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Historic Towns Of America
Historic Towns Of America
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Fascinating Destination Facts To Know Before You Go

Looking for hidden gems to travel to? Add these intriguing places to your next vacation itinerary. Discover jaw-dropping secrets about some of America's most interesting destinations that will transform your next getaway from ordinary to unforgettable.

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The United States has the most libraries in the world with over 17,000 public libraries:

Step back in time at America's oldest library. Secure your visit to the historic Redwood Library and Athenaeum in Newport, RI, standing since 1747.

Approximately 47% of the land in the United States is uninhabited:

Hike on the oldest land formation in America, the North American Craton, also known as Laurentia.

longest trail in America

The United States has the most hiking trails in the world, exceeding 250,000 miles:

Walk, bike or hike on America's longest trail. American Discovery Trail has over 6,800 miles expanding from coast to coast across 15 states.

trees in America

The United States of America has more trees today than it had 100 years ago:

Visit Danvers, Massachusetts to see the Endicott Pear Tree, America's oldest planted tree.

oldest city in US

St. Augustine, FL is America's oldest city and has the most historical homes in the US:

Arrange your trip to St. Augustine, the U.S. city with the most historical homes – 11,231 registered homes per capita. A massive 22% of all homes in St. Augustine are historical.

Eastern North America is only 1 of 3 regions of the world that support deciduous forests that display fall autumn color:

Visit Pennsylvania (located in Northeast America), host to the longest and most varied fall foliage season in the entire world.

oldest fair in US

Today, about 2,000 fairs are held in North America each year:

Plan your trip to York State Fair in York, Pennsylvania, America's first and oldest fair.

The U.S. is home to the most millionaires of any country by far, with an estimated 25 million millionaires:

Visit Manhattan, NYC, home of America's very first millionaire dating way back to 1800.

first vending machine in America

The U.S., with over 7 million vending machines, has the most installed vending machines in the world:

Book your trip to Manhattan, NYC, home to the first vending machine in America dating back to 1888.

oldest road in America

The U.S. has the largest road network in the world, with over 68,03,479 kilometers (over 4,227,500 miles) of road:

Book your next road trip and drive on the oldest road in America which runs through several U.S. states.

oldest towns in US

Differences of oldest towns in the United States:

*Hudson, NY is the 1st city to be incorporated after the 13 colonies became the U.S. *Lewes, DE is the 1st town in the 1st state after the 13 colonies became the U.S. *Albany, NY is the longest continuously chartered city in the U.S. *St. Augustine, FL is both America's oldest city AND oldest non-Indigenous settlement in the U.S. *Jamestown, VA, was the 1st English settlement in the U.S. but was abandoned for 80+ years and is now a National Historic Site. *Book Your Trip To One Of America's Historic Towns.

first census in America

The United States was the first nation in history to institute a periodic national census:

Since 1790, the country has tried to count each woman, man, and child every ten years. Visit Amwell Township, NJ, the first to complete America's ever census.

oldest flagpole in US

The U.S. flag has been revised 27 times:

In all, from 1777 to 1960 there were 27 versions of the flag—25 involving changes in the stars only. Plan your Portsmouth, NH trip to see America's oldest flagpole.

oldest school in US

The U.S. ranks number 1 in the world for hosting international students:

Reserve your getaway to NYC, home to America's oldest school.

The United States Of America initially consisted of the original 13 states that had been British colonies until their independence in 1776:

The first 13 original states in the U.S. are Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. So far our team of explorers have traveled to eight of the thirteen 13 original colonies.

oldest mail route

The U.S. Postal Service is the largest postal service in the world according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office:

Book your trip to the Hamptons in Long Island, NY to visit the site of America's first mailbox. 

oldest airport in America

According to the the Bureau Of Transportation Statistics, America has the most airports of any country in the world with over 20,000:

Visit the world's oldest airport in College Park, Maryland.

oldest canal in US

According to Guinness World Records, Cape Cod Canal (connecting CT to MA) is the world's widest canal at 540 feet wide and 17.4 miles long:

Book your trip to beautiful Dedham, MA where you can walk along America's oldest canal.

oldest seaport in US

America has the largest number of seaports in the world with 587 ports:

Book your trip to America's oldest seaport in gorgeous Gloucester, MA.

oldest sport in US

America has the most sports stadiums of any country in the world with over 900 stadiums:

Visit Troy, NY where Lacrosse, America's oldest sport originated. Or take a trip to historic Goshen NY, home to America's oldest sports venue.

oldest railroad in US

According to Guinness World Records, America has the world's largest railroad network consisting of 148,000+ km (92,000+ miles) of track.

Take a ride on America's oldest railroad by booking your trip to Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

United States border

The US is the 4th largest country in the world with land mass (when including bodies of water) or 3rd largest when counting just land:

The US shares the world’s longest land border with its northern neighbor, Canada, at over 5,500 miles. America spans over 3.5 million square miles with 50 states.  When you include all bodies of water in the United States, the country’s area is 2,429,914,880 acres. Follow our tracker page to see how many of the 50 states we visited so far. 

first city in US

Hudson, NY is the first city in America —that is, it was the first city to be incorporated after the thirteen colonies became the United States:

Plan your trip to historic Hudson, NY, America's 1st incorporated city.

first moon landing in US history

The United States was the first country in world history to successfully land humans on the moon back on July 20th, 1969:

Take a trip to beautiful Long island, NY, where you can visit the birthplace of the first ever moon landing.

Newport RI photos

Newport, the colonial capital of Rhode Island, was the first of the 13 colonies to declare its independence from England:

Rhode Island is the smallest state in America and has the fewest acres of federal land at 5,157 acres. Book your trip to breathtaking Newport, RI.

oldest towns in US

According to the US Census, there are an estimated 19,500 incorporated cities, towns and villages in the US. 76% of the 19,500 places have fewer than 5,000 residents in population and almost half, 47%, have fewer than 1,000:

Many of these are considered historic towns. Plan your trip to one of America's historic towns.

oldest democracy

America is the oldest democracy in the world, governed by representatives elected by the people since 1776:

The birthplace of the world's oldest democracy, America , took place in Philadelphia, PA. Arrange your trip to fabulous Philadelphia.

metrics system

The US is only 1 of 3 countries in the world (along with Liberia and Myanmar) that does not use the metric system as the official system of measurement:

Speaking of measurements, see our photos of the America's, and world's, longest elevated pedestrian bridge which is located in Hudson Valley, New York.

oldest forest

The US has the 4th largest forest estate in the world, including about 8% of the world's forests. Maine has the most forest coverage of any state in America with 89%:

Schedule your vacation to Cairo, NY, home to America's oldest forest.

largest battle in history

The Battle of Gettysburg was not only the largest battle of the Civil War, it remains the largest battle ever fought in North America:

Book your Gettysburg getaway to explore the battlefield grounds.

America's (and the world's) first true penitentiary was the Eastern State Penitentiary built in 1829 in Philadelphia, PA:

Plan your Philly penitentiary trip today

first national historic site

Salem Maritime in Salem, Massachusetts is America's First National historic site:

Reserve your visit to Salem Maritime National Historic Site in spooky Salem, MA.

oldest lighthouse in America

According to US Lighthouse Society, America is home to more lighthouses than any other country in the world close to 780:

Start your vacation now to tour America's oldest lighthouse in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

historical landmarks

New York State has both the highest number of National Historic Landmarks and historical markers in America with nearly 280 National Historic Landmarks and an estimated 1,000 historical markers:

Book your trip to NYC, the city with the most historic landmarks of any city in America.

oldest steam powered mill

Mystic, Connecticut is home to both the largest maritime museum in the United States and the oldest steam-powered cider mill in the United States:

Visit Mystic, CT and enjoy all the things this historic town has to offer.

first black person to vote

Thomas Mundy Peterson of Perth Amboy, New Jersey was the first African-American to vote in an election. His vote was cast on March 31, 1870:

Plan your trip to walk the historic halls of Perth Amboy City Hall, America's oldest public building.

five climates

America is the only country in the world that has all of the earth’s five climate zones:

Book your getaway to one of America's 5 climates. Dry, tropical, temperate, continental or polar climate. 

largest military in the world

The United States has the world's largest military budget, spending more on defense than the next 10 countries combined:

Visit America's oldest military base in the breathtaking Hudson Valley's West Point, New York.

art deco buildings

South Beach, Miami, Florida is home to the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings in the world:

Start your vacation now to sunny Miami South Beach, Florida.

most populated city in US

America is the 3rd most populated country in the world with an estimated 330 million people. Although the 3rd most populated, America ranks 174th as the most dense country in the world.

Visit NYC, the most populated city in America with an estimated 8.2 million people.

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