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Tri-state area facts for kids

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Tri-state area is an informal term in the United States which can be used for any of several populated areas associated with a particular town or metropolis that, with adjacent suburbs, lies across three states. Some of these involve a state boundary tripoint. Other tri-state areas have a more diffuse population that shares a connected economy and geography—especially with respect to geology, botany, or climate. The term "tri-state area" is often present in radio and television commercials.

Tri-state areas

The Quincy, Evansville, and Huntington–Ashland areas are noteworthy for the states included all being separated by rivers.

Tripoints

Land

Of the 62 points in the United States where three and only three states meet (each of which may be associated with its own tri-state area), 35 are on dry land and 27 are in water. Of the 27 points on water, 3 of them are in the Great Lakes, and thus have no land nearby.

State 1 State 2 State 3 Coordinates Notes
Alabama Florida Georgia 31°0′2″N 85°0′8″W / 31.00056°N 85.00222°W / 31.00056; -85.00222 Marker on Chattahoochee riverbank is actually a few feet above and west of true tripoint at high-water line.
Alabama Georgia Tennessee 34°59′5″N 85°36′19″W / 34.98472°N 85.60528°W / 34.98472; -85.60528 Tri-State Corner. Marker on dry land at surface level and unmarked on lake in cavern directly below. Stolen in 2009 and returned two years later.
Arizona Nevada Utah 37°0′1″N 114°3′2″W / 37.00028°N 114.05056°W / 37.00028; -114.05056 Marked with a red sandstone monument.
Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi 33°0′15″N 91°9′58″W / 33.00417°N 91.16611°W / 33.00417; -91.16611 Probably unmarked on silt island in river sometimes connected to west bank by mud flat accreted by riprap.
Arkansas Louisiana Texas 33°1′9″N 94°2′35″W / 33.01917°N 94.04306°W / 33.01917; -94.04306 See Ark-La-Tex. Marker in process of being surrounded and absorbed by tree.
Arkansas Missouri Oklahoma 36°29′58″N 94°37′5″W / 36.49944°N 94.61806°W / 36.49944; -94.61806 Marked with a stone monument.
Arkansas Oklahoma Texas 33°38′16″N 94°29′9″W / 33.63778°N 94.48583°W / 33.63778; -94.48583 Unmarked on seasonal silt island or in river bed, but Oklahoma–Texas state line as revised in 2000 is defective in not extending from vegetation line on south bank to pre-established tripoint.
California Nevada Oregon 41°59′40″N 119°59′57″W / 41.99444°N 119.99917°W / 41.99444; -119.99917 Marked with a cairn.
Colorado Kansas Nebraska 40°0′11″N 102°3′6″W / 40.00306°N 102.05167°W / 40.00306; -102.05167 Marked with a brass disc.
Colorado Kansas Oklahoma 36°59′35″N 102°2′32″W / 36.99306°N 102.04222°W / 36.99306; -102.04222 8 Mile Corner. Marker is concealed in crypt beneath removable manhole cover.
Colorado Nebraska Wyoming 41°0′5″N 104°3′12″W / 41.00139°N 104.05333°W / 41.00139; -104.05333 Marked with a stone surrounded by a three-stone colored base.
Colorado New Mexico Oklahoma 37°0′0″N 103°0′8″W / 37.00000°N 103.00222°W / 37.00000; -103.00222 Preston Monument
Colorado Utah Wyoming 41°0′2″N 109°3′0″W / 41.00056°N 109.05000°W / 41.00056; -109.05000 Marked.
Connecticut Massachusetts New York 42°2′59″N 73°29′14″W / 42.04972°N 73.48722°W / 42.04972; -73.48722 See Brace Mountain or Mount Frissell. Marked with a stone inscribed with MASS-1898-NY and sometimes a "scratched-on" CONN.
Connecticut Massachusetts Rhode Island 42°0′29″N 71°47′57″W / 42.00806°N 71.79917°W / 42.00806; -71.79917 See Thompson, Connecticut. Marked with a stone inscribed with MASS-CONN-RI.
Delaware Maryland Pennsylvania 39°43′20″N 75°47′19″W / 39.72222°N 75.78861°W / 39.72222; -75.78861 See Delaware Wedge. Marked with a stone inscribed with M-M-P-P, as this was not the original intended tri-point.
Georgia North Carolina Tennessee 34°59′18″N 84°19′19″W / 34.98833°N 84.32194°W / 34.98833; -84.32194 Marked.
Idaho Montana Wyoming 44°28′27″N 111°2′56″W / 44.47417°N 111.04889°W / 44.47417; -111.04889 Located within Yellowstone National Park. Marked, although difficult to access.
Idaho Nevada Oregon 42°0′1″N 117°1′34″W / 42.00028°N 117.02611°W / 42.00028; -117.02611 Marked with a three-sided stone inscribed with N-I-O on the respective faces.
Idaho Nevada Utah 41°59′37″N 114°2′30″W / 41.99361°N 114.04167°W / 41.99361; -114.04167 Marked with a granite monument inscribed with the respective states' names.
Idaho Utah Wyoming 42°0′6″N 111°2′48″W / 42.00167°N 111.04667°W / 42.00167; -111.04667 Marked with a stone.
Indiana Michigan Ohio 41°41′46″N 84°48′22″W / 41.69611°N 84.80611°W / 41.69611; -84.80611 Brass marker with the shapes of the three states is located in a monument box beneath the surface of a rural road. Was set in 1999 and is referenced by a granite marker 20 feet to the east on the Michigan-Ohio line.
Iowa Minnesota South Dakota 43°30′1″N 96°27′12″W / 43.50028°N 96.45333°W / 43.50028; -96.45333 True point is marked with a disc in the center of a T-shaped road intersection. A witness monument nearby in the South Dakota corner acknowledges the tri-point being set in 1859.
Kansas Missouri Oklahoma 36°59′56″N 94°37′5″W / 36.99889°N 94.61806°W / 36.99889; -94.61806 Marked with a plaque on a seldom used dead-end road.
Kentucky Tennessee Virginia 36°36′3″N 83°40′32″W / 36.60083°N 83.67556°W / 36.60083; -83.67556 Tri-State Peak Located within Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Marked.
Kentucky Virginia West Virginia 37°32′17″N 81°58′5″W / 37.53806°N 81.96806°W / 37.53806; -81.96806 Marked with a USCG marker on top of a two-foot high iron pipe at the river's high point.
Maryland Pennsylvania West Virginia 39°43′16″N 79°28′36″W / 39.72111°N 79.47667°W / 39.72111; -79.47667 Marked with a pyramid-like stone.
Massachusetts New Hampshire Vermont 42°43′37″N 72°27′30″W / 42.72694°N 72.45833°W / 42.72694; -72.45833 Marker is technically on dry land, but buried within river bed due to a dam's construction downstream.
Massachusetts New York Vermont 42°44′45″N 73°15′54″W / 42.74583°N 73.26500°W / 42.74583; -73.26500 Marked with a stone.
Montana North Dakota South Dakota 45°56′43″N 104°2′44″W / 45.94528°N 104.04556°W / 45.94528; -104.04556 Marked with a red granite stone.
Montana South Dakota Wyoming 44°59′51″N 104°3′28″W / 44.99750°N 104.05778°W / 44.99750; -104.05778 Marked with a stone within a fence.
Nebraska South Dakota Wyoming 43°0′2″N 104°3′11″W / 43.00056°N 104.05306°W / 43.00056; -104.05306 Marked with a stone within a fence.
New Jersey New York Pennsylvania 41°21′27″N 74°41′42″W / 41.35750°N 74.69500°W / 41.35750; -74.69500 Marked by the Tri-States Monument in Port Jervis, New York, at the confluence of the Delaware and Neversink rivers.
New Mexico Oklahoma Texas 36°30′1″N 103°0′9″W / 36.50028°N 103.00250°W / 36.50028; -103.00250 Texhomex Marker
North Carolina Tennessee Virginia 36°35′17″N 81°40′39″W / 36.58806°N 81.67750°W / 36.58806; -81.67750 North Carolina–Tennessee–Virginia Corners - Marked.

Water

State 1 State 2 State 3 Coordinates Water Notes
Alabama Mississippi Tennessee 34°59′44″N 88°12′0″W / 34.99556°N 88.20000°W / 34.99556; -88.20000 Tennessee River
Arizona California Nevada 35°0′7″N 114°38′1″W / 35.00194°N 114.63361°W / 35.00194; -114.63361 Colorado River
Arkansas Mississippi Tennessee 34°59′44″N 90°18′33″W / 34.99556°N 90.30917°W / 34.99556; -90.30917 Mississippi River Memphis, Tennessee metro area.
Arkansas Missouri Tennessee 36°0′2″N 89°43′59″W / 36.00056°N 89.73306°W / 36.00056; -89.73306 Mississippi River
Connecticut New York Rhode Island 41°18′16″N 71°54′26″W / 41.30444°N 71.90722°W / 41.30444; -71.90722 Long Island Sound The part of New York that is in this tri-state area is Fishers Island. It is the New London, Connecticut metro area.
Delaware New Jersey Pennsylvania 39°48′7″N 75°24′54″W / 39.80194°N 75.41500°W / 39.80194; -75.41500 Delaware River Philadelphia metro area, at the east end of the Twelve-Mile Circle.
Georgia North Carolina South Carolina 35°0′2″N 83°6′31″W / 35.00056°N 83.10861°W / 35.00056; -83.10861 Chatooga River Located in river very near marker on dry land.
Idaho Oregon Washington 45°59′43″N 116°54′58″W / 45.99528°N 116.91611°W / 45.99528; -116.91611 Snake River
Illinois Indiana Kentucky 37°47′57″N 88°1′41″W / 37.79917°N 88.02806°W / 37.79917; -88.02806 Wabash River and Ohio River Evansville, Indiana metro area. See Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area.
Illinois Indiana Michigan 41°45′39″N 87°12′28″W / 41.76083°N 87.20778°W / 41.76083; -87.20778 Lake Michigan Known as either the Indiana Dunes or the Michigan Dunes Area
Illinois Iowa Wisconsin 42°30′30″N 90°38′27″W / 42.50833°N 90.64083°W / 42.50833; -90.64083 Mississippi River Dubuque, Iowa metro area.
Illinois Kentucky Missouri 36°58′51″N 89°8′3″W / 36.98083°N 89.13417°W / 36.98083; -89.13417 Mississippi River and Ohio River Little Egypt region popularly labeled as a tri-state area with St. Louis, Missouri, Carbondale, Illinois metro area and Paducah, Kentucky being its nuclei.
Illinois Michigan Wisconsin 42°29′37″N 87°1′12″W / 42.49361°N 87.02000°W / 42.49361; -87.02000 Lake Michigan
Indiana Kentucky Ohio 39°6′20″N 84°49′13″W / 39.10556°N 84.82028°W / 39.10556; -84.82028 Ohio River Cincinnati metro area. The tripoint is near, but not precisely at, the confluence with the Great Miami River.
Iowa Illinois Missouri 40°22′42″N 91°25′10″W / 40.37833°N 91.41944°W / 40.37833; -91.41944 Mississippi River and Des Moines River Border with Lee County, Iowa
Iowa Minnesota Wisconsin 43°30′2″N 91°13′4″W / 43.50056°N 91.21778°W / 43.50056; -91.21778 Mississippi River La Crosse, Wisconsin metro area. Was apparently marked at one time with a sign that had been anchored in the location, but that sign has since been moved as of 2001.
Iowa Missouri Nebraska 40°35′7″N 95°45′56″W / 40.58528°N 95.76556°W / 40.58528; -95.76556 Missouri River
Iowa Nebraska South Dakota 42°29′26″N 96°26′44″W / 42.49056°N 96.44556°W / 42.49056; -96.44556 Big Sioux River and Missouri River Sioux City, Iowa metro area.
Kansas Missouri Nebraska 40°0′0″N 95°18′30″W / 40.00000°N 95.30833°W / 40.00000; -95.30833 Missouri River
Kentucky Missouri Tennessee 36°29′54″N 89°32′22″W / 36.49833°N 89.53944°W / 36.49833; -89.53944
36°29′52″N 89°29′6″W / 36.49778°N 89.48500°W / 36.49778; -89.48500
36°29′57″N 89°25′6″W / 36.49917°N 89.41833°W / 36.49917; -89.41833
Mississippi River Three separate tripoints, due to meanders of the river (though probably only a single tri-state area surrounding them all). See also Kentucky Bend.
Kentucky Ohio West Virginia 38°25′18″N 82°35′45″W / 38.42167°N 82.59583°W / 38.42167; -82.59583 Big Sandy River and Ohio River Huntington (W.V.)-Ashland (Ky.)-Ironton (Oh.) Tri-State region.
Maryland Virginia West Virginia 39°19′17″N 77°43′8″W / 39.32139°N 77.71889°W / 39.32139; -77.71889 Potomac River Unmarked, at low water line, and almost always submerged.
Michigan Minnesota Wisconsin 47°17′28″N 89°57′26″W / 47.29111°N 89.95722°W / 47.29111; -89.95722 Lake Superior
Minnesota North Dakota South Dakota 45°56′7″N 96°33′49″W / 45.93528°N 96.56361°W / 45.93528; -96.56361 Bois de Sioux River Not directly marked and most probably within river.
Ohio Pennsylvania West Virginia 40°38′20″N 80°31′8″W / 40.63889°N 80.51889°W / 40.63889; -80.51889 Ohio River Technically the Beginning Point of the U.S. Public Land Survey, although the actual monument is 1,112 feet north of the tripoint due to the tripoint's current location under water; Pittsburgh Tri-State.

Regions with no tripoint

The following tri-state areas are also notable, but have no tripoint:

State 1 State 2 State 3 Notes
Alabama Florida Mississippi The Gulf Coast region.
Connecticut New Jersey New York
Delaware Maryland New Jersey Wilmington, Delaware, metropolitan area
Delaware Maryland Virginia Delmarva Peninsula
Idaho Montana Washington Spokane, Washington, area; connected by Interstate 90
Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Chicago metro area
Kansas Oklahoma Texas The Liberal, Kansas, area has a close relationship with the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles.
Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire The Boston to Portland, Maine, metro area; though the two are separated by New Hampshire, Maine was actually part of Massachusetts before becoming a separate state in 1820.
New York Pennsylvania Ohio Erie metropolitan area, a.k.a. Niagara Frontier and North Coast. Shares two tripoints with the province of Ontario (PA–ON–OH and PA–ON–NY), both within Lake Erie.
South Carolina North Carolina Tennessee The Spartanburg, South Carolina, Asheville, North Carolina, Johnson City, Tennessee and Kingsport, Tennessee metro areas along Interstate 26
Vermont Maine New Hampshire Northern New England
West Virginia Virginia North Carolina Important section of Interstate 77 connecting Charleston, West Virginia with Charlotte, North Carolina; passes through Wytheville, Virginia

See also

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