Where do YOU really live? Stunning interactive map reveals new US megaregions from Manahatta and Mayflower to El Asfalto and Goldengate

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• Study analysed 4 million commuter journey flows to reveal where people travel to and from
• Data was filtered based on distance and flow volume to create the incredible images
• Researchers renamed areas based on where its commuters actually come from
• The New York area become Manahatta, while Los Angeles is El Asfalto and San Francisco Goldengate
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Forget today's cities and states, researchers have revealed where Americans really live and work - and renamed its regions accordingly.

Researchers mapped 4 million journey flows to create a stunning visualisation - and rewrite the map of America.

They say it reveals the 'real' regions of America, rather than those decided by city and state lines, and shows the emergence of gigantic 'megaregions' that dominate the country, from Manhattana and Mayflower on the East Coast to El Asfalto and Goldengate on the West.

Researchers say their interactive map reveals the 'real' regions of America, from Manhattana in New York to El Asfalto in Los Angeles. Use your mouse to scroll in and find your new home

'The region names are mostly attempts to recognize the cultural and historical geographies that bind regions together,' co-author Garrett Dash Nelson, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of Geography and the Society of Fellows at Dartmouth College told Dailymail.com.

The team of geographers from Dartmouth College and the University of Sheffield combined visual interpretation with statistical analysis for their study.

First published in the journal  'PLOS One' earlier this year, the team have given the American areas new names, and say their research sheds new light on the problem of how to divide a country up. 

'We didn't want to just name megaregions after their dominant cities like 'The Chicago Megaregion' because we wanted to show how interlinked these places are—major cities, suburbs, small towns, and even rural areas,' said Nelson. 

Researchers mapped 4 million journeys to create the stunning visualisation.

'We tried to come up with a wide variety of names, stretching from natural features (Peachtree) and historical names (Quivira) to famous people (Sandburg) and ethnocultural names (Haudenosaunee, Terrebonne). 

'All of those names are up for debate, of course, and we only offer them as a first suggestion!'

The paper uses a data set of more than 4,000,000 commuter flows as the basis for an new approach to the identification of megaregions.

'We know just how interconnected people are across vast distances in the modern economy -that's one of the basic principles of globalization,' said Nelson.

'But we still need bounded areal units for things like regional administration and transportation planning.  

'Our paper offers a new way of thinking about how these economic flows and megaregional boundaries are related.'

'The emergence in the United States of large-scale 'megaregions' centered on major metropolitan areas is a phenomenon often taken for granted in both scholarly studies and popular accounts of contemporary economic geography,' the researchers wrote.

'We compare a method which uses a visual heuristic for understanding areal aggregation to a method which uses a computational partitioning algorithm, and we reflect upon the strengths and limitations of both. 

The 'megaregion' map of America: Researchers used the data to create this 'computed communities' map which uses areas rather than traditional cities of states.

Commutes of 80km/50 miles or less in California (left, and commutes of 50km of less in the bay area (right)

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How America should be split: Community partitioning for the Lower 48 States, by tract.

'We discuss how choices about input parameters and scale of analysis can lead to different results, and stress the importance of comparing computational results with 'common sense' interpretations of geographic coherence. The results provide a new perspective on the functional economic geography of the United States from a megaregion perspective, and shed light on the old geographic problem of the division of space into areal units. 

These emerging 'megaregions' reflect the economic links woven by millions of commuters traveling to and from work each day, the team say.

They map out complex networks in which economic systems, natural resources and infrastructure are linked.

Understanding the way functional geographic connections cross over the existing borderlines of states and regions is vital for developing institutional forms that match the patterns of the contemporary world.

The study examines 4 million commuter flows based on Census Tract data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2006-2010. 

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Inter-community flows for the United States

The Census Tract was selected as the spatial unit of measure given that with an average population of 4,000, this unit was geographically large enough to reflect a major number of employers.

The geographers applied two methodologies: a visual heuristic approach and an algorithmic approach, and explain the shortcomings of relying on one approach. 

For the visual heuristic approach, which is based on a trial and error method to produce results, the ACS data was filtered based on distance and flow volume thresholds until visually effective results were obtained. 

Tract-to-Tract Commutes of 160km or less, mapped across America.

A 'commuter flow'  regionalization of the United States created by the team.

For this approach, 50 miles was used as the threshold to measure 'long distance commutes.' 

The visual approach enables an interpretive depiction of centers of employment and suburban flows; however, with no hard edges within the visual, it is difficult to determine where a functional commuter region or community may exist. 

This approach therefore requires subjective guesswork to determine regional edges.

The algorithmic approach tries to assign the census tracts or nodes into communities based on the number of commuters, using the Combo software developed at MIT's Senseable City Lab. 

Tract-to-Tract Commutes of 80km/50miles or less in Minneapolis-St. Paul (left), compared toa wider overview of The Twin Cities region (right)

The algorithm relies on the connectivity between nodes and does not take into consideration geographic proximity. 

This method can identify spatially contiguous areas that one would not ordinarily be able to determine visually. The algorithm is able to make judgement calls that one cannot make with a map.

Below are visuals from the study reflecting commutes to Minneapolis-St.Paul within a 50-mile radius based on the visual heuristic approach as compared to commutes within the Twin Cities region using the algorithmic approach. 

Relative density of connections between the Los Angeles and San Diego regions

The map of the Twin Cities region illustrates the spatial connectivity or in this case, the functional commuter regions or communities, within the broader megaregion of which the largest part is Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The study highlights the complexity of accurately capturing spatial economic analyses and is a reminder that spatial data visualizations are subjective and are not value neutral. 

Moreover, it reinforces how megaregions and the functional regions that comprise them serve as another way to define community, demonstrating the role that economic geography can have in assessing the needs of our society.

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Australian couple who bought a crumbling French Château after seeing just FOUR of its 94 rooms reveal the results of their painstaking restoration so far... but admit 'this is a lifelong commitment'

• Karen and Craig Waters, from Perth, in Western Australia, bought a Château in the south of France in 2013
• Since then, the ambitious couple have spent the past four years renovating the level one historical monument
• Slowly and steadily, they have been learning the property's secrets, and re-building their dream property
• They stumbled upon the property by chance - 'We were hooked on the promise of another life,' Ms Waters said
• FEMAIL spoke to Ms Waters about the work they've already done - and what is still left to do on the Château
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It started off as a pipe dream - to buy a French farmhouse and holiday home for their family of four to spend the summers in. 

Now, nearly four years later, Karina and Craig Waters, from Perth in Western Australia, are the proud owners and chief restorers of the sprawling Château de Gudanes in Verdun, in the south of France.

The couple have spent the past four years renovating the level one historical monument - which dates from the golden age of the reign of King Louis XVI - learning its secrets and slowly re-building their dream property.

While the couple have done a lot of work, their job is still not done. 

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Karina and Craig Waters started with a pipe dream; to buy a property in France, perhaps a farmhouse

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Now, nearly four years later, the couple from Perth in Western Australia, are the proud owners and chief restorers of the sprawling Château de Gudanes in Verdun, in the south of France (pictured)

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The couple (pictured) have spent the past four years renovating the level one historical monument - which dates from the golden age of the reign of King Louis XVI - learning its secrets and slowly re-building their dream property

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When they first acquired the Château, the building was crumbling (pictured) and Mr and Mrs Waters could only view four of the 94 rooms available

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The couple have done much work on the Château (pictured), but say it is a 'lifelong commitment' which they love

'Our property search in France began when our daughter, Jasmine, spent a month in France while she was in school,' Karina Waters told Daily Mail Australia.

'Craig was tracking Jasmine's every move on the computer, and so advertisements for French real estate began to pop up as suggestions for him to look at. 

'We stumbled upon a French property blog, which enticed us with photos of French farmhouses in picturesque rural villages. Before we knew it, we were hooked on French real estate websites and the promise of another life. 

'We found Château de Gudanes on the Internet just a few days before we left, and decided to include it on our viewing itinerary.'

The rest, as they say, was history.

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'Our property search in France began when our daughter, Jasmine, spent a month in France while she was in school,' Karina Waters told Daily Mail Australia (pictured: the staircase towards the beginning of restoration and more recently)

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'We found Château de Gudanes on the Internet just a few days before we left, and decided to include it on our viewing itinerary,' Ms Waters said - the rest is history (pictured: one room previously)

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Once they saw the property, they fell in love instantly (pictured: one room more recently)

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The historic Château, which overlooks the Midi-Pyrénées (pictured), was half in ruins when the Waters family took over with many rooms having no ceiling or floor and the place had remarkably never been outfitted with heat or electricity

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Since the couple made the purchase in 2013, restoring and attaining the Château has been a lengthy and involved process

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'Buying an almost ruined Château which was classified as a level one historical monument in a country where we didn't even speak the language was always going to be challenging,' Ms Waters laughed

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'To add to that, we had very little background in architecture, restoration or old buildings. When we put in the offer, we had in fact only seen four of the 94 rooms (most were inaccessible because there were no ceilings or floors),' she said

Since the couple made the purchase in 2013, restoring and attaining the Château has been a lengthy and involved process.

 Buying an almost ruined Château which was classified as a level one historical monument in a country where we didn't even speak the language was always going to be challenging

'Buying an almost ruined Château which was classified as a level one historical monument in a country where we didn't even speak the language was always going to be challenging,' Ms Waters laughed.

Remarkably, the historic Château, which overlooks the Midi-Pyrénées, had never been outfitted with heat or electricity prior to their ownership.

'To add to that, we had very little exposure or background in architecture, restoration or old buildings. When we put in the offer, we had in fact only seen four of the 94 rooms (most were inaccessible because there were no ceilings or floors). Trees were growing inside and on the roof!'. 

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In many of the rooms, trees were growing on the ceilings (pictured: the exterior)

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In 201, the ambitious pair set to work and began to update the crumbling building (pictured)

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To conduct any work at all - even the smallest of details - they had to apply and receive permission from the Historic Monuments of France

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'In the first phase, our builders re-installed all the walls, ceilings and floors that had collapsed. Prior to that, they had to remove the 500 tonnes of rubble from inside,' Ms Waters said.

However, undeterred, the ambitious pair set to work and began to update the crumbling building.

To conduct any work at all - even the smallest of details - they had to apply and receive permission from the Historic Monuments of France.

'In the first phase, our builders re-installed all the walls, ceilings and floors that had collapsed. Prior to that, they had to remove the 500 tonnes of rubble from inside,' Ms Waters said.

Next, they had to apply again to the Historic Monuments to make more changes.

'It usually takes several years before anything else can go ahead,' Ms Waters explained. 'In the meantime, we have been doing smaller tasks, and also continuing to reinstall things like tiling.

'Last year, we also milled the trees which had fallen in the Château park, and our local artisan helper, David, used the wood to create two massive Medieval-inspired tables.'

It's been an in-depth job so far - Ms Waters confessed they've put in as many hours 'as humanly possible', but she added: 'Every day counts towards building a dream, and a sustainable future for the Château'.

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'Last year, we also milled the trees which had fallen in the Château park, and our local artisan helper, David, used the wood to create two massive Medieval-inspired tables,' she added

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It's been an in-depth job so far - Ms Waters confessed they've put in as many hours 'as humanly possible', but she added: 'Every day counts towards building a dream, and a sustainable future for the Château'

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With regards to their highlights during their Château restoration, Ms Waters said there have been many - they have discovered what they think was once an escape tunnel leading to the local village

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'The Château has revealed her history to us slowly,' Ms Waters said

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Other incredible finds from the past four years include bone, ceramics, a fresco painting and Venetian glassware (pictured)

With regards to their highlights during their epic Château restoration so far, Ms Waters said there have been many.

'We have discovered some very interesting "finds" at the Château along the journey. The Château has revealed her history to us slowly.

'One example from when we first started occurred when the builders found a hole in the ground. After they started excavating it, they figured that it goes at least six metres underneath the ground.

'We think it may have been an escape tunnel to the local village. There is even a boarded up doorway on the walls around the Château grounds leading there.'

Other incredible finds from the past four years include bone, ceramics, a fresco painting and Venetian glassware. 

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Later this year, the couple are set to open the Château as a working hotel for visitors. Mr and Mrs Waters will also release a book about their journey in 2018

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'The Château is a keeper of memories, and whatever we endeavour to do in the future will be about passing on and sharing these memories, and the past itself,' Ms Waters said

Later this year, the couple are set to open the Château as a working hotel for visitors. Mr and Mrs Waters will also release a book about their journey in 2018.

The Château already has thousands of fans - 230,000 people follow the project on Instagram, while countless more check into the Waters' website for updates about events coming up.

'The Château is a keeper of memories, and whatever we endeavour to do in the future will be about passing on and sharing these memories, and the past itself,' Ms Waters said.

'As the restoration journey progresses it becomes clearer to us each day that we need to learn to slowly adapt ourselves to the Château, rather than forcibly demand her to adapt to us.'

While this has meant living without the facilities they had been accustomed to in the past at times, Ms Waters said the couple are fine with that.

'Life does not move fast here, and there is a definite serenity in being disconnected from the rush of the rest of the world. This is a lifelong commitment.'

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