Why Is Rhode Island So Small and Texas So Big?

A few weeks ago, somewhat out of the blue, my ten-year-old daughters asked me to quiz them on American geography. “OK,” I said, pulling up a blank map of the United States.

“What’s this one?” I asked, pointing to Oklahoma.

“Canada,” shouted one with the utmost confidence. “West Dakota,” declared the other. I don't think they were joking.

I tried again, this time pointing to Rhode Island. Their carefully considered guesses ("Chicago!" "Greenland!") were followed by an interesting question of their own: Why are states on the East Coast so small and oddly shaped, while those out West are so large and rectangular?

Like many of the questions they lob at me, I had no idea. None. But I love researching things like this so I can awkwardly bring them up at dinner parties and bore the other guests. So off I went in search of an answer.

It turns out there are a few reasons. Before the United States moved out of its parents’ basement, it was part of the British Empire. As you might expect, states in the Northeast are relatively small (and oddly shaped) largely because of their colonial origins.

According to Kids Britannica, the colonies were established as separate settlements along the Atlantic coast. After hundreds of years, it’s impossible to know the exact story behind every zigzagging border. However, historians agree that colonial charters, rivers, mountain ranges, and plenty of local deal-making all played a role. Like the American Revolution itself, it was messy.

The story in the West is a bit cleaner. As the country expanded, the government used the Public Land Survey System to map new territories. To keep things simple, officials relied on a grid system that made land easier to sell and helped prevent boundary disputes.

But why are western states so large? Low population density was a major factor. Under the Northwest Ordinance, territories needed about 60,000 residents to qualify for statehood. If the land had been divided into smaller pieces, each territory would have had fewer people, delaying statehood.

For more on why each state is shaped the way it is (not including West Dakota), check out this detailed post from USA Today.