Kentucky Is the Only State Where You Can Visit an Exclave

Back in 1990, I was touring the newly renovated Roberts Stadium in Evansville. Although it is no longer with us, it left some great memories behind, including one that is specific to the day I was there. It was December 3rd, and that was the date the late Iben Browning, a climatologist, predicted that we would be experiencing a massive earthquake along the New Madrid Fault. It was supposed to be "the big one," and it set off a wave of panic. There never was a quake, but that doesn't mean there never will be one.

The Massive New Madrid Earthquake That Did Happen

"The big one," to date, occurred in either 1811 or 1812, depending on what information you find. It was so mammoth a disruption that it altered the course of the Mississippi River, causing it to flow backward; created Reelfoot Lake; and caused church bells to ring more than 1,200 miles away.

What Is an Exclave and Did Quakes Create It?

These quakes created such havoc that they cut a piece of Kentucky off from the rest of the state, creating the New Madrid Bend, or Kentucky Bend, a geographic anomaly known as an exclave, which is a piece of territorial land completely surrounded by the land of one or more other territories. (In this case, Missouri and Tennessee.)

The tiny region of the Commonwealth only covers 30 square miles and has a population of just nine people. But the mailing address for those folks is actually Tiptonville, Tennessee, the nearest town. In fact, you can't get to this exclave without driving through Tennessee first.

There's also speculation, according to Kentucky Tourism, that land surveyors made a mistake when drawing up Kentucky's boundary, which runs right through the Mississippi River. But quakes that enormous can't be completely without blame. Experts may never be able to pinpoint the exact cause for this nine square miles of land, but no matter. Kentucky Bend is permanent and makes for a fun and educational destination for a cool little road trip.