Congratulations, Glasgow, Mont.!

Of all towns with more than 1,000 residents, Glasgow, home to 3,363 people in the rolling prairie of northeastern Montana, is farthest — about 4.5 hours in any direction — from any metropolitan area of more than 75,000 people.

The Washington Post reported that Glasgow, Montana is apparently the middle of nowhere.  This was concluded based on research from the Malaria Atlas Project, a group at Oxford’s Big Data Institute that studies the intersection of disease, geography and demographics. “The huge team — 22 authors are credited — spent years building a globe-spanning map outlining just how long it takes to cross any spot on the planet based on its transportation types, vegetation, slope, elevation and more.”  With that research, the Washington Post spent “hours and hours of computer time” processing “every pixel and every populated place in the contiguous United States to find the one that best represents the ‘middle of nowhere’.”

Glasgow, Montana won!  Well, the next time we say we’re in the middle of nowhere, and we’re in Glasgow–technically, that is accurate!

To read the full article in the Washington Post, click here.

(feature photo via Jonathan Newton – Washington Post)