Dutchess County Top Ten

The Fourth of July Top Fun Facts!

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

Population

2.5 million

In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab.html

306,626,674 million

The nation’s population on this July Fourth.
Source: Population clock www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

Cookouts

More than 1 in 4

The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 17.6 million market hogs and pigs on March 1, 2008. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation’s total. North Carolina (9 million) and Minnesota (6.7 million) were the runners-up.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service www.nass.usda.gov

6.8 billion pounds

Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2007. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation’s total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.7 billion pounds) or Kansas (4.1 billion pounds).
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service www.nass.usda.gov

About 4 in 10

The odds that your side dish of baked beans originated from North Dakota, which produced 42 percent of the nation’s dry, edible beans in 2007. Another popular Fourth of July side dish is corn on the cob. Florida, California, Georgia and New York together accounted for 60 percent of the sweet corn produced nationally in 2007.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service www.nass.usda.gov

More than 74 million

Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It’s probably safe to assume a lot of these took place on Independence Day!
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008, Table 1213 www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract.html

Fireworks

$207 million

The value of fireworks imported from China in 2007, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($217 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $14.9 million in 2007, with Japan purchasing more than any other country ($3.8 million). Source: Foreign Trade Statistics www.census.gov/foreign-trade

$17.3 million

The value of U.S. manufacturers’ shipments of fireworks in 2002. Source: 2002 Economic Census www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0231i325998t.pdf

Flags

$4.7 million

In 2007, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($4.3 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics www.census.gov/foreign-trade

$2.4 million

The Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2007. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $1.2 million worth.
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics www.census.gov/foreign-trade

$349.2 million
Annual dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation’s manufacturers, according to the latest published economic census data.
Source: 2002 Economic Census www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0231i314999t.pdf

Patriotic-Sounding Names

Thirty-one places nationwide with “liberty” in their name. The most populous one as of July 1, 2006, is Liberty, Mo. (29,581). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
Thirty-one places are named “eagle” — after the majestic bird that serves as our national symbol. (Places include cities, towns, villages and census-designated places.) The most populous such place is Eagle Pass, Texas, with 26,401 residents.
Twelve places have “independence” in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with 109,400 residents.
Nine places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.
There is one place named “patriot” — Patriot, Ind., with a population of 192.
And what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called “America”? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, population 25,596.

Sources: Population estimates American FactFinder www.census.gov

See the Calendar for Things to Do in Dutchess on the 4th of July!