For today’s post, we’ll be starting a new series. I had been debating the name in my head for some time but I think I like what I settled on. The words “underrated” and “gem” are used too much, so I figured I’d give this a shot. In this series, we’ll go over some of the cooler parts of the state that don’t really fit into any real category. These are places you NEED to visit at least once if you’re a fan of this state (and some are must-see’s even if you’re not a fan of WI). To start this series off, we’ll be visiting a geographical anomaly that happens to fit smack dab in the center of our state, and is fairly unique for the entire globe; the 45×90 Geographical Marker.
Have you ever visited the Equator? Prime Meridian? North Pole? South Pole? International Date Line? Most people haven’t. I’d love to but unfortunately don’t have the budget to do so. But there’s a cool spot in Wisconsin that lets you get halfway there… the exact center of the Northwest Hemisphere. Let’s go over some background information to start. I don’t want to insult you, the reader, but I have to at least assume there’s a few people out there that aren’t geography nerds like myself. We’re all familiar with the latitude and longitude system we use for the globe. Latitude runs from 0° (the equator) to 90°N (the north pole) and 90°S (the south pole). Since our planet spins in a relatively horizontal fashion, latitude has a top and a bottom. Longitude on the other hand runs from 0° (the prime meridian) to 180°E/180°W (both of these are called The International Date Line). The Prime Meridian runs through Greenwich, England, and the International Date Line is in between Alaska and Russia in the Pacific. This grid system allows for the classic four quadrants of a graph.
If you layout the globe in this way, you’re left with a few markers that are quite cool, even if arbitrary for a sphere. The equator, both poles, the Prime Meridian, and the International Date Line. Some of those are relatively easy to visit (Equator and Prime Meridian), while others are next to impossible (both poles and the International Date Line). But what about halfway in between these major features? Since our grid system gives us four quadrants, you could hypothetically go to the direct center of each of these quadrants. This would be 45°N, 90° W, 45°N, 90°E, 45°S, 90°W, and 45°S, 90°E. I say hypothetically because in both southern hemisphere locations, you’re in an ocean. So your only chance to stand on land in the center of one of these markers is in the Northern Hemisphere. The 45°N, 90°E site puts you in the mountains of China, and while it is certainly able to be visited, it’s not that easy, at least not compared to 45°N, 90°W. The 45N, 90W puts you smack dab in the center of the greatest state in the entire country. Very easy to access (surrounded by flat land with amenities such as a parking lot and walking path), this is one of the easiest to access geographical markers on our planets grid system.
When you visit this location, you are EXACTLY halfway between the Equator and North Pole, and halfway between the Prime Meridian and International Date Line. Now, this is probably not a feature you’d care to spend thousands of dollars on trying to get to, so luckily for you it’s easily accessible and doesn’t cost anything other than a few bucks gas money and some time.
So there you have it, a nerdy, but definitely cool, tidbit about our great state that’s worth a visit. For some of you, it might be out of the way, but if you find yourself driving near the Wausau area, it’s worth the 30 minute detour. Yes, that’s all it will take. Life is too short to take the fast way anyways, so take the backroads the next time you’re in this area, and make the stop. Cool, unique, and a fun part of our state.
Life is Too Short to Take the Fast Way 