Customer Reviews

Road Atlas-2004 Road Atlas (Rand McNally Road Atlas: United States/Canada/Mexico)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent convenient and affordable atlas. It is softcover and flexible, with a sturdy plastic cover.

Slim and with large pages, this atlas includes a full sized map of each complete state spanning one or two pages, along with a number of inset maps of the most populated or popular regions of each state. These are indicated on the full map by a convenient yellow rectangular outline. The legend includes highways and their different types (multilane, unpaved, principals, and so on), hospitals, rest and service areas, hospitals, ports of entry, parks and campsites, and other landmarks and major points of interest. All of the basics, superimposed on detailed and easy to read maps.

The index includes the major counties cities and towns, arranged alphabetically by state, along with the population and location on the map by vertical (alphabetic) and horizontal (numerical) sections. For example, Los Angeles CA has the entry 3694820 SJ-11. It is typical of any atlas, national or global, and it is a system which still works.

The use of colors and geometric outlines and shapes is highly intuitive. Major interstate highways are thick blue, with sign symbols and the highway number, while principle highways are pink. The distance between cities is also provided per map, at the top of the page. All of the basics, nationwide, immediately available.

There are of course websites which now provide extensive geographic information for free. Two which come to mind are www.mapquest.com and www.worldatlas.com, the former providing thorough street information, the latter free quizzes maps and essential information of all the continents and nations of the world. Even with this free information readily available, this atlas is very helpful for overview information of Canada, the United States and territories, and Mexico. Highly recommended for air train or road travel and general information.

I wouldn'd be caught taking a trip without it, but I don't love it. For anyone over 50 the print is way too small. I have a magnifying glass in the glove compartment. The maps are way to small. If you happen to want to take non-US hyway roads, you may get lost because all the other roads are poorly identified. I have been lost many times trying to follow these maps, the most recent trying to get to Loon Lake, NY. The road is on the map but not identified. It has a name but Rand McNally doesn't seem to know it.

Use it for a back up but always stop at the welcome center and get a state map. They are 5 star.

Even though Rand McNally is having financial problems, they still manage to pull of a great atlas. Hopefully the Road Atlas will continue to be produced and heavily updated as time goes on. The 2004 edition provides more updates regarding new roads, population, points of interest, and more. New city maps were added for places such as Columbia, Md; Cumberland, Md; Morgantown, WV; Eau Claire, WI; Key West, FL; Hutchinson, KS; Muskegon, MI; and State College, PA. The Odessa, TX map was expanded to include Midland, the Harrisburg map was expanded to include Hershey, the Wilmington, DE map was expanded to include Newark, and the Omaha map was expanded to include more of its surrounding suburbs. All of these changes were greatly appreciated, and showed Rand McNally's willingness to work with what they have, rather than drastically change the atlas by adding more pages. However, large cities in Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Oregon, and Florida certainly deserve greater attention and improvements and additons to their maps. Some changes that had occurred went ignored by Rand McNally, usually in regards to population, but the high-quality color and design certainly make up for it. Overall, 2004 brings yet another great atlas and I hope Rand McNally continues to keep the Road Atlas press rolling year after year.

The most important feature of a map is accuracy which makes this one virtually useless. It "overlooks" many Interstate exits. Roads that I use regularly "do not exist". Two lane highways are shown as four lane and vice versa. Cities have been obliterated. - All in all, a cheap map for people who don't need one. Better to stop at a gas station and ask directions.

Even though Rand McNally is having financial problems, they still manage to pull of a great atlas. Hopefully the Road Atlas will continue to be produced and heavily updated as time goes on. The 2004 edition provides more updates regarding new roads, population, points of interest, and more. New city maps were added for places such as Columbia, Md; Cumberland, Md; Morgantown, WV; Eau Claire, WI; Key West, FL; Hutchinson, KS; Muskegon, MI; and State College, PA. The Odessa, TX map was expanded to include Midland, the Harrisburg map was expanded to include Hershey, the Wilmington, DE map was expanded to include Newark, and the Omaha map was expanded to include more of its surrounding suburbs. All of these changes were greatly appreciated, and showed Rand McNally's willingness to work with what they have, rather than drastically change the atlas by adding more pages. However, large cities in Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Oregon, and Florida certainly deserve greater attention and improvements and additons to their maps. Some changes that had occurred went ignored by Rand McNally, usually in regards to population, but the high-quality color and design certainly make up for it. Overall, 2004 brings yet another great atlas and I hope Rand McNally continues to keep the Road Atlas press rolling year after year.

This is a good atlas but not great. If you want lots of details you will need to purchase a map of the local area.