Location Explorer tool, v 2.0 ©2023 randymajors.org
This free tool shows the City Limits, County Lines, State, ZIP Code, Area Code, Congressional
District, Latitude/Longitude, Township/Range, Watershed, National Parks/Forests, Elevation, Slope and Aspect for
any U.S. location, all overlaid on Google Maps.
You can also show climate info for any U.S. location, including average high temperatures, low
temperatures and precipitation for summer and winter, as well as how much the average temperature and precipitation has
changed from historical norms.
Quick Tips for using this tool
-
Type any U.S. place or address in the “Search places” box above the map
OR: Click the map to see the names of features where you clicked - Check either the “Show Boundary info” or “Show Climate info” checkbox above the map
Depending on which checkbox you checked, Boundary maps or Climate maps as described in the Coverage Notes below will draw and the information for each category will appear in the upper right corner of each map.* - Subscribe in the top header to receive notification of tool updates and usage tips
* All information is reported based on the location of the blue dot on the maps; to move the blue dot, click the map
FAQs for Location Explorer
How do I see various political and geographical facts about a given location on Google Maps?
This Location Explorer map tool shows all of this information on Google Maps by checking the 'Show Boundary info' checkbox above the map: City Limits, County Lines, State, ZIP Code, Area Code, Congressional District, Latitude/Longitude, Township/Range, Watershed, National Parks/Forests, Elevation, Slope and Aspect. Use the 'Search places' box above the map to search for all of this info by address, city, state or country
BOUNDARY INFO Coverage Notes
- MAP 1: Cities show incorporated city limits in the U.S.
- MAP 2: Counties show county boundaries in all U.S. states*
- MAP 3: States show all U.S. state boundaries*
- MAP 4: ZIP Codes cover all U.S. states*
- MAP 5: Area Code boundaries represent the geographic telephone area codes, also known as Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs), for the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) area which includes the U.S.,* Canada, Bermuda, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks & Caicos
- MAP 6: Congressional Districts cover all U.S. states*
- MAP 7: The Latitude/Longitude map also shows the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) Township and Range in U.S. States where applicable
- MAP 8: Watersheds, also known as drainage basins, represent the major hydrologic unit boundaries for all U.S. states, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.
- MAP 9: National Parks/Forests show all federal lands in the U.S., Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands that are administered by the US Forest Service, US National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service that are within a 10 mile radius of your chosen location
- MAP 10: Elevation shows the elevation above mean sea level, in feet. Coverage is the continental U.S.**
- MAP 11: Slope shows the localized steepness for roughly 150 feet around your chosen location, in degrees, where 0 degrees is flat and 90 degrees is vertical. Coverage is the continental U.S.**
- MAP 12: Aspect shows the localized compass direction that the slope of the land surface faces for roughly 150 feet around your chosen location, in degrees, where 0 degrees is north, 90 degrees is east, 180 degrees is south and 270 degrees is west. Coverage is the continental U.S.**
* plus Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa
**plus parts of Alaska, Hawaii, and some territorial islands
CLIMATE INFO COVERAGE NOTES*
Temperature in °F (Maps 1, 2, 4 and 5):
- < 10°
- 20°
- 30°
- 40°
- 50°
- 60°
- 70°
- 80°
- 90°
- 100°F >
- MAP 1: Avg Summer High Temp depicts the average monthly high temperature across the months of June, July and August over the last decade (2009-2018) for your chosen location
- MAP 2: Avg Summer Low Temp depicts the average monthly low temperature across the months of June, July and August over the last decade (2009-2018) for your chosen location
- MAP 4: Avg Winter High Temp depicts the average monthly high temperature across the months of January, December and February over the last decade (2009-2018) for your chosen location
- MAP 5: Avg Winter Low Temp depicts the average monthly low temperature across the months of January, December and February over the last decade (2009-2018) for your chosen location
Change in temperature in °F (Maps 3 and 6):
- < -2°
- -1°
- +1°
- +2°F >
- MAP 3: Change from Historical Summer Avg Temp depicts the increase or decrease from historic norms in the monthly average temperatures (i.e. average of the high and the low for the month) across the months of June, July and August. The change period compares the average for the last decade (2009-2018) vs. the average historical norms (1981-2010) for your chosen location. Positive values mean that summers during the last decade were on average hotter than summer historical norms; negative values mean that summers during the last decade were on average cooler than summer historical norms.
- MAP 6: Change from Historical Winter Avg Temp depicts the increase or decrease from historic norms in the monthly average temperatures (i.e. average of the high and the low for the month) across the months of December, January and February. The change period compares the average for the last decade (2009-2018) vs. the average historical norms (1981-2010) for your chosen location. Positive values mean that winters during the last decade were on average hotter than winter historic norms; negative values mean that winters during the last decade were on average cooler than winter historical norms.
Precipitation in inches of rain plus melted snow (Maps 7 and 8):
- 0"
- 5"
- 10"
- 15"
- 20"
- 25"
- 30"
- 35"
- 40"
- > 40"
- MAP 7: Avg Spring/Summer Precip depicts the average monthly precipitation (defined as rain plus melted snow) across the months of March, April, May, June, July and August over the last decade (2009-2018) for your chosen location
- MAP 8: Avg Fall/Winter Precip depicts the average monthly precipitation (defined as rain plus melted snow) across the months of September, October, November, December, January and February over the last decade (2009-2018) for your chosen location
Change in precipitation in inches of rain plus melted snow (Map 9):
- < -6"
- -6"
- -3"
- +3"
- +6"
- > +6"
- MAP 9: Change from Historical Annual Avg Precip depicts the increase or decrease from historic norms in the average annual precipitation. The change period compares the annual average for the last decade (2009-2018) vs. the annual average historical norms (1981-2010) for your chosen location. Positive values mean that average annual precipitation during the last decade was greater than average annual historical norms; negative values mean that average annual precipitation during the last decade was less than average annual historical norms.
- MAPS 10, 11 and 12: See descriptions for Maps 10, 11 and 12 in Boundary Info Coverage Notes
Other Notes
– Many of the map layers from which this information is extracted are very large, so it will often take 10-15 seconds for all of the map windows to finish drawing– Avoid using the zoom in/zoom out buttons or panning the map repeatedly, as it will cause the queries to fire repeatedly and may produce erratic results. A better way to go to a new location is to single-click the map at a nearby location, or type a new location above the map. Note that typing an address will zoom in the map very close, whereas typing a city or county by itself will show you a map with a wider view.
– Disclaimer: While the number of decimals in the latitude and longitude displayed for the map marker may imply a positional accuracy of within a few feet, note that Google Maps and the source data may not be that accurate. Accordingly, this tool should not be used for legal nor surveying purposes or anything beyond entertainment value.
Sources
– City Limits, County Lines, State Lines, ZIP Codes, Congressional Districts: US Census Bureau– Area Codes, Watersheds, National Forests/Parks: Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: public data
– PLSS, Elevation, Slope, Aspect: United States Geological Survey
– Climate: PRISM Climate Group
This interactive map displays Google Maps overlaid with the jurisdictions, physical descriptions and climate information for your chosen location. (If you would rather view some of these topics individually, try these tools: County Lines, City Limits, ZIP Codes, Area Codes)
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