Here It Is! The Geographical Center Of North America!

The monument designating this spot as the geographical center of North America.  It is
befitting that the spot is located in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant since Mexico
is part of North America.  If it was in the parking lot of an Italian or Chinese restaurant,
well, I would wonder what the 'powers that be' were thinking!  Lol. (click to enlarge)

This is it!  The geographical center of all of North America.  It lies in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant and across the street from two service stations.

Do you see little, tiny Rugby at the top center of the United States?

Now that you've seen it, you don't have to travel to Rugby, North Dakota to view it in person!

Whoa!  Hold on! STOP!  Wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute!  Is Rugby really the geographic center of North America?  Here is what I found after a little AI based researched:

“The most prominent and publicly recognized competing claims for the geographic center of North America are held by at least two locations in North Dakota:  

1. Rugby, North Dakota: This is the traditionally recognized location, stemming from a 1931 designation by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A monument marks this spot.  

2. Center, North Dakota: This city's claim is based on more recent, scientifically refined calculations by a University of Buffalo geography professor, Peter Rogerson.  

There are also mentions of other less prominent, historical, or approximate claims:

• The original point designated by the USGS in 1928 was about 15 miles southwest of Rugby, not the town itself.  

• Pierre, South Dakota, also made an earlier, approximate claim in the 1920s, which led to a local rivalry with Rugby.  

• The small town of Robinson, North Dakota, also had a claim made by a local bar owner, though this seems more anecdotal.  

Ultimately, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) acknowledges that there is no generally accepted definition of a geographic center and therefore no single, reliable way of determining it, which is why multiple claims exist.  

So, while Rugby and Center are the two major, well-publicized competitors today, the number of places that have claimed the title historically or through different calculations is higher.”

Nothing, these days, seems settled.  Everything seems to be contested, contradicted or challenged in some way.  But maybe that is a good thing.  

In any case, it was fun seeing this monument.  Go to Rugby!

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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