NEW: Share your map with one click

Now available on most map tools on randymajors.org, use the “Share Map…” button to create a shareable link that remembers all of the following: which map tool you are using (e.g. City Limits on Google Maps, Elevation on Google Maps) what point you had clicked on the map (or had searched for using the “Search places” box above the map) how far zoomed in or out you want the map to display optionally, a title for your map Here’s an example, sharing a map from the City Limits on Google Maps tool, centered on Ocala, Florida: In this example, I … Read more

Where It’s At: Drop nearly 15,000 feet in just over 85 miles in the Contiguous U.S.

Where It’s At is an occasional feature that uses maps to show interesting stuff about our world.  At least interesting to map geeks like me :) For this inaugural post:  Where can you can drop nearly 15,000 feet of elevation in just over 85 miles in the contiguous United States? A clue:  these two points also happen to be the highest elevation point and the lowest elevation point in the contiguous U.S. Answer:  Mount Whitney, California to Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California: And here’s the elevation profile along that line: Note that it’s not a nice easy descent along … Read more

Create a custom area map based on a list of States or ZIP Codes

The Custom Areas using ZIP Codes tool has been enhanced so you can also use U.S. States to define your custom area map. This can be useful to show: service area maps sales territory maps delivery area maps other custom area map of any topic defined by States or ZIP Codes To build a map based on states, create a URL like the following: https://www.randymajors.org/customgmap?mapbuilder=true&states=CO,NM,TX,UT,WY,NE,KS,MO,OK,IL,IN,NY,VT,OH,AR&title=My%20Business%20Coverage%20Area Copy/paste the above URL and edit the list of state abbreviations, the title and the color to use. UPDATE:  This has been improved in August 2021 so that a long list of states will draw … Read more

Historical US Counties on Google Maps enhanced to match Census dates, adds townships

With Census season upon us, I’ve made a little update to the Historical U.S. Counties on Google Maps tool. Now, when you search for a year that was also a U.S. Federal Census year (e.g. 1790-2020) , the date will automatically set to the day of the Census that year. Per the Census Bureau, “From 1790 to 1820, the censuses were conducted as of the first Monday in August (August 2, 1790; August 4, 1800; August 6, 1810; August 7, 1820); the 1830-1880 and 1900 censuses were as of June 1; the 1890 census was as of June 2; April … Read more

Free resource to help retailers, restaurants & small businesses closed due to SaH/SiP

During this challenging time for small businesses, this free online resource may help some small businesses amidst the current Stay-at-Home/Shelter-in-Place orders. For retailers, restaurants and other small businesses that have had to close due to SaH/SiP orders, delivery of their goods directly to customers is an option many are doing or considering to help them get through this.  But a pain-point can be that communicating to customers exactly where they can deliver can be cumbersome or costly, and small business owners don’t have time right now to deal with this. Easily let customers know where you can deliver! To that end, … Read more

Let this FREE tool do the location work for you as you search on Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org

Historical U.S. Counties Auto-Checker free version

U.S. county boundaries have changed over 17,600 times since America was settled in colonial times. Don’t sabotage your search for ancestors by not knowing the correct county for the historical years you are researching. While searching on Ancestry or FamilySearch, the free Historical U.S. Counties Auto-Checker extension for Google Chrome* automatically checks that the county existed in the year you are searching, warns of boundary changes, and links to historical county lines on Google Maps for the place and years you are searching! Install for free today and never let an ancestor fall of the map again! For a step-by-step … Read more

Ancestor fall off the map? Use this FREE Chrome extension for Ancestry and FamilySearch to help find them!

It’s been a long time in the making…so I’m excited to finally make this Chrome extension available!  Here’s a run-down on what the Chrome* extension does and why it’s important for your searches on Ancestry and FamilySearch. Are you unknowingly sabotaging your searches on Ancestry and FamilySearch? When searching on Ancestry.com, don’t be lulled into complacency by the convenient “City, County, State…” autocomplete dropdown menus like this one: Why?  Because the county listed in the drop-down may not be right!  The county may not have existed in the year you are searching…or boundaries may have changed.  (Keep reading…county boundaries have … Read more

New feature: DRAW ANY SHAPE on the map to reveal all of the Counties, ZIP Codes, Cities, Townships and more

With all of the Map tools on the randymajors.org Research Hub, you’ve always been able to click on the map to know what ZIP Code, city, county or Section Township and Range that you clicked on. Now with this latest version of the map tools, you can DRAW ANY SHAPE and identify what’s there! Here are the simple steps: Click the “Selection Tools” button on the left side of the map Select the shape you want to draw (line, custom polygon or rectangle) in the upper left corner Draw any shape on the map and double-click the map when you’re … Read more

Try this one search to find the People Search sites that have YOUR private info, plus links to remove it

Does doing a Google search for your name turn up a ton of results from those annoying people search websites?  Now you can easily find which websites have your private information, and follow links to have your information deleted.  It’s easy and it’s free. Just go to PeopleSearch on Google Search, type your name and location (e.g. city or state) and choose “INCLUDE ONLY search results from people search sites” and the click the “Run Full Google Search” button.  The page looks like this: You can view the full description of the new functionality below the PeopleSearch tool under the heading “NEW!  How … Read more

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