List Any Cool/Unknown Facts About Your State/Province

[hapycloud 0]

My state of Delaware:

HOME OF TAX FREE SHOPPING!! this is the number one thing people can think of...(if they even know where it is).

The first state in the United States!

4 major cities all within 2 1/2 hours driving time (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C and New York City)

The 2nd smallest state, you can drive from the top of Delaware to the very bottom in only 2 hours.

[hapycloud 0]

PA is known as the Keystone State, and where the declaration of independence was signed! But I think most people know that We also have the liberty bell here too.

PA is not actually a state, but a commonwealth. There are 3 other commonwealth states: Virginia, Massachusetts and Kentucky.

Interesting point. I've never understood that - what's the distinction? What makes it a 'commonwealth'? I know it goes back to colonial times. Also, isn't Rhode Island a commonwealth? I thought it has some fancy formal name like "Commonwealth of Rhode island and Providence Plantations". Quite a pretentious mouthful of a name for such a tiny little state.

I never knew that! I am wondering what the distinction is as well. I've always wondered what the "district of Colombia" is. I know it's not a state, so what is it really? How do you explain the district of Colombia? So the people that live there don't live in one of the United States of America?

Other Ontario facts

In the Iroquois language "Kanadario" means "sparkling water " or "beautiful lake".

More people live in Ontario than in any other province and 90% of that population is in the southern part.

Water covers about one-sixth of the province.

Dr Banting, one of the 2 gentleman who discovered Insulin, was born in Alliston, ON - the same town my little sister was born in!

I went to high school with Dr. Bantings grandson, Colin Banting. When he told me his grandfather invented Insulin, I thought that was so cool!

Here is the Wiki on the District of Columbia, It explains it better than I would have LOL!!

Article One of the United States Constitution provides for a federal district, distinct from the states, to serve as the permanent national capital. The centers of all three branches of the federal government of the United States are located in the District, as are many of the nation's monuments and museums. Washington, D.C., hosts 174 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The headquarters of other institutions such as trade unions, lobbying groups, and professional associations are also located in the District.

The United States Congress has supreme authority over Washington, D.C.; residents of the city therefore have less self-governance than residents of the states. The District has a non-voting at-large Congressional delegate, but no senators. D.C. residents could not vote in presidential elections until the ratification of the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1961.

[CDAgirlMI 51]

3. People from the Upper Peninsula have the thickest and weirdest accent I've ever heard in my life.

I'm told it resembles a Canadian accent.... my fiance made me watch "escanaba in da moonlight" to show me

[bowflex 0]

3. People from the Upper Peninsula have the thickest and weirdest accent I've ever heard in my life.

I'm told it resembles a Canadian accent.... my fiance made me watch "escanaba in da moonlight" to show me

Lol Maybe if someone from Fargo and Canada got together they'd create the Youper accent Lol.

[minnew 4]

Haha I always heard that some "southern" Midwest states take college football very crazy, that's nuts

I do know that Barry Melrose is from good ol' Sask and Regina sounds like a naughty female place Haha.

You have no idea how many times I have heard that!

Oh and I thought of one more thing! SK does not change time either, like someone else pointed out about Indiana. I remember watching a federal election coverage once and I can't remember if it was the newcasters or the people running the election but they forgot that SK does not change time so they couldn't announce the winners for the province, although they could for MB I believe, they had to wait another hour and fill in some time!

[Krikit 1,163]

Florida is home to the oldest continuously inhabited European established settlement in the continental US..... St Augustine..... founded in 1565.

Florida was discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513, who was searching for the island of Bimini but ending up searching for the fountain of youth in St Augustine. Because he arrived during the Easter season, known as the Pascua Florida, Ponce named his new discovery La Florida. Sailing along the Florida coastline, Ponce de Leon realized that a strong current was carrying his ships rapidly northward. This would aid in quickly returning Spanish ships home and was later called the Gulf Stream.

Florida had dangerous animals like alligators and snakes, as well as insects, heat, humidity, hurricanes and other storms. The war-like natives would not be as easily subdued as those from other parts of the New World and European agriculture did not take hold on the coasts. As a result, Spain decided Florida was too much of a risk to colonize and chose to let it go.

I hope some of this stuff is going to be on the citizenship test!

[SonoranSongbird 3]

There are a LOT of serial killers from Washington or who committed their crimes in Washington, including the Green River Killer, the Hillside Strangler, and Ted Bundy (thank you UW for producing him).

I'm not sure about the Green River killer, but the other 2 lived in Bellingham, as did the DC area snipers (both of them). Bellingham only has a population of about 65,000.

Another fun fact about Washington State: there is an operational train station under the stands at Safeco Field.

I have so many former home states, I'll leave it to people still living in most of them to supply the facts for most of them.

Fun facts about Illinois, the state I live in now:

One of our state legislators actually introduced a bill to name popcorn the official state snack.

Four of our former governors have been indicted on federal corruption charges (three were convicted, charges are still pending against Blago).

Springfield, Illinois, prides itself on being the former home town of Abraham Lincoln, but it was also the point of departure for the Donner Party.

Lincoln Logs were invented by Frank Lloyd Wright's son.

Fun fact about Rochester, New York, the town I grew up in:

It is now called the Flower City, because of its Lilac Festival, but the nickname was changed to Flower City from Flour City after the flower mills that gave it the earlier nickname lost prominance.

It is the home town of Susan B. Anthony, Lydia Lunch, Wendy O. Williams, Renee Fleming, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who graduated from my high school the year after I did).

Its minor league baseball team, the Rochester Redwings (NOT to be confused with the Detroit Red Wings!) is the oldest minor league team in any sport still in operation.

[Emancipation 2]

Florida had dangerous animals like alligators and snakes, as well as insects, heat, humidity, hurricanes and other storms. T

We went on this creepy swamp walk this past weekend and I was SURE there were alligators ready to haul me in the muddy waters and drown me..

[scandal 951]

My state of Delaware:

HOME OF TAX FREE SHOPPING!! this is the number one thing people can think of...(if they even know where it is).

The first state in the United States!

4 major cities all within 2 1/2 hours driving time (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C and New York City)

The 2nd smallest state, you can drive from the top of Delaware to the very bottom in only 2 hours.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Delaware is incorporation laws.

Over 50% of US publicly-traded corporations and 60% of the Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in that state.

The 2nd smallest state, you can drive from the top of Delaware to the very bottom in only 2 hours.

Yes, but can you do that while chewing gum and whistling dixie at the same time?