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Interesting thread. The metro I live in is anchored by Mobile, AL, so I will use it.
1. Mobile Bay is one of the few places in the entire world where "Jubilees" occur. This is where fish, shrimp, and crabs come into very shallow waters in Mobile Bay in large swarms. You can go out to the shore when this is happening, and you can easily get as much crab or flounder as you want. You can, quite literally, just pick them out of the water by hand, or stand at the edge and "gig" as many flounder as you want. The shore is packed with people when this happens.
2. Mobile is old. First settled in 1702 (making it older than New Orleans by 15-16 years, for instance), and has had the flags of 6 different nations flying at some point in its history.
3. Mobile is one of the rainiest cities in the US. It averages something like 65 inches a year. And believe me, when you live here, it is quite obvious!
4. Jimmy Buffett grew up here.
5. You can thank Mobile for any red fire ants you may see, as they came into the US through the Port of Mobile.
6. 5 MLB hall of famers are from Mobile (Hank Aaron, Billy Williams, Willie McCovey, Satchel Paige, and Ozzie Smith). This puts Mobile behind only NYC and Chicago in terms of the number of MLB hall of famers.
7. We have a battleship and sub docked right outside of downtown, that you can tour. A bunch of school kids raised the money to move it here back in the 60's, from Washington.
8. One of the first videos to ever go viral was filmed in Mobile. If you want to check it out, just type in "Crichton Leprechaun".
9. Austal, a company in downtown Mobile, manufactures warships for the Navy. Check out the Littoral Combat Ships for an example. They are pretty impressive. Airbus also manufactures planes in the city.
10. And finally, Mobile is home to the original Mardi Gras, not New Orleans. Joe Cain brought Mardi Gras to the states WAAAYYYYY back in 1703.
Some of these may be known to outsiders, but a lot of people seem to know very little about Mobile, so hopefully this list is interesting to a few of you!
I really am learning a lot of interesting facts here. I also always heard about DC being a former swamp. Never thought about what that would mean for the subway there so now I feel dumb... lol
1. The Twin Cities have the second highest number of theater seats per capita second only to NYC!
2. The quietest room in the world is located in Minneapolis - it's so quiet that you can hear your blood running through your veins (as well as as all of your other internal body functions) and most people can't handle being in there for longer than a minute.
3. Minneapolis is the only major city located both East AND West of the Mississippi - and the Eastern side (known as Nordeast Minneapolis) has a more traditional rust belt/East coast feel whereas the parts of the city West of the river feel considerably newer and "midwestern."
4. The 45th Parallel runs directly through the city - making Minneapolis exactly half way between the equator and the North Pole.
5. Minneapolis has the largest Somali enclave anywhere in the world outside of Somalia. The neighborhood is called Cedar Riverside, and while falsely labeled by locals as being ghetto and unsafe, features towering projects housing this population as well as plentiful authentic East African cuisine.
6. Minneapolis also houses a major Hispanic population. There are areas of South Minneapolis, particularly along East Lake St., where Spanish is universal, signage is in Spanish, and in the summer it can feel like Mexico minus the palm trees.
7. Twin Cities natives will be the first to brag about the Mall of America being located here, but no true Minneapolitan would be caught dead actually shopping there.
8. MSP airport is directly North of the Minnesota River. If you're on an inbound flight approaching from the South, looking out the window you'll get the illusion that the plane is going to land either in open water or in a swamp. It's only 3-4 seconds before landing that the water disappears and you fly over a freeway at a 100 foot altitude and touch down.
9. Minnesota's highest performing athletic team (minus the Vikings in the 2017/2018 season) are the Lynx, the local WNBA team.
10. There is no regional/intentional airport in the lower 48 that's longer than a 3H 30M flight from MSP.
1. Its site was chosen by George Washington - it's only about 15 miles from his home, Mount Vernon. It was considered equidistant from both the north and south of the new nation. Originally 10 miles long by 10 miles wide, the Arlington portion was later returned to Virginia. The present D.C. is only about 63 square miles. All during the early 19th century the streets were rough and muddy, crime and prostitution were rampant. "Lobbyists" would meet legislators in hotel "lobbies." During and after the Civil War, the city was flooded first with runaway slaves, and then with freed slaves. Up until the mid-20th century, some areas only 1/2 mile south-west of the U.S. Capitol were slums with out-houses, no indoor plumbing. Huge population jumps occured during the Civil War, World War I, the Roosevelt New Deal, and finally World War II.
2. Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, and has 3 buildings occupying 3 whole city blocks. Many of its employees research relevant issues for members of Congress to help them decide what side to take on issues. Band composer John Philip Sousa, and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, were both born and grew up in the Capitol Hill row-house area.
3. Washington National Cathedral (Episcopal) - and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic) are among the very largest church buildings in the entire world. Yet, they don't even rank among the top attractions.
4. Howard Univ (DC) and Meharry (Nashville) are the only 2 historically black medical schools in all the USA.
5. The Pentagon (technically in Arlington, Va.) used to be called the "world's largest office building." Its construction was rushed through during W.W.2 in an effort to efficiently consolidate the headquarters of all armed services branches under one roof, and facilitate communication.
6. The DC metro area, year after year, is ranked the A.A.A. as having the 2nd-worst traffic congestion in the entire USA - despite having the nation's second-busiest subway system. The transit agency does not have "dedicated" guaranteed funding - but must beg and negotiate each year with the different counties and jurisdictions for funding.
7. There is a height limit on buildings on D.C..... High-rise buildings are only located outside the city limits in inner-beltway suburbs.
8. The world's largest cemetery (I think) is in Arlington, Va. It was built on land confiscated from Confederate General, Robert E. Lee's plantation, and used to be open to any honorably discharged veteran, however, now they are having to ration the limited remaining space.
9. Northwest D.C. and the areas 3 airports have an over-abundance of taxicabs, so much that they waste time queuing up in long lines for passengers, idling rather than driving. Most are driven by immigrants from Ethiopia, Pakistan, Punjab, Nigeria, and other developing countries, many with college degrees but who haven't passed certification to practice their profession in America. It's illegal for taxis registered in one state to pick-up passengers in a neighboring state, therefore billions of gallons of gasoline are wasted driving empty back to the state of origin, or to the airport of origin, before they're allowed to wait in line again to pick up the next passenger in the state where theyre licensed. All of this needless driving empty, only further adds to the extreme traffic congestion, and air pollution. Only recently did they adopt a metered system, instead of a city-zoned system.
10. In the early 1950s, a runaway passenger train with failing brakes, crashed at high speed into Union Station, and then fell through to the lower level. People in the station were alerted to vacate the area quickly, and no one was hurt. The Beatles played their very first North American concert in D.C. in 1964, after arriving at J.F.K. Airport in N.Y.C.
11. The Smithsonian Institution is possibly the world's largest collection of free-of-charge Museums.
12. D.C. auto license plates read "Taxation without Representation" which means the city's citizens have never had voting Congressional representation. Their elected Congressional delegate has an advisory role only.
Last edited by slowlane3; 01-15-2019 at 10:33 PM..
1. The Twin Cities have the second highest number of theater seats per capita second only to NYC!
2. The quietest room in the world is located in Minneapolis - it's so quiet that you can hear your blood running through your veins (as well as as all of your other internal body functions) and most people can't handle being in there for longer than a minute.
3. Minneapolis is the only major city located both East AND West of the Mississippi - and the Eastern side (known as Nordeast Minneapolis) has a more traditional rust belt/East coast feel whereas the parts of the city West of the river feel considerably newer and "midwestern."
4. The 45th Parallel runs directly through the city - making Minneapolis exactly half way between the equator and the North Pole.
5. Minneapolis has the largest Somali enclave anywhere in the world outside of Somalia. The neighborhood is called Cedar Riverside, and while falsely labeled by locals as being ghetto and unsafe, features towering projects housing this population as well as plentiful authentic East African cuisine.
6. Minneapolis also houses a major Hispanic population. There are areas of South Minneapolis, particularly along East Lake St., where Spanish is universal, signage is in Spanish, and in the summer it can feel like Mexico minus the palm trees.
7. Twin Cities natives will be the first to brag about the Mall of America being located here, but no true Minneapolitan would be caught dead actually shopping there.
8. MSP airport is directly North of the Minnesota River. If you're on an inbound flight approaching from the South, looking out the window you'll get the illusion that the plane is going to land either in open water or in a swamp. It's only 3-4 seconds before landing that the water disappears and you fly over a freeway at a 100 foot altitude and touch down.
9. Minnesota's highest performing athletic team (minus the Vikings in the 2017/2018 season) are the Lynx, the local WNBA team.
10. There is no regional/intentional airport in the lower 48 that's longer than a 3H 30M flight from MSP.
New Orleans also straddles both sides of the Mississippi. Most of the city is east of the river but the Algiers neighborhood is part of the city limits and is on the Westbank.
2. The quietest room in the world is located in Minneapolis - it's so quiet that you can hear your blood running through your veins (as well as as all of your other internal body functions) and most people can't handle being in there for longer than a minute.
Haha wow. I want to check this place out one day! Just went on Google to try to learn more. Looks really cool too (visually speaking).
1. Its site was chosen by George Washington - it's only about 15 miles from his home, Mount Vernon. It was considered equidistant from both the north and south of the new nation. Originally 10 miles long by 10 miles wide, the Arlington portion was later returned to Virginia. The present D.C. is only about 63 square miles. All during the early 19th century the streets were rough and muddy, crime and prostitution were rampant. "Lobbyists" would meet legislators in hotel "lobbies." During and after the Civil War, the city was flooded first with runaway slaves, and then with freed slaves. Up until the mid-20th century, some areas only 1/2 mile south-west of the U.S. Capitol were slums with out-houses, no indoor plumbing. Huge population jumps occured during the Civil War, World War I, the Roosevelt New Deal, and finally World War II.
2. Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, and has 3 buildings occupying 3 whole city blocks. Many of its employees research relevant issues for members of Congress to help them decide what side to take on issues. Band composer John Philip Sousa, and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, were both born and grew up in the Capitol Hill row-house area.
3. Washington National Cathedral (Episcopal) - and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic) are among the very largest church buildings in the entire world. Yet, they don't even rank among the top attractions.
4. Howard Univ (DC) and Meharry (Nashville) are the only 2 historically black medical schools in all the USA.
5. The Pentagon (technically in Arlington, Va.) used to be called the "world's largest office building." Its construction was rushed through during W.W.2 in an effort to efficiently consolidate the headquarters of all armed services branches under one roof, and facilitate communication.
6. The DC metro area, year after year, is ranked the A.A.A. as having the 2nd-worst traffic congestion in the entire USA - despite having the nation's second-busiest subway system. The transit agency does not have "dedicated" guaranteed funding - but must beg and negotiate each year with the different counties and jurisdictions for funding.
7. There is a height limit on buildings on D.C..... High-rise buildings are only located outside the city limits in inner-beltway suburbs.
8. The world's largest cemetery (I think) is in Arlington, Va. It was built on land confiscated from Confederate General, Robert E. Lee's plantation, and used to be open to any honorably discharged veteran, however, now they are having to ration the limited remaining space.
9. Northwest D.C. and the areas 3 airports have an over-abundance of taxicabs, so much that they waste time queuing up in long lines for passengers, idling rather than driving. Most are driven by immigrants from Ethiopia, Pakistan, Punjab, Nigeria, and other developing countries, many with college degrees but who haven't passed certification to practice their profession in America. It's illegal for taxis registered in one state to pick-up passengers in a neighboring state, therefore billions of gallons of gasoline are wasted driving empty back to the state of origin, or to the airport of origin, before they're allowed to wait in line again to pick up the next passenger in the state where theyre licensed. All of this needless driving empty, only further adds to the extreme traffic congestion, and air pollution. Only recently did they adopt a metered system, instead of a city-zoned system.
10. In the early 1950s, a runaway passenger train with failing brakes, crashed at high speed into Union Station, and then fell through to the lower level. People in the station were alerted to vacate the area quickly, and no one was hurt. The Beatles played their very first North American concert in D.C. in 1964, after arriving at J.F.K. Airport in N.Y.C.
11. The Smithsonian Institution is possibly the world's largest collection of free-of-charge Museums.
12. D.C. auto license plates read "Taxation without Representation" which means the city's citizens have never had voting Congressional representation. Their elected Congressional delegate has an advisory role only.
DC really does have an extremely interesting history and a lot of weird unique facts. And wasn’t DC purposely made in a diamond shape before it returned the land back to Virginia? I wonder if any other cities have ever seceded land like DC has...? And I think that Arlington and Alexandria, VA more or less still kind of function as part of DC urban core. I think many tourists can probably cross over there and not even realize they even left DC.
1. The term "Rock n' Roll" was coined by DJ Alan Freed.
2. First black mayor of a major city in the U.S. was elected in Cleveland in Carl Stokes.
3. The famous Summit that featured Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabar in 1967 was held in Cleveland.
4. Agora Theatre gave some much expose to rock icons such as Bruce Springsteen, KISS, ZZ Top, Peter Frampton and Boston.
5. Cleveland food such as The Polish Boy and restaurants like Slyman's and Melt have been featured on Food Network, "Today", "Wendy Williams", "The Chew", "CBS This Morning" and "Man vs. Food."
6. Cleveland Indians hired Frank Robinson, the first black manager in Major League Baseball.
7. Well-known chefs such as Michael Symon and Jonathan Sawyer are in Cleveland and own a few restaurants.
8. Cleveland beat out NYC, Memphis and Philadelphia to be selected as the location for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.
9. There are many urban gardens located throughout the area.
10. The birthplace of Superman; the two creators of "Superman" grew up in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,547,924 times
Reputation: 5785
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowlane3
Washington, DC, again
6. The DC metro area, year after year, is ranked the A.A.A. as having the 2nd-worst traffic congestion in the entire USA - despite having the nation's second-busiest subway system. The transit agency does not have "dedicated" guaranteed funding - but must beg and negotiate each year with the different counties and jurisdictions for funding.
Very nicely done, I just wanted to point out that this issue in "theory" seems to have been resolved in 2018 prior to the announcement of Amazon choosing the region for half of it's headquarters expansion.
New Orleans also straddles both sides of the Mississippi. Most of the city is east of the river but the Algiers neighborhood is part of the city limits and is on the Westbank.
I am always amazed by the size of the Mississippi in New Orleans.
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