Community Corner
Thanksgiving by the Numbers
The U.S. Census Bureau released facts, figures and history of Thanksgiving across the country.
The nation's first Thanksgiving is believed to have occurred in 1621 when the Pilgrims held a feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. The first national celebration began in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. President Franklin Roosevelt later clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
248 million
The number of turkeys expected to be raised in the United States in 2011, a 2 percent from the number raised during 2010.
750 million pounds
The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2011.
2.4 billion pounds
The total weight of sweet potatoes produced in 2010.
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1.1 billion pounds
Total production of pumpkins in the major pumpkin-producing states in 2010.
266.1 million pounds
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The forecasted tart cherry production for 2011, with the overwhelming majority (210.0 million pounds) produced in Michigan.
2.01 billion bushels
The total volume of wheat — the essential ingredient of bread, rolls and pie crust — produced in the United States in 2011.
656,340 tons
The 2011 contracted production of snap (green) beans in major snap (green) bean-producing states.
13.3 pounds
The quantity of turkey consumed by the typical American in 2009.
$1.38
Retail cost per pound of a frozen whole turkey in December 2010.
4
Number of places in the United States named after the holiday’s traditional main course.
9
Number of places and townships in the United States that are named Cranberry or some spelling variation.
37
Number of places and townships in the United States named Plymouth, as in Plymouth Rock, the landing site of the first Pilgrims.
116.7 million
Number of households across the nation — all potential gathering places for people to celebrate the holiday.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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