A map of US post offices spreading over time, 1700 to 1900. By Derek Watkins, via Flowing Data.
Coincidentally, maps of cranky service show similar patterns over time.
Actually, I should say that’s true of the offices only. All my postal delivery people have been delightful. But I routinely go down the street to the private postal service, and pay a 20% premium, mainly because of the service quality and (gasp) information on how to best get a package from here to there.
Post-2011, I suspect the map could come more and more to look like the inverse of the 1900 map: heavily subsidized post offices in small towns, immensely less density in urban areas where private delivery is feasible.
On a development note, for those who think states can be built in a decade or two, this should give pause. Nation building happens in slow motion.
Also see: The growth of newspapers, 1690-2011.
Chris,
Great post. You should check out Dan Carpenter’s book The Forging of Bureaucratic Autonomy (http://www.amazon.com/Forging-Bureaucratic-Autonomy-Reputations-Innovation/dp/0691070105/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314021962&sr=8-4) for an excellent discussion of the politics surrounding the creation and expansion of the USPO.
Sorry Thomas,
Rick Geddes’ book seems to be more applicable in this case Saving the Mail
http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Mail-Problems-Service-Evaluative/dp/0844741809/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314022273&sr=8-2
But I’ll take a look at Mr. Carpenter’s book as well
Actually, the USPS has been working towards shutting down small town post offices and moving them to small cities. About a year ago they moved all the rural mail carriers to being based out of cities rather than towns. It appears that the strategy is to shut down the town offices themselves slowly (probably so they don’t upset the union too much). In the near future it looks like the USPS will also be moving to a 5 day work week as well. That said, your observation still remains valid if you substitute small cities for small towns in my opinion. All of this is based off my conversations with my mother who is a rural mail carrier for the USPS.