The astounding prevalence of New Deal projects, in 1 eye-popping map

New Deal projects alive today.
(Image credit: The Living New Deal)

Most Americans have heard of the New Deal, the huge project of reform, regulation, and public works done under former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 80 years ago. Its scope was enormous: The Public Works Administration alone consumed at its peak half the concrete and one-third of the steel output of the whole nation, while the Works Progress Administration built or renovated tens of thousands of roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and parks.

But what you might not know is that most of those New Deal projects are still standing around the country today. The Living New Deal website maintains an interactive map of them all, and it's very likely there is one still in your hometown — even if it is very small. They're everywhere:

Click around the interactive map here.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.