Seen from above, the geometry of rural America is an aesthetic dream.
Instagram account @the.jefferson.grid is dedicated to gorgeous satellite shots of square mile patches of land, mostly west of the Mississippi and around the Great Lakes region. These square plots were a result of the Land Ordinance of 1785, written by Thomas Jefferson.
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In the original colonies, land was usually divided up by natural boundaries, but with the major westward expansion of the United States, Jefferson wanted a simpler way to divvy up the land and thus make for easier surveying. His Land Ordinance created townships of 6 square miles, to be divided further into 36 square-mile sections.
Though obviously much has changed since 1785, the grid system is still evident in some parts of the country, creating these natural geographic compositions. Back in May, we covered how agriculture helps create some of the detail in these geometric patterns.
I couldn’t find any information on the person behind the Instagram account, but I hope he or she keeps it up. Looking at these images is so calming, you can almost forget how much of America is made up of strip malls.
