Post an interesting fact about your state or province.

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I'll start.

There is a special formula of Dr. Pepper that uses pure sugar (as opposed to corn syrup).

The catch: It's only sold within 44 miles of Dublin, Texas (in Erath County, near Stephenville).

The Isle of Wight is the smallest county in England (excluding the City of London) during high tide, but during low tide it is larger than Rutland.

Hedmark is known for its corn production and vast forrests. You can enter the
forrest here and walk in it all the way through Sweden, Finland and Russia
until you run out of land and stand in the ocean.

edit---
oh, one fact, sorry

Virginia was the home of eight U.S. presidents with four of them in the first five presidents in our nation's history.
Virginia is also home to the number one Up-and-coming National University, George Mason University.
http://www.gmu.edu/primer/

West Central Florida has, on average, more lightning strikes than any other area.

The Wright Brothers flew the first airplane in my state of North Carolina.

Factoid topic

Ontario, Canada has the longest freshwater beach in the world at Wasaga. A member here called Tahloola has a thread about Happy Dogs at the Beach! and the beach to which she refers in her photos is Wasaga. Nice pics!

The province of Alberta has been completely free of rats since 1905

The largest park in the contiguous US, Adirondack Park, is in New York State.

York, PA was the first capital of the United States.

California

You Know You're In California When...

1. The fastest part of your commute is down your own driveway.

2. You were born somewhere else.

3. You know how to eat an artichoke.

4. The primary bugs that you worry about are electronic.

5. Your car has bulletproof windows.

6. Left is right and right is wrong.

7. Your monthly house payments exceed your annual income.

8. Your mouse has only one ball.

9. You need a new TV, you can run down to the local riot and pick one up.

10. You dive under a desk whenever a large truck goes by.

11. You can't find your other earring because your son is wearing it.

12. You drive to your neighborhood block party.

13. Your family tree contains 'significant others'.

14. Your cat has it's own psychiatrist.

15. You don't exterminate your roaches, you smoke them.

16. You see 25 lawyers chasing an ambulance.

17. More than clothes come out of the closets.

18. When 'the Dead' are best live.

19. You go to a tanning salon before going to the beach.

20. Your blind date turns out to be your ex-spouse.

21. More money is spent on face lifts than on diapers.

22. Smoking in your office is not optional.

23. When you can't schedule a meeting because you must 'do lunch'.

24. Your children learned to walk in Birkenstocks.

25. Rainstorms or thunder are the lead story for the local news.

26. You'll reluctantly miss yoga class to wait for the hot tub repairman.

27. You consult your horoscope before planning your day.

28. A glass has been reserved for you at your favorite winery.

29. When all highways into the state say: 'no fruits'.

30. All highways out of the state say: 'Go back'.

31. You pack shorts and a T-shirt for skiing in the snow, and a sweater and a wetsuit for the beach.

32. You grow resentful upon seeing an out-of-state license plate.

33. You know all the Disneyland cast members on a first-name basis.

34. Televised car chases fascinate you because the participants actually get up to the speed limit on freeways during the day.

35. Your gardener is Mexican, your accountant is Chinese, your mechanic is from Viet Nam, you watch Korean TV, your neighbors are Persian, your barber is Thai, your Governor speaks with an Austrian accent, and all of you hate tourists from out-of-state.

I know ... more than one thing ...

York can claim to have been a capital of the United States, but its claim to having been the first is extremely tenuous.

New York is usually considered to be the first capital of the United States. It was the place where the government of the United States of America was first located. The United States of America and its government were created by the Constitution. This government came into existence on 4 March 1789, when George Washington was sworn in as President on the steps of Federal Hall in New York. Congress and the President were located in New York at that time. New York was the seat of government simply because it was the last place the Second Continental Congress, the predecessor of the United States government, was located.

York's claim to being the first capital of the United States rests on the Second Continental Congress having met there from September 1777 to June 1778. However, it was by no means the first place the Second Continental Congress met - that was Philadelphia, where it declared the independence of the thirteen colonies. It was the place that the Articles of Confederation were written and ratified, but that is a very odd definition of "first capital". The Congress of Confederation never even met in York; by the time the Articles came into effect, the Second Continental Congress (which became the Congress of Confederation) had moved back to Philadelphia, which it only left because the British occupied it.

North Carolina has the third highest gas tax in the nation, and our government brags about it!

Stephen Harper says "Ontario is the last place to invest"

Texas can split into 5 states if it so chooses.

So far, it has never been done.

Pennsylvania is a leading coal-producing state and is the only state mining anthracite coal.

And no mention of the PA coal industry is complete without mention of the Centralia Mine fire, which
(1) has been burning since May 27, 1962
(2) could continue to burn for up to (possibly over) another 100 years
(3) turned a town of over 2,000 into a town of 9

Last edited by RohrbachDS on 11 Oct 2008, 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.