Angle Township, Minnesota
The international border crosses the Lake of the Woods diagonally, towards its northernmost point at the Angle Inlet, then abruptly heads due south for 27 miles to pick up the 49th Parallel. This unusual border behavior isolates a piece of Minnesota, surrounded by water, disconnected by land from the rest of the US. The community here is known as the Northwest Angle Township, or simply the Angle. Around two hundred people live in the Angle, depending on the season. And though 70% of the Angle is native land, there are no full time native residents here. The only way in by land is by a road from the west, across the border from Manitoba. Unusual for an official border crossing, there are no Ports of Entry anywhere near either side of the line. Instead a sign at the border instructs travelers to report in via videophone in a booth at "Jim’s Corner", eight miles down the road. There are two developed areas on the Angle, at either end of Dawson Road. At the west end is Young’s Bay, with a marina and an Outlying Area Reporting Station (OARS) booth, there for boaters arriving at the Angle from Canadian places on the lake to report in with Customs and Immigration. There is a boat ramp, fuel, and Jerry’s, with a sign that declares it to be “the most northerly bar in the lower 48,” and currently the only place to eat on the Angle. The post office at Angle Inlet declares to be the most northerly post office in the contiguous US.