Become a cartographer without using ArcView.
The National Atlas of the United States of America , combines data on people (population, crime, poverty, energy consumption), transportation (airports, roads, waterways) and natural resources gathered from more than 20 federal agencies.

Create maps by clicking on Map Maker, or play with the site's Dynamic Maps: -- interactive maps such as one that shows active volcanoes in our region. The professional mappers at the paper should check out Mapping Professionals.

Note: Most of the data collected is at a scale of 1:2,000,000 and are intended for use at national or large regional scales. In the Map Maker, a bar scale appears under the map. The U.S. Geological Survey updates the National Atlas site quarterly.