16 articles found
Everyone Loves Americans — They Just Can't Stand Our Government: How the World Really Sees Us
If you have spent any time traveling outside the United States, you have probably noticed something interesting. People will tell you — sometimes to your face, always politely, occasionally with a beer in hand — that they love Americans but canno...
Where Is the Biggest Library in the World? (And Can You Visit It?)
The largest library on Earth is the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., United States. It holds more than 170 million items — books, recordings, photographs, maps, sheet music, and manuscripts — spread across 838 miles of bookshelves. That's rou...
Little Sweden in America: The 5 Most Fascinating Swedish Enclaves You've Never Visited
Between 1850 and 1920, over 1.3 million Swedes emigrated to the United States — at one point representing the third-largest immigrant group after Germans and Irish. They settled predominantly in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa...
Utah's Temple Square: The World's Most Famous Mormon Landmark Explained
In the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, stands one of the most recognizable religious landmarks in the Western Hemisphere: Temple Square, a 35-acre complex that serves as the global headquarters and most sacred site of the Church of Jesus Christ of La...
Denver's Cherry Blossom Festival: Everything You Need to Know
Denver's Cherry Blossom Festival — formally the Sakura Matsuri — is one of the largest Japanese cultural celebrations in the American interior. Hosted annually by the Japan-America Society of Colorado, the event brings together Japanese-American heri...
Littleton, Colorado and Australia: The Surprising Sister-City Bond
Tucked into the southern suburbs of Denver, Littleton, Colorado doesn't scream "international city." It's quiet, tree-lined, and mostly known to outsiders for its historic Main Street and proximity to the Rocky Mountains. But visit the right corner o...
The Town That Refused to Die: Centralia, Pennsylvania's Endless Underground Fire
Somewhere beneath the scrubby, cracked asphalt of what used to be Route 61 in Centralia, Pennsylvania, an underground coal seam has been on fire since 1962. Smoke still seeps through fissures in the ground. The earth radiates warmth underfoot. In win...
The Worst State to Live In: Why West Virginia Keeps Facing an Uphill Battle
This is not a comfortable article to write — and it shouldn't be read as an attack on the people of West Virginia, who are resilient, proud, and dealing with circumstances largely shaped by forces outside their individual control. But the data is una...
Kevin Costner and Colorado: Why the Yellowstone Star Keeps Coming Back to the Centennial State
Kevin Costner has spent four decades building one of Hollywood's most distinctive careers — from Bull Durham and Field of Dreams to Dances with Wolves and the global phenomenon Yellowstone. Throughout it all, one thread has remained constant: a deep,...
Luxury Living in America: Who Really Lives the High Life — and Where?
The United States has more billionaires than the next five countries combined. According to the Forbes 2025 Billionaires List, there are over 813 billionaires in the US with a combined net worth exceeding $6.2 trillion. Below the billionaire tier, Am...
The Happiest State in America: Why Hawaii Tops the List
When Gallup and other major wellbeing research organizations rank American states for happiness, one name surfaces repeatedly at the top: Hawaii. Despite its high cost of living, geographic isolation, and limited job market in certain sectors, Hawaii...
Crazy Cat Nation: How Many Cats Are in the US — and Which State Has the Most?
Americans love their cats — and the numbers prove it. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), approximately 45.3 million American households own at least one cat, with an estimated 73 to 96 million pet cats living in homes across t...