a rush I'll look for state routes parallel to my path and go that way, there's so much more interesting scenery that way instead of just blasting along the freeway that looks the same everywhere.

[Tammer in Philly]

Subtle implication that people with college degrees work less hard? ;-)

Absolutely not. Just that the same amount of works tends to turn into fewer dollars without a degree of some kind. I was surprised by how high the median income was and how low the college degree rate was in comparison. Typically, those numbers reflect each other to some extent.

In many cases, yes. Skilled trades can be an exception, though. One of the wealthiest families I know made its money in plumbing. Personally, given the tuition, debt, and job environment today, if I had a teenager I would strongly encourage them to consider a trade.

-tammer

[vinceg101]

For those who think the wine country or Northern California is all that well off,

$57,407

23%

53

Not exactly starvation, but I see others doing well with what is probably a lower cost of living. Not that I want to move to some of those places, just sayin'

My zip in West LA (90034) is similar:
$57,577
25%
52%
The neighboring Westside zips are better off.

The town I grew up in New Jersey (07090) however is one of the better ones:
$127,455
3%
66%

[Jeremy]

In many cases, yes. Skilled trades can be an exception, though. One of the wealthiest families I know made its money in plumbing. Personally, given the tuition, debt, and job environment today, if I had a teenager I would strongly encourage them to consider a trade.

-tammer

Well, yes, but I was talking about trends. Averages. Large scale stuff. You're talking about the exceptions to the rule, which certainly exist. You don't normally see communities with a large percentage of skilled tradespeople though. The percentage certainly varies from area to area, but one area only needs so many plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc as a percentage of its total population. They don't usually cluster in one zip code, either. The era where a large percentage of an area could be made up of "skilled labor" such as machinists and their ilk is largely behind us historically.

[Acid House]

Well since we're off-topic.


Any kid born today will enter a "workforce" that barely resembles the one we see now.

Trades may be on the way out, but so is having a "job" and earning retirement from the government. That is industrial age thinking and the industrial age is OVER.

Even for people like me, we have to make our own wealth if we really want to succeed. The era of clocking in every day and retiring at 60 with a pension is not gonna happen. PERIOD.

[djazz]

Our suburban school district covers three zip codes/cities. Two rank 53, one ranks 14. The one high school Is known as High High to the kids.

Our zip is 53/$59k/21% but has a large retired homeowner segment so that is an interesting twist. I have a golden parachute HMO CFO/city councilman on one side, an F-15 builder on the other, and a retired MD down the street

Is this info adjusted for cost of living? $59k in Fort Worth is not the same as $59k in NYC or Gloster, Miss.

[Tammer in Philly]

In many cases, yes. Skilled trades can be an exception, though. One of the wealthiest families I know made its money in plumbing. Personally, given the tuition, debt, and job environment today, if I had a teenager I would strongly encourage them to consider a trade.

-tammer

Well, yes, but I was talking about trends. Averages. Large scale stuff. You're talking about the exceptions to the rule, which certainly exist. You don't normally see communities with a large percentage of skilled tradespeople though. The percentage certainly varies from area to area, but one area only needs so many plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc as a percentage of its total population. They don't usually cluster in one zip code, either. The era where a large percentage of an area could be made up of "skilled labor" such as machinists and their ilk is largely behind us historically.

You're right. Maybe there's a cluster of professional athletes where you live instead. ;-)

... but seriously, what is the list of non-college-degree 6-figure jobs? A median income in the $80s is high for the vast majority of the country, "superzips" with double that notwithstanding.

-tammer

[WilNJ]

... but seriously, what is the list of non-college-degree 6-figure jobs? A median income in the $80s is high for the vast majority of the country, "superzips" with double that notwithstanding.

-tammer

I'm guessing but what you're likely seeing is owners of blue collar enterprises, many of those came up through the trades.

[Tammer in Philly]

... but seriously, what is the list of non-college-degree 6-figure jobs? A median income in the $80s is high for the vast majority of the country, "superzips" with double that notwithstanding.

-tammer

I'm guessing but what you're likely seeing is owners of blue collar enterprises, many of those came up through the trades.

Okay, I'd lump that in with my initial example. If you went from apprentice --> tradesman --> owner of your business employing a dozen tradesmen, you are a tradesman. And many of them do very, very well, and demand is tied to population growth more or less.

-tammer

[Jeremy]

... but seriously, what is the list of non-college-degree 6-figure jobs? A median income in the $80s is high for the vast majority of the country, "superzips" with double that notwithstanding.

-tammer

I'm guessing but what you're likely seeing is owners of blue collar enterprises, many of those came up through the trades.

Okay, I'd lump that in with my initial example. If you went from apprentice --> tradesman --> owner of your business employing a dozen tradesmen, you are a tradesman. And many of them do very, very well, and demand is tied to population growth more or less.

-tammer

Small business owners are part of it for this area, we do have a few. Also, I wonder what they consider "college educated" to be. Most define that as a bachelor's degree or better, and ignore the associate's level degrees. There are a lot of dental hygienists, nurses, CNAs, and other "low level medical staff" in this area with comfortable incomes that might not fit their "college educated" criteria. Then the SBOs and other tradespeople push the median income up from there.

Just a guess. There's also the possibility that a rather affluent sub-section of the zip is driving up the median income for the whole area. There's a cluster of houses up on the ridge that are obviously owned by people with very healthy earnings.

Perhaps it's all of that together. It'd be interesting to find out, but I don't know how I'd do that exactly.

[davintosh]

... but seriously, what is the list of non-college-degree 6-figure jobs? A median income in the $80s is high for the vast majority of the country, "superzips" with double that notwithstanding.

-tammer

I'm guessing but what you're likely seeing is owners of blue collar enterprises, many of those came up through the trades.

Okay, I'd lump that in with my initial example. If you went from apprentice --> tradesman --> owner of your business employing a dozen tradesmen, you are a tradesman. And many of them do very, very well, and demand is tied to population growth more or less.

-tammer

Not to argue, but I'd think someone who's run the gamut like that would have a much wider skill set than a tradesman; "entrepreneur" would be a better label, if a label is needed.

[Tammer in Philly]

... but seriously, what is the list of non-college-degree 6-figure jobs? A median income in the $80s is high for the vast majority of the country, "superzips" with double that notwithstanding.

-tammer

I'm guessing but what you're likely seeing is owners of blue collar enterprises, many of those came up through the trades.

Okay, I'd lump that in with my initial example. If you went from apprentice --> tradesman --> owner of your business employing a dozen tradesmen, you are a tradesman. And many of them do very, very well, and demand is tied to population growth more or less.

-tammer

Not to argue, but I'd think someone who's run the gamut like that would have a much wider skill set than a tradesman; "entrepreneur" would be a better label, if a label is needed.

Sure, it's a matter of interpretation. I don't apply the "entrepreneuer" label to every business owner; I tend to reserve it for those who can transition ideas into viable business interests. But I wouldn't say that being a plumber means one can only do plumbing. Everyone is better off if they have some practical bigger-picture skills to complement their specialty.

-tammer

[Tammer in Philly]

MOAR MOAR MOAR
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2013 ... inted.html



-tammer

[Jeremy]

I really like those. I get really confused when people try to give me directions by telling me to go to an area that doesn't exist specifically on any map. "So, you head over to Federal Hill, take your second right, then just keep going until you reach Chippens Hill, and it'll be on your left."

Um, wait ... what? It seems that only the longtime locals know the boundaries of these mysterious areas a lot of times.

[Tammer in Philly]

I really like those. I get really confused when people try to give me directions by telling me to go to an area that doesn't exist implicitly on any map. "So, you head over to Federal Hill, take your second right, then just keep going until you reach Chippens Hill, and it'll be on your left."

:? Um, wait ... what? It seems that only the longtime locals know the boundaries of these mysterious areas a lot of times.

Learning neighborhood boundaries, especially hearing people's opinions of what street is "the line" between two neighborhoods when it is in dispute, is something I enjoy when traveling in new cities.

-tammer

[davintosh]

Here's a new one: http://www.sightsmap.com/#

You may not be familiar with Google Maps’s Panoramio service. It aggregates uploaded photos with geotagged information and presents them in a map format. Now, they have released a heat map showing the most popular places in the world for photography.

http://www.popphoto.com/news/2013/12/mo ... -to-google

[Tammer in Philly]

That's really neat.

[CharleyDog]

Just when you thought this thread was dead:

http://asheepnomore.net/2013/12/29/40-m ... nse-world/

[John in VA]

40 more maps that explain the world:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wor ... tid=pm_pop