title: displaying sorted data in multiple columns
body: <p>Suppose I'm trying to displaying all US states in two columns, ordered alphabetically. Which approach is better from the usability standpoint?</p>
  
  <p>Is it sorting horizontally, like: </p>
  
  <pre><code>Alabama  | Alaska
  Arizona  | Arkansas 
  Colorado | Connecticut
  Delaware | Georgia
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>or is it vertically, like:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Alabama  | Montana 
  Alaska   | Nebraska
  Arizona  | New Hampshire
  Arkansas | New Jersey
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I tried googling for an authoritative answer backed by some testing, but all I've found are opinions.</p>
  
  <p>Is it just a personal preference thing and no option is better than the other?</p>