They Almost Border Trivia Quiz

Answer: Washington & Montana

All of these state combinations are on opposite sides of The Continental Divide: Washington and Oregon on the west side and Montana and Wyoming on the east. However, Montana and Washington are the only two that come within 50 miles of each other. They are 45 miles apart, separated by the northern 70 miles of the panhandle portion of Idaho.

Answer: colorado arizona

The four states Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, are the only four in the US that meet at a single point. According to the 4-color Map Theorem, regions that touch only at a point are not considered to be bordering.

Answer: Pennsylvania & Virginia

Before the American Civil War, Virginia bordered Pennsylvania around the latter's southwest corner, between Maryland and Ohio. But with the secession of Virginia from the United States, many representatives from the northwest counties organized a secondary Virginia government loyal to the Union. They then proceeded with plans to form a new state made from the counties that were Union-loyal. In 1862, an application for admission was submitted to the US Congress, and on the last day of that year, President Lincoln approved the admission of West Virginia if they rewrote their constitution to outlaw slavery. They did so, and on April 20, 1863, Lincoln proclaimed their entry into the Union after 60 days: June 20, 1863.

The closest Virginia now comes to Pennsylvania is Frederick County, VA, which itself is surrounded to the northeast and west by Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, and Hampshire Counties, WV.

Answer: Illinois & Tennessee

Tennessee and Illinois are separated by the western portions of Carlisle, Hickman, and Fulton counties, along with the eastern portion of Mississippi County, Missouri.

Answer: New Jersey & Connecticut

Greenwich, the westernmost town of Connecticut, is the closest point to the Rockleigh area of New Jersey. This closest approach of the two states is through White Plains, NY.

Answer: kansas arkansas

The names of these states are derived from the same root. They are ultimately named after the Kansa tribe, their name either meaning "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind". The pronunciation of Arkansas was officially made ar-kan-saw after a dispute between the two US Senators from the state; the other senator wanted the pronunciation to rhyme with Kansas.

Answer: Colorado & Kansas

The Treaties of Velasco, which gave Texas definite boundaries, set the Republic of Texas to include not only the area of present-day Texas, but areas of Oklahoma (the Panhandle area), Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Later, when Texas was admitted to the US, territory north of 36º30' could not be slave territory. So this land was designated Public Land Strip, or colloquially "No Man's Land".

When Kansas was admitted, it only extended south to 37º, further delineating No Man's Land. Further declarations of the territories of New Mexico and Colorado created an unassigned area later called Cimarron Territory.

Then in 1890, it was assigned to Oklahoma Territory. It and the rest of Oklahoma Territory became the State of Oklahoma in 1907.

Answer: Oklahoma & Louisiana

Bowie & Cass counties separate these two states.

Bowie Co. contains the Texas half of the city Texarkana, AR-TX (the post office's official name). The city has two mayors and two sets of city officials. However, other municipal offices such as US Post Office, Chamber of Commerce, and city jail are shared.

Answer: Erie

After the western edge of New York was established in 1785, a triangle of land called the Erie Triangle was left unclaimed by its bordering states, Pennsylvania and New York. Massachusetts and Connecticut came forward with claims to the land under the original colonial grants which ran from sea-to-sea. Through negotiation and the movement of Pennsylvania's western border, the Erie Triangle was appended to Erie County, PA.

This allowed the otherwise land-locked state access to the trade waters of the Great Lakes.

Answer: Massachusetts & Maine

Maine had been an exclave of Massachusetts until 1820. Then, as part of the Missouri Compromise, both Maine and Missouri were admitted to the Union, the former as a free state and the latter as a slave state.