Three decades ago, Texas was facing an enormous problem: trash, as far as the eye could see, piled up along its scenic and city roadways.
The cleanup was arduous and costly. By the mid-1980s, the Texas Department of Transportation (aka TxDOT) was spending nearly $20 million each year in rubbish removal along highways alone.
Many states consider themselves the heartland of America, but where exactly is the geographic center of the U.S.?
The U.S. and Canada share the longest land border in the world.
And along any border that measures in the several-thousand-mile range, there are bound to be some quirks.
At first glance, Jackson, Mississippi, is like any other state capital, with its domed capitol building standing squarely in the heart of the city.
However, 2,900 feet below the surface lies a surprising secret — an ancient volcano.
Spend enough time at Disneyland and you’ll see them.
Maybe you’ll spot one snoozing in the bushes near the Jungle Cruise or observing you warily as you ride the tram.
But one thing is certain: however many cats you see, there are more out of sight.
Given that the United States was born amid an anti-monarchical fervor, it’s fitting that the sole royal palace within its confines is located more than 4,700 miles from the nation’s capital.
There, amid the high rises and palm trees of downtown Honolulu, stands Iolani Palace, the home of Hawaii’s 19th-century royal dynasty.
If you want to see the 19th-century version of London Bridge, don’t travel to London or even England, for that matter.
Instead, head to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where a U.S. businessman by the name of Robert McCulloch moved the bridge after buying it in 1968.
Few trees are more beautiful than cherry trees when in full bloom.
Although millions flock to see cherry blossoms around the world, the trees have a special resonance in Japan, where they are known as sakura.
Many of the Grand Canyon's visitors make a point of packing into the tourist stop known as Grand Canyon Village.
Far fewer realize there's a bona fide village nestled into Havasu Canyon some 3,000 feet below.
The American West is known for its wide open spaces, but nowhere is quite as wide open as the area around Glasgow, Montana.
Crunching some numbers back in 2018 in an effort to definitively define “the middle of nowhere,” The Washington Post found that a whopping 98% of Americans in the contiguous U.S. live within an hour of some kind of urban center (that is, a metropolitan area with at least 75,000 people).
The mile-deep gorge is the centerpiece of such an expansive view that it can’t all be seen at once.
At 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide, the Grand Canyon is so large, it creates its own weather. In fact, getting a view from its two most popular rims (aka tops) requires nearly five hours of travel time.
The Statue of Liberty is a world-famous symbol of freedom, given in 1886 by France to the United States in celebration of American Independence.
Nearby Ellis Island was the first stop for millions of immigrants to the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The national monument recalls this period of massive immigration to the United States.
Inside the statue, a plaque added in 1903 is engraved with words from "The New Colossus", an 1883 poem by Emma Lazarus:
