Tell me about your home town

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » December 4, 2007 9:32 am

This is really for the small-towners here....so if you are from NYC or Chicago or another BIG city, you can ignore this

Tell me about the town you grew up in. What is it known for? Anyone famous come from there? WHat's it like? How big?

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » December 4, 2007 9:32 am

I'll go first.

BURLINGTON, WISCONSIN.

Located in SE Wisconsin, 30 miles west of Racine. Population is around 10,000.

Burlington is best known these days as the home of TONY ROMO, the Quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
Other famous people to come from Burlington....
....Ginger Beaumont, baseball Superstar from the 1890s.
....Ed Garvey, lawyer who was chief negotiator in the 1981 Baseball Strike.
....Greg Itzin, actor who is best known for playing President Logan on "24"
....Bill Kazmeier, who won "World's Strongest Man" three times.

Burlington is also known as "Chocolate City, USA", as it is the home of Nestle Chocolate. An annual Chocolate Festival is held each May. The early days of the ChocolateFest sparked a "War" with Hershey, Pennsylvania, over the trademarked title of "Chocolate City, USA"

Burlington is home of the World Famous "Burlington Liar's Club". Seriously. http://www.burlingtonhistory.org/Liars_Club.htm

And, historically, a small section of Burlington, called Voree, is where the first Morman Church was founded in 1844. Yes, it started HERE, not Utah.

sunseeker · Post by **sunseeker** » December 4, 2007 9:44 am

I grew up in Mayberry....seriously....the town I grew up in is really the town that the showed was based on ( Andy was from there).

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » December 4, 2007 10:04 am

sunseeker wrote:I grew up in Mayberry....seriously....the town I grew up in is really the town that the showed was based on ( Andy was from there).

What state?

sunseeker · Post by **sunseeker** » December 4, 2007 10:16 am

CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:I grew up in Mayberry....seriously....the town I grew up in is really the town that the showed was based on ( Andy was from there).
What state?

Mount Airy, NC.... Close to Pilot Mountain (Mt. Pilot), lake Meyers (Meyers Lake) , about 2 hours from raleigh.....yep...all of 'em real places...

oph · Post by **oph** » December 4, 2007 10:18 am

It's actually 2 towns/cities: Wausau WI and Laramie WY

Wausau WI
Home to Wausau Insurance, Wausau Homes, Rib Bump, oops I mean Mountain, the highest skiable mountain in the state at 700 ft.

Laramie WY
Home to the University of Wyoming, highest D-I school in the nation at 7165 ft, the first place where a woman cast a legal vote in the United States and where women were the first to sit on a jury

that's what I get for my folks moving.

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » December 4, 2007 10:18 am

Since I don't live in NYC, I'll play too.

After spending the first 9 years of my life in Brooklyn, we moved to Valley Stream on Long Island. I still live there, but in a different part of town. It's in southwest Nassau County, about 20 miles +/- east of Manhattan. Population is about 35,000. At one time it was the largest incorporated village in New York state but I don't know if that's still true.

It used to be known as “Fosters Meadow." What is now the main "downtown" business section along Rockaway Avenue used to be called “Rum Junction.”

Famous people from V.S.:
Leslie Moonves - President of CBS
Stephen Boyd - former middle linebacker, Detroit Lions (went to my high school but he's much younger than I am)
Phil LaPorta - former pro football player (New Orleans Saints, about 1974-75), also right guard (I think) for Penn State the year John Cappaletti won the Heisman Trophy (and one of my high school teammates)
Steve Buscemi - actor
Wendy the Snapple Lady
Edward Burns - actor
Bruce Blakeman - lawyer/politician and estranged husband of Paul McCartney's new girlfriend
Jim Breuer - former cast member, Saturday Night Live
Larry Miller - comedian/actor
Shaggy - singer (not from V.S. originally but did live there)

bravedave · Post by **bravedave** » December 4, 2007 10:22 am

Bowie, Maryland is a cookie cutter suburb of Washington, DC that was developed by Levitt and Sons of Long Island NY. Most of the town occupies land from the Belair Stud, a stable famous for many great racehorses including Gallant Fox, Omaha, and Nashua.

Famous residents included Kathie Lee (Gifford), who attended the Bowie High School, (and once dated my brother), and Paul Reed Smith, guitar manufacturer.

Bowie is home to the Bowie Baysox, a AA Eastern team affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles.

One shooting, in a series referred to collectively as the Beltway sniper attacks, occurred at Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Bowie. A 13-year old boy named Iran Brown was critically wounded.

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » December 4, 2007 10:23 am

sunseeker wrote:
CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:I grew up in Mayberry....seriously....the town I grew up in is really the town that the showed was based on ( Andy was from there).
What state?
Mount Airy, NC.... Close to Pilot Mountain (Mt. Pilot), lake Meyers (Meyers Lake) , about 2 hours from raleigh.....yep...all of 'em real places...

You didn't mention that it was also the home of Chang and Eng Bunker!!!

drunkpirate66 · Post by **drunkpirate66** » December 4, 2007 10:32 am

Chelmsford, MA 01824 . . .

I have mentioned this here before but I find it interesting that the lead artist for the Simpsons is from here and much of the landscape around Springfield on the show is from Chelmsford . . . Zesty's pizza, Tony and An's pizza (now a chinese restaurant) and the library in Chelmsford is the model for the town hall.

Chelmsford has grown since I left 12 years ago . . . but it is sort of a small town (30,000 people or so when I left) with lots of space and one hell of a High School football program.

My dad had a small farm on the south edge of town by Carlise, MA . . .still owns the land; no longer a farm.

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » December 4, 2007 10:36 am

[quote="CaptainP"]I'll go first.

BURLINGTON, WISCONSIN.

Located in SE Wisconsin, 30 miles west of Racine. Population is around 10,000.

Burlington is best known these days as the home of TONY ROMO, the Quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
Other famous people to come from Burlington....
....Ginger Beaumont, baseball Superstar from the 1890s.
....Ed Garvey, lawyer who was chief negotiator in the 1981 Baseball Strike.
....Greg Itzin, actor who is best known for playing President Logan on "24"
....Bill Kazmeier, who won "World's Strongest Man" three times.

Burlington is also known as "Chocolate City, USA", as it is the home of Nestle Chocolate. An annual Chocolate Festival is held each May. The early days of the ChocolateFest sparked a "War" with Hershey, Pennsylvania, over the trademarked title of "Chocolate City, USA"

Burlington is home of the World Famous "Burlington Liar's Club". Seriously. http://www.burlingtonhistory.org/Liars_Club.htm

And, historically, a small section of Burlington, called Voree, is where the first Morman Church was founded in 1844. Yes, it started HERE, not Utah.[/quote]

Ummm.. Cap...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church ... day_Saints

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » December 4, 2007 10:38 am

RinglingRingling wrote:
CaptainP wrote:I'll go first.

BURLINGTON, WISCONSIN.

Located in SE Wisconsin, 30 miles west of Racine. Population is around 10,000.

Burlington is best known these days as the home of TONY ROMO, the Quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
Other famous people to come from Burlington....
....Ginger Beaumont, baseball Superstar from the 1890s.
....Ed Garvey, lawyer who was chief negotiator in the 1981 Baseball Strike.
....Greg Itzin, actor who is best known for playing President Logan on "24"
....Bill Kazmeier, who won "World's Strongest Man" three times.

Burlington is also known as "Chocolate City, USA", as it is the home of Nestle Chocolate. An annual Chocolate Festival is held each May. The early days of the ChocolateFest sparked a "War" with Hershey, Pennsylvania, over the trademarked title of "Chocolate City, USA"

Burlington is home of the World Famous "Burlington Liar's Club". Seriously. http://www.burlingtonhistory.org/Liars_Club.htm

And, historically, a small section of Burlington, called Voree, is where the first Morman Church was founded in 1844. Yes, it started HERE, not Utah.
Ummm.. Cap...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church ... day_Saints

You use Wikipedia as your reference? Poor soul.

But, since we're there.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voree%2C_Wisconsin

If nothing else, the longest-standing congregation of Mormons are there.

sunseeker · Post by **sunseeker** » December 4, 2007 10:39 am

CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:
CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:I grew up in Mayberry....seriously....the town I grew up in is really the town that the showed was based on ( Andy was from there).
What state?
Mount Airy, NC.... Close to Pilot Mountain (Mt. Pilot), lake Meyers (Meyers Lake) , about 2 hours from raleigh.....yep...all of 'em real places...
You didn't mention that it was also the home of Chang and Eng Bunker!!!

LOL...forgot that two...yes..the home of the famous Barnum and Bailey Siamese twins....who were married and fathered 21 children ( yes pholks eng and Cheng were conjoined their ENTIRE LIVES)

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » December 4, 2007 10:41 am

sunseeker wrote:
CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:
CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:I grew up in Mayberry....seriously....the town I grew up in is really the town that the showed was based on ( Andy was from there).
What state?
Mount Airy, NC.... Close to Pilot Mountain (Mt. Pilot), lake Meyers (Meyers Lake) , about 2 hours from raleigh.....yep...all of 'em real places...
You didn't mention that it was also the home of Chang and Eng Bunker!!!
LOL...forgot that two...yes..the home of the famous Barnum and Bailey Siamese twins....who were married and fathered 21 children ( yes pholks eng and Cheng were conjoined their ENTIRE LIVES)

Conception must've been interesting.

They were married to two different women, by the way...

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » December 4, 2007 10:45 am

CaptainP wrote:
RinglingRingling wrote:
CaptainP wrote:I'll go first.

BURLINGTON, WISCONSIN.

Located in SE Wisconsin, 30 miles west of Racine. Population is around 10,000.

Burlington is best known these days as the home of TONY ROMO, the Quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
Other famous people to come from Burlington....
....Ginger Beaumont, baseball Superstar from the 1890s.
....Ed Garvey, lawyer who was chief negotiator in the 1981 Baseball Strike.
....Greg Itzin, actor who is best known for playing President Logan on "24"
....Bill Kazmeier, who won "World's Strongest Man" three times.

Burlington is also known as "Chocolate City, USA", as it is the home of Nestle Chocolate. An annual Chocolate Festival is held each May. The early days of the ChocolateFest sparked a "War" with Hershey, Pennsylvania, over the trademarked title of "Chocolate City, USA"

Burlington is home of the World Famous "Burlington Liar's Club". Seriously. http://www.burlingtonhistory.org/Liars_Club.htm

And, historically, a small section of Burlington, called Voree, is where the first Morman Church was founded in 1844. Yes, it started HERE, not Utah.
Ummm.. Cap...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church ... day_Saints
You use Wikipedia as your reference? Poor soul.

But, since we're there.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voree%2C_Wisconsin

If nothing else, the longest-standing congregation of Mormons are there.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_hist.htm since you have an issue with Wikipedia. (I only used it because it refreshed my memory of the history, not as the be-all, end-all)

as for longest-standing, I'll give you that one.

z-man · Post by **z-man** » December 4, 2007 10:47 am

Carmel, Indiana

was a little farm town north of Indianapolis while I was growing up, with a population of under 8,000.

Is now the fastest growing, and highest median income city in Indiana with a population of over 70,000.

Quarterback Mark Herrmann is about the closest to a famous person from town.

John Daly won the 1991 PGA at Crooked Stick golf course in Carmel

In 1924, Leslie Haines invented one of the Country's first automatic stop-and-go traffic signals. It was located at the intersection of Main Street and Range Line Road.

OystersandBeer · Post by **OystersandBeer** » December 4, 2007 10:49 am

Pensacola, FL. World's Whitest Beaches(that includes the whole of the Panhandle: Destin, Ft. Walton, etc.) Home of the Blue Angels, Roy Jones Jr., Emmitt Smith, Don Sutten, Jay Bell, Travis Fryman, Jerry Pate, Joe Scarborough, the second best tourist attraction in the city, Joe Patti's Seafood, and second honeymoon spot of Frank and Lola. And close enough to the Flora-Bama to be considered a local. And still fighting to be considered the first settlement in the New World. De Luna settled here in 1559, only to lose it to a hurricane, leaving the Spanish to try another settlement in St. Augustine, which now lays claim to America's first settlement.

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » December 4, 2007 10:57 am

Helena, MT

The town was established on October 30, 1864, following the discovery of gold along Last Chance Creek by the "Four Georgians". Helena's main street is named Last Chance Gulch and follows the winding path of the original creek through the historic downtown district.

By 1888, about 50 millionaires lived in Helena, more millionaires per capita than any city in the world.

The official symbol of Helena is a drawing of "The Guardian of the Gulch", a wooden fire watch tower built in 1886, that still stands on "Tower Hill" overlooking the historic downtown district. This fire tower replaced a series of observation buildings, the original being a flimsy lookout stand built in 1870 on the same site, built in response to a series of devastating fires: April 1869, November 1869, October 1871, August 1872 and January 1874 that swept through the early mining camp.

In 1902, the Montana State Capitol was completed. Helena has been the capital of Montana Territory (since 1875) and the state of Montana (since 1889). A large portion of the conflict between Marcus Daly and William Andrews Clark (the Copper Kings) was over the location of the state capital. (W.A. Clark, a copper mining magnate from Butte, also provides the namesake for Clark County, NV,)

As of the census of 2000, there were 25,780 people,

Famous Residents from Helena.

Stephen Ambrose, historian, author of Band of Brothers and Undaunted Courage
Dirk Benedict, actor (A-Team)
Gary Cooper, actor
Pat Donovan, Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle, was born here.
Nicolette Larson - singer.
Myrna Loy, actress
Dave Meier, Major League baseball outfielder, was born here

bocanuts · Post by **bocanuts** » December 4, 2007 11:02 am

Oxford, Mississippi

The population is currently about 19,000, due to a recent annexation of five square miles of Lafayette County in all directions. Oxford is the home of the University of Mississippi, founded in 1848, also known as "Ole Miss". Oxford is known by ESPN's Sportscenter as "the town that smells of bourbon and Chanel No.5".

Oxford has been named by USA Today as one of the top 6 college towns in the nation and is included in The Best 100 Small Towns in America. Lafayette County consistently leads the state rankings in the lowest unemployment rate per quarter. Both Oxford city and Lafayette County school systems are consistently ranked as "5-star" systems; the highest rating available.

William Faulkner's Underwood Universal Portable typewriter in his office at Rowan Oak (see below), which is now maintained by the University of Mississippi in Oxford as a museum.William Faulkner adopted Oxford as his hometown after moving to Oxford at the age of three with his family from nearby New Albany. Oxford is the model for the city "Jefferson" in his fiction, and Lafayette County, Mississippi was used as the model for his fictional Yoknapatawpha County. His former home, Rowan Oak, now owned by The University of Mississippi and recently remodeled, is a favorite tourist attraction in Oxford. Several members of Faulkner's family still live in the Oxford and Lafayette County area.
John Grisham also has a home in Oxford. He received a J.D. from the University of Mississippi in 1981 and practiced law in the Southaven, Mississippi area for ten years before retiring from practicing law. He and his family relocated to Oxford as his writing career took off in the early 1990s.
Authors Barry Hannah, Curtis Wilkie, Jane Ann Mullen, and Tom Franklin are among the many authors who live in Oxford. Deceased authors Larry Brown and Willie Morris also called Oxford home. Richard Ford has lived in Oxford for an extended period also, but currently lives in Maine.
Oxford has many times been called the art center of the south with famous artists calling it home such as Glennray Tutor, a world famous artist who specializes in photorealism and has had his artwork shown around the world as well as featured in art magazines and television shows such as Seinfeld; Jere Allen, widely regarded as one of the best portrait painters in the world; Paula Temple, an expressionistic painter with a surreal twist and Wings Cancer Foundation artist of the year who was also a guest on the Rosie O'Donnell show in 1999 and sculptor William Beckwith calling Oxford home. Deceased primitive artist Theora Hamblett lived in Oxford as well.
Actress Joey Lauren Adams, who appeared in such films as Mallrats and Chasing Amy, currently reside in Oxford. Oxford has been host to many films, including Intruder in the Dust (1949, based on the Faulkner novel), Heart of Dixie (1989), The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992), and parts of The People vs. Larry Flynt (1997).
CBS News Correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi who covered the wars in Iraq and Israel, attended school in Oxford. She was an Ole Miss Beauty and Faulkner scholar.
Interior Secretary Jacob Thompson owned a manor called "Home Place" in Oxford that was burned down during the Civil War by Union troops in 1864. A historical marker stands on the spot where it once stood. Many other houses in the general area and within the city limits date from before and just after The Civil War era.

sunseeker · Post by **sunseeker** » December 4, 2007 11:03 am

CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:
CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:
CaptainP wrote:
sunseeker wrote:I grew up in Mayberry....seriously....the town I grew up in is really the town that the showed was based on ( Andy was from there).
What state?
Mount Airy, NC.... Close to Pilot Mountain (Mt. Pilot), lake Meyers (Meyers Lake) , about 2 hours from raleigh.....yep...all of 'em real places...
You didn't mention that it was also the home of Chang and Eng Bunker!!!
LOL...forgot that two...yes..the home of the famous Barnum and Bailey Siamese twins....who were married and fathered 21 children ( yes pholks eng and Cheng were conjoined their ENTIRE LIVES)
Conception must've been interesting.

They were married to two different women, by the way...

Yes...and they died within just a few hours of each other....makes sense but its creepy that one was still alive with his dead brother attached to him....