General Discussion

royable

(1,426 posts)

68. Much of the land in the US settled after the days of the 13 colonies is surveyed in mile grids.

Sat Jul 20, 2019, 04:19 AM

Jul 2019

The plains are mostly surveyed in square mile grids--you can see it easily as you fly over. Many cities in the West have major streets along the boundaries of the square mile grids. Northern New England is all in square mile grids. Town and townships and counties in many places are all integer numbers of miles on a side. Western public and state-owned lands have their boundaries follow these grids, in some places creating a checkerboard of land ownership. In short, much of the country's road system, land ownership, civic and municipal boundaries, are structured on the mile. The mile may be supplanted by the kilometer but it's not going away entirely any time soon.

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When we take over all three branches can we please go metric? [View all] Goodheart Jul 2019 OP

Everywhere except sports... Wounded Bear Jul 2019 #1

Nine meters and a cloud of dust! madinmaryland Jul 2019 #41

Lol tymorial Jul 2019 #79

I did (as has any other medically-trained person) decades ago... I hate the "mixed" system... hlthe2b Jul 2019 #2

SOCIALIST!!!! (Just kidding) Siwsan Jul 2019 #3

Fahrenheit is a far better scale - it's calibrated to the human Blues Heron Jul 2019 #4

"I see", said the blind man to the deaf one. Goodheart Jul 2019 #5

Yeah!!! wait...what??? ret5hd Jul 2019 #15

Yes, that's one I definately agree with (and one I continue to argue with metric advocates over). PoliticAverse Jul 2019 #26

Then we should convert to the Kelvin scale Poiuyt Jul 2019 #47

What's "human" about 0 degrees Fahrenheit? muriel_volestrangler Jul 2019 #69

0 is about the about the coldest weather that we generally experience Blues Heron Jul 2019 #74

That depends on where you live muriel_volestrangler Jul 2019 #80

It's a way of dividing up likely weather into 100 degrees Blues Heron Jul 2019 #81

Lol. You find one degree Fahrenheit is too small, so you divide it up into tens of them instead muriel_volestrangler Jul 2019 #85

But the COSTS!!! of converting machines, etc... tenderfoot Jul 2019 #6

Agreed! Gimme Sympathy! Dennis Donovan Jul 2019 #7

I blame the attempt at 'teaching' the metric system Cirque du So-What Jul 2019 #8

I think that's a good point. Captain Stern Jul 2019 #72

I think we should. It would give the Trumpers something else to do besides hatting others. icymist Jul 2019 #9

Here's the deal, though.... within a short time we can forget the conversions. Goodheart Jul 2019 #10

Yep gratuitous Jul 2019 #13

I wish. Snackshack Jul 2019 #11

Yuck, no!!!!!!!! TruckFump Jul 2019 #12

This message was self-deleted by its author Akacia Jul 2019 #20

um....believe it or not, old dogs CAN learn new tricks Skittles Jul 2019 #29

really is not that important to me one way or the other but... Akacia Jul 2019 #32

it IS important Skittles Jul 2019 #35

Well it does seem to be important to you. Akacia Jul 2019 #43

I graduated HS in 66, we were talking about doc03 Jul 2019 #14

The conversions are unnecessary. Goodheart Jul 2019 #16

When you are taught gallons, pounds doc03 Jul 2019 #18

That need to think in gallons obviously disappeared pretty quickly for Canadians. Goodheart Jul 2019 #21

They didn't always use the metric system? doc03 Jul 2019 #22

Used the same system as ours until the early 70's. Goodheart Jul 2019 #23

I guess we is dum. nt doc03 Jul 2019 #38

Air Canada Flight 143 shows it wasn't always smooth. Nt NutmegYankee Jul 2019 #46

Not going to happen anytime soon. Sorry. Tommy_Carcetti Jul 2019 #17

How is that more challenging than figuring out the difference between 59 and 68 Fahrenheit? Goodheart Jul 2019 #19

Fahrenheit is a much more human scale with wider variables Tommy_Carcetti Jul 2019 #30

That's purely what you personally are used to muriel_volestrangler Jul 2019 #70

The internet will do that for you. Easy conversion. cwydro Jul 2019 #25

LOL Skittles Jul 2019 #36

Nothing against a gradual transition but we'll have enough on our plate... brush Jul 2019 #24

sure would simplify things gopiscrap Jul 2019 #27

America tried (back in 1975, I think I still have pamphlets somewhere)... PoliticAverse Jul 2019 #28

Screw that. Go back to Roman Numerals. TheCowsCameHome Jul 2019 #31

This is where we Baby Boomers messed up FakeNoose Jul 2019 #33

we can't possilby change? Skittles Jul 2019 #37

lighten up! nt USALiberal Jul 2019 #40

sorry, it drives me nuts Skittles Jul 2019 #44

Probably none posting on this place today will see the Metric system become our standard AncientGeezer Jul 2019 #34

Yes we do use metric measurements sometimes FakeNoose Jul 2019 #48

I'll be honest...I don't care if we go metric or not. elocs Jul 2019 #39

it makes us look idiotic Skittles Jul 2019 #45

Why....conversions are easy. AncientGeezer Jul 2019 #64

conversions are easy Skittles Jul 2019 #65

Ain't happening....but I did find out I weigh 12 stone AncientGeezer Jul 2019 #67

I was a teenager when the money changed in England Skittles Jul 2019 #71

So I'm going to have to convert hands to cubits, cubits to yards, and now yards to ProudLib72 Jul 2019 #42

Gov't wanted to go metric back in the 60s. keithbvadu2 Jul 2019 #49

What is a mile? There are different types of miles. keithbvadu2 Jul 2019 #50

Trump wouldn't be able to wrap his head around Ilsa Jul 2019 #51

I am in canada and i still know height and distance in feet, inches and applegrove Jul 2019 #52

I have trolled a few Deplorables in my day TheRealNorth Jul 2019 #53

World map of Fahrenheit vs. Celsius Tanuki Jul 2019 #54

I grew up in Canada and the US stevil Jul 2019 #55

This little ditty helped me out... mitch96 Jul 2019 #87

I get Boeing prints all the time in metric. House of Roberts Jul 2019 #56

Whenever I see someone's height in centimeters and weight in kilograms... LAS14 Jul 2019 #57

I'm not entirely convinced that it's a left-right issue Polybius Jul 2019 #58

Tell Republicans it will make their dicks 2.54x longer jberryhill Jul 2019 #59

I remember the liquor industry converted to metric lordsummerisle Jul 2019 #60

Get insecure trump to buy into metric system by using terms like 6 centimeters. Hoyt Jul 2019 #61

Let's join the world. saidsimplesimon Jul 2019 #62

But that Celsius thermometer is a bunch of godless bullshit... Blue_Tires Jul 2019 #63

I'm 500 kilometers away from home tirebiter Jul 2019 #66

LOL Blues Heron Jul 2019 #77

Much of the land in the US settled after the days of the 13 colonies is surveyed in mile grids. royable Jul 2019 #68

OK Mc Mike Jul 2019 #73

Yes. There should be 100 minutes to the hour, 1000 days in a year. JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2019 #75

Sometimes measuring by fractions makes more sense than decimals Blues Heron Jul 2019 #76

?????? Sorry, that makes no sense. Goodheart Jul 2019 #78

some things are better as fractions rather than decimals Blues Heron Jul 2019 #88

Sure... when you want to slice a piece of pie... Goodheart Jul 2019 #90

lets do the fractions in decimal Blues Heron Jul 2019 #91

In terms of priorities, I would put this as close to the bottom as I could. onenote Jul 2019 #82

A slap in the face? Overly dramatic, are we? Goodheart Jul 2019 #83

Overly dramatic? Not at all. onenote Jul 2019 #84

Who said it would be "a priority"? Goodheart Jul 2019 #86

No. MicaelS Jul 2019 #89

Doubt it would have much luck just trying to push it through as law Sapient Donkey Jul 2019 #92

Ummm nah JCMach1 Jul 2019 #93

This message was self-deleted by its author geralmar Jul 2019 #94