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As we near year’s end, we’re re-posting a few heavily commented-upon posts from earlier in 2007. Here’s one of my favorites, from September.
According to Wikipedia, Babe Ruth once lived in my hometown. I’m surprised this never came up. I realize it might be suburban legend, and you probably don’t care. Most conversations starting with “Did you know Babe Ruth once lived in my hometown?” probably end soon thereafter.
But we’ve had great comments under past posts soliciting your local trivia, including discussions of school names, school nicknames, famous classmates and unfortunate street names. So let’s try again. What’s the most fascinating fact about your hometown?
That The Babe used to be my neighbor might not be Denville’s claim to fame. Here are a few other facts:
• During the last season of The Sopranos, Tony and Christopher crashed on their way from New York to the greater Caldwell area. They were taken to St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville. This bypassed several closer major hospitals, representing major inefficiencies in our health care system. But still, the plug was nice.
• When I was in third grade, parts of Torch Song Trilogy were filmed at Knuth Farm, across the street from Lakeview School. During shooting, Matthew Broderick occasionally had lunch in our cafeteria. We were not allowed to meet him or know what the movie was about.
• Former Knick, Senator and Presidential candidate Bill Bradley and Just Shoot Me star Laura San Giacomo are Ruth’s modern rivals for the title of Denville’s Most Famous Resident (though I don’t think either live there now.)
• Denville Dairy and Pavolo’s Pizza are among the world’s best providers of ice cream and pizza. (Says me.)
Comments (104)
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Winston Salem is the birthplace of
-Krispy Kreme
-Sarah Lee
-RJR Brands (everything from cigarettes to cling wrap)
-Wachovia Bank
-Garner Jams
-Texas Pete (this surprises most people)
We are host to the River Run Film Festival, NC School of the Arts, and Wake Forest University.
And no, the city wasn’t name for the cigarettes, the smokes were name for the city. Salem and Winston were joined to form one city in 1913.
posted by Jenny on 9-4-2007 at 12:33 pm
My original hometown of Rocky Point, NY was not only the site from which the first trans-Atlantic cable was laid (a fact recorded for posterity by a lovely mural in the local post office) but also at one time the home of Guglielmo Marconi – in fact, a shed that served as his workshop called “the Marconi shack” sat on the grounds of the middle school for many, many years.
posted by Dan on 9-4-2007 at 12:33 pm
I’m from Baltimore, so the whole Babe Ruth thing strikes a chord here for me too. But we are famous for many more things than that. I won’t list them here, cuz you probably know all of them anyway. I have at least half a dozen friends who have played corpses or passers-by in more than one episode of Homicide and The Wire. Which shows that, unfortunately, what Baltimore (Body-more, Murderland) is mainly known for, is crime.
But hey, we got good crabs!
posted by Molly on 9-4-2007 at 12:34 pm
I’m from Bloomington-Normal, IL. Here’s our claims to fame.
-Abraham Lincoln wrote the charter to my high school (Bloomington High School( and my college (Illinois State University, take that U of I)
-David Davis lived here (appointed to the Supreme Court by Abe).
-Birthplace of State Farm
-Beer Nuts are made here
-The girl who was the basis of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz is burried here.
-Most of the founders of the Steppenwolf Theater met here at ISU (Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinese, John Malkovich, etc…)
-ISU has the World’s tallest cellegiate dorms.
-Birthplace of McLean Stevenson (Henry Blake on M*A*S*H) and the hometowns of some of his more important relatives Adlai Stevenson (former Vice-President) and Adlai Stevenson II (former Ambassador to the U.N.).
We are also the birthplace of Steak-n-Shake. If you have not been to one, I highly recommend it. Ray Kroc based a lot of what he did with McDonald’s off of Steak-n-Shake.
posted by Dusty on 9-4-2007 at 12:56 pm
Aiken, SC, hometown of “Refrigerator” Perry. That’s all I have.
posted by jenni on 9-4-2007 at 1:30 pm
Where’s Denville? I’ve never heard of it…Is it in Jersey? New York?
Sorry, the rest of us out here in ‘never never land’ don’t know all the cool places on the East and West coast…(as much as television shows think we should know all the part of the LA area)…
posted by dohher on 9-4-2007 at 1:43 pm
I grew up in Monroe, WI – the only place in America where the famous smelly Limburger cheese is made!
posted by Quiltchicken on 9-4-2007 at 2:08 pm
The reuben sandwich was invented at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, NE. We also invented tv dinners and our zoo has the world’s largest indoor rainforest. And of course, we are home to Saddle Creek Records.
What a city!
posted by Molly from Omaha on 9-4-2007 at 2:16 pm
Manitowoc, WI: Landing site of the only piece of Sputnik IV to ever be found.
Also home to Burger Boat, the oldest custom yacht builder in the country.
posted by Jachim on 9-4-2007 at 2:19 pm
huntington, indiana
hometown of DAN QUAYLE!
and nothing else
posted by Rebecka on 9-4-2007 at 2:22 pm
Logansport, Indiana. Greg Kinnear is from here. Isn’t he supposed to be famous, or something?
posted by Zak on 9-4-2007 at 2:36 pm
Longfellow’s Poem “Evangeline” was written about a love affair with a sad ending which happened in my home town of St. Martinville, LA
posted by Barry on 9-4-2007 at 2:49 pm
I currently live in Metairie, Louisiana.
Ellen DeGeneres was born here.
More interesting (in my opinion) is that Bug was filmed at my current high school.
posted by Suteki on 9-4-2007 at 2:49 pm
Oklahoma City – WKY Radio was the first radio station transmitting from west of the Mississippi River. It is still on the air.
Surprisingly, OKC is the third largest city in area in the USA, even though the population is under a million.
posted by elizabutt on 9-4-2007 at 2:55 pm
Deer Park, Texas is the “Birthplace of Texas” home to the battle of San Jacinto where Texans whooped Santa Anna’s rear.
Actually we share the battlefield with La Porte Texas, (The La Porte side got the monument) but since I posted first Mental Floss thinks Deer Park is more important (and it is!)
posted by Witty Nickname on 9-4-2007 at 3:04 pm
Atlanta:
-Gone with the Wind’s Margaret Mitchell
-Civil War
-MLK Jr.
-Ryan Seacrest went to my high school seven years before me.
-Usher, Bobby Brown, Outkast, …
-come on, I need help!
posted by sara on 9-4-2007 at 3:12 pm
New Castle County, DE: For starters, Cab Calloway endowed an arts high school. It covers everything from drama, dance, voice, sculpture, etc. Dead Poets Society was filmed at St Andrews, a private boys school, and the Glascow High School band was in the film. Ryan Phillippe was in a in-home day care with my son who is a year older; in fact, Ryan’s mother ran the day care. He attended various local schools. But the most important…Delaware boasts the only henhouse to be named as a historic place.
posted by Catherine on 9-4-2007 at 3:29 pm
St. Louis:
- Vincent Price
- Kevin Kline
- Scott Bakula
- Phyllis Diller
- the Meet Me in St. Louis house (before it was torn down)
And something I just learned on Wikipedia: Nikola Tesla made the first public demonstration of radio communication in St. Louis in 1893.
posted by Anita on 9-4-2007 at 3:29 pm
while charlotte, nc is famous for lots of stuff (NASCAR and Carrottop, both of questionable value in my opinion), our neighbor to the east Marshville, NC has one of the best signs proclaiming “what we’re famous for ” EVER. its a large, red, white and blue airbrushed sign stating “Marshville, NC – home of Randy Travis, country music’s finest.”
posted by mri on 9-4-2007 at 3:32 pm
That’s so weird, because my town’s claim to fame is that Bill Bradley GREW UP there. Crystal City, MO.
posted by Meghan on 9-4-2007 at 3:34 pm
I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the city after which the Real Winnie-the-Pooh was named.
It’s also the hometown of Monty Hall, David Steinberg, and Nia Vardalos.
posted by Suzanne on 9-4-2007 at 3:53 pm
West Newbury, MA: Home of America’s first comb factory and professional wrestling’s John Cena.
posted by Chris on 9-4-2007 at 4:12 pm
My hometown is Reading, PA. This is the Reading in the Reading Railroad on the original monopoly board. And it’s pronounced “red-ing” not “reed-ing”.
posted by Aimee on 9-4-2007 at 4:13 pm
My hometown isn’t famous for anything.
I currently live in Church Point, LA. It’s claim to fame is the “Buggy Festival”. Yes, famous for riding in buggies. Basically, the town is so backwards that people rode in horse-drawn buggies up until the 1960’s. And they celebrate that. Seriously. We are also the Cajun music capital of the WORLD. Holla!
On my town’s “Living in Church Point” website, it’s completely blank. Don’t get too envious.
posted by amy schexnayder on 9-4-2007 at 4:14 pm
I was born and raised in Danielsville, Georgia, home to three famous people:
1) Crawford W. Long, one of seemingly a half-dozen people who claim to have been the first to administer anesthetic during surgery
2) Jake Westbrook, a Cleveland Indians pitcher and former All-Star selection
3) And, well, me. I’m famous to me.
posted by Sandy on 9-4-2007 at 4:37 pm
Frances McDormand once lived in my hometown of Gibson City, IL. She had been adopted as an infant by a minister and his wife but they moved before her first birthday.
posted by joanne on 9-4-2007 at 4:49 pm
Sigh, how I miss N.J.! Denville is indeed in Northern NJ. I grew up nearby and spent 4 years in Denvilles Morris Catholic High School. Nowadays I’m just a New Jerseyite at large… :-(
posted by Sid Morrison on 9-4-2007 at 5:08 pm
Bangor, ME: Stephen King lives here. I’ve sold him popcorn and movie tickets at the local theater.
Also, Bangor was the logging capital of the world back in the 1800s. After all, Maine is covered in trees.
posted by Kate on 9-4-2007 at 5:09 pm
Meckenburg County, NC (Charlotte)
-Declared Independence from England in May of 1775. It really didn’t take, but the thought was right. I am a direct descendant of one of the signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
- Carson McCullers wrote the first chapters of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” in a boardinghouse that is now an Indian restaurant.
- The first discovery of gold in the US happened here (well, the gold mine is now in another county, but it was ours then)
-Billy Graham, the defacto “evangelical pope” was born here
-Actor Randolph Scott was born here. No, I don’t really know what her was in either, but he was one of us.
-Charlotte was once a hotbed of bootlegging and organized crime, which led to driving and racing stock cars (souped up to run the hooch, of course. This evolved into something that has become the largest sanctioned motorsport in North America. Please don’t make me speak its name. (MRI said it once too many.)
All that, and I didn’t even get into the banks.
Oh yeah, MRI – I lived my later life in Union County, I know all of the stores that Randy Travis “stoled from”.
posted by Allison on 9-4-2007 at 5:21 pm
Prosser, Washington. Home town of Harold R. McCluskey who is known for having survived exposure to the highest dose of americium radiation ever recorded in 1976. He became known as the Atomic Man. He died on August 17, 1987 of coronary artery disease, unrelated to the radiation exposure.
and that’s about it!
posted by Donna on 9-4-2007 at 5:39 pm
Deer Park, TX is also, sadly the former home of the man who killed Halloween. Seriously, check Snopes. The only recorded case of anyone ever poisoning Halloween candy is in Deer Park, and the guy (Ronald Clark O’Bryan) was trying to kill his own kids with laced pixie sticks. The neighborhood I grew up in and actually just bought a house in is highly Baptist and has unofficially banned Halloween. They try to discourage trick or treating, and have a “family fall festival” the night of Halloween to lure kids away from mischief. Kids are allowed to dress up, but nothing scary or disgusting.
Some notable residents: Andy Pettite, he graduated from highschool the same year as my husband and lives less than a half mile from me, along with his parents and in laws, don’t know for how much longer, though, the sell out. Former Miss Universe, Chelsi Smith, and most enjoyably, Ron “They Call me Tater Salad” White, who also enjoyed the hospitality of Deer Park’s finest.
The town is called Deer Park. The highschool is, naturally, Deer Park High School. The highschool mascot is, astronishingly, a deer. The highschool dance team is called the Deer Escorts. WHAT? Yes, the Escorts.
The town is half dry. Seriously. From “Last Drop Liquor” to Highway 225, a distance of about 3 miles down the town drag (cleverly named “Center Street”), it’s dry as a bone. The quaint little Italian restaurant down there doesn’t serve wine. The Valero gas station doesn’t sell beer. The seafood restaurant that specializes in crawfish doesn’t serve beer. Every few years, during town elections, someone, usually the slightly shysty owner of the local towing and car repair lot, runs for mayor on the ticket that they’re going to get the ban on alcohol repealed. Never happens. There is a silver lining, however, since businesses that do not have a liquor license allow you to bring your own booze. My sister’s wedding reception was at the country club and instead of paying for $500 kegs of pisswater, we got to go get our own $75 kegs of pisswater. The other half of the town is wetter than the floors of the hole-in-the-wall bars that line it’s streets. Featuring such wittily-named establishments as: “She’s Not Here” and “Someplace Else.” Also, G’s Icehouse, which is the remanents of “Gilly’s” of Urban Cowboy fame, and still has the mechanical bull.
posted by Geekmidwinter on 9-4-2007 at 6:04 pm
Issaquah WA –
known for Modest Mouse
the only XXX (old fashioned root beer place) left in the US
and the World Headquarters of Costco!
posted by Liz on 9-4-2007 at 6:20 pm
Allison-
i think we may be the only people in the great Meck that are NOT fans of the “greatest motorsport on the planet.” and thank you for going for the history. i was only aiming at the lame-but-funny.
posted by mri on 9-4-2007 at 6:42 pm
Pittsburgh, PA is known for:
being the “Bridge Capital of the US”
being called “Roboburgh” by the Wall
Street Journal
being a very literate city
posted by paperback writer on 9-4-2007 at 7:42 pm
The area of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I was born and raised really has nothing more than the copper mining boom to be famous for. (At least, not that I know of.)
The town I live in now, Marquette, MI, is famous for having the movie ‘Anatomy of a Murder’ filmed here.
posted by cmk on 9-4-2007 at 7:49 pm
Greenville, Texas was home to Audie L Murphy the most decorated soldier of WWII. His is the second most-visited gravesite at Arlington Memorial, second only to President John F. Kennedy’s grave.
Greenville was also the home to singer Ben Kweller, and Bart Millard, lead singer of the contemporary Christian band MercyMe
posted by mescan on 9-4-2007 at 7:53 pm
Idaho has the first town powered by nuclear power (Arco, Idaho) and television was invented by Philo T. Farnsworth in Rigby, Idaho.
In my town of Boise, Idaho we had the first grocery store and corporate headquarters for Albertsons, Morrison Knudson, who built the Hoover Dam, and the blockbuster (lol) film “Bronco Billy” starring Clint Eastwood was shot here. Jimmy Stewart was Operations Officer at Gowen Field in Boise before he became a decorated WWII pilot.
posted by Curt on 9-4-2007 at 8:02 pm
Home town of Cleveland, Oh.
I am sure there are many famous people from here, but Sean Young went to my (alumni) highschool, and they just filmed “OH in Ohio” at my highschool as well.
Now I live in Akron, hometown of Devo.
posted by Rachel on 9-4-2007 at 9:31 pm
Saint Joseph MO…where the Pony Express began and Jesse James ended…
and Harry Truman supposedly delivered a speech on the balcony of my friends house…which i thought was cool…
posted by hana on 9-4-2007 at 9:59 pm
Fishkill, NY sits at the heart of the American revolution, but the funniest thing about the town is PETA tried to get the mayor to change the name because it promoted violence towards ichthyoids (fish). The mayor told them in no uncertain terms that 1. -kill is Dutch for creek 2. Fishkill has been in existence for over three hundred years, and 3. Get a life.
posted by Joe on 9-4-2007 at 11:09 pm
New Albany, Indiana, across the river from Louisville, KY.
Fuzzy Zoeller is from here. I actually went to school with one of his daughters and have been to his house once when I was younger. (It was a party and I think everyone in class was invited, I wasn’t popular in grade school.)
The local high school is New Albany High (go Bulldogs) home to WNAS radio. According to wikipedia (because I only know it’s the first high school radio station) “WNAS is the student-run station of New Albany High School (Indiana). The first FM student-run high school station to be licenced by the FCC, it has been broadcasting live since May 1949.”
posted by AimeeD on 9-4-2007 at 11:48 pm
Seymour, Indiana – Born and raised. Seymour is the home of John Mellencamp and is the “Small Town.” We are also home to the first train robbery by the Reno Brothers who were caught and later hanged just west of Seymour and are buried in the old town cemetery. Other than that, there isn’t much else that happens here.
posted by Jill on 9-4-2007 at 11:54 pm
Pittsburgh is the home of lots of famous people, of course, but I like to tell people that my kids went to Andy Warhol’s high school (Schenley). Surprisingly, many people misunderstand and think I said they go to “Andy Warhol High School.” Can you imagine? Andy wouldn’t have a chance, especially when Billy Strayhorn also went there.
posted by Frank on 9-5-2007 at 5:26 am
Jason, thanks for the town plug!
Great place to live. Denville – The Hub of Morris County!
posted by JaneM on 9-5-2007 at 7:37 am
Yay! My hometown (Mountain Lakes) is now famous for being next to Jason’s hometown…that and being featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel show It Takes a Thief.
posted by Chris on 9-5-2007 at 8:28 am
Jason Seahorn grew up and graduated the local high school in my town. The house we live in was even built by his grandfather. My cousin, who doesn’t live close went to the high school where they shot “Dangerous Minds”, she was still attaining the high school.
posted by Emily on 9-5-2007 at 8:45 am
Bakersfield, CA – Not much here… Hometown of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Korn, David Carr, Joey Porter, and Rick Mears. Main industries are oil and Agriculture. Full of unflossy people. Someone please help me escape…
I was raised in nearby Shafter, CA… which was the site of the first human powered flight in the Gossamer Condor. Nothing else cool about it.
posted by Jason! on 9-5-2007 at 9:53 am
It’s exciting to see so many Texas readers here.
My hometown of Dalhart, TX, is home to the world’s largest free BBQ (as in brisket, not as in grilling), which is held during the XIT Ranch Rodeo and Reunion.
My current town of San Antonio, TX, is, of course, home to the Alamo, the Riverwalk, the Spurs, Fiesta (a 10-day, city-wide party) and the Alamodome. St. Mary’s U in SA (my alma matter) lays claim to fame with the fact that future President Eisenhower coached the 1916 football team.
And St. Louis, MO, where I lived for a year, houses the nation’s largest park (yes, bigger than Central Park)–Forest Park–home to the 1904 World’s Fair.
posted by Meagan on 9-5-2007 at 10:22 am
This is not my official hometown, but where i consider myself from (i grew up here.)
Sharpsburg, Georgia.
- The movie Sweet Home Alabama (Reese Witherspoon) was actually filmed at a house on a lake here. Other scenes were filmed nearby: The glass shop is an old mill that i actually had my senior pictures taken at.
- The town next door, Newnan, was one of the only towns to survive the destruction of Sherman during the civil war.
- Atlanta Falcons defensive player Keith Brooking was born, grew up, went to my middle school (east coweta) and high school (east coweta) and even went to my college (Georgia Tech).
posted by Andre on 9-5-2007 at 10:33 am
Tottenville, Staten Island, NY is home of the Conference House, so named because it is the site of the only conference between Great Britain and the newly-minted country that was to become the US, in an attempt to end the Revolutionary War. Attended by Ben FRanlin, Edward Rutledge and several others I don’t remember. Rumors that the Conference House was also a site on the Underground Railroad, complete with a tunnel under the adjoining river, have not been confirmed. My hometown!
posted by chris on 9-5-2007 at 10:43 am
So, with all the NC blood, I felt the need to speak up for Durham.
Movies:
Brightleaf 1950 The movie is set in Durham, but was filmed on a soundstage in California.
Three In The Attic 1967
Brainstorm 1981
Weeds 1987
The White Girl 1987
Bull Durham 1987
The Handmaid’s Tale, a 1990 film
Once Around 1990
Billy Bathgate 1991
The Program 1992
Painting Churches 1992
The Portrait 1993
Getting In 1993
Bandwagon 1994
Margaret 1994
The Immortal 1994
Chesterfield 1995
Kiss the Girls 1996
Clowns 1999
The Rookie, a 2002 film
Scenic 2003
Majolie & Chouchou 2003
Duchess of Durham County 2006
Welcome to Durham, USA, Upon its release and subsequent screenings at several film festivals, Welcome to Durham created serious buzz and press with a relevant issue that few had touched upon. (Gang violence- which really isn’t that nuch of a problem here)
People:
(some were born here, others just reside(d))
David lynch
Shirley Ceasar
Nnenna Freelon
Branford Marsalis
Clyde Edgerton
Little Brother
Doug Marlette
We have the ADF and Full Frame
There’s Duke… that’s it’s own separate list
Oh, and Durham is the birthplace of Astroturf.
That should just about do it (for the short list)! All in all, not a bad place to live.
posted by Paige on 9-5-2007 at 10:46 am
Schenectady NY is my hometown. It means “where the path ends.” It is also called the electric city. It may seem decrepit now but…
-It is the home of GE. General Electric was cofounded by Edison when he lived there. Just think of all the things that GE has given to the world. Especially that little electric cigarette lighter that we now for everything.
-It has one of the oldest houses in the country, dating back to 1692 when the dutch first settled. It is the only house left standing after Native Americans burnt and massacred the entire settlement.
-Schenectady was home to the first Television station.
-It’s the home of the now defunct Woolworth’s.
posted by Carla on 9-5-2007 at 11:06 am
For my hometown, Thomasville, GA, it’s got to be the number of pro football players we’ve had come out of a town of only 18,000. Here’s a few of them.
William Andrews – NFL player Atlanta Falcons
Danny Copeland – NFL player (safety for Washington Redskins Super Bowl XXVII championship team)
Sam Madison – NFL player defensive back Miami Dolphins, cornerback New York Giants
Guy McIntyre – NFL player San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles
Marcus Stroud – NFL player; defensive tackle
Charlie Ward Jr. – College Football Quarterback Florida State (Heisman winner); NBA Player New York Knicks; Assistant Coach Houston Rockets
Joe Burns – Award winning running back for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Buffalo Bills
Myron Guyton – Former New York Giants and New England Patriots safety
Of course I have to mention Henry Ossian Flipper or Henry O. Flipper. He was the first black graduate of West Point. Not something that is generally known in Thomasville though. I had to leave and attend West Point before I found out.
posted by Drew on 9-5-2007 at 11:34 am
TOMS RIVER, NJ – we have a few claims to fame:
- the 1998 Little League World Series Champions – at least one of the kids has gone on to MLB, I believe he’s currently in the minors
- there is a major cancer cluster in the area from a leak from a chemical plant
- MANY national Pop Warner Cheerleading titles (although the girls always get overshadowed by those little leaguers)
- The Amityville Horror was filmed here and the house is still standing
- the movie Blind Faith was written about TR’s own Robert Marshall who put a successful contract out on his wife
- a few years ago, we had a rash of multiple murders, 2 by former police officers
- MTV seems to love TR – they’ve filmed more than a handful of episodes of their teen reality shows here like Made (slightly relevant is the MTV Beach House which was just over the bridge in Seaside Heights, twice)
- I apparently went to high school with Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) but I don’t remember her. There are a few more actors/athletes to have come from here
- there’s even more on wikipedia
posted by caitlen on 9-5-2007 at 12:06 pm
Corvallis, Oregon:
Linus Pauling (smart guy, scientist)
Jon Kraukauer (author: Into Thin Air, Under the Banner of Heaven)
National Corn Dog Day started here
It’s the most god-less county in the US–lowest church attendance. I like that one.
Mint and Grass-seed growing capitals of the world (supposedly). Smells like mint.
It’s on a lot of lists like “best place to live,” “best place to be a vegetarian,” “best place to not own a car,” etc.
posted by Jenny on 9-5-2007 at 12:47 pm
My hometown of Clifton, NJ is the home of Hoffman/Larouche, makers of Valium.
Without that, Hollywood would not exist. :-)
posted by Sheldon Siegel on 9-5-2007 at 4:06 pm
Oh, and we are also home to Rutt’s Hut. Makers of the best hot dogs in the world if you ask me. And they have made the top 10 lists around the country many times.
posted by Sheldon Siegel on 9-5-2007 at 4:07 pm
Ithaca, NY: Birthplace of the ice cream sundae. (This has been speculated about for years, and was recently “proven” – actually, other towns’ claims were disproven). Need I say more?
posted by Megan on 9-5-2007 at 4:56 pm
I’ve lived in Johnson City, TN for most of my life and I’ve considered it a pretty quiet and small town kind of place. I’ve found out that Al Capone and some of his “friends” used to come down here as a way to lay low sometimes. In fact, “The Dilinger” got his nickname down here because of our local law inforcement not getting to see much action shot the guy too much in my opinion. If you go to any of the vintage stores and flea markets they are still auctioning off some of the royalties left behind by Al Capone and his other acquaintances.
posted by Walker on 9-5-2007 at 8:34 pm
To add to Molly’s list–OMAHA, NE
Birthplace of Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire, Nick Nolte, Malcom X, Gerald Ford, Conor Oberst, Alexander Payne.
posted by Kate on 9-5-2007 at 8:47 pm
Belleville, IL
Belleville Shoe Company makes the boots worn by nearly every soldier in the Army and “Belleville” is imprinted on the heel of each boot. As a soldier, everytime I see a pair of boots, that boot came from my hometown. We’ve “booted” all the soldiers serving in Iraq. Where the soldier goes, there goes my hometown!
posted by Fitz on 9-5-2007 at 9:52 pm
Wow, I lived right on the East St. Louis/Belleville line for a year and never knew that. Yay for learning. :-)
posted by Meagana on 9-5-2007 at 10:03 pm
San Dimas, CA–
Was the city in which Bill and Ted lived in the movie “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”. None of it was filmed there, and the real city shares few features with the ficticious one (including they both have water parks and Circle K’s).
posted by Shannon on 9-6-2007 at 1:52 am
Ravenna, Ohio
1877 – Quaker Oats was founded. There was also a hearse/carriage company that built the funeral hearses for Presidents Harding and McKinley.
The giant enormous safe that was used by President Garfield when he was president of Hiram College is currently installed in my parents’ house. That thing is HUGE.
The best doughnuts in the universe are made at DeLuxe Pastries on Main St. There’s no argument – they just ARE.
Plus, I’m from Ravenna, which is really all you need to know.
posted by Rachel on 9-6-2007 at 6:46 am
I was born in Easton, PA, which is where they make Crayola crayons, but I grew up in Golden, CO.
Famous/notable things about Golden:
– Golden is the home of Coors beer and the Coors brewery is the largest single-site brewery in the world
– The grave of Buffalo Bill Cody is just up the mountain (and about 1.5 miles from my childhood home)
– Golden is home to the Colorado School of Mines, “the world’s foremost school of mining and materials engineering”
– Golden was the capital of the Colorado Territory from 1862 to 1867
Now I’m all nostalgic for home. Thanks, mental_floss. *sniffle*
posted by Mary on 9-6-2007 at 8:48 am
Las Vegas, NV – do I really need to say anything else about Las Vegas? ;)
posted by Melodye on 9-6-2007 at 1:54 pm
Mountain View, MO~
Birthplace of Denzel Washington
posted by Shawnee' on 9-6-2007 at 5:10 pm
Albuquerque, New Mexico: The only city in the U.S. that has had a hydrogen bomb dropped on it. In the early 60’s (About 1962 or 3)a navy bomber was landing at the local airfield when a bombay malfunction occure which caused the release of a hydrogen bomb through the still closed bombay doors. The bomb landed in the south valley and was recovered intact. There was no explosion and ne radioactive release.
posted by Carl Bylander on 9-7-2007 at 9:06 am
Hello Drew!!! I’m also from Thomasville and since you named all the NFLers…and Henry O. Flipper…I knew by joining the AF.
Here are a few other notable items of interest about Thomasville, GA:
The Big Oak Tree has been around since 1685 making it 322 years old. The limb span spreads to 162’ and has a trunk circumference of 24′. President Eisenhower was so impressed with the Big Oak tree that he personally photographed it during one of his visits to Thomasville!
Joanne Woodward, actress (wife of Paul Newman) was born in our hometown.
Every year during the 4th weekend of April Thomasville has its annual Rose Festival…being the City of Roses.
posted by Val on 9-7-2007 at 9:30 am
@Liz: WOW… I have a Modest Mouse question for you if you ever reread this thread… the line in All Nite Diner “the sign said XXX but they were talkin’ bout root beer” is about that place?
about local trivia: Belle Gunness killed 40 people in my county at the turn of the 20th century, one of the earliest female mass murderers. I posted info on the other thread, at archives/7743.
posted by Leadhyena on 9-7-2007 at 1:36 pm
Marin City, California. Home of Tupac Shakur the rapper. This “ghetto” features $800,000 condos with a view of Tiburon and Richardson Bay. Some of the nicest real estate in the North Bay Area (San Francisco).
posted by Rebekah on 9-7-2007 at 2:50 pm
Elvis Presley rented an apartment in my hometown of Camden, AR. Most “townies” know this from a local hole-in-the-wall restaurant,Speedy’s. Much of the town’s history is listed on the menu as well as old photocopies of news articles.
posted by Keri on 9-7-2007 at 9:13 pm
Santa Rosa, CA
Mr. Ripley of Ripley’s Believe It or Not is burried in a cemetary here. Charles Shultz lived here many years and died here. In recent years the Shultz Museum has gotten local businesses to sponser artists to decorate statues of first Charlie Brown, then Woodstock, and now Snoopy, and we now have them all over town. It’s gotten a little out of control, but is neat to see the different artists’ takes on the same basic statue.
posted by manzanita on 9-7-2007 at 9:45 pm
Glens Falls, NY
Birthplace of Charles Evans Hughes
Secratary of State
Secratary of War
Vice President
posted by gus on 9-8-2007 at 7:40 am
more Pittsburghers:
Gene Kelly
Shirley Jones
Jeff Goldblum
Michael Keaton
Stephen Foster (”Oh Susannah”)
Rachel Carson
Jonas Salk (polio vaccine)
also:
the emoticon :-) was invited at Carnegie Mellon University in 1980 (more firsts are linked in my name)
Pittsburgh lost the “h” in its spelling in 1891, but it was restored 20 years later
Allegheny County has the second-largest population of senior citizens, second only to Miami-Dade (in my personal opinion, that’s why this “Most Livable City” is also always so low (or lowest) on Forbes’ Best City for Singles!)
posted by me on 9-10-2007 at 2:57 pm
Grand Rapids, MI:
1. First to add Flouride to the drinking water (!!)
2.Former President Gerald R. Ford grew up here, location of his museum, and his burial place.
3. American Pie’s East Great Falls is based on the screenplay writer’s lives in East Grand Rapids.
4. aka “Furniture City”
5. Lead singer of The Verve Pipe lived(s) here.
posted by Lauren on 9-13-2007 at 9:20 pm
Maplewood, NJ! (I don’t live there anymore, but it’s the place I lived the longest.)
Yeah, not much…
Durrand B Hedden (sp?) lived there, he painted the back of the $2 bill. (there’s a museum and everything in Maplewood if ever you care to torture yourself)
Supposedly Washington kept his horse in someone’s foyer during the Revolution because it was so cold outside.
One True Thing, and Gracie (also in S Orange, right next door) were filmed there. (Garden State too, but most of NJ can claim that- it passes right by Columbia HS at one point, and Zach Braff is from S Orange, which is basically the same town.)
Yeah, I think that’s it.
posted by greenstrawberries on 9-21-2007 at 5:25 am
Holmdel, NJ – where the Big Bang was discovered, one-time home of Confederate General Longstreet (Holmdel Park is also known as Longstreet Farms).
posted by TPB, Esq. on 9-27-2007 at 3:28 am
Hey, Jenny…
Don’t forget the delicious and thin Moravian spice cookies you can get at the Winkler Bakery in OLD Salem!
posted by Amy on 12-27-2007 at 10:15 pm
Newtown, PA:
-Edward Hicks lived here and is buried here (you know him…Peacable Kingdom painter…he made 60-some versions of it…)
-I was recently surprised to learn that the first weather satellite was made here, just a few blocks from my home. It sent the first ever TV image of the earth or something.
posted by leofishy on 12-27-2007 at 10:38 pm
GREENSBORO, North Carolina :
* Site of :The Battle of Guilford Courthouse (1781), the Woolworth’s Sit-In (1960), and the Klan-Nazi Shootout (1979)
* Birthplace of O Henry, Edward R Murrow, Olympic Gold Medal winning Speed Skater Joey Cheek, Doug Marlette; Rick Dees of ‘Disco Duck’ fame RAISED here. Erroneously refered to as hometown of Frank Lucas in American Gangster ; RESIDENTS include author Orson Scott Card
*Headquarters of VF Corporation and Former headquarters of Burlington Industries
*Home of the Eastern Music Festival
posted by Amy on 12-27-2007 at 10:57 pm
Middlesboro, KY
The town I grew up in was where Lee Majors went to high school. Yeah, that’s right, the Six Million Dollar Man! Trust me, that was a lot cooler when the show was on tv and I was in elementary school, prior to the Fall Guy debacle.
posted by Spigothead on 12-27-2007 at 11:10 pm
Someone already posted about New Castle County, DE
I have more to add, about Wilmington, DE specifically.
-Sean Patrick Thomas (dude in Save the Last dance) went to Brandywine High School…I graduated from there.
-George Thurogood (of George Thurogood and the Delaware Destroyers) went to Brandywine.
-John Gallagher Jr. won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Spring Awakening) went to Brandywine as well, while I was there, too. I don’t remember him, though.
-Bob Marley lived in Wilmington for a little bit. God knows why, but cool none the less.
ummmm and yeah, were the first state. go team.
hahahah
posted by Laura on 12-28-2007 at 12:05 am
Guam: It’s where America’s Day begins!
posted by Miss Nae on 12-28-2007 at 12:57 am
I didn’t grow up in Yellow springs, but I’ve lived in Dayton and the surrounding area for about four years now. Yellow springs has brought us Dave Chapelle, which I know many people who have just randomly run into him around Dayton. His mom is the head of one of the women groups on Wright State’s campus, which is where I go to school. Apparently, Chapelle likes to visit the campus and talk it up with people. I have yet to experience this first hand, but I did bum a cigarette from a girl who just bummed one to him a couple minutes before me.
posted by Holly on 12-28-2007 at 5:40 am
Famous people born in Fort Worth:
Willie Nelson
Roger Miller
George Eads
Larry Hagman
Kate Capshaw
Bill Paxton (a very nice man)
Ethan Hawke
Mark David Chapman (perhaps infamous is a better title for him)
Famous People Buried in Fort Worth, TX:
Lee Harvey Oswald. I can take you straight to his grave. That’s a little creepy, isn’t it?
Miscellaneous:
Alan Bean, the astronaut, went to my high school, Paschal
Was once home to the world’s only privately owned free subway – the M&O
General Worth, the man who the city is named for, is buried in NYC.
The only city I know of that has a cattle drive every day.
Logan’s Run filmed two scenes here. Oh, joy. There were quite a few scenes from JFK filmed here, too.
The original Fort was moved to a different area on the Trinity River because the mosquitoes were too bad in the original site.
Jacksboro Highway (Highway 199) was actually home to many night clubs, speak easies, etc, owned by mobsters. Jack Ruby owned a club on the JH.
Personal: Home to a “boarding house for nursing students” during the Depression. This was run by my great-grandmother and was actually a whore house.
posted by Lisa on 12-28-2007 at 6:38 am
Syracuse, NY is my hometown.
-famous for being the salt city.
-most polluted lake in the country thanks to greedy rich people.
-Tom Cruise is from here.
- part of Born of the fourth of July was filmed at Syracuse University.
-The Baldwins are from here.
-So is Grace Jones.
-We will soon have the largest mall in the country, Destiny USA.
-Named after a city in Italy.
-The Erie Canal passed through here.
posted by Sandro on 12-28-2007 at 7:45 am
Ray Liotta went to my high school, we have a plaque of him in our “hall of fame.”
posted by Kate on 12-28-2007 at 7:48 am
I was born and raised in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Home of the crawfish festival. I think I remember that Ali Landry lived up the street from me. My favorite part, though, is the phone book. The town’s phone book is the size of a comic book and includes nicknames for those residents more commonly known by them. You might see:
Frances “T-Fred” Boudreaux 555-0123.
We’re the only town I’ve ever heard of that does that.
posted by Jeremy on 12-28-2007 at 7:51 am
I grew up in Sleepy Hollow, IL where (besides the spooky name) our best claim to fame is that our village president’s brother was arrested some years ago for shooting at the White House with a machine gun. That’s about it…
posted by Lucas on 12-28-2007 at 7:52 am
Phoenixville, PA
- The original “The Blob” movie was filmed here, starring Steve McQueen. Every July they re-enact the famous running from the theater scene at the annual Blob Fest.
- M. Night Shymalan’s new movie “the Happening” was filmed here a few month’s ago.
- Peter Jackson filmed a couple of scene’s for his next movie “The Lovely Bones” in the area
- “Our Lady of Victory” with Ellen Burstyn, Carla Cugino, and David Boreanz has a couple of scenes filmed here.
I also heard Mike Piazza went to High School here, but I always thought that was a neighboring town. And at one point in his life, “The Sundance Kid”, Harry A. Longabaugh, lived here.
posted by toodles on 12-28-2007 at 7:59 am
Seaford, Delaware- Birth place of Delano Deshields (Montreal Expos a long time ago)
Thomasville, Georgia- Home of the Big Oak Tree (no joke, that thing is huge)
posted by QuinO on 12-28-2007 at 9:01 am
Columbus, Nebraska
Home to the oldest tavern west of the Mississippi–still operating! I always loved looking at the faded pictures of old cowboys drinking there on the wall. Buffalo Bill used to be a regular! The tavern also used to be home to several “ladies of the night.” I didn’t learn about them until high school.
posted by Kelly on 12-28-2007 at 9:34 am
I grew up in Flint, Michigan. We had many claims to fame there. We topped lists like most handgun violence, most dangerous city, and was made notorious by one former inhabitant, Michael Moore, in his movie Roger & Me (which, if you’ve ever had a sociology class, I’m sure you’ve all seen).
Ralph Nader called Flint the birthplace of the middle class, and the birthplace of General Motors. Talk about a good son complex. But what I always loved about Flint is that it is the home of Buick City, the now defunct factory that is the largest industrial wasteland (brownfield) in the United States. It’s like our very own Chernobyl seeping into the Flint River.
Any time it gets too cold in my adopted home, Minneapolis, I just think about home and my cares seem to fade.
posted by Nathan on 12-28-2007 at 9:46 am
while i am from conway, sc no one to big has ever come out of this town except sheri reynolds who was once an oprah book club author
so we share a famous native with
North Myrtle Beach, SC
Aside from all the cranky residents during the summer we are also
Home of Vanna White.
we are also home of the founder of Hooters Robert Brooks
how sad.
posted by casey on 12-28-2007 at 10:24 am
Endicott NY- Home to IBM (the orginal factory still stands) and the story that Thomas Watson actually went door-to-door to sell stocks in his start-up company for around 10 cents each. Also home to Endicott-Johnson Shoe company and the Carousel Capitol of the world. Having something like 12 Carousels in area parks that were left to the city on the understanding that no one would ever be charged to ride them.
posted by Rachel on 12-28-2007 at 12:11 pm
The movie Footloose was filmed in my hometown. My sister was an extra.
posted by Nicole on 12-28-2007 at 2:52 pm
Garden Grove, Ca–Home to Steve Martin!! There was recently a great article in the Orange County Register about him growing up in Orange County. I still remember the picture of him in his spirit squad outfit in our High School hall of fame!
posted by Emily on 12-28-2007 at 2:56 pm
Casper, Wyoming – so far, the first Wyomingite to post!
Sadly, my hometown is now best known for being the birthplace of Dick Cheney. They named my high school football field and the federal building after him. Sigh.
Strangely, although the state of Wyoming does not have organized school-sponsored high school baseball, three quite well-known baseball players are from here:
Tom Browning: Pitched a perfect game for the Cincinnati Reds in the ’80’s.
Mike Devereaux: Won a couple of World Series rings and was NLCS MVP in the early ’90’s.
Mike Lansing: Played for several teams in the 90’s – 00’s (and was recently named in the Mitchell report – D’OH!).
Matthew Shepherd was a year ahead of me in high school, and a good friend of my fiance. His classmate (and a good friend of mine) Guy Padgett became the first openly gay elected official in the state of Wyoming a couple of years ago, and served as mayor of Casper.
Pete Williams, newsman on NBC, is from Casper.
I think that’s all I have to give you for now…
posted by Laura on 12-28-2007 at 3:22 pm
I live in Lawton, OK. The guy who played Jaguar Paw in Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto went to the same local university (Cameron U, go Aggies!!) as I do.
posted by adrienne on 12-28-2007 at 8:05 pm
new castle, pa – 40 minutes north of pittsburgh is the fireworks capital of the US. at one point we were home to several large pyrotechnic firms. the largest, zambelli internationale, is still around. they are known for providing fireworks for the superbowl, etc.
at one point new castle was also known as the hot dog capital of the US as more hot dogs were consumed, per capita, than any other city in the US.
posted by Jack on 12-29-2007 at 12:52 pm
I think the most memorable thing about where I live is simply in the name….I live in Sexsmith, Alberta. It is interesting when I am trying to tell people that over the phone….”can you spell that” the ask, “sure” I Say “its S…E…X” (a pregnant pause ensues, pun intended) “S..M..I..T…H” (Laughter at the other end of the line) and then invariably I get asked “so what do you people do for fun?” or something just about as asanine!!! We are also known for having had one of the largest Canola processing plants in North America (Canola also being known as rapeseed by the way) So there you have it: the largest rapeseed plant was in Sexsmith Alberta, how ironic is that!
posted by Sandie Finlayson on 12-29-2007 at 7:27 pm
Syracuse NY – Syracuse is known for its snowfall, Syracuse recieving more snow on average than any other large city in the United States. Plus we are obviously home to Syracuse University
posted by Marie on 12-31-2007 at 7:12 am
PORTLAND ME-
#6 on Relocate America’s Top 10 Places to Live in 2007
#12 in the world by Frommer’s in its list of Top Travel Destinations for 2007
People who have lived in Portland (or the State of Maine):
Patrick Dempsey, actor
Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Stephen King, writer (lives in Bangor, Maine)
Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr., architect
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet
Liv Tyler, actress
Plus a bunch more
posted by riley on 12-31-2007 at 7:21 am