This story appears in the March 2010 issue of National Geographic magazine. From the air, the lines etched in the floor of the desert were hard to see, like drawings left in the sun too long.

Topsfield, Mass.— A voice has long whispered in American ears: Bigger, it says. So we get Manifest Destiny. And the Empire State Building. And the McMansion and the Humvee and the concept of ...

The commercial construction industry is booming. Office towers are popping up in Manhattan at their fastest pace in decades. “There are 23 buildings under construction with an average of 32 stories, ...

Area farmers are learning how the sediment left behind from Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters will impact their crops. Sand, ...