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A couple weeks back we gave you some tips for saving money at the pump in our IQ-tips, mentioning Gasbuddy.com as the best website to find the best prices in your town.
Don’t ask me why, but I clicked over to the state of Missouri today and was shocked to see one station was selling gas for about $1.80 a gallon. What are we, suddenly in 1996?
If that wasn’t reason enough to move to Missouri, check out these fun factoids, courtesy of LegendsofAmerica.com:
The first successful parachute jump to be made from a moving airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, in 1912.
The first ready-mix food to be sold commercially was Aunt Jemima pancake flour. It was invented in St. Joseph, Missouri and introduced in 1899.
St. Louisans consume more barbecue sauce per capita than any other city in America.
The ice cream cone was invented at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 when an ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold ice cream.
Frightening a baby is in violation of the law in Missouri.
What is your town best known for? We’d love to know
Comments (17)
Comment
My hometown was Clifton, NJ. Probably best known for when Hoffman-LaRoche was based there. They are the makers of Valium. If it weren’t for them, Hollywood wouldn’t exist.
posted by Sheldon Siegel on 9-27-2006 at 5:25 pm
laredo, tx… best known for the biggest (and probably one of very few) washington’s birthday celebration. this includes a pageant for the society of martha washington where the uppercrust dress up in colonial era costumes (dresses are known to cost in excess of $30,000), a carnival, a parade, and several other activities. the association’s offices are housed in a building with a mount vernon facade. all this in a texas-mexico border town in one of the poorest counties in texas. you can find out more at http://www.wbcalaredo.org/index.html
posted by alex rodriguez on 9-27-2006 at 6:02 pm
Branson, Mo where the down and out singers come to have one last hootin’ nanny. At the moment we have Billy Ray Cyrus of “Achy Breaky Heart” fame and Pat “Shoot me with your Best Shot” Benatar. Plus St. Joe is the place of Cherry Mash and Stetson.
posted by Abby on 9-27-2006 at 7:18 pm
Most people know my Hometown (Kalamazoo, Michigan) from the Sinatra song. Kind of ironic that from there I moved to Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra’s hometown.
posted by Emily on 9-27-2006 at 7:28 pm
I don’t think we’re known for much of anything… But Middleburg Heights, OH is the Onion City, complete with the Onion Festival every summer.
Not that I’ve ever seen any onion farming done here…
posted by Gabi on 9-27-2006 at 7:32 pm
Louisville, KY- lets see, we are home to the greatest two minutes in sports history, the Kentucky Derby; the largest annual fireworks celebration in the nation, Thunder Over Louisville; and lets not forget Lebowski Fest!
posted by Aimee on 9-27-2006 at 8:31 pm
Birmingham, AL- Well there’s the Civil Rights’s movement, Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard, and UAB.
posted by Rachel on 9-27-2006 at 9:12 pm
Escondido, CA-
Eric Clapton spent some time in our lovely town. He just released a CD called “The Road to Escondido” (feat. J.J. Cale)
Also, on the California STAR testing, there’s a paragraph/essay where you must find out how to improve it. (The answer was “stick to one subject”, or something.)
The first part of this paragraph was all about dear old Escondido.
posted by Alison on 9-27-2006 at 9:42 pm
I’m from Ogden, Utah, and I guess you could say we’re famous because scenes from the Sandlot were filmed here, and several other movies have used Ogden High School as their movie high school.
Or, as my former anatomy professor used to say, Ogden is the city of seven wonders.
We wonder what we’re going to do Monday night, we wonder what we’re going to do Tuesday night, we wonder what we’re going to do Wednesday night…
posted by Janel on 9-28-2006 at 9:16 am
My parents live in Shrewsbury, MA, “birth”place of The Pill.
posted by Dan on 9-28-2006 at 9:17 am
Nacogdoches is considered the oldest (and most boring) town in Texas. We also have this Blueberry Festival in June (the hottest time of the year I might add), even though there’s only like one small blueberry farm just outside of town. Not to mention that a bunch of the debris from the shuttle Columbia landed in our yards.
posted by Molly on 9-28-2006 at 1:15 pm
All fascinating factoids, guys! Or should I say, gals? It seems more women readers have what to say about their towns than men… or are the men just being shy today?
posted by David on 9-28-2006 at 1:24 pm
I wasn’t thinking this morning, and I thought up two other things this evening while I was at work that put Ogden on the map.
Although the transcontinental railroad was joined in Promentory, Utah, Ogden became known as the Junction City because there was actually a city here. There really wasn’t much of one in Promentory.
And in 2002, the Olympic curling events were held in the Ice Sheet, which is in Ogden. Yay curling!
posted by Janel on 9-29-2006 at 1:41 am
Highlands, New Jersey is probably best known for being the hometown of Kevin Smith and Jason Mews (of “Clerks” renown, along with other films).
posted by Asa on 9-29-2006 at 9:02 pm
Ocala, FL home of the highest grossing
Cracker Barrel Restaurant in the country, but, more noted for thorough bred horse sales even though we do not have a functioning horse track.
posted by jess on 9-30-2006 at 6:42 pm
I’m from Raytown, Mo. It’s home to Opal Gardner from Mama’s Family. Apparently, Carol Burnett came to town in the 70’s. She happened upon Raytown and fell in love with the citizens. The sentiment was mutual and she was celebrated and given a key to the city. When she got back to the stage, she found Vicki Lawrence did the midwest twang better than she did and gave her the character of Mama. Interesting side note, my fifth grade teacher had a daughter who taught dance in Raytown. Several years after opening her own studio, she caught a flight out of and back to town where she met Alan Keyser, who played Bubba on the series. The two have been married ever since.
posted by Scott on 8-27-2007 at 5:52 pm
posted by dustone on 12-4-2007 at 2:13 am