There is a little town in Kansas called Lebanon. It sits about 12 miles from the Kansas-Nebraska border. In 2013 it had a population of 206 people, with the average age being 51.3 years old. About 2.6 miles northwest of town is what is called the geographic center of the contiguous 48 states of the United States.
When the modern Presidential Candidates run in primaries, they tend to run toward the stronghold in that party. Once they receive the nomination they tend to move back toward the center of the electorate. So which Presidents were born closest to the geographic center of the contiguous 48 states (before the election of 2016)?
Here are the top ten closest to that center from their birthplaces. Mileages are approximate and near the birthplace locations.
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One – Gerald Ford – 167 miles
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Two – Harry S Truman – 281 miles
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Three – Herbert Hoover – 399 miles
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Four – Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower – 433 miles
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Five – Ronald Reagan – 476 miles
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Six – Bill Clinton – 506 miles
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Seven – Lyndon “LBJ” Johnson – 662 miles
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Eight – Abraham Lincoln – 708 miles
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Nine – Benjamin Harrison – 738 miles
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Ten – William Howard Taft – 751 miles
