How the States Got Their Shapes

Host Brian Unger travels the United States explaining the weird shapes on the map.

2010 HD TV-PG United States English

Brian Unger

Adventure Documentary

S1E1 - A River Runs Through It 2011-05-03

How has water has literally shaped the States? Theres surprising history hidden in the blue, squiggly lines on the map. Did the founding fathers make a mistake along the Georgia Tennessee border? Can that boundary actually change because of water? Why does Maine have so much water? Why was Nevada was left high and dry? -- All these answers can be found in the unique shapes of these states.

S1E2 - The Great Plains, Trains, and Automobiles 2011-05-10

The history of transportation is hidden in the lines of the map. From canals to trains and cars, how did getting around help draw the American map? Could Chicago have been in Wisconsin? Why are states out West or so big and boxy? And why did we almost had a state called Forgottonia?

S1E3 - Force of Nature 2011-05-17

How have massive geological events helped create the American map? Long before the Founding Fathers drew the map, mother nature shaped some states. How did an asteroid create the border for three states and change history? How did glaciers plow the great plains and how did natural disasters continue to alter the map?

S1E4 - State of Rebellion 2011-05-24

How did the most rebellious states took shape? How did they earn their outsized features and outspoken reputations. For instance, why does Montana looks like it took a bite out of Idaho? Why wasnt Texas broken up into five states? And why exactly do we have not one but two Carolinas?

S1E5 - Living on the Edge 2011-06-07

Mysterious or fringe areas and how they shaped the states are examined. States include Nevada; Florida; Missouri; and Georgia.

S1E6 - Use it or Lose it 2011-06-14

The role of politics is examined. States include Ohio; and Missouri. Also: Washington, D.C.

S1E7 - Church and States 2011-06-21

The influence of religion is considered. States include Utah; and Kansas; and New England states.

S1E8 - A Boom with a View 2011-06-28

The influences of money and prosperity are examined. States include Wisconsin; North Carolina; and North Dakota.

S1E9 - Culture Clash 2011-07-05

Conflict can sometimes arise between different cultures that share the same state. Find out how culture clashes all over the country have shaped our map.

S1E10 - Mouthing Off 2011-07-12

We all live in the same country, so why do we sound do different? Its a matter of where you are on the map. Why didnt the southern accent exist until after the Civil War? How did California athletes end up coining so many new words? Why do we have so many different words for the same things -- like pop versus soda? Will one particularly strong accent cause New York to break up and create a 51st state?

S1E11 - Season 1, Episode 11

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S2E1 - Red State vs. Blue State 2012-09-29

Its a rivalry that tears us apart every four years, but how did our nation divide into red states vs. blue states, and what happens to the states caught in the middle?

S2E2 - White Collar vs. Blue Collar 2012-09-29

Deep in the Rust Belt the white collar and blue collar divide has shaped our cities and our states. How did this rivalry change the way we all bring home the bacon?

S2E3 - Hillbilly vs. Redneck 2012-10-06

Two underdogs of American culture go head to head to prove how hillbillies and rednecks have shaped our states.

S2E4 - Hatfields vs. McCoys 2012-10-06

Americas most iconic rivalry was more than just a feud between families. The fight between the Hatfields and McCoys nearly launched a war between two states.

S2E5 - North vs. South 2012-10-13

Its Americas original rivalry, a divide that was so wide it took a war to close the gap. But have we really reunited, or are we still fighting a culture war?

S2E6 - Bigfoot vs. Aliens 2012-10-13

America is a nation under siege by unexplained phenomena. Whether youre afraid of Bigfoot or alien invasion might depend on what state you call home.

S2E7 - Great Lakes, Big Stakes 2012-10-20

Battles over access to lakefront property have made the Great Lakes region the most contested land on the entire map, and even pushed the states to a border war.

S2E8 - Battle of the Bible Belt 2012-10-20

With 85% of Americans affiliated with an organized religion, were a nation of believers, but have we always practiced what we preached?

S2E9 - Vice vs. Virtue 2012-10-27

Americans have a lot of vices and they dont just stay in Vegas. From drugs to gambling, the state you live in may shape how bad you can be.

S2E10 - Midwest vs. The Rest 2012-10-27

Its the glue that holds our map together and feeds America, but the Midwest is more than just state fairs and flyover country.

S2E11 - Is West Best? 2012-11-03

Americans have been racing to tame the West since they first set foot on the continent, but now that the West has been won, whats next? Is the West still the best.

S2E12 - City vs. Country 2012-11-03

In the battle between city and country, it looks like the city is coming out ahead in population, but is there something about the country that all the city slickers are missing? And how has the move from rural to urban changed the shapes of our states and cities?

S2E13 - East vs. West 2012-11-10

The squabble between east coast and west coast leaves the rest of the country stuck in the middle. Its a rivalry that has made its way into our popular culture, but is there any common ground in this continental tug of war?

S2E14 - Rebels & Outlaws 2012-11-17

We may be a law-abiding nation but we also admire the outlaw, and the clash between rebels and the rules has shaped our states. Which states like to make their own rules, and which do the heat have on lockdown?

S2E15 - Mess with Texas 2012-11-24

Everything is bigger in Texas. Its the only state that acts like a country, but has it grown too big for its britches? Well mess with Texas to settle this ten-gallon rivalry.

S2E16 - State vs. State 2012-12-08

Were the United States, but sometimes, its every state for itself. Nearly every state has pulled a power play that gamed the system and changed the map. How much can you get away with when its state vs. state?

S2E17 - Rich vs Poor 2012-12-15

Money makes the world go round and in America, the pursuit of fortune and riches has shaped our states. Some states have built enormous economies on resources like gold, oil, or timber, but they first had to draw their borders around all the riches in order to stake a claim. In the race to grab up all the countrys treasures, which states were the slowest on the uptake, and which came out on top?

S2E18 - Big vs Small 2012-12-22

Does size matter when youre a state? While the giants like to throw their weight around, there are some scrappy underdogs that have made their mark on the map.

S2E19 - The United Shapes of America 2012-12-22

After three years on the road, host Brian Unger is taking a different look at just how our states got their shapes. Well hear about the unique American values that have made this country what it is today, and travel from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Along the way, Brian reveals that just as we shaped the map, it has shaped us.

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