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Archiver > NORWAY > 1997-11 > 0878430244


From: "BERDAHL, Gordon A." <>
Subject: Re: ADM. AND GEOGRAPH. UNITS
Date: Sat, 01 Nov 1997 17:24:04 -0700


Julia Christianson wrote:
>
> Tom Chan wrote:
> >
> > I guess I'll get into the mix here. I just learned about townships this
> > summer from my country cousins. From my understanding, the only difference
> > between Canada and the United States regarding townships is the size. In
>
> Might as well put in my 2 cents worth too ... as far as I understand it,
> what you said about townships in Canada is also true for a large part of
> the midwest. (At one time I had a very informative message I'd saved
> about this, but of course can't find it now.)
>
> But it does depend on what state you're in. In Virginia, we don't have
> townships at all. In Pennsylvania, they do, and they're still
> recognized geographical (and I suppose political) units, but they're
> more like subdivisions of the county, not the same as the western
> township-and-range type townships.
>
> Julia Christianson
>

There is at least one basic difference between Canadian and US
townships. While both are 6 miles square, thus comprising 36 sections
each of which is one mile square, the numbering of these sections
withing the township is different.

In Canada the sections are numbered row by row from the bottom, starting
with 1 in the lower right (southeast) corner, and the section numbers
increase to the left, then up one, then to the right, then up one, then
to the left, etc, ending with number 36 in the upper right (northeast)
corner of the township.

In the US the section numbering is just the opposite. Section 1 is in
the upper right (northeast) corner, and the section numbers increase to
the left (west), then down (south) one, then to the right, then down
one, then to the right, etc., ending with number 36 in the lower right
(southeast) corner of the township.

Both numbering systems seem a bit weird to me, but I guess it does keep
consecutively numbered sections next to each other, which would not
happen with a "lines in a book" numbering system.
--
Sincerely,

Gordon Berdahl

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada


http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/b/e/r/Gordon-A-Berdahl/index.htm

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