Little known facts of your hometown/state/province?

[KevWind]

Wyoming 21 years before it was even a state, granted women the right to vote in
1869. On September 6, 1870, Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming became the first woman to cast a vote in a general election. At the time were an estimated 6000 males and 1000 females in the Wyoming territory.

In Bondurant Wyoming, population 155 elevation 6,611 ft. the record high (95 F) and low (-57) create 152 degrees F of temperature change

[islandguitar]

Rhode Island ("The Ocean State) is the smallest state, yet, has 400 miles of coastline.
I live in Jamestown an island community connected by two bridges, of about 6,000 year round folks, with a lot of second home/seasonal folks. It's been reported to be the tenth most popular second-home town in the country.
Movies made here:
"Wind" (Mathew McConaughey))
"Me Myself and Irene".(Jim Carey)
"Dan in Real Life" (Steve Carrell). There are folks who visit who followed this movie and research where everything took place. It has quite a following.

We have the second oldest Lighthouse in the Country.

A legend here speculates that the pirate Captain Kid left buried treasure here!

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Ludere

Well covered, Bob!
Fellow Hampton Roads resident here - Suffolk, VA - about 35 miles west of Virginia Beach proper.
Moved here from NY about 30 years ago, and still loving the 'anonymity'!
~ Paul

Yeah, Paul. Your city is the largest city in Virginia in terms of square mileage. By the way, I married a New York girl nearly forty years ago, a sweetheart from Long Island by way of New Jersey. It was probably the best decision of my life. There are some real peaches up there. New York Peaches. Doesn't have the ring of Georgia Peaches, but it will have to do.


Bob

[saxonblue]

The Australian Capital Territory (or ACT) is the smallest state or territory in Australia. It was gazetted & surveyed not long after federation (1901) to accommodate the national capital, Canberra which occupies the NE corner, the rest is mostly bush & there is some remaining farmland.

It is also entirely landlocked by surrounding New South Wales (NSW) & has no coastline unlike any other state/territory. Well technically it does as there is a separate parcel of land at Jervis Bay on the south coast also considered part of the ACT as it was deemed essential at the time for the capital to have a naval port.

The design for the city of Canberra went out to tender & was awarded to the architect Walter Burley Griffin, originally from Chicago, in 1911. His wife Marion Mahony Griffin, an MIT graduate whom he met while they both worked under Frank Lloyd Wright was also his business partner. Much of his design was undermined by planning authorities with whom the Griffins had a frosty relationship. There is a living legacy to Griffin in the form of a Redwood plantation established by him & Charles Weston, the territory's horticulturist in 1918 next to the airport.

One of the city & territory's most influential proponents was King O'Malley, also originally an American. He was later elected to parliament & as home affairs minister during the period after WW1 & into the depression imposed prohibition in the territory (He was a teetotaller). Given at the time the majority of the residents were the construction workers building the city this was not a popular move & didn't last long. Ironically there is now a pub in the city centre named after him.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Tyeetime

Yale, British Columbia: Population 186

Was once the largest city west of Chicago and North of San Francisco.

Was the home of W.P. Kinsella who wrote the novel Shoeless Joe which was later adapted into the movie Field of Dreams.

Today you can pan for gold or try to catch a 10' sturgeon. It is located in the magnificent Fraser Canyon, right on the Trans Canada Highway.

Must be a beautiful place. I'm guessing I've flown over it dozens of times when I connect through Vancouver.

[AX17609]

Detroit is home to the oldest surviving ginger ale brand in the U.S. -- Vernors.

Drinking Vernors is definitely a Michigan thing, and people outside of the state should be jealous they can't get ahold of the refreshing soft drink. Created in 1866 by James Vernor, a Detroit pharmacist, it is a staple in Michigan and a cure-all for most diseases.

[Tahitijack]

We have some amazing surf here and folks that know how to ride. Please don't tell anyone I told you.

One of the little known facts about my funky little beach town...before the pandemic... you can find live music every night of the week in our bars and restaurants. In summer we put up a stage and have bands on the sand and a few street music festivals. Even our outdoor mall has live acoustic music on weekends and holidays.

[Slothead56]

Originally Posted by hopdemon

There is no town of Hershey.Hershey is the name of a chocolate company that is in Derry Township.No Hershey Pa

And, despite popular thought, there are no “Hershey’s” running Hershey Chocolate. Mr. & Mrs. Hershey had no children and no heirs.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Have you been to either place (just curious)?

Tony

The Dinner Theater, yes, Paisley Park, no. My son and his wife had their wedding reception at the Dinner Theater a bit over 4 years ago - a most splendid occasion, very well done indeed.

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

My ex sister in law and her new husband worked at the Dinner theater. Her husband was the lead in most every show for about 10 years and she was often the female lead or close to it.

The Dinner Theater puts on a very good show - we've seen a few there over the years. The meal service, in particular, is an awesome show of efficiency (even though the food itself is not that great).

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by eatswodo

The Dinner Theater, yes, Paisley Park, no. My son and his wife had their wedding reception at the Dinner Theater a bit over 4 years ago - a most splendid occasion, very well done indeed.



The Dinner Theater puts on a very good show - we've seen a few there over the years. The meal service, in particular, is an awesome show of efficiency (even though the food itself is not that great).

We do have some fine establishments around the Twin Cities. It will be interesting to see how they fare as we "open up" (like fine Brazilian rosewood). If these places can't run at capacity, I can't see how they will do it unless they charge what customers they have, more to cover it. It has been years since we have been to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, but I hope it survives so we and others can go again. I suppose we are not connoisseurs of fine food, so what they had was good for us.

Tony

[endpin]

An obscure musical connection -

I live not far from the so called "Van Zandt Cabin" along the Trinity River in Fort Worth which is considered one of the oldest original houses in the city.

The singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt was related to the owner Khleber Miller Van Zandt who was a famous mover & shaker in the formative years of the city.

Legend has it that when the Trinity river was too high for the passing stagecoach to cross, they would put them up for the night till the river went down.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

Widely known in Canada and perhaps some parts of the world, but don’t know about the U.S. ... the longest winter skating rink in the world is the Rideau Canal Skateway located in the city where I live in Ottawa, Ontario. The entire waterway/canal itself is 125 miles long connecting the Ottawa River to the St. Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario. It was opened in 1832 after six years of construction as a precaution in case of war with the U.S. The entire waterway is popular for pleasure boating. The winter skateway itself is 5 miles long, meandering through sections of the city of Ottawa. Just beautiful.

This photo is in downtown Ottawa near our Parliament Buildings which houses our federal government.

Hi Tom,
My sister lived many years in Ottawa, and my niece (her daughter) currently lives and teaches there, so I was familiar with the above, although, have never been there in the winter.
It is indeed a very beautiful city. No doubt about that.

[Inyo]

Originally Posted by Th'Axe

Victorville, CA, Mojave Desert, my birthplace.

Home of Joshua trees.

The Joshua is...related to an artichoke.

No.

The Joshua Tree is a yucca, a monocotyledon. The artichoke is a dicotyledon, and resides in the same botanical family as a daisy (Asteraceae).

Of course, there's a so-called Artichoke agave succulent that is obviously not a true artichoke, though in general growth pattern it does resemble one; the monocotyledon Artichoke agave belongs to the same subfamily as a Joshua Tree yucca--the Agavoideae (formerly known as the Agavaceae family).

Originally Posted by Slothead56

And, despite popular thought, there are no “Hershey’s” running Hershey Chocolate.

Mr. & Mrs. Hershey had no children and no heirs.

So no chocolate éclheirs?

[Frostie]

Originally Posted by M19

I'm from Minnesota.

We're really NOT that nice.

Texas resident here. Few years ago we drove to N. Dakota on business, then traveled east through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, before turning southward for home. Based solely on our tourism stops, here’s how I would rank the folks we met in order of niceness:

1. Canadians
2. Minnesotans
3. Michiganders
4. Wisconsinites
5. N. Dakotans

Just one man’s opinion.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Frostie

Texas resident here. Few years ago we drove to N. Dakota on business, then traveled east through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, before turning southward for home. Based solely on our tourism stops, here’s how I would rank the folks we met in order of niceness:

1. Canadians
2. Minnesotans
3. Michiganders
4. Wisconsinites
5. N. Dakotans

Just one man’s opinion.

Thank you! I see Minnesota as #2 (where I live), and Canada as #1. No problem there. When I was on the road full time as a musician, we spent about 6 months up in Canada playing in clubs all over. They were really, really nice folks. Then again, when I spent time in Toronto and Ottawa as a software engineer working with Bell Northern Research on a project, it was the same story. I had a great time all around.

As for Numbers 3, 4, and 5, I have had no problems there either, but am tickled that you enjoyed Minnesota, where I have lived since leaving the band in 1978.

Tony