Railroads and the Making of Modern America has a really interesting series of maps up, illustrating how long it took to travel across the country at various times in American history.

In 1800 it took 4 days to get from DC to New York. By 1830 it took only 2, and by the 1850s it could be done in less than 1.

Here’s the first map, but take a look at them all.