CB00-FF.08                                                June 22, 2000

                         The Fourth of July, 2000

Fireworks

  -- U.S. imports of fireworks totaled $131.1 million in 1999, mostly from
     China ($122.4 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, on the other hand,
     amounted to $15.5 million, with Taiwan the leading purchaser 
     ($7.3 million). 
     http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/

  -- The value of U.S. manufacturers' shipments of fireworks was 
     $20.8 million in 1997, down from $22.9 million in 1992. The number 
     of companies with shipments of $100,000 or more declined from 
     20 to 10 during this period.
     http://www.census.gov/prod/ec97/97m3259e.pdf

Flags

  -- U.S. imports of American flags totaled $1.1 million in 1999; much of
     this ($487,109) from China. Exports of U.S. flags, on the other hand,
     totaled $396,713, with the United Kingdom being the leading customer
     ($169,611).
     http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/

Summer

  -- The typical American adult consumed 34 gallons of beer and three
     gallons of wine in 1997, a good portion during holidays such as July
     Fourth. By comparison, Americans (of all ages) consume 53 gallons of
     carbonated soft drinks, 24 gallons of milk and 24 gallons of coffee
     annually. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html

  -- Many summer vacations will consist of a trip to one of our nation's
     national parks, which, all told, received about 65 million visitors 
     in 1997. State parks and recreation areas are a popular choice for 
     summer weekend getaways. Nationwide, they welcomed 783 million
     visitors in FY 1997. State parks in California led the way (116
     million), followed by New York (67 million), Ohio (58 million),
     Washington (49 million) and Illinois (40 million).
     http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html

  -- Boating, softball games, riding rollercoasters and waterskiing are
     among the many activities we associate with summer. In 1997,
     Americans owned 16 million recreational boats. About 42 million of us
     played on an amateur softball team. Nearly 6 in 10 (57 percent) adults 
     visited an amusement park in 1997. And, as of 1997, more than 6 million 
     people age 7 or older had water-skied in the previous year.
     http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.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 temperature in July is 63.9 degrees Fahrenheit); San
     Francisco, Calif. (71.6 F); and Seattle-Tacoma, Wash. (75.2 F).
     Meanwhile, prepare to really sizzle in Phoenix, Ariz. (105.9 F);
     Dallas-Fort Worth (96.5 F) and El Paso, Texas (96.1 F).
     http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html

Patriotic-sounding Places

  -- Going to a parade or viewing fireworks on the Fourth? The most fitting
     locale for doing so may be a place with a patriotic-sounding name.

               Number of U.S.       State with most       Most heavily
               places using           places having         populated place with 
Name      this name               name                     name (1998 pop.)
     
Liberty              27                 Iowa (4)             Liberty, Mo.(25,592)
Independence   10                     *                   Independence,Mo.(116,832)
Freedom            4                  Pa.  (2)              New Freedom, Pa.(3,466)
Patriot               1                  Ind. (1)              Patriot, Ind. (223)

*No state has more than one place with this name. 
http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-128.html

Britain and France -- Trade and Tourism

  -- The British, our adversaries in 1776, now are our sixth leading
     trading partners. During 1999, there was $77.5 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 $7.0 million worth of tea from the United
     Kingdom in 1999, making that country the ninth leading source of tea
     brought into the United States. Meanwhile, U.S. exports of tea to the
     United Kingdom totaled $152,885, making the United Kingdom the
     10th-leading destination of tea exported by the United States.
     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 1999 totaled $44.7 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
     765,000 tourists came from France, our nation's fifth leading
     source of foreign tourists. 
     http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.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, 1997 Economic Census and U.S. import and export trade
reports.  The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources
of error. Previous 2000 Census Bureau Facts for Features:  African
American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (February 14), Women's
History Month (March), Census Day, 2000 (April 1), Asian Pacific American
Heritage Month (May), Mother's Day (May 14) and Father's Day (June 18).
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).