Did You Know❓️
The United States has the most libraries in the world with over 17,000 public libraries:
The oldest library in America is Redwood Library and Athenaeum, established in 1747.
Approximately 47% of the land in the United States is uninhabited:
The oldest land formation in America is the North American Craton, also known as Laurentia.
The United States has the most hiking trails in the world, exceeding 250,000 miles:
The longest trail in America is the American Discovery Trail with over 6,800 miles expanding from coast to coast across 15 states.
The United States of America has more trees today than it had 100 years ago:
The oldest planted tree in America is the Endicott Pear Tree in Danvers, Massachusetts.
St. Augustine, FL has the most historical homes in the US:
St. Augustine ranks number one as the city with the most historical homes – 11,231 registered homes per capita, to be exact. 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:
Pennsylvania (located in Northeast America) has the longest and most varied fall foliage season in the entire world.
Today, about 2,000 fairs are held in North America each year:
The York State Fair, established 1765, in York, Pennsylvania is currently 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:
See who became America's first ever millionaire way back in 1800.
The U.S., with over 7 million vending machines, has the most installed vending machines in the world:
Discover what city had the first vending machines in America dating back to 1888.
The U.S. has the largest road network in the world, with over 68,03,479 kilometers (over 4,227,500 miles) of road:
Discover what the oldest road in America is and what states it runs through.
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. *For more details see our Oldest Towns page.
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. See our oldest census page to see what U.S. county was the first to complete America's first ever census.
The U.S. flag has been revised 27 times:
In all, from 1777 to 1960 (after the admission of Hawaii in 1959), there were 27 versions of the flag—25 involving changes in the stars only. And here is America's oldest flagpole.
The U.S. ranks number 1 in the world for hosting international students:
And speaking of students, here is 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.
The U.S. Postal Service is the largest postal service in the world according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office:
If you find that interesting then see our first mailbox in North America page and oldest postal route in America page.
According to the the Bureau Of Transportation Statistics, America has the most airports of any country in the world with over 20,000:
See the airport we visited which is not only the oldest in America but also the oldest airport in the world.
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:
With reference to canals, see the oldest canal in America that we visited.
America has the largest number of seaports in the world with 587 ports:
Also related to seaports, see the oldest seaport in America we visited.
America has the most sports stadiums of any country in the world with over 900 stadiums:
Discover what city the oldest sport in America originated in.
According to Guinness World Records, America has the world's largest railroad network consisting of 148,000+ km (92,000+ miles) of track.
Learn about America's oldest railroad.
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.
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:
See our Hudson, NY content after our visit to America's 1st incorporated city.
The United States was the first country in world history to successfully land humans on the moon back on July 20th, 1969:
Read more about the moon landing from our visit to the birthplace of the moon landing site.
Newport, the colonial capital of Rhode Island, was the first of the 13 colonies to declare its independence from England:
Rhode Island is also the smallest state in America and has the fewest acres of federal land at 5,157 acres. Learn more about Newport, RI from our visit there.
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. See the latest list of historic towns we have visited so far.
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.
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.
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%:
Learn about the oldest forest in America which we had to honor to visit.
The Battle of Gettysburg was not only the largest battle of the Civil War, it remains the largest battle ever fought in North America:
Learn more about the town Of Gettysburg from our recent visit there.
America's (and the world's) first true penitentiary was the Eastern State Penitentiary built in 1829 in Philadelphia, PA:
Learn all about America's first true penitentiary.
Salem Maritime in Salem, Massachusetts is America's First National historic site:
Learn more about Salem Maritime Museum from our visit there.
According to US Lighthouse Society,America is home to more lighthouses than any other country in the world close to 780:
Learn about America's oldest lighthouse.
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.
See our NYC page, the city that has the most historic landmarks of any city in America.
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 our Mystic, CT page to learn more about this historic town.
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:
Learn more about the building where Thomas Mundy cast his vote.
America is the only country in the world that has all of the earth’s five climate zones:
Dry, tropical, temperate, continental, and polar climates. We have visited all 5 climates. See our tracker page.
The United States has the world's largest military budget, spending more on defense than the next 10 countries combined:
The oldest military base in the United States is located in West Point, New York.
South Beach, Miami, Florida is home to the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings in the world:
See more on the beautiful city of South Beach, Miami, Florida.
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.
NYC is the most populated city in America with an estimated 8.2 million people. It also has the highest population density in America.