Why Do So Many American States Have Panhandles?

What other interesting panhandles are there in the US / other countries?

If I were holding Texas like a pan, I'd hold it by the El Paso salient, rather than the Amarillo block. Those mountains near El Paso make for a better textured grip.

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but your little guy looks like Ferb cosplaying Napoleon. (from the tv show Phineas and Ferb)

Oklahoma is the only state that looks like a pan.

“Bootheel” is used for the southeastern corner of Missouri as it is smaller and protrudes southward, resembling the heel of a boot. The original plans for the Missouri border didn’t include the bootheel and would have kept the same border line that divides Kentucky and Tennessee but it was added when it was argued the area had more in common with the other Mississippi River towns in Missouri than it did with the Arkansas Territory. It is technically classified as a salient as well.

TRIVIA: There are three types of salients in North America. A bootheel goes southward, a panhandle goes eastward or westward, and (though rarely used) a "chimney" goes northward.

Maryland was the 7th state to join the US not the 13th. Lol and I do indeed live less then 15 min from that narrow spot in our state

Fun facts about the shape of Idaho. There are stories that the original border with what is now Montana was supposed to follow the continental divide. However, the border was surveyed more to the west giving a big chunk of the west slope of the norther Rockies to Montana. Second, the original territorial capital of Idaho was in Lewiston, in the southern part of the panhandle. But when the capital was moved to Boise, the people in the panhandle were not happy and entertained the idea of joining Washington or Montana. In order to placate them, the territorial government put the state university, the University of Idaho in Moscow, which is about 35 miles north of Lewiston. The university was established about 6 months before Idaho got statehood. To this day, the North Idaho, i.e., the panhandle, feels like a different state in many ways than the southern part. This is only emphasized by the panhandle being in the Pacific Time Zone and the southern part being in the Mountain Time Zone.

The "Boot Heel" refers to the little part at the bottom of Missouri (that should have been in Arkansas).

Maryland wanted river access. That makes complete sense.

3:20 In Texas we also called OK's panhandle the Cimarron Strip.

Great vid. I knew little about this but now know much more. Thanks!!

Amazing all the iterations the various territories went through; and the reasons behind those configurations....

I don't understand what makes Utah's protusion not a panhandle though

9:23 Maryland was the 7th state, not the 13th. Rhode Island is considered the 13th state, holding out on ratifying the Constitution until 1790. I believe what you are referring to here is that Maryland was the 13th and final state to ratify the Articles of Confederation. The Congress of the Confederation (no longer the Continental Congress at this point) granted the panhandle to MD in 1781, so they finally joined the Confederation of States at that time. To be fair, I definitely see the argument for calling MD the 13th state on these terms; however, Constitutional ratification is what most consider to be the date of statehood. Therefore I’d think that most consider Maryland to have became the 7th state in 1788. (Btw, could MD’s small eastern portion - between VA & DE - be considered a panhandle? It has 2 land borders!)

You mentioned that you were intrigued in so many words that there could be disputes within one country. Bare in mind back in those days the states were more autonomous than they are now and functioned more like republics within a nation. it wasn't until after the civil war that power was more concentrated at the federal level. While states today still maintain a good deal of autonomy, claims to territory aren't one of them anymore and Congress would have to approve of any territorial changes between states which is why it's much harder today for states to secede from other states than it was prior to the civil war.

Great question!! Always wondered.

A quick correction on the OK panhandle - the Missouri Compromise line wasn't at 36 degrees, but 36 degrees and 30 minutes north.

Thanks for the info. I have been curious about Alaska’s panhandle as it really seemed to make no sense. I was just too lazy to look it up.

Ive enjoyed watching youre channel grow so much. Really like the new intro animation.