Please tell me about your town...

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve always been interested in geography and geographical minutiae. I’m also interested in fun stuff about fellow dopers. So, with this in mind, I humbly ask: what are some facts about your town? I’ll introduce mine to get us started.

Springfield, Illinois, The capitol of Illinois
TOPOGRAPHY: Sits on a mostly-flat stretch of central Illinois, with gently-rolling prairie nearby
POPULATION: 110,000 or so; closer to 150,000 or so if you count suburbs and bedroom communities
MAYOR: Karen Hasara, a Republican (IIRC; I didn’t live here when she was elected)
WEATHER: Miserably hot and humid in the summer (although this summer has been reasonably cool :), miserably cold, snowy, icy and windy in the winter (it’s a warm day in January if it’s above 20º :eek:). Somewhat agreeable during fall and spring.
BUSINESS: State government & spinoff industries, mostly. A couple of insurance companies, 2 HUGE hospitals, some factories.
COMMERCE: Most major chain stores are represented with the recent addition of a Meijer store at Prairie Crossing (a new commercial development). BUSINESSES I WOULD OFFER TAX BREAKS TO IF I WAS ON THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: White Castle and The Sharper Image.
HISTORY: Abraham Lincoln lived here for 25 years.
ATTRACTIONS: Lincoln sites (Lincoln’s Home, Lincoln’s Tomb, Old State Capitol, Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, Lincoln’s New Salem State Park), Illinois Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, Susan Lawrence Dana House (a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed mansion), State Fair
LOCAL FOODS: The Horseshoe, a sort-of open-faced sandwich covered with fries and melted cheese. The best ones are at a neighborhood bar called D’Arcy’s.
That’s mine. Let’s hear about yours.

2

San Francisco, California.

It takes me 20 minutes to get to work on the Muni.

That’s all the research I’ve done.

3

Canton, Ohio

It’s a fucking dump.

It’s claim to fame is the Football Hall of Fame.
They’re having the HOF rib’s burnoff downtown this week. Someone already got murdered.

I’m moving in Sept. YEA!!!

4

Melbourne, Australia.

POP, 3.5 millionish.

A charming bayside sprawl.

5

New York City, New York.

As our mayor says (quoting the Pope): “Capital of the World.”

Need I say more?

6

About 700,000 people, 1.3 million when you throw in the rest of the county. Sits on Lake Michigan. City of Festivals. There is always something big going on. Beer capitol of the world, though many brewers have since left (most to other Wisconsin cities like La Cross) Sitting duck Democrat mayor. Much industry here, including Harley Davidson. 2 million parks, 5 million taverns. 85% of everyone here is of German heritage. (which may expain all the beer halls). Only U.S. city to elect 3 mayors from the Socialist Party (which explains all the parks, and the high taxes). 3 dozen hospitals, 1 big zoo, 1 casino.Traffic is mellow: Takes me 7 minutes to get to work on I-94. Compared to other big cities, Milwaukee is a pussy cat.

7

Salmon Arm, B.C. Canada

16,000 or so. Sitch-we-ated on Shuswap Lake, in the Southern part of the Province.
It’s great here.

8

Hey, Jimmy! I grew up in Kelowna and used to sail on Shuswap Lake once in a while. Do you guys still have the music festival there?

My city is Vancouver, BC. It sits beside the ocean, nestled in among the mountains. Population is around 2 million, I think. Weather is pretty mild year round here, but we get lots of rain. I love it here - it’s a very green city, there’s lots of outdoor activities, and it’s a big enough city that it always has something going on.

9

Montpelier (Mont-PILL-yer),The capitol of Vermont

TOPOGRAPHY:Cupped in the hands of the gently rolling mountains that surround us at the confluence of the Winooski and North Branch Rivers.

POPULATION: 8,432 in 1996

MAYOR: Chuck Karparis

WEATHER: Cold and icy winters (except for the yearly January Thaw - almost every year it’s hot enough that all the snow melts) The temps in summer are probably a high-70s average with 80s and 90s peppered in.

BUSINESS: State government, National Life insurance Co.

COMMERCE: Mostly small boutique stores, 1 supermarket chain, 2 local health food/whole food stores.

HISTORY: The City of Montpelier was originally chartered in 1781 as a grant to settlers from Massachusetts. The first settlement was established along the North Branch in 1787, during the time Vermont was an independent republic. In 1875, a large fire destroyed many downtown buildings. In 1927, a great flood brought twelve feet of water at State and Main Streets and did great damage.

ATTRACTIONS: State House, foliage, etc.

LOCAL FOODS: Uhhh…Sugar on snow, I guess: Maple syrup that has been boiled into a thick drizzle (soft ball stage) that is then spooned over fresh white snow. Picked off by twisting it around the tines of your fork and eaten. Served traditionally with pickles, raised donuts and black coffee (to help kill the sweetness of the syrup.)

K.

10

Frederick, MD
Second largest town in MD something like 60,000-70,000, plenty more if you count the subburbs.

Mayor Jim Grimms

Weather hot and usually humid in summer, usually mild winter with snow of a couple of inches each time it snows.

Commerce sadly mostly resturants and stores as most of the big companies are more towards DC. this is starting to change as some bigger business are coming north. good I won’t have to drive.

History what don’t we have, we’ve got Betsy Ross who used to live here, and Francis Scott Key who lived and is buried here. plus Monocacy battlefield which saved DC during the civil war. plus plenty of other battlefields within 30 minutes drive plus loads of other famous people that I’m not gonna rack my brain trying to remmeber right now.

Topography everything, mountains, valleys, and flat land right at the edge of the blue ridge mts.

attractions well if you want Burkitville of The Blair Witch project it’s just around the corner too. oh yeah and Ft Detrick that’s been featured in a couple of movies the one that comes to mind is Outbreak even though that is NOT the real building.

11

[hijack]

I think that should be Canton’s new motto, replacing the current one, “We’re Not Akron!” (Cf. Youngstown, motto: “We’re Not Pittsburgh!”)
[/hijack]

12

Well, in keeping with the Vermont theme:

BURLINGTON, VERMONT

TOPOGRAPHY: Located on the shores of Lake Champlain, Burlington takes as much advantage of it’s lakefront vistas, with the Adorondack mountains in the distance, as possible. A bike path/promanade stretches the length of the city and the lake, as do two parks, Waterfront and Battery. (I live near Battery)

POPULATION: 164,580 in the metropolitan area.

MAYOR: Peter Clavelle. He wears a toupe.

WEATHER: Well, you don’t live in Vermont for the mild climate. Ditto Gravity. Vermont also has a fifth season, Mud Season. This is the season when roads get washed out due to the huge amounts of snow on the mountains melting, every surface in every builiding has muddy footprints, the whole state is soggy. BUT IT’S NOT GODAMMED SNOWING!!!

BUSINESS: In Burlington itself, not much. There’s a factory on Pine St. that makes the blue indicator strip in Oral B Indicator brushes. But the land usage is really too expensive for anything in the city. Oh, Bruegger’s Bagels has it’s headquarters here. Oh, does Phish count as a business? Because they’re everywhere. Nice guys.

COMMERCE: Open air street market, Church St., spans 5 city blocks. Stores range from art supply, to trendy clothing, to upscale clothing, to upscale interior decorating stores, to resturants and coffeeshops. But people watching it the main sport on Church St. There is also a traditional mall that has an entrance on Church St. Downtown Burlington has a wide variety of art galleries, cool vintage clothing stores, and lots and lots of bars. Hell, it’s a college town.

HISTORY: Gravity knows more about Montpelier than I do about Burlington. So I’ll just say that Ben & Jerry’s started in a gas station downtown, that a few pivitol battles in the American Revolution were fought out of Burlington, and not too much else has happened here yet.

ATTRACTIONS: The aforementioned Church St, foliage, er…the lake, I guess. As there are 5 colleges in Burlington, we get a lot of “Muffy, look at the CHARMING Bohemian sleeping in the park,” types. Skiing in the winter, boating in the summer, lots of good camping in the area around local lakes or mountains.

Local Foods: Gravy Fries, which are served the best at Nectar’s. Nectar’s is a mecca for Phisheads, as it was Phish’s first steady gig. As an added bonus, my improv group plays the nightclub above Nectar’s, Club Metronome, every other Thursday.
So goes my burg.

13

AdIrondack. I suck.

14

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

TOPOGRAPHY: Flat, flood plain flat

POPULATION: About 700,000

MAYOR: Glen Murray, our first openly homosexual mayor

WEATHER: is a national joke. We are known as the coldest major city in the world (during the winter) usually freakishly hot in the summer. Many, many mosquitoes. Nice in spirng and late fal (bad wasps early fall)

BUSINESS: Lotsa farming, hog, grain, dairy etc.

COMMERCE: Most major chains are represented a few times over.

BUSINESSES I WOULD OFFER TAX BREAKS TO IF I WAS ON THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Never really gave it much thought.

HISTORY: We have a city rich with history, used to be known as the “Chicago of the North” and “the gateway to the West” we have historic sites peppered throughout our province. Our EXchange district, although now a pretty seedy area is known throughout Hollywood as an excellent place to get turn of the century buildings.

ATTRACTIONS: Louis Riel’s house, Lower Fort Garry, The Golden boy, Forks market, The MB Legislature, Folklorama, Festival du Voyageur, Oktoberfest, The MB Moose, The Blue Bombers, The Winnipeg Goldeyes, The Icelandic Festival, The Royal Wpg Ballet, The Fringe Festival, countless socials, restaurants and parties. Something to do every weekend in the summer outside and every weekend in the winter, usually inside.

LOCAL FOODS: VJ’s burgers, Kelekis, perogies, BDI ice cream, Old Spaghetti Factory, skinners dogs; We apparently have more restaurants per capita than anyplace in Canada, love to eat out.

15

Victoria, British Columbia, one of the most beautiful cities in North America.

Rudyard Kipling visited here in the early years of this century, and called it a happy combination of Brighton, England, with the Himalayas as a backdrop.

The capital of B.C., Victoria is set on the southern tip of Vancouver Island (city of Vancouver is on the mainland: this can confuse visitors!), and in a mild sub-mediterranean climate, we only get about 1/3rd of the rain that Vancouver does. We generally get a little snow each winter, usually just a dusting that lasts a day or two.

Population is give or take 350,000. Current mayor is Alan Lowe. Main “industries” are government and tourism. Excellent (and numerous) antique stores, and specialty bookstores.
The heritage character of Victoria makes it a very popular destination for visitors, particularly from the US. Our vibrant Chinatown is the oldest in Canada, there are great opportunities for whale-watching (Greys in the spring and fall, Orcas all year round), and classic period architecture (like Craigdarroch Castle, [Arts & Crafts houses](http://www.finearts.uvic.ca/~fa225/STUDENT/HELEN2/Maclure.html#309 Foul Bay Road)) bring folks from all over the world. The oldest Synagogue in Canada (built 1863, and in constant use ever since) is in Victoria.

The Royal British Columbia Museum is worth the trip alone.

The breathtaking waterfront views are nothing to sneeze at, either!

Local foods: fresh-from-the-dock seafood, as well as a wide variety of ethnic foods from the various cultural groups that settled in Victoria: Cantonese and Szechwan, East Indian, Scottish butchers, Guatemalan, and, if you really have to have it, High Tea at the Empress Hotel. (Hint: do the cheaper High Tea in the garden of a real 1860 Italianate manor, with servers in period dress!)

Why not step inside the oldest lighthouse on the west coast of Canada–and explore an 1895 British Army coast artillery fort?

16

Born very near there, spent the teen years there, got out as soon as I could but still take a sick pleasure in visiting.

TRUMANSBURG, NY

TOPOGRAPHY: Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes, variuos small creeks, gullies and gorges crisscrossing here there and everywhere. Frequent misspellings on the street signs (street name spelled one way on one end of the street, a different way at the other end).

POPULATION: 1000-ish

MAYOR: Do we have one? Hmm… I know we have a board of selectment.

WEATHER: Hot in the very short summer, rainy in the spring and fall, snowy in the winter. When growing up I thought there was nothing unacceptable about the temperature not rising above 10F for weeks at a time.

BUSINESS: There used to be a small press, but it moved to California. There used to be a salsa-making company, but it moved to Florida. Does marijuana-farming count?

COMMERCE: Lots of little local stores along main street that change almost every year because everyone drives to Ithaca or Syracuse to go shopping.

HISTORY: Um… hm… Oh, there is a rumor that the Moog synthesizer was invented there.

ATTRACTIONS: Taughannock Falls State Park, with the highest straight-drop waterfalls east of the Mississippi, The Trumansburg Fair, which attracts people from all over the area for carnival rides and greasy foods. The Grass Roots Music Festival, which seems to attract huge numbers of people, though I’ve never been. Cayuga Lake, the longest of the Finger Lakes, which is about 500 feet deep and doesn’t get warm enough to swim in until late August.
The Rongovian Embassy, really cool bar with 200 beers and live music all the time, and filled with hippie-type people that haven’t gone home since the early 70s. It’s for sale if anybody wants to buy a bar.

LOCAL FOODS: Salt potatoes, spiedies, phosphates and egg creams at the diner which changes names every few years but whose menu never changes. Except that time that the price of a cheeseburger went from $1.15 to $1.50!
Half-moon cookies.
Grilled Cornell-recipe chicken.

LOCAL PASTIMES: drinking Canadian beer, drinking domestic beer, swimming, reading and making drunken idiots of ourselves at the state parks.

17

Hillsboro, Virginia

TOPOGRAPHY: Sits in the pass on Short Hill Mountain, gateway to the Blue Ridge! Between Leesburg, VA and Charles Town, WV.

POPULATION: 100 or so. We keep arguing with the Postal Service about whether we’re really a city or not. So far we’ve kept our post office. It’s in the general store.

MAYOR: I suppose we have one. I’d have to ask around. The city council is sort of a booby prize. No one runs and everyone votes for someone else. Top five losers get the job.

WEATHER: Fairly hot in the summer. 90s for a few weeks. Humid. Chilly in the winter with 1 or 2 weeks of snow and cold.

BUSINESS: Just the general store. One woman makes some jewelry.

COMMERCE: A Bed and Breakfast, we get tourists in that. Also the Hill Tom Market, our general store.

BUSINESSES I WOULD OFFER TAX BREAKS TO IF I WAS ON THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: None. Screw them.

HISTORY: The mother of Orville and Wilbur Wright was born here. Madeline Albright grew up in Hillsboro.

ATTRACTIONS: None, I’d have to say. Other than the mountains, forests, the Appalachian Trail.

LOCAL FOODS: Virginia Ham, Dominion Ale, Dominion Root Beer (trust me, this stuff is the best!)

I moved here from DC. Trust me, small town life is the best.

18

Though I haven’t lived there for 6 years, i will post information for my only TRUE hometown, the place I grew up:

HUDSON, NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA 03051

TOPOGRAPHY: Built on several hills on the east bank of the Merrimack River across from the city of Nashua. Most of the town consists of hilly terrain, with most of the area betwen the hills consisting of swampland or reclaimed swampland. Historically, there were two town centers: Hudson Village, located at the current intersections of Rte. 3A (Lowell Road), Rte. 111 (Ferry Street) and Rte. 102 (Derry Rd.) overlooking the banks of the River, and Hudson Center, located at the intersection of Rte. 111 (Central St) with Greeley Street, Kimball Hill Road, and Windham Road. I lived near Hudson Center. The town has become so sprawling that it is now difficult to identify a real “center” however.

POPULATION: Approximately 28,000 based on projected figures. Waiting on census for real data.

GOVERNMENT: Board of Selectmen (traditional form of New England town government) members elected every year for two-year terms. Though there is no mayor, several people have served in the Town Government long enough to almost qualify, including Stan Searle, Fiorello Bernisconi, and Rhona Charboneau.

WEATHER: Mild for New England. Generally only 1-2 feet of snow all winter. December and August are unusually mild for their seasons, with the hotest temperatures (90’s) coming in July and the coldest (never above 30) in February.

BUSINESS: High Tech/Defense industry (Major employers: Lockheed Sanders, Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon), Dairy and Chicken farming, various small businesses.

COMMERCE: Thompson’s Market at Hudson Center, Ayottes (EH-yots) State Line Market, literrally on the state line with Massachusettes (the front door marks the state line), Sam and Anna’s on Webster Street, Danny and Kim’s on Dracut Rd. two chain grocery stores (Shop n’ Save, Market Basket), Wallmart, Sam’s Club. No “downtown” area, mostly strip malls. Nashua is near enough to provide all shopping and downtown needs.

HISTORY: Founded in 1765 as “Nottingham.” Changed name to “Nottingham West” to avoid confusion with an earlier settlement to the northeast. Changed name to “Hudson” to comemorate the legend that the Merrimack was once mistaken as a tributary of the Hudson river. Major town benefactor were Alfred and Virginia Hill who owned most of the land in the Northern part of the town, and whose names have been given to the Hill Memorial Library (a neat but inadequately small stone building located in Hudson Village), the Hill House (home of the Town Historical Society) and Alvirne High School (contraction of Alfred and Virginia).

ATTRACTIONS: Hill House, located at 201 Derry Rd. contains the town historical society museum. Grounds of the Hill House are the site of “Old Homes Days,” town fair which run during last two full weeks in August (many local town fairs are called “Old Homes Days” for some reason). Alvirne High School, located at 200 Derry Rd. has an operating farm that is run by High School students as part of the local Agrigultural Vocational program, and is the founding chapter (Chapter 1) of the Future Farmers of America. Robinson’s Pond, located in the Northeast corner of the town, has a beach and great fishing. Otternic (“Tonic”) Pond, located at the town’s geographic center usually has lots of ice skating in the winter, and fishing in the summer. It’s been closed about 10 years, but there used to be an amusment park/zoo located in Hudson Center named “Benson’s Wild Animal Farm” and later “New England Playland.” The usage of this prime real estate has consumed town politics for the better part of the past 10 years. Several parks including Greeley Field, located in Hudson Center; Lion’s Field, located in Hudson Village; the Town Common, located in Hudson Village.

LOCAL FOOD: The Steak Bomb. Many places in southern New Hampshire/Northeastern Massachusetts carry this delicacy. It’s similar to a Philly Cheesesteak but with LOTS of other stuff. It’s prepared on a grill with shreaded steak, salami, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, grilled, topped with cheese, and served on a sub roll. It’s wonderful.

19

My town is a hell of a town
The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down
And people ride in a hole in the ground.

20

Leeds - Yorkshire - England.

http://www.vrleeds.co.uk

Don’t be fooled by the website which is pretty good Leeds is a bit of a hole.