Which state of the 48 contiguous states of the USA is farthest north?

When considering the 48 contiguous states of the USA, the northernmost U.S. state is Minnesota (the Angle Inlet of northern Minnesota at 49°23'N is north of the 49° boundary between the U.S. and Canada and well north of any point in Maine).

Penasse is an unincorporated community in Angle Township, Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, United States. Penasse is located on Penasse Island in Lake of the Woods, in the northern part of Northwest Angle. Its location makes it the northernmost populated place in the contiguous United States. The community was named for Tom Penasse, a Native American from the area. It had a post office in the town from 1920 to 1969. The French built Fort Saint Charles nearby in 1732.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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12 Comments

William Laughlin

Cassandra Cobb, You need to understand how maps work. The northernmost point depends on lines of latitude, not how it appears on a 2 dimensional map of an oblate spheroid.

John W Shreve

Sorry, whiners. The questioner is right. Instead of complaining and being wrong, check it out first. From 𝐴𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑢𝑟 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟: The Northwest Angle and Islands The northernmost point is a geographic anomaly. It is the only point in the continental United States that lies north of the 49th Parallel. It is technically part of Minnesota, but it is not connected to the rest of Minnesota by land. This 116 square mile section of land is only part of the United States due to an incorrect understanding of where the source of the Mississippi River was and a mistake made by the first mapmakers in the area.

John Schurman

Your teacher was wrong?

al woltz

Always been one of my favorite bar bet questions.

Ron Dunagan

akaleohillis, Try looking at a map. Which is farther north-Portland Oregon or Portland Maine. It's Oregon

Jas Newman

John W Shreve, Contiguous US, not continental US, which would be Alaska.

dmarkc

I read about a trip to Angle Inlet. A gallant effort to remain upbeat. When asked by the author about other visitors to the area, a gas station clerk said, "most of them look about as forlorn as you do."