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The Fourth of July 2002

CB02-FF.10
June 20, 2002
Quotes and radio sound bites

The Fourth of July 2002

Fireworks

$121.6 million
U.S. imports of fireworks from China in 2001, the bulk of total U.S. fireworks imports ($128.9 million) that year.
U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, amounted to $18.0 million, with Japan purchasing more than any other single country ($7.0 million). http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/


Flags

$51.7 million
The dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2001; just over half of this amount ($29.7 million) was for U.S. flags made in China. The bulk of these flags were imported in October, the first full month following Sept. 11, when $34.8 million worth were brought into the country. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/

$511,000
Dollar value of exports of U.S. flags in 2001. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $162,900 worth. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/


The Fourth of July Cookout

As with many holidays, the 4th of July celebration includes food, drink and the realization of how fortunate we are as a nation. As of 1999, 66 million Americans said they had taken part in a barbeque during the previous year and 32 million in a picnic. It's probably safe to assume a good number of these events took place on the Fourth. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-12.html 

Though we do not have a fixed menu for the celebration of the Fourth, you can almost count on traditional favorites, such as hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, ribs, garden salads, potato salad, chips and watermelon. Following is a summary of where these foods are produced:

  • The beef on your backyard grill could have come from Texas. It was the leading state in the production of cattle and calves, accounting for 7.5 billion lbs. of the nation's total production of 42.8 billion lbs. in 2000.
  • Your hot dogs and ribs may have originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State had a total inventory of 14.9 million hogs and pigs as of March 1, 2002 -- about one-fourth of the nation's total.
  • The chicken on your barbecue grill may have come from one of the top six broiler-producing states: Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas. The value of production in each of these states exceeded $1 billion in 2001. These states combined for well over half of the nation's broiler production.
  • The lettuce in your salad or on your hamburger probably was grown in California, which accounted for nearly three-quarters of the value of this product in 2001.
  • The fresh tomatoes in your salad or the ketchup on your hamburger or hot dog most likely come from Florida or California, which combined for nearly two-thirds of U.S. tomato production in 2001.
  • Your side dish of baked beans or pork and beans may very well come from North Dakota or Nebraska, which, combined, produced nearly half of the dry, edible beans in 2001.
  • As to the potatoes in your products such as potato salad or those used in making your potato chips, Idaho and Washington combined for one-half of potato production in 2001.
  • For dessert, some mouth-watering watermelon might really hit the spot. Five states -- California, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona -- combined for almost three-quarters of the value of watermelon production in 2001. http://www.usda.gov/nass/

Coming to America

56 million
The number of foreign-born and first-generation U.S. residents in 2000, the highest level in U.S. history. This group represented a ratio of 1-in-5 residents. The foreign-born population alone was estimated at 28 million, or 1-in-10 U.S. residents. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-18.html


Patriotic-Sounding Places

30
Number of places nationwide with "Liberty" in their name. According to Census 2000, the most populous one was Liberty, Mo. (26,232). Iowa has more of these places than any other state: four (Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty).

  • Eleven places have Independence in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Mo., where Census 2000 counted 113,288 residents.
  • Five places adopted the name Freedom; Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents on Census Day 2000, had the largest population among these.
  • There is one place named Patriot -- Patriot, Ind., with a population of 202 in 2000.
  • And what could be more fitting than spending the day in a place called America? There are five of these places across the nation, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, with 21,941 residents on Census Day 2000. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet

Parks

64 million
Number of visitors in 1999 to our nation's national parks -- a particularly scenic locale for a July 4th picnic. In FY 2000 (July 1, 1999 -- June 30, 2000) there were 787 million visitors to another nice picnic venue -- a state park or recreation area. Those in California (99 million), New York (59 million) and Ohio (55 million) recorded the highest number of visitors. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-12.html

You may or may not be able to picnic there, but a visit to a national historical site is a particularly fitting way to celebrate our nation's heritage on its 226th birthday. During 1999, 73 million people visited a national historical site and 24 million a national monument. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-12.html


Britain and France

$82 billion
Dollar volume of trade in 2001 between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the U.K., our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today. 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 1999, 3.6 million tourists from the United Kingdom visited the United States, more than from any country except Japan. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-12.html

$50 billion
Value of combined imports from and exports to France in 2001. France, our key ally during the American Revolution, currently is our nation's ninth-leading trading partner. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/

The preceding facts come from the U.S. import and export trade reports, Census 2000, the Statistical Abstract of the United States, the Current Population Survey and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous 2002 Census Bureau Facts for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), Women's History Month (March), St. Patrick's Day (March 17), Census Bureau Centennial (March 6), Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May), Older Americans Month (May), Mother's Day (May 12) and Father's Day (June 16). 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).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Public Information Office | (301) 763-3030