Name the Heart of a State
Join us on our journey!
Here’s where the fun really begins, because our journey is interactive. That’s right, you get to take part in the adventure, by having the heart of a state named in your honor. How’s that work?
Well, we can say with near-certainty that we are the first people to ever undertake a journey to the geographic centers of all fifty states via bicycle. So in a way, that makes us explorers. And as explorers, it is our duty to give names to the places we find. Now, a long-standing tradition among explorers is to name places after their patrons, the people who supported and enabled their journey.
In centuries past, only the elite classes could participate in supporting exploration. But in these great United States, we believe in giving power to the people, not just to the wealthy or to “royalty”. We Americans believe that everyone has something to contribute. Likewise, Laura and I hope for our journey to be a celebration of the dignity of the commonplace, and we endeavor to have our explorations supported by all of you.
In return for your patronage, we will give you the opportunity to name the center of a state in your honor. Choose whatever name you like (as long as it’s clean): show your love for your spouse or children, promote your organization, support your favorite sports team, or make fun of a neighboring state. The choice is yours—be as creative as you like!
How it works
Here’s how it works: the naming rights to every state starts at just one dollar. Just fill out the form telling us who you are and what you want to name it, and presto! You are now a patron of exploration!
Now, if someone else wants to rename that state, they must pay twice what the last person paid. So now the price for the naming rights is two dollars, and as soon as someone pays that, they are now the owner of the current name for that state. Next time, it will cost four dollars, and so on: $1, $2, $4, $8, $16…This will continue as long as people are willing to rename a state, but there is a limit: as soon a someone pays $512 to name a state, that state is locked in forever. All past patrons and names will still be listed on our website, but only the most current name will be considered the “official” name. The “official” name will be displayed on the picture of Laura and I at the center of that state, and it will be included in the book we are writing about our journey.
Let’s get started!
To name a state and to view the names for that state, click on the map below. Or, view the current names of all fifty states.
