Census Bureau Facts for Features
A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office CB99-FF.09 June 24, 1999 The Fourth of July, 1999 Patriotic-sounding Places - Going to a parade or viewing fireworks on the Fourth? The most fitting locale for doing so may be a place (e.g. incorporated city, town or village) with a patriotic-sounding name. Number of U.S. places State with most Most heavily populated Name using this name places having name place with name (1996 pop.) Liberty 27 Iowa (4) Liberty, Mo.(24,270) Independence 10 * Independence, Mo. (110,303) Freedom 4 Pa. (2) New Freedom, Pa (3,285) Patriot 1 Ind. (1) Patriot, Ind. (210) * No state has more than one place with this name. http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-185.html Fireworks - U.S. imports of fireworks totaled $109.0 million in 1998; most of this sum ($101.8 million) came from China. U.S. exports of fireworks, on the other hand, amounted to $6.7 million, with Canada the leading country of destination ($2.1 million). http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ - The value of U.S. manufacturers shipments of fireworks was $22.9 million in 1992, up from $15.3 million in 1987. http://www.census.gov/prod/1/manmin/92mmi/92manuff.html Flags - U.S. imports of American flags totaled $757,663 in 1998; most of this sum ($409,615) came from Taiwan. Exports of U.S. flags, on the other hand, totaled $1,153,024, with Germany being the leading country of destination ($350,926). http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ Coming to America - As of 1997, nearly 1 in 10 residents of the United States (25.8 million) was foreign-born and almost 1 in 3 of these foreign-born residents was a naturalized citizen. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-57.html - Five states in 1997 had a higher percentage of residents who were foreign-born than the country as a whole: California (24.8 percent); New York (19.6 percent); Florida (16.4 percent); New Jersey (15.4 percent) and Texas (11.3 percent). (The difference between Florida and New Jersey is not statistically significant.) http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-57.html - Half of the nation's foreign-born residents in 1997 were natives of Latin America or the Caribbean. One in 4 was born in Asia and about 1 in 5 came from Europe. One in every 4 foreign-born residents listed Mexico as their birthplace. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-57.html - During the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, 1996, 915,900 immigrants were admitted to the United States. This means 3.5 immigrants were admitted for every 1,000 U.S. residents. The rate of 4.0 immigrants admitted per 1,000 residents between 1991 and 1996 was the highest rate since the 1911-1920 period. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - The leading states of destination for immigrants admitted during FY 1996 were California (201,529), New York (154,095), Texas (83,385), Florida (79,461), New Jersey (63,303), Illinois (42,517), Massachusetts (23,085), Virginia (21,375), Maryland (20,732) and Washington (18,833). The leading country of birth was Mexico with 163,572, followed by the Philippines with 55,876. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Britain and France -- Trade and Tourism - The British, our adversaries in 1776, now are our sixth-leading trading partners. During 1998, there was $73.8 billion worth of trade between the United States and the United Kingdom. Trade in tea between the two countries did not stop with the Boston Tea Party. The United States imported $6.0 million worth of tea from the U.K. in 1998, making that country the 6th leading source of tea brought into the United States. Meanwhile, United States exports of tea to the United Kingdom totaled $76,000, making the U.K. the 12th leading destination of tea exported by the U.S. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ - France, our key ally during the American Revolution, currently is our nation's ninth-leading trading partner. Combined imports from and exports to France in 1998 totaled $41.8 billion. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ - "The British are coming! The British are coming!" These days, this cry applies to tourists rather than "redcoats". During FY 1996, 2.5 million tourists from the United Kingdom visited the United States, more than from any country except Japan. That same year, more than 700,000 tourists came from France, our nation's fifth leading source of foreign tourists. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Summer - Just under half of the nation's households (47 percent) had central air conditioning in 1997. About 7 in 10 in the South had it, just over 2 in 10 in the Northeast. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - The typical American adult consumed 32 gallons of beer and 3 gallons of wine in 1996 some of this liquid refreshment perhaps at a July 4th cookout. By comparison, Americans (of all ages) downed 52 gallons of soft drinks, 24 gallons of milk and 23 gallons of coffee. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - Many summer vacations will include a trip to one of our nation's national parks, which all told received about 63 million visitors during 1996. State parks and recreation areas are a popular choice for summer weekend getaways. Nationwide, they welcomed 748 million visitors in FY 1996. Those in California led the way (71 million), followed by those in New York (65 million), Ohio (59 million), Washington (48 million) and Oregon (41 million). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - Boating, softball games, riding roller coasters and water-skiing are among the many activities we associate with summer. In 1996, Americans owned 16 million recreational boats. About 42 million of us played on an amateur softball team. Nearly 6 in 10, or 57 percent, of adults visited an amusement park in 1997. And, as of 1996, more than 7 million people ages 7 or older had water-skied in the previous year. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - Considering driving a long distance on your summer vacation? If so, a recreational vehicle (RV) would come in handy: there were 467,000 of them nationwide in 1996. Rather fly? Then chances are you'll pass through either Chicago's O'Hare or Atlanta's Hartsfield international airports they were the nation's two busiest in 1996, as each enplaned more than 30 million passengers. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - A few major places in the United States where one likely won't need air conditioning this July 4th include Juneau, Alaska (where the daily maximum July temperature is 63.9 degrees Fahrenheit); San Francisco (71.6); and Seattle-Tacoma, Wash. (75.2). Meanwhile, prepare to really sizzle in Phoenix (105.9), Dallas-Fort Worth (96.5) and El Paso, Texas (96.1). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html The preceding facts come from the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System Database (which contains information from the Census Bureau), population estimates, the Statistical Abstract of the United States, Current Population Survey, Census of Manufactures and U.S. import and export trade reports. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous 1999 Facts for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (February 14), Women's History Month (March), Countdown to Census 2000 (April 1), Secretaries' Day (April 21), Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (May), Mother's Day (May 9) and Father's Day (June 20). Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; fax: 301-457-3670; e-mail: pio@census.gov).
