• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Fun Facts about where you live:

G

Glenn B

Member #69
NAXJA Member
Location
Aransas Pass, Texas
Just for fun, post some of the fun stuff about where you live:
See www.wikipedia.com then search for your place. List what they have under "Trivia".
  • Hoboken is the site of the first brewery in the United States, Castle Point.
  • The site of the first known baseball game between two different teams, which took place at Elysian Fields, on Hudson Street between 10th and 11th Streets, where a commerative plaque and street paving are located.
  • The site of the first demonstration of a steam locomotive in the United States at 56 Newark Street at Hudson Street.
  • The first departure of an electrified train, driven by Thomas A. Edison from Hoboken Terminal to Montclair.
  • The first central air-conditioning unit was installed at Hoboken Terminal.
  • The first wireless phone was used in Hoboken Terminal.
  • The site of a World War I embarkation point, 1st and 2nd Streets at River Street—almost all American troops sent to Europe left from here.
  • The home of the accidental invention of soft ice-cream, at 726 Washington Street.
  • Home to the first Blimpie restaurant, opened in 1964. Originally located on Sixth and Washington Street, before relocating a year later two doors down to the corner of Seventh and Washington, then, in the mid-1990s, to First and Washington. A free goldfish in a colored bowl of water was given to all customers who purchased a Blimpie during the first week open.
  • Hoboken limits by law the number of liquor licences to the number of blocks and the limit is usually reached. Additionally, no license can be moved to within 200 feet of another bar or 500 feet from a church, which makes it nearly impossible to open a new bar (except in newly renovated perimeter regions of the city).
  • There is an average of one church for every block.
  • Hoboken has had 36 mayors since 1855.
  • The title characters in the 2004 film Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle hailed from Hoboken. This could possibly be due to director Danny Leiner's own pre-Hollywood life spent here, as his earlier blockbuster film, Dude, Where's My Car?, also included a reference to the city (an alien character swears to banish another alien menace to Hoboken, New Jersey).
  • On the animated series Megas XLR, which is set in New Jersey, in the episode "All I Wanted Was A Slushie", after Coop bemoans the fact that his city is now devoid of slushie machines, and an alien robot is poised to wipe the town off the map as well, Jamie suggests that they go to Hoboken to find a Mega Slush machine, which Coop summarily dismisses by saying "Yeah, but...that's Hoboken."
  • A post-apocalyptic Hoboken is the setting of the offbeat computer RPG The Superhero League of Hoboken, by Legend Entertainment.
  • Hoboken is a well known as a railroad town. The term "hobo" (i.e., a railroad journeyman) is incorrectly believed to have stemmed from the groups of hobos travelling from Hoboken. (See below.)
  • Hoboken has 48 streets.
  • In the 1950 Bugs Bunny cartoon 8 Ball Bunny, the performing penguin reveals he needs to go to Hoboken, after Bugs slaved the entire episode to get him to the South Pole.
  • Hoboken's name is actually derived from the Hobocan Hacking Indian tribe that lived here, not traveling hobos as often told.
  • Hoboken High School student Siglinda Sanchez became the first Puerto Rican Capitol Page in Washington DC in 1973-74 during her High School Senior year. She served as House Speaker Carl Albert's personal page that summer. She was featured on What's My Line? and Jeopardy! game shows as well as a featured story on "Josie and the Pussycats" "In the News"
  • Creators of the Broadway Musical Hair James Rado and Jerome Ragne lived in Hoboken at 64 10th st. in 1968 when they wrote the play and its classic songs such as "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine", "Hair" and "How Can I be Sure" to name a few.
  • Hoboken was once known as the city with "a bar on every corner" and in fact was once listed in Guinness Book of Records as the city with "Most bars in a square mile". There were well over 200 bars in town in the first half of the 20th century. There are still well over 100 now.
  • Hoboken is home to Maxwells rock club. Once dubbed New York's best rock club, even though it's in Hoboken. The first to bring prominence to the venue were The Bongos, who were based in Hoboken, signed to RCA Records and gained national recognition. Springsteen's "Glory Days" video was shot there.
  • The now-defunct band, Operation Ivy penned and recorded the song "Hoboken" about this town.
  • Frank Sinatra was born and raised in Hoboken. The Hoboken Public Library has so many of his CDs that they count him as a separate genre.
  • Hoboken is located on the West bank of the Hudson river.
  • The film Lianna by John Sayles was shot in Hoboken in 1983.
  • Scottish band Franz Ferdinand named a remake of their song 'Jacqueline' as 'Better in Hoboken'
[edit]

Noteworthy Residents

Note: These individuals were born in Hoboken, lived there for a considerable time, or did something notable while living there even if the time was brief. (B) denotes Born in Hoboken.[edit]

Local attractions
[edit]

Parks
 
Chero-King said:
Wow, thats a lot to read....anyone wanna sum it up for me :D
Click to expand...
No, Post your own, or feel free to move on to another post that may be short enough for you to read.

Stay on topic please. :wave1:
 
Haha, sorry, I'm just tired this morning... heres some history from Wikipedia of my town since they didnt have "Trivia" for mine...

Between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago the Sto:lo arrived in the Chilliwack area. At the time of their first contact with Europeans it is estimated that there were as many as 30,000 people living within Sto:lo territory.

In 1857, gold was discovered in the Fraser Canyon. By 1858 over 30,000 gold miners had treked to the goldfields, most travelling through the Chilliwack area. By the mid 1860's several farms had grown up around the steamboat landings on the Fraser River called Miller's Landing, Sumas Landing and Chilliwack Landing.

The Township of Chilliwhack was incorporated in 1873, the third municipality in British Columbia. Initial settlement was along the Fraser River at Chilliwack Landing. Steamboats were the main mode of transportation, carrying goods and passengers between Chilliwack and New Westminster..

With little room for expansion along the river, the commercial area of the town moved south to the junction of the New Westminster-Yale Wagon Road, Wellington Avenue and Young Road, called "Five Corners." A large subdivision called Centreville was built In 1881. The name Centreville was replaced In 1887 by the more popular "Chilliwhack." The area was incorporated in 1908 as a separate municipality, the City of Chilliwack. The City and the Township co-existed for 72 years. In 1980 they merged to form the District of Chilliwack. The District of Chilliwack became the City of Chilliwack in the early 1990s.

The spelling of Chilliwack is sometimes a matter of confusion. Prior to the amalgamation of the City of Chilliwack and the Municipality of Chilliwhack, there were two different spellings. Upon amalgamation, the spelling of the City was used.[1]. Archaic spellings include Chilliwhyeuk and other versions closer to the original Halkomelem, the language of the Sto:lo communities around Chilliwack and Sardis.
 
Chiliwack. Too funny. :) I first heard of that place in a song by Diesel. Going to pull that up and give another listen. Good info though, thanks.

Edit: wrong group and song.... looking for what I meant now. LOL
 
Ogden UT.
Wikipedia said:
Ogden-Hinckley Airport, Utah's busiest municipal airport, is located just to the southwest of the city.
Click to expand...
Figures!

I'm not posting anymore. :doh:
 
Chlilliwhack did:

Watcha Gonna Do
My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)

The rest I do not recall.
 
TRNDRVR said:
Ogden UT.Figures!

I'm not posting anymore. :doh:
Click to expand...

Dan, It is not ALL doom and gloom... other than religion and moonscape. :) Than and Mark does not ever dare to try to live there:

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 77,226 people, 27,384 households, and 18,402 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,119.3/km² (2,899.2/mi²). There were 29,763 housing units at an average density of 431.4/km² (1,117.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.01% White, 2.31% African American, 1.20% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 12.95% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.64% of the population.
There were 27,384 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,047, and the median income for a family was $38,950. Males had a median income of $29,006 versus $22,132 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,632. About 12.6% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit]

Transportation

Both Interstate 15 and Interstate 84 serve Ogden, connecting the city with communities far to the northwest, such as Boise, Idaho and also points west in Oregon, and communities to the north, including Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho and Butte, Montana. South on I-15 is the extended Wasatch Front metropolitan area, including the cities of Layton, Farmington, Salt Lake City, West Jordan, Sandy, Orem, and Provo.
Ogden's 12th Street corridor was a subject of early planning investigations in the 1970s, as the Utah State Highway Department attempted to upgrade that facility taking into account the constraints of the urban corridor. This corridor contains a dense accumulation of lodging, public buildings, offices, restaurants and other services.
[edit]

Sites of interest

[edit]

Renown

Two ships in the United States Navy have been named after the City of Ogden. The first, USS Ogden (PF-39), in 1943 and the second, USS Ogden (LPD-5), in 1964.
[edit]

Birthplace of

[edit]

Filming Location of

 
Moore, Oklahoma

About:
Moore is a rapidly growing suburb in Cleveland County, Oklahoma and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. As of July 1, 2003, the city population was 44,987.

Blah blah blah......

The city often falls victim to tornadoes, and has been severely damaged by tornadoes on October 4, 1998 May 3, 1999, and May 8, 2003. The May 3, 1999 tornado that hit Moore was rated an F5 on the Fujita scale, and was one of the strongest and most destructive tornadoes ever recorded in history. The tornado, which occurred during the Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak, had an approximate recorded wind speed of 318 MPH, left a swath of destruction nearly 7 miles long, and killed 36 people in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. This was the deadliest F5 tornado recorded since the Delhi, Louisiana tornado in 1971.

Blah blah blah....

Notable residents and natives:
Actors: Danny Cooksey. His Diff'rent Strokes co-star, Dana Plato died of a drug overdose in a recreational vehicle outside of her fiancé's parent's house in Moore.

Musicians and bands: Toby Keith


Demographics:
The racial makeup of the city is 84.63% White, 2.92% Black, 4.14% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 4.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race are 5.10% of the population.


is.php
 
No trivia link but I came up with this...

Famous People Born in Fullerton
Keith Van Horn, NBA player on the Dallas Mavericks. Formerly played for New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.
Phil Nevin, MLB player on the Chicago Cubs. Formerly played for Texas, San Diego, Anaheim, Detroit, and Houston.
Gwen Stefani, lead singer of No Doubt and solo recording artist.
Tudor Cora, Nobel Prize winning scientist, for his discovery of the origins of cheese.
Jenna Haze, Pornographic actress, Won AVN Award Best New Starlet in 2003.
Eric Wynalda, All-time leading scorer for the U.S. Soccer National Team
Jim Edmonds, MLB player on the St. Louis Cardinals
 
No trivia here either, so....

The Village of Plainfield is a municipality in Will County, Illinois, United States. The Village includes land in Plainfield and Wheatland Townships. Please note, however, that part of Plainfield is located in Kendall County (NuAuSay and Oswego Townships). The population has grown from 4,500 in 1990 to about 30,314 in 2005. [1] Plainfield is also one of the fastest growing communities in Illinois.

Plainfield is identified as the oldest community in Will County

The Plainfield Tornado, an F5 tornado, devastated the Village on August 28, 1990 killing 29 people.
Plainfield is the headquarters city of Dale Coyne Racing, a team in the Champ Car World Series

At one time, the two, longest paved highways in the world (Lincoln Highway and U.S. Route 66) crossed in Plainfield. The highways only crossed each other twice and both locations are in Will County.

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 13,038 people, 4,315 households, and 3,521 families residing in the village. According to a 2003 special census, the village has a population of 20,673. The population density was 433.6/km² (1,122.8/mi²). There were 4,609 housing units at an average density of 153.3/km² (396.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.85% White, 0.84% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.87% of the population.

Rev
 
Damn, an F5? No thanks. I dig Champ racing. Thanks for the post.

Rev Den said:
No trivia here either, so....

The Village of Plainfield is a municipality in Will County, Illinois, United States. The Village includes land in Plainfield and Wheatland Townships. Please note, however, that part of Plainfield is located in Kendall County (NuAuSay and Oswego Townships). The population has grown from 4,500 in 1990 to about 30,314 in 2005. [1] Plainfield is also one of the fastest growing communities in Illinois.

Plainfield is identified as the oldest community in Will County

The Plainfield Tornado, an F5 tornado, devastated the Village on August 28, 1990 killing 29 people.
Plainfield is the headquarters city of Dale Coyne Racing, a team in the Champ Car World Series

At one time, the two, longest paved highways in the world (Lincoln Highway and U.S. Route 66) crossed in Plainfield. The highways only crossed each other twice and both locations are in Will County.

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 13,038 people, 4,315 households, and 3,521 families residing in the village. According to a 2003 special census, the village has a population of 20,673. The population density was 433.6/km² (1,122.8/mi²). There were 4,609 housing units at an average density of 153.3/km² (396.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.85% White, 0.84% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.87% of the population.

Rev
Click to expand...
 
here is where i live now ;

REDDING is the county seat of Shasta County, California, USA, located on the Sacramento River and on Interstate 5 south of Shasta Lake. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 80,865. A 2005 estimate reports the city's population as 88,700.

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 80,865 people, 32,103 households, and 20,995 families residing in the city. The population density was 534.3/km² (1,383.8/mi²). There were 33,802 housing units at an average density of 223.3/km² (578.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.70% White, 1.05% African American, 2.23% Native American, 2.95% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.64% from other races, and 3.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.43% of the population.


History, places of interest, and recent events
Situated along the Siskiyou Trail, an ancient trade and travel route connecting California's Central Valley and the Pacific Northwest, the site of Redding was occupied by Native Americans of the Wintu tribe from about the year 1000. During the early 1800s, Hudson's Bay Company trappers and members of the United States Exploring Expedition passed through the site of Redding, while traveling along the Siskyou Trail.

The first non-native settler in the area was Pierson B. Reading, an early California pioneer. Reading was admirer of John Sutter, and in 1844, Reading received a Mexican land grant for the area occupied by today's Redding and Cottonwood, California, along the Sacramento River. At the time it was (by over 100 miles) the northernmost non-native settlement in California.

Later, what was to become the town of Redding was founded by miners. Originally not a very prosperous town, it was known as Poverty Flats. Named for railroad man Benjamin B. Redding, the town was rechristened "Reading" in 1874, honoring founder Pierson B. Reading. The railroad, however, would not recognize the change, and the original Redding was restored in 1880.

During the twentieth century, Redding's main industry was lumber, but this is no longer the case. Currently, Redding's two biggest industries are the medical and legal industries.


Sundial Bridge at Turtle BayRedding has two hospitals, Mercy Medical Center (Catholic Healthcare West) and Shasta Regional Medical Center, formerly Redding Medical Center.

In 2004, the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay was completed. The dramatic pedestrian span was designed by noted Spanish architect-engineer-artist Santiago Calatrava and links the north and south campuses of the 200 acre (809,000 m²) Turtle Bay Exploration Park.

Redding has three public high schools, Shasta High School, Foothill High School, and Enterprise High School, as well as several middle schools, over a dozen elementary schools and several religious and other private schools. Redding also has four small colleges: Shasta College, a public two-year college, Simpson University, a four-year Christian college, Shasta Bible College and Graduate School, a private four-year Christian college and graduate school, and National University.

Redding is also important as the largest city in the northern Sacramento Valley and the largest city on the 470-mile stretch of Interstate 5 between Sacramento, California and Eugene, Oregon. Both Redding and its neighbor to the south, Red Bluff, are popular with tourists who use the cities as bases to explore Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lake Shasta, and other natural attractions.

Trivia
The town of Redding is featured in the RPG Fallout 2.

Famous people
Famous "Reddingites" include:

Professional baseball player Chris Woodward used to live in Redding.
Theater composer and actor David de Berry came from Redding.
Movie producer Kathleen Kennedy was raised in Redding.
Former NFL defensive star Jason Sehorn attended Shasta College in Redding before going on to play at USC.
Country star Merle Haggard currently lives in the Redding area
Billionaire Archie Aldis Emmerson is Redding's richest person, and is California's largest private landowner.
Former professional baseball player and current manager for the United States in the first ever World Baseball Classic scheduled for Spring 2006, Buck Martinez.
Ashley Parker Angel, Former member of the now defunct O-town, was born and raised here.



Here is where i was born and raised and spent the first 22 years of life :

MODESTO is the county seat of Stanislaus County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 188,856. Current census estimates place the population at 206,300. According to the California State Department of Finance 1/6/06 estimate, 514,370 people live in the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. One and a half hours from Sacramento, California's capital city, and two hours from both San Jose and San Francisco, Modesto's location has turned the agriculturally based city into a bedroom community. Over twenty percent of the workforce travels outside of the county to their place of employment. The area is plagued by some of the worst air quality in the nation, on occasion surpassing even that of Los Angeles. It is also reported to have the highest car theft per capita rate in the United States for at least two years.

Modesto's climate consists of hot, dry summers, cool to mild winters, and temperate spring and fall seasons. Precipitation is greatest from November to March, a period that is also characteristic of dense fog. The all-time record high temperature is 113°F (45°C) set recently on July 23, 2006. The all-time record low temperature is 18°F (-8°C) set on December 13, 1932.

History
Modesto, originally a stop on the railroad connecting Sacramento to Los Angeles, was founded in 1870 and was to be named for William Chapman Ralston, its founder and the financier of many projects in early California. However, he declined the suggestion and a Spanish-speaking railroad worker at the naming ceremony said that Ralston was "Muy modesto" or very modest. Instead, the town was named Modesto.

Modesto's official slogan is "Water Wealth Contentment Health," which is emblazoned on a large arch uptown that has been immortalized in many photographs. A contest was run in 1911 to determine the slogan. The original winning slogan was: "Nobody's got Modesto's goat". The second place entry was the final winner.

Industry
Modesto's industries are mainly food processing and related industries; E & J Gallo Winery, Del Monte Foods, Foster Farms, Frito Lay, Blue Diamond Growers, Hershey and Con-Agra are nationally recognized food companies with large operations in the area. However, with its maturing infrastructure, the service industry is expanding.

Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 188,856 people, 64,959 households, and 46,640 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,037.4/km² (5,277.3/mi²). There were 67,179 housing units at an average density of 724.7/km² (1,877.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.58% White, 3.97% African American, 1.24% Native American, 6.03% Asian, 0.50% Pacific Islander, 12.74% from other races, and 5.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.58% of the population.

Famous/Infamous People From Modesto
Scott Mitchell - Famous attorney known for his shrewd and agressive arguments in court
Cliff Barrows - lifelong assistant and director to Christian evangelist Billy Graham
Chidi Ahanotu - NFL defensive end
Carter Williams - K1 (kickboxing) World Champion
Gary Condit - Former Congressman
Tony Graziani - Arena Football League quarterback
George Lucas - Writer, Producer, Director (MOM WENT TO H.S. WITH HIM)
Ann Veneman - UNICEF Executive Director/Former US Secretary of Agriculture
James Marsters - Actor (Best known as "Spike" From the hit television show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
Chuck Hayes - NBA Basketball player
Timothy Olyphant - Actor (Deadwood, The Girl Next Door - Attended Fred C. Beyer High School)
Mark Spitz - 1972 Olympic Champion in Swimming
Kenny Roberts - Three times 500cc motorcycle world champion
Mike Allsup - Guitarist from Three Dog Night (HIS SON IS A CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE)
Sonny Barger - founding member of the original Oakland, California, chapter of Hells Angels
Harve Presnell - American Actor
Kirby J. Hensley - Founder of Universal Life Church
Carol Channing - American Broadway and Film Actress
Cyrus "Cy" Young - 1952 Olympic Champion in Javelin
Wilbur "Moose" Thompson - 1948 Olympic Champion in Shot Put
Ray Lankford - Former Major League Baseball Outfielder First 1,000 yard rusher for Modesto Junior College
Gino Marchetti - Former Defensive End for Baltimore Colts, NFL Hall of Fame Member
Jason Lytle - Lead singer and founder of the critically acclaimed band Grandaddy (USED TO PLAY BASS WITH THESE GUYS, GOOD FRIENDS)
Scott Peterson - Convicted murderer of his wife Laci Peterson, whose trial garnered national attention (I WENT TO H.S. WITH LACI)

Interesting Facts
Modesto is the setting for the movie American Graffiti created by George Lucas, who was born in the city (the actual location of the set was Petaluma, California). Many of the characters and scenes from the movie are based on actual events that happened in Modesto during the time that Lucas went to high school there.

Modesto and the greater Modesto area have recently been associated with high profile murders, including Chandra Levy (HER DAD WAS MY DOCTOR) and Laci Peterson. It was also the district of former congressman Gary Condit. Although Scott Peterson has been convicted and sentenced to die for the killing of his wife, the method of administering death in California is now in judicial suspension.

Modesto is Home to the Modesto Nuts of the High-A California League (Colorado Rockies minor league team); the Nuts play their home games at John Thurman Field. Modesto is also the home of the critically acclaimed musical group Grandaddy, the E & J Gallo Winery, and the McHenry Mansion.

The Universal Life Church headquarters are based in Modesto, California.
 
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 32,170 at the 2000 census.

Natick is affectionately known by its residents as the Home of Champions, recalling the performance of the town's firefighting team at the 1891 National Hook and Ladder competition.

The name Natick originates from the language of the Native American tribe known as the Massachusett, meaning "place of hills." The original settlement, on the southern side of Natick, is a hilly area. The southern side of town is called "South Natick," but is not a separate civic entity. The name Natick is pronounced NAY-tick, not NAT-ick.

History
Natick was first settled in 1651 by John Eliot, a Puritan missionary born in Widford, Hertfordshire, England who received a commission and funds from England's Long Parliament to settle the Wampanoag Indians on both sides of the Charles river. They were called Praying Indians - Eliot was best known for attempting to preserve the culture (minus the religion) of the Native Americans by putting them in planned towns where they could continue by their own rule. The colonial government placed such settlements in a ring of villages around Boston as a defensive strategy. Natick was the first and best documented of such settlements. The land was granted by the General Court, part of the Dedham Grant.

A school was set up, a government established, and the Indians were encouraged to convert to Christianity. During King Philip's War, the Natick Indians were sent to Deer Island. Many died of disease and cold, and the Indians who survived found their homes destroyed. The Indian village did not recover, and the land held in common by the Indian community was slowly sold off to white settlers to cover debts, and by 1725 most of the Natick Indians had drifted away.

The town was officially incorporated in 1781. Henry Wilson, born in 1812 and eighteenth Vice President of the United States, lived most of his life in Natick as a shoemaker and schoolteacher, and is buried there. He is the namesake of one of Natick's two middle schools.

Though Natick was primarily a farming town, the invention of the sewing machine in 1858 led to the growth of several shoe factories. The business flourished and peaked by 1880, when Natick, with twenty-three operating factories, was third in the nation in the quantity of shoes produced. The shoes made in Natick were primarily heavy work shoes with only one or two companies adding lighter dress shoes to their line. Natick was famous for its brogan, a heavy ankle-high boot worn by soldiers in the American Civil War.

Natick was also the birthplace of figure-eight stitching for baseballs. The wound core for a more resilient ball was developed by John W. Walcott and combined with the figure-eight stitching devised by Col. William A. Cutler. It was manufactured by the firm of H. Harwood & Sons in their factory built in 1858 - the first plant in the world for the manufacture of baseballs.

In 1874, a great fire in downtown Natick demolished 18 business blocks, two shoe factories, the Town Hall, Natick's only fire engine house and the Congregational Church, as well as many private homes. Though no lives were lost, the loss of property was greater in proportion to the town's wealth than the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In 1875, Natick's new Central Fire Station was completed on Summer Street and opened with grand ceremony on the same city block where the great fire was first discovered.

Natick is home of the 2005 Division 2 Super Bowl champion high school football team. The Natick Redmen finished the season 13-0 with a win over Foxboro High School, and finished the year ranked #2 in Massachusetts.

Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 32,170 people, 13,080 households, and 8,528 families residing in the town. The population density was 823.7/km² (2,132.9/mi²). There were 13,368 housing units at an average density of 342.3/km² (886.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.02% White, 1.63% African American, 0.11% Native American, 3.86% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.97% of the population.

Natick in TV and Film
In the cartoon Family Guy, Peter and his family travel to Natick in search of a Twinkie factory after an apocalyptic Y2K incident. The Hostess factory referenced in the episode did exist at one time - Continental Bakeries, but has been torn down and is being replaced by an extension of (Chicago based) General Growth's Natick Mall.

Notable Residents - past and present
-Henry Wilson, the eighteenth Vice President of the United States, lived and -worked in Natick (as a cobbler) for much of his life.
-Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, married
-Natick native Calvin Stowe and lived for a time in Natick.
-Horatio Alger, Jr., minister and author of children's books with a "rags to riches" theme, settled in Natick in 1860 and built his family home in South Natick.
-Alexander Wheelock Thayer, United States consul at Trieste in 1859 and author of the definitive biography of Ludwig von Beethoven published in 1866.
American leading man Don Terry of Natick entered films in 1928, freelancing until he was signed to a Columbia contract in 1937. Briefly groomed for stardom, he never quite rose above B-picture and serials, but was successful within those terms.
-American composer Thomas S. Allen was born in Natick.
-American composer Harold Shapero resides in Natick.
-Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen To Good People, lives in Natick. Retired now, for twenty-four years he was rabbi at Natick's Temple Israel.
-Broadway performer and two-time Tony Award nominee Alison Fraser grew up in Natick and graduated from Natick High in 1973.
-Jonathan Richman, proto-punk rock icon and founder of The Modern Lovers was born in Natick. In 1998 Jonathan was seen prominently in the film There's Something About Mary.
-NFL and CFL veteran Doug Flutie attended high school in Natick, before going to Boston College. Retiring from the New England Patriots after the 2005-06 season, Doug remains a Natick resident.
-Rene Rancourt, singer of the national anthem at Boston Bruins home games for the last 30 years, is a Natick resident.
-Susan Wornick, Emmy award winning TV anchor and consumer reporter on WCVB-TV Boston is a Natick native.
-Rick McKay, award-winning filmmaker and producer/director of several definitive documentaries on the history of Broadway theater, was born in Natick.
-American singer-songwriter Catie Curtis resides in Natick.
-Renowned statistician Eric Van grew up in Natick.
-Children's entertainer Joanie Bartels graduated from Natick High School, and is the first female children’s artist to receive RIAA Gold Record Certification, selling over 3,000,000 audio units and 100,000 video units to date.
-Meg Mallon, professional golfer on the LPGA Tour and twice winner of the U.S. Women's Open, was born in Natick.
-Caroline Hallisey, three time winter Olympian (1998, 2002, 2006) in Short Track Speedskating, was born and raised in Natick.
-James Bamford, an author and journalist who writes about the world of United States intelligence agencies.
-Scott Rhodes, weekend traffic reporter on Boston radio's WBZ (AM), attended Natick High School and the Actor's Workshop of Boston.
-Chief meteorologist Paul Dellegatto of WTVT FOX 13 in Tampa graduated from Natick High School.
-Susan Still-Kilrain, graduate of Walnut Hill School in Natick, is a former NASA astronaut and pilot of space shuttle Columbia flight STS-83.
-Rob Patterson, former guitarist for Otep and current touring guitarist for Korn, was born in Natick.
-Edward Allen, FAIA, architect, educator and author of several widely used books on the technology and construction of buildings, lives in Natick.

Located in Natick
-The U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, a complex of military R&D facilities, produces military use items such as field rations, personal protective field equipment, and specialized uniforms.
-The Natick Mall, managed by General Growth Properties, Inc. of Chicago, is one of Boston's premier shopping centers and currently undergoing a major expansion.
-BJ's Wholesale Club Corporate Headquarters.
-Cognex Corporation Corporate Headquarters.
-The MathWorks Corporate Headquarters.
-Boston Scientific Corporate Headquarters. This site used to be the HQ for mini-computer manufacturer Prime Computer, Inc. Before Prime, Carling ran a Black Label brewery there.
-The Walnut Hill School is one of the nation's leading private secondary schools, offering particular emphasis in the studio and performing arts. Walnut Hill graduates more students to the Julliard School than any secondary school in the world.
-Casey's Diner, constructed in 1922, is one of the oldest operating ten-stool diners in the United States. Casey's Diner is diminutive in size at only 10 feet by 20-1/2 feet, and was constructed by the Worcester Lunch Car Company in Worcester, Massachusetts. Famous for its steamed hot dogs, Casey's originated as a horse-drawn lunch wagon that was parked on Natick Common.
-The Boden Lane Cemetery is a very small burial site established in 1815. Although the cemetery was established in that year, many of the gravestones are dated even earlier than this date. Some of the people buried this cemetery, go back to the times of the Revolutionary War. The Cemetery is a very interesting site to visit, for many of the gravestones are so old that the words on them are too faded to see. Some gravestones, are just little pieces of rock with nothing but initials on them! The cemetery is located on Boden Lane, to the right of Beaver Dam, and directly across the street from the Chabad Center of Natick.
 
<grin> My home town is small enough to not even rate a Wikipedia entry, although it has produced someone in the Guiness Book of World Records (lookup up Roger Mason, MLB pitcher.)

The depressing thing is that Cannon Falls, MN where I'm now living apparently has a pretty darned good recording studio somewhere close at hand. It's biggest claim to faim is Nirvana recordings. IMHO, that's not something to write home about.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
March Membership Drive 2024 - Official info thread
2
Replies
38
Views
1K
MEMBERSHIP
M
Bent
20th Annual SoCal Fest 2024 4/19 - 4/21
2
Replies
28
Views
1K
Bent
Bent
Bent
Where are you staying?
Replies
7
Views
127
paulhead
paulhead
PacificEd
Golden Mountain Speedway & Off-Road Park
Replies
7
Views
389
PacificEd
PacificEd
ZomBrady
Things are looking up or how a couple of XJs gave me back my life
Replies
6
Views
162
ZomBrady
ZomBrady
Back
Top