Latitude and longitude have always given me trouble . I remember my whole family trying to teach me that latitude lines run parallel to the equator. At ten years old I am sure I didn't even grasp what parallel meant but nodded my head and said I understood. So you ask what could possibly be at those coordinates and why are they of any significance. Those are the coordinates to the Geographical Center of North America. Located in Rugby, ND, which is home to about 2,500 residents, stands a monument for the Geographical Center of North America. The town brochure states "Welcome to the Center of It All". I had high expectations for the site. We had driven over an hour to see the monument and I was hoping for a gift shop, someone peddling blankets with Elvis on them, something, anything. Sadly there was not a gift shop in the vicinity. The monument actually stands in a diner parking lot.
I asked my husband why they would fly a Mexican flag at the site. Apparently latitude & longitude were not my only challenges when it came to geography. It was also pointed out to me that none of the Central American countries were represented with flags, nor was Greenland or the Caribbean countries. Despite the lack of detail I find it hard to make fun of the monument that was built by the local Boy Scout troop.
If you are ever passing through North Dakota I recommend typing in the coordinates to your GPS and enjoy the unique and obviously the one and only geographical center of North America site. Enjoy!
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