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Looks like some areas in Idaho would be more than 20 miles...
However, keep in mind this is only Forest Service Land. It doesn't take into account BLM, Park Service, other federally held land and privately owned land...so there will be some more.
Adak, Alaska looks quite remote as it's on an island in the Aleutians. Of larger Alaska towns Nome and Unalaska look fairly isolated. Fairbanks is somewhat isolated from any large town by the looks of it.
In the contiguous US Valentine, Nebraska and Lusk, Wyoming are fairly remote. They don't seem to be "fifty miles to the nearest town" remote though as if you count them as towns than nearby towns of a couple hundred also count.
Some interesting responses, thanks. I've always been curious about the "blank" spots on the map!
Interesting about no point in the continental US being more than 20 miles from a road. They never really defined their criteria for "road" though. (I.e., does it have to be a currently maintained road that an average passenger car could reasonably navigate? Or do things like old overgrown logging roads or mountain jeep trails count?)
I have actually driven in some VERY remote places (up to Alaska twice plus every state west of the Mississippi), so I'm quite familiar with empty highways. I can recall one place in Utah where it was about 100 miles between services. So yes, on any single road it's not unheard of for there to be 50 or more miles between towns...but I'm wondering if there's a town (in the lower 48) that has no other town in ANY DIRECTION for at least 50 miles.
Of course defining "town" can get tricky. As others have mentioned, there are dots on the map that in reality are no more than ghost towns--i.e., old railroad stops that retain their place names even though it's quite possible there's only one or two houses left, if any. Or as another poster mentioned, just a post office in the middle of nowhere to serve as an address for rural farming/ranching areas.
I guess I would define "town" as a place inhabited by more than one family that offers some sort of businesses or services. This definition would eliminate villages (i.e., a handful of houses but no businesses) and "outposts" (roadhouses, solitary gas stations, etc.)
I have actually driven in some VERY remote places (up to Alaska twice plus every state west of the Mississippi), so I'm quite familiar with empty highways. I can recall one place in Utah where it was about 100 miles between services. So yes, on any single road it's not unheard of for there to be 50 or more miles between towns...but I'm wondering if there's a town (in the lower 48) that has no other town in ANY DIRECTION for at least 50 miles.
Of course defining "town" can get tricky. As others have mentioned, there are dots on the map that in reality are no more than ghost towns--i.e., old railroad stops that retain their place names even though it's quite possible there's only one or two houses left, if any. Or as another poster mentioned, just a post office in the middle of nowhere to serve as an address for rural farming/ranching areas.
I guess I would define "town" as a place inhabited by more than one family that offers some sort of businesses or services. This definition would eliminate villages (i.e., a handful of houses but no businesses) and "outposts" (roadhouses, solitary gas stations, etc.)
With that said, does anyone have any examples?
Lakeview, Oregon. 53.7 miles to the next nearest town (Alturas, California). It's called Oregon's Outback for a reason. There's just empty desert for miles. Some roads in Eastern Oregon warn you to carry gas with you because there won't be any services for long enough that you could run out of gas...
EDIT: I lied on accident. According to Google Maps, Paisley, Oregon (pop. ~240) is ~45.1 miles from Lakeview.
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