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Viewing Lake Michigan as One Long Continuous Coastline

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The Great Lakes in North America are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world. While peering out beyond the Chicago lakefront, Lake Michigan almost feels more like an ocean than a freshwater body. Several major cities and industrial areas line Lake Michigan, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Gary and Green Bay. So, what would Lake Michigan look like if it were just one long, continuous coastline instead of lopsided oval-shaped body of water? Citylab recently highlighted the work of Madison-based blogger and cartographer Daniel Huffman who wanted to answer this question. Huffman has created an illustration where he cuts the border of Lake Michigan at the very top and stretches it all out in one long, flat surface. The coast of the lake seems like it would go on forever and looks more like a giant ocean. Huffman further explains his method and reasoning for creating the map on his blog, Something About Maps.

·A Matter of Perspective [Something About Maps]
·The Coast of Lake Michigan Looks Extra Oceanic in This New 'Linear Map' [Citylab]
·Cool Map Thing archives [Curbed Chicago]