-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Colors on Maps]]
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 13:26:50 -0400
From: Mark A. Thomas <[log in to unmask]>
To: 'Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum' <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
> -----Original Message-----
> Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 00:17:29 -0700
> From: Dr. Virginia R. Hetrick <[log in to unmask]>
...
> 1.  Until about two years ago, I never was conscious of "red"
> states and
> "blue" states, though, of course, all the networks and newspapers
> certainly were.  Duh!  I guess I was differentiating on some other
> basis.  ;-)

Regarding this use of colors, I have a U.S. Census Bureau poster
entitled "Electing the President: 1789-1992" which consists of a series
of maps with the states colored according to which way they voted in
each presidential election.  This map, only done about 10 years ago,
uses blue for Republican and red for Democratic, the opposite of what
everyone now considers to be the standard.  The flip side is a map of
the entire USA showing the election by county for 1992 only, also using
blue for Republican and red for Democratic.

I seem to remember that this map was re-done in 1996, but I don't think
was received on deposit, so I can't verify whether they switched the
colors in those several years to be consistent with TV.

--Mark
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mark Thomas / [log in to unmask] / 919-660-5853, fax:919-684-2855
Economics, Geology, Geography Bibliographer
Map and GIS Librarian / Public Documents and Maps Department
025 Perkins Library / Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0177