Census Bureau Facts for Features CB99-FF.15 November 15, 1999 Thanksgiving Day, 1999 Turkeytown, U.S.A. - Where better to celebrate "Turkey Day" than in one of the three incorporated places (e.g., cities, towns, villages or boroughs) in the United States actually named "Turkey"? Turkey, Texas, was the most populous in 1998 (est. pop. of 461), followed by Turkey Creek, La. (pop. 303), and Turkey, N.C. (pop. 302). http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/ http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-128.html - There also are 14 incorporated places around the nation with "Plymouth" (as in "Plymouth Rock") as part of their name; Plymouth, Minn., with 61,509 people, was the most populous in 1998. http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/ http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-128.html Where in the World Does Your Meal Come From? - North Carolina is the nation's turkey capital, producing 1.3 billion lbs. in 1998 -- about one-fifth of the U.S. total of 7.0 billion lbs. Rounding out the top 10 turkey-producing states are Minnesota (1.0 bil. lbs.), Missouri (598 mil. lbs.), Virginia (533 mil. lbs.), Arkansas (496 mil. lbs.), California (443 mil. lbs.), South Carolina (356 mil. lbs.), Indiana (352 mil. lbs.), Pennsylvania (233 mil. lbs.) and Ohio (179 mil. lbs.). Combined, these 10 states account for more than three-quarters of U.S. turkey production. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - West Virginia was the only state in which turkeys were one of the four leading agricultural commodities in farm-marketing cash receipts in 1997. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - The nation's farmers produced 539 million lbs. of cranberries in 1998. Wisconsin led the United States in production, followed by Massachusetts and New Jersey. (Massachusetts was the only state in the nation where cranberries were one of the four leading agricultural commodities in farm-marketing cash receipts, ranking first in 1997.) Farmers also produced 594,000 short tons of sweet potatoes in 1998; North Carolina, Louisiana and California led the nation in sweet-potato production. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - Perhaps the contents of your feast will come from abroad. U.S. imports of live turkeys totaled $12.2 million worth in 1998 all from Canada. Our northern neighbors also accounted for all of the $38.5 million worth of cranberries the U.S. imported. When it came to sweet potatoes, however, the Dominican Republic was the source of most ($4.4 million) of the total imports ($5.6 million). In 1998, the United States ran a $6.9 million trade deficit in live turkeys and a $24.7 million deficit in cranberries but enjoyed a $5.2 million surplus in the trade of sweet potatoes. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ Thanksgiving -- A Growth Industry - The 284 million turkeys the nation's farmers produced in 1998 weighed 7.0 billion lbs. The weight was up 16 percent from 1990 and 126 percent from 1980. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - The typical American gobbled up 14 lbs. of turkey and 5 lbs. of sweet potatoes in 1997 -- no doubt much of these quantities at Thanksgiving. Per-capita turkey consumption was about the same as in 1990, but was 72 percent higher than in 1980. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - The $2.9 billion the nation's farmers earned in 1997 from turkey sales was up 20 percent from 1990. That exceeds the amount they made from growing either lettuce, rice, apples, potatoes or oranges. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html The Price is Right - Turkey is a very economical dish. In December 1998, a frozen whole turkey cost consumers a mere $0.95 per lb. By comparison, T-bone steak was $6.40. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Family - Think of Thanksgiving and the Norman Rockwell image of a traditional family -- married couple with children, maybe a grandparent or two -- pops into the mind. In reality, this picture is less common than it used to be. The percentage of such families fell from 50 to 37 percent of all families between 1970 and 1990. But this decline has slowed in the '90s, as the percentage has dropped only 1 point since then -- to 36 percent in 1998. Meanwhile, in 1998, 13 percent of families were led by a single parent and 51 percent had no own children under 18 at all. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-228.html The preceding facts come from the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which contains information from the Census Bureau; population estimates; the Statistical Abstract of the United States; Current Population Survey 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), Father's Day (June 20), the Fourth of July, Back to School (August), Grandparents Day (September 12), Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15), Disability Employment Awareness Month (October) and American Indian Heritage Month (November). 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).
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