The 92 counties collected in 2007 are the color of dead prairie grass.
Details of my two 2007 trips, to New Mexico/Texas and New York/New Jersey, can be found here.
A table below shows the progress made in each state.
By now I suppose I should share a few words on this bizarre hobby. I collect counties. I drive all over the country, stopping at every county seat (the city with a court house) on the way, and take inventory of all I've passed through. It's not an especially common pastime, but it's fun and even borders on being enlightening. There are other county collectors, too, enough that the formation of a club was inevitable. They call it the "Extra Miler Club" after the additional mileage members have to put in on a trip to pick up new counties on the way. If you'd like additional information, check out their web site at http://www.extramilerclub.org .
My daughters Molly and Maria collect counties as well, although they aren't as into the hobby as I am and may not actually be aware of their participation. Click here to see a record of their conquests.
Also, here's an April 1999 newspaper article from the Kansas City Star by Jim Fisher.
| State | Total | Seen | Pct. Seen | First | Last | Start Order | Finish Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Total | 3096* | 2743 | 88.6% | Butler, OH | - | - | |
| Alabama | 67 | 35 | 52% | Baldwin | 36 (1993) | - | |
| Alaska | 17 | 0 | 0% | - | - | ||
| Arizona | 15 | 15 | 100% | Navajo | Yuma | 44 (2003) | 24 (2003) |
| Arkansas | 75 | 75 | 100% | Carroll | Ashley | 33 (1992) | 4 (1993) |
| California | 58 | 18 | 31% | Imperial | 45 (2003) | - | |
| Colorado | 63 | 63 | 100% | Baca | Mineral | 37 (1994) | 32 (2005) |
| Connecticut | 8 | 8 | 100% | Fairfield | New London | 23 (1989) | 25 (2003) |
| Delaware | 3 | 3 | 100% | New Castle | Kent | 21 (1989) | 17 (2000) |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 1 | 100% | Washington | Washington | 19½ (1989) | 1½ (1989) |
| Florida | 67 | 67 | 100% | Osceola | Hamilton | 7 (1982) | 28 (2003) |
| Georgia | 159 | 108 | 68% | Chatham | 16 (1989) | - | |
| Hawai`i | 5 | 4 | 80% | Honolulu | 32 (1991) | - | |
| Idaho | 44 | 5 | 11% | Kootenai | 49 (2003) | - | |
| Illinois | 102 | 102 | 100% | Kane | Pope | 3 (1970s) | 3 (1990) |
| Indiana | 92 | 92 | 100% | Wayne | Posey | 2 (1970s) | 2 (1990) |
| Iowa | 99 | 99 | 100% | Dubuque | Monona | 9 (1988) | 7 (1995) |
| Kansas | 105 | 105 | 100% | Atchison | Harvey | 31 (1989) | 6 (1995) |
| Kentucky | 120 | 120 | 100% | Mason | Rockcastle | 5 (1979) | 20 (2001) |
| Louisiana | 64 | 64 | 100% | Orleans | Plaquemines | 12 (1988) | 15 (1999) |
| Maine | 16 | 16 | 100% | Cumberland | Sagadahoc | 26 (1989) | 27 (2003) |
| Maryland | 24 | 24 | 100% | Baltimore City | Howard | 20 (1989) | 18 (2000) |
| Massachusetts | 14 | 10 | 71% | Worcester | 25 (1989) | - | |
| Michigan | 83 | 83 | 100% | Roscommon | Gogebic | 4 (1979) | 9 (1996) |
| Minnesota | 87 | 87 | 100% | Fillmore | Lac qui Parle | 29 (1989) | 12 (1997) |
| Mississippi | 82 | 82 | 100% | Forrest | Tippah | 11 (1988) | 33 (2006) |
| Missouri | 115 | 115 | 100% | St Louis City | Douglas | 14 (1988) | 5 (1994) |
| Montana | 56 | 14 | 25% | Fallon | 43 (1995) | - | |
| Nebraska | 93 | 93 | 100% | Douglas | Furnas | 30 (1989) | 11 (1996) |
| Nevada | 17 | 5 | 29% | Washoe | 46 (2003) | - | |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 10 | 100% | Strafford | Sullivan | 27 (1989) | 30 (2005) |
| New Jersey | 21 | 21 | 100% | Mercer | Passaic | 22 (1989) | 36 (2007) |
| New Mexico | 33 | 33 | 100% | Colfax | DeBaca | 40 (1994) | 34 (2007) |
| New York | 62 | 62 | 100% | Chautauqua | Bronx | 15 (1989) | 35 (2007) |
| North Carolina | 100 | 100 | 100% | Cumberland | Macon | 18 (1989) | 23 (2002) |
| North Dakota | 53 | 53 | 100% | Bowman | Sioux | 42 (1995) | 13 (1998) |
| Ohio | 88 | 88 | 100% | Butler | Columbiana | 1 (1967) | 1 (1989) |
| Oklahoma | 77 | 77 | 100% | Delaware | Kiowa | 34 (1992) | 8 (1996) |
| Oregon | 36 | 3 | 8% | Harney | 47 (2003) | - | |
| Pennsylvania | 67 | 67 | 100% | Philadelphia | Adams | 10 (1988) | 16 (2000) |
| Rhode Island | 5 | 5 | 100% | Providence | Bristol | 24 (1989) | 26 (2003) |
| South Carolina | 46 | 46 | 100% | Charleston | Richland | 17 (1989) | 29 (2003) |
| South Dakota | 66 | 66 | 100% | Fall River | Douglas | 41 (1995) | 14 (1998) |
| Tennessee | 95 | 95 | 100% | Davidson | Campbell | 6 (1982) | 21 (2001) |
| Texas | 254 | 220 | 87% | Grayson | 35 (1992) | - | |
| Utah | 29 | 28 | 97% | Grand | 39 (1994) | - | |
| Vermont | 14 | 14 | 100% | Bennington | Rutland | 28 (1989) | 31 (2005) |
| Virginia | 100 | 100 | 100% | Henrico (Richmond) | Grayson | 19 (1989) | 22 (2002) |
| Washington | 39 | 5 | 13% | Walla Walla | 48 (2003) | - | |
| West Virginia | 55 | 55 | 100% | Mason | Kanawha | 13 (1988) | 19 (2001) |
| Wisconsin | 72 | 72 | 100% | Kenosha | Price | 8 (1988) | 10 (1996) |
| Wyoming | 23 | 9 | 39% | Laramie | 38 (1994) | - |
* This is my working total (see below for details). In order to be on par with other Extra Miler Club members, I raise my 3096 county figure to an ultimate total of 3131 by adding 39 Virginia independent cities (and subtracting the 5 Virginia counties that have been replaced by independent cities from my total) and including the adolescent city-county of Broomfield, Colorado. Tossing in the 15 counties I've driven through without seeing the county seat, my current EMC total is 2793.
In addition to counting counties by state, I've begun keeping track of counties of some geographical significance. Some are on a coast or along a river, and some border on another country. The six ex-counties listed at the end have been combined with other counties after existing independently for some time (see notes, below).
| Canadian Border | 93 | 69 | 74% | Erie, OH | 1982 | ||
| Mexican Border | 23 | 18 | 78% | Cochise, AZ | 2003 | ||
| Atlantic Coast | 78 | 74 | 95% | Monroe, FL | 1989 | ||
| Gulf Coast | 49 | 41 | 84% | Lafourche, LA | 1988 | ||
| Pacific Coast | 38 | 7 | 18% | Honolulu, HI | 1991 | ||
| Great Lakes | 78 | 78 | 100% | Cook, IL | Erie, NY | 1977 | 1998 |
| Colorado River | 17 | 17 | 100% | Eagle, CO | San Juan, UT | 1994 | 2005 |
| Columbia River | 27 | 2 | 7% | Umatilla, OR | 2003 | ||
| Mississippi River | 117 | 117 | 100% | St Clair, IL | Coahoma, MS | 1988 | 1999 |
| Missouri River | 92 | 79 | 86% | St Louis, MO | 1988 | ||
| Ohio River | 72 | 72 | 100% | Hamilton, OH | Wayne, WV | 1968? | 1999 |
| Rio Grande | 30 | 25 | 83% | Costilla, CO | 1994 | ||
| Appalachia | 410 | 402 | 98% | Brown, OH | 1979 | ||
| Continental Divide | 53 | 35 | 66% | Conejos, CO | 1994 | ||
| Ex-Counties | 6 | 6 | 100% | Armstrong, SD | Milton, GA | 1998 | 2002 |
One more weird thing I do...the Teva Challenge!
Notes:
Alaska has 13 organized boroughs and 3
municipalities (with functions essentially similar to those of
county or independent city governments) and a large unorganized
area. The U.S. Census Bureau has arbitrarily divided the
unorganized area into "Census areas" prone to frequent
changes. Because they do not correspond to any government
jurisdiction, I do not count them among the county-equivalents of
the state. Click here for a list of the seats for Alaska's boroughs and municipalities.
Colorado got a new county in late 2001 when Broomfield seceded from parts of four counties to establish itself as a city-county. I was in Broomfield in 1999, and saw the city office complex, but could not count it in my 1999 total (since it was not yet an independent entity) nor could I agree to count it in my 2001 total (since I hadn't been there that year). At this point I have decided to treat Broomfield as I would a new independent city in Virginia and keep my personal total as is, and to increase my EMC total by one to account for the new entity.
Louisiana is divided into parishes, which
perform the same governmental functions as counties.
Maryland has 23 counties and one
independent city (Baltimore).
Missouri has 114 counties and one
independent city (St. Louis).
Nevada has 16 counties and one
independent city (Carson City).
Virginia today has 95 counties and 39
independent cities. Because of occasional changes in county/city
status, I have chosen to count a Virginia county only after I
have visited the downtown of the county seat and each
independent city within or adjacent to its borders. In addition
to the 95 present-day counties, five former counties were
completely absorbed by the independent cities of Norfolk,
Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News,
and Suffolk, making my working total 100. See this map for details.
Six ex-counties in Georgia, South Dakota,
and Tennessee are here because they meet the following criteria:
There may be additional older examples, although these are the only ones I've discovered whose lives ended in the 20th century. While I'm not counting them
specifically, visiting them was a requirement for counting the
counties that annexed them. More information about so-called "ghost counties" can be found here:
GHOST COUNTIES: Your Guide to America's Dead, Forgotten Counties
Court House Photos
Other
county collectors
Should there be more
counties?