States with the most neat-looking county map?

[iceman]

For me it would be Iowa, the ugliest would be Virginia.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Delaware lmao

More seriously, if you want to pick a state with a more sizable number of counties, and you are talking about a blank county map, I agree that Iowa wins.
However, I also like Kansas a lot, and if we introduce political colours, I'm a sucker for the newly minted Wyandotte-Johnson-Douglas-Shawnee blue path. I know Riley is not connected, but it still fits well in my opinion.

[Former President tack50]

Washington DC

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Washington DC

OP said "states".

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

California, Maryland, South Carolina, Michigan, Alabama, Florida, and Connecticut all immediately come to mind.

[iceman]

Ohio is organized as well, most counties have about the same average land area.

[kwabbit]

Most states from the Great Plains and eastward have neat looking county maps. Virginia is ugly with its weird cities though. The weird ones are Western states like CO, ID, and AZ.

[It’s so Joever]

Colorado.
F**k the haters.

[AGA]

Hawaii

[vileplume]

For me it would be Iowa, the ugliest would be Virginia.

Nah Iowa's counties are just indistinguishable boxes that look like they've been randomly drawn on the map with a ruler without any remote consideration for geographical features. The New England states are definitely the best (bar Massachusetts and its stupid detached parts). Oregon is probably the best one in the West IMO.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Nevada is up there.

[walleye26]

I actually kind of like Montana. I know it’s weird, but I just like their shapes.

[walleye26]

Although if we are being honest I would say Kansas is pretty good. A few counties are weird, but lots of boxes.

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

South Carolina

[jimrtex]

In 1790 during the revolution France considered dividing the country into 81 square or rectangular departments.

Previously it had a weird agglomeration of jurisdictions for administration, judicial, feudal, etc. purposes, none of which aligned.

Part of the reason that Iowa's counties form such a neat pattern is that they were mostly created at the same time. Wisconsin Territory was created from the last remnant of the Northwest Territory and the part of the Louisiana Purchase above Missouri.

It really had two parts - Southern Wisconsin and Eastern Iowa. I think the territorial capital was Dubuque. The two territories were then split.

Wisconsin developed northward, but agriculture was increasingly difficult due to climate and glaciation. Madison is sort of in between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River in the more arable south. Counties were created piecemeal. They are rectangular but not regular.

Iowa developed west to east and was generally amenable to agriculture though perhaps with less rain moving westward. By this time the US was getting good at chopping land into townships and sections, and Iowa is pretty flat. Most all the counties were created in one fell swoop before they were even settled. The legislators in that session got to name the counties. That is why Kossuth was named for a Hungarian revolutionary who had been touring the US at the time.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

I’ve seen two people say South Carolina and let me just say; Calhoun, Lancaster, Orangeburg, and our two/three non contiguous counties

[Hope For A New Era]

Missouri's county map is nice enough, with the exception of the eyesore that is Chariton.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Hawaii

Kalowoa county and the fact that the fact that islands as far as Kure Atoll are part of Honolulu are pretty weird.

[Catalyst138]

The way New Jersey’s blue counties cut through the red ones on either side is kinda cool.

[Mr. Smith]

Alabama by far.

Just one nice belt that goes through from east to west, and Jefferson.

Hard call between Minnesota and Wisconsin for ugliest.