This incredible series of interactive charts from the New York Times show where the residents of every U.S. state were born and how that data has changed over time (update: now available as an interactive map).  This graph of Florida shows that around 1900, most people living in Florida were from the South.  Around the middle of the 20th century more people from other parts of the U.S. and from outside the U.S. started moving in.  What changes in U.S. society led to these demographic shifts?  How has demographics of your state changes over the last 114 years? 

On the flip side, many people have been leaving California and this article charts the demographic impact of Californians on other states.  

Tags: migration, USA, visualization, census, unit 2 population.

Have you even wanted to explore an interactive map of the United States and be able to click on any neighborhood to see the local population age structure and compare that to the national, state or county data?  If not, you don’t know what you’ve been missing.  This is a fantastic resource that lets you and your students explore the data AND ask spatial questions.  It’s definitely one that I’ll add to my list of favorite resources.  This population pyramid shows that Jamestown’s population is much older than the national average; how come?   

Tag: population, population pyramids, mapping, census, visualization, USA.

As stated in a review of Smarty Pins on Mashable, “Google unveiled a fun new game this week that tests players’ geography and trivia skills.  Called ‘Smarty Pins’ the game starts players off with 1,000 miles (or 1,609 kilometers if they’re not based in the United States), and asks them to drop a pin on the city that corresponds with the correct answer to a given question.” 

This game is wonderfully addictive…I haven’t enjoyed a mapping trivia platform this much since I discovered GeoGuessr.  I answered 38 questions before I ran out of miles…how far did you get?  

Tags: google, fun, mapping, place, trivia.

I really like this article because it briefly shares the language needed for students to able to successfully use maps in the classroom…plus it’s highly adaptable for virtually any grade level.  

Tags: mapping, K12, scale, location.

Much like the Power of Place resources were created by Annenberg Learner to share World Regional Geography videos, the Habitable Planet has diverse resources for Physical Geography and Environmental Science.  In essence, it is an excellent free online textbook.   

Tags: textbook, environment, physical.