How The States Got Their Shapes

It's a rivalry that tears us apart every four years. How did our nation divide into red states versus blue states? And what happens to the states caught in the middle?

Deep in the Rust Belt, the white collar and blue collar divide has shaped our cities and our states. How did this rivalry change the way we all bring home the bacon?

Two underdogs of American culture go head to head to prove how hillbillies and rednecks have shaped our states.

America's most iconic rivalry was more than just a feud between families. The fight between the Hatfields and McCoys nearly launched a war between two states.

It's America's original rivalry, a divide that was so wide it took a war to close the gap. But have we really reunited, or are we still fighting a culture war?

America is a nation under siege by unexplained phenomena. Whether you're afraid of Bigfoot or alien invasion might depend on what state you call home.

Battles over access to lakefront property have made the Great Lakes region the most contested land on the entire map, and even pushed the states to a border war.

With 85% of Americans affiliated with an organized religion, we're a nation of believers, but have we always practiced what we preached?

Americans have a lot of vices and they don't just stay in Vegas. From drugs to gambling, the state you live in may shape how bad you can be.

It's the glue that holds our map together and feeds America, but the Midwest is more than just state fairs and flyover country.

Americans have been racing to tame the West since they first set foot on the continent, but now that the West has been won, what's next? Is the West still the best?

How has the move from rural to urban changed the shapes of our states and cities?

The east and west coast squabble leaves the rest of the country in the middle.

Which states like to make their own rules, and which do the heat have on lockdown?

Everything is bigger in Texas. It's the only state that acts like a country, but has it grown too big for its britches? We'll mess with Texas to settle this ten-gallon rivalry.

Nearly every state has pulled a power play that changed the map.

Money makes the world go round and in America, the pursuit of riches has shaped our states. In the race to grab all resources, which states came out on top?

Does size matter when you're a state? While the giants like to throw their weight around, there are some scrappy underdogs that have made their mark on the map.

Brian Unger is taking a different look at just how our states got their shapes.