Travel is Just a Bit Faster These Days...

Check out the map at right. It shows how long it took to travel from New York City to various parts of the eastern U.S. – in 1830.  Looks like about three weeks to Chicago!  But you could get anywhere in New Jersey in just a day (though why would you want to?).

This article has several such maps, for dates ranging from 1800 to 1930.  Fascinating stuff!