200 US Counties Still Prohibit Booze

Prohibition came off the books in 1933, and the liquor flowed again. But a swath of the US, concentrated mainly in the South, remains booze-free to this day by law. More than 200 dry counties exist in the country, along with plenty more that are partially dry. Now the bleak economy is encouraging many of the US' last teetotalers to rethink their ban on alcohol in order to lift local commerce, reports the BBC. (It even has a color-coded map of "wet and dry America.")

In Kentucky, the majority of its 120 counties are dry or somewhat dry, even though the state is home turf to Jim Beam and Maker's Mark. One Kentucky community, Williamsburg, recently voted to allow limited access to booze. Williamsburg had prohibited alcohol for ages, but fear of losing business to nearby wet counties and an evolving liberal stance toward liquor drove the decision. "I hope that we can move into the 21st century and take advantage of a lot of the things that other communities have," says the local lawyer who led the push. (More liquor stories.)