Tomorrow is Christmas in much of the world. But for one sleepy little town in Florida, it's Christmas every day.
That, of course, would be Christmas, FL, population 1,162, according to the latest U.S. Census. The town comes alive every year at this time when thousands of people from the throughout the country send their holiday cards to the local post office for cancellation.
But there are several other places in the United States with names associated with the holiday season. Certainly we've all heard of North Pole, Alaska. Yes, there really is such a place, population 1,570. Then there's Santa Claus, IN. (2,041), Santa Claus, GA. (237) and Noel, MO. (1,480).
Actually, according to the Census Bureau, there are dozens of places throughout the nation with names associated with holidays.
In honor of Thanksgiving, for example, three burgs are named after the bird -- Turkey, Texas, with 494 residents, is the most populous. Then there's Turkey Creek, LA. (356) and Turkey, NC (262). There also are 11 townships around the country named Turkey, three of them in Kansas alone.
There's Pilgrim, MO, population 135, eight places and townships that are named Cranberry or some variation thereof, and 20 spots named Plymouth. Plymouth, MA., where it all started, is home to 7,658, but Plymouth, MN, is bigger with 65,894 inhabitants.
Recognizing another patriotic holiday, Independence Day, 30 places are named Liberty, the most populous (26,232) being in Missouri. But Iowa has four Libertyvilles, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty. Also, ll places have Independence in their names and five have adopted the name Freedom in one form or another.
If you're looking for a good postmark for your Halloween cards, try Pumpkin Center, NC, population 2,228. Another place that may get you in a spirited mood would be Transylvania County, also in the Tarheel State.
Most people think of Niagara Falls as one of the country's more romantic places. But for Valentine's Day, try Valentine, Neb. (2,862 at last count) or Valentine, Texas (260).
Another contender is Loveland, CO. With a population of 48,385, it is the most populous of the eight places around the nation that have the word "love" as part of their name. The others: Lovejoy, GA; Loves Park, IL; Lovelock, NV; Love Valley, NC; Loveland, OH; Loveland, OK; and Lovelady, TX.
Happy holidays to all!
For more articles by Lew Sichelman, please press here.
Published: December 24, 2001
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