Fun Fact about your hometown/state

[Sapphire Silk]

6. Belle Fourche is the geographical center of the United States, designated in 1959.

I lived for a couple of years in Minot, ND (Why not Minot? Cuz Freezin's the reason!).

North Dakota has the geographical center of North America in Rugby ND (which has been mentioned in 2 Law and Order Episodes). I worked briefly at the Heart of America Medical Center in Rugby.

[Salted Grump]

General Trivia about Canada:

-We have nearly 20% of the world's oil and natural gas reserves, a large margin of which is in the Oil Sands.

-The Canadian shield is, arguably, the largest slab of Precambrian rock known to exist, with its only real competition being all of Australia.

-Sudbury, known as the 'nickel' of Ontario, is partially built into the second-largest impact crater in the world, with the Chicxulub crater (alleged to have killed the dinosaurs) being roughly 10% smaller.

- The Geographic and Magnetic north Poles are both in Canadian territory (Geographic pole is disputed with Russia).

-Alert, Nunavut, is the Northernmost settlement in the world; it has a permanent population of five (down from nearly 75 when it was an active part of the DEW system), and is less than 900 kilometers from the Geographic North Pole.

-Canada has 'samples' of practically every biome known, barring tropical biomes. Yes, British Columbia has rainforests.

-Approximately 20% of the world's Uranium supply is Canadian, which has the highest natural density of the isotope in the raw ore. (Average of 23% uranium per ton of ore in Canada, while most other uranium mines hover between 0.5 and 2%) Canadal also produces nearly 30% of the world's refined uranium. (the US produces 2.5%)

[EricKei]

More from me for da Big Easy...

Presumably due to the constantly-shifting, rich water-soaked earth underfoot, some plants thrive here that really have no business growing in this climate at all; I wanna say that palms, bananas and plaintains are among them.

When you go to a relative's house to "visit" for more than an hour or two, there is a decent chance that you will be sent home with a paper grocery bag full of excess food (deli meats, drinks, pints of gumbo or red beans, random leftovers, etc). This chance rises with each passing hour, and goes up exponentially if it's actually a party or a situation where you brought food to begin with. The food you take home is not necessarily related to what you bring. Case in point - the haul from last night's XMAS party: 3 2-liters of cokes, some fried chicken, and a bunch of mini-muffalettas. I brought them...brownies.

We do not think it is at all odd to have musicians (especially local bands) performing in retail establishments. E.g., yesterday, Benny Grunch an' da Bunch were playing live in Walgreens, of all places, to a (politely) packed house, tho they made sure to leave room for shoppers to pass easily.

Many people here, especially in da'Burbs, are very hidebound. Or, to use the local version, they are of the "Laissez Faire" (lit, "Let It Be") persuasion. The notion of "change for the sake of change", aka "Progress when what we have works just fine", is entirely alien. They bank heavily on Tradition-with-a-capital-T.

We also tend to be somewhat xenophobic, even towards other Louisianians, to an extent. One of the most damning things a "local" can say about another person is that "he's not from here". In both politics and business, that one thing can be the one deciding factor in a choice between two candidates or potential business partners.

[Zaiida]

Apparently my little rural town is the largest producer of olive oil in Australia and makes up 40-50% of the olive oil exports as well. It's won numerous interational awards as well over 150 of them. Really amazing since the company has only been around since 1996 and started selling in 2001.

Colour me surprised I only saw it in my supermarket last year and I though it was a quaint little company. Made my eyebrows meet my hairline when I found it how big this local company was and our local population is under 6,500 people.

We also have a lot of grapevines and local wineries and an absurd amount of cockatoos.

[Cat]

I should visit CO. I find I'm happiest when I am above 3000'. Odd, since I was born in Tampa

Ok, fun fact about my old home town in CT...if you live near the Green, you cannot have colored Christmas lights, only white. A few people broke the rule this year.

[Sapphire Silk]

I should visit CO. I find I'm happiest when I am above 3000'. Odd, since I was born in Tampa

Ok, fun fact about my old home town in CT...if you live near the Green, you cannot have colored Christmas lights, only white. A few people broke the rule this year.

Seems like an odd rule, and unenforceable.

[kansasgal]

Where I am originally from is Portland, Or., also known as "Stumptown". That was going to be it's name until they took a vote.

They don't have sales tax in Oregon, and you can't pump your own gas (which really gets me confused when I go back there)

Oregon votes by mail. You get your ballot, decide who to vote for and mail it back (or drop it off). There are no polling places

Portland is known as the "City of Roses" and has the Rose Festival every year, also known to the single girls as "YIPPEE" as all of the Navy and Coast Guard boats come to town for a two week liberty. You can call "Dial a Sailor" and actually request one ....

Where I live now:

Junction City, Kansas is home of Fort Riley, home of the "Big Red 1"

Timothy McVeigh stayed here the night before he bombed Oklahoma City, and rented the U-Haul truck at one of our stores

[dawnfire]

Apparently my little rural town is the largest producer of We also have a lot of grapevines and local wineries and an absurd amount of cockatoos.

We have an absurd amount of cockatoos too. At our last property we had a chicken coop and made the mistake of leaving the feeders out in the pen. now these feeders (it looked like this http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/...ultry-117.html )held a lot of feed (about a few kgs worth). The following morning we came to a sight of cockatoos (50 or so) shoulder to shoulder on the coop fences eating all the chicken feed. needless to say we moved the feeders into the hen house.

[Cat]

Seems like an odd rule, and unenforceable.

It is odd, but the Green is in the historical district...so they want to keep it quaint, lol

[BlaqueKatt]

we have an official city flag-it can be found here

[Canihelpurass]

My city has a to Scale model of the solar system spread through the city

[Cat]

My city has a to Scale model of the solar system spread through the city

I've heard of this . Did they boot poor Pluto? (I still claim its a planet!)

[Kanalah]

my city installed the first parking meter. (sorry guys)

Chuck Norris was born in my state, so you know it's awesome.

We have a glass botanical garden downtown that was designed by I M Pei

Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci live here

[EyeTeaGuy]

Forgot one that is just too, too good to leave unsaid -

Denver is the only city in the history of the Olympics to be awarded the games, and then GIVE THEM BACK.

Denver was awarded the 76 winter games, since it would be the bicentennial for the country and the centennial for our state. (Our nickname IS the Centennial State, we got admitted in 1876)

In about 72 or so, the voters rejected some sales tax increases to pay for it. They were also concerned about what it would do to the "lifestyle" here, and thought everyone would want to come and live here, ruining it for the natives. Dumb, I know. Especially since the state population has more than doubled since 76, and is close to tripling....

Anyways, so CO has a bit to play in the Miracle On Ice from the 1980 Lake Placid Games - if the 76 games are played in Denver (They went to Innsbruck instead), there's no way the next games are in Lake Placid. Also, the tryout camp for that team was held down in Colorado Springs, since to this day the HQ for US Olympics is down there.

And Denver is thinking about bidding for the 2022 winter games....

[Carina16]

Current town:

Has the first NASCAR sanctioned track.
Original home of Lowe's Food
Original home of Lowe's hardware
Parts of Days of Thunder filmed here
Hometown:

Daniel Boone's nephews started the first church in town
Tweetsie Railroad
Where the Lilys Bloom filmed here