Comments continued...
nfmungard:
Nebraska damn sure sounds boring. Really nothing here? ... Okay, fossils are always an option, e.g. Agate Fossil Beds "one of the world's most significant Miocene Epoch mammal sites".
Nebraska has some memorable
landforms along the
Oregon Trail, and it also has the
Bailey Yard, the world's largest railroad classification yard. Not sure about anything potentially making it onto the world stage beyond possibly the First Transcontinental Railroad. I haven't been to Agate Fossils, but I did submit Badlands National Park, which is nearby and has similar features.
nfmungard:
Nevada has Death Valley NP.
Good call -- I need to fix that on my list.
nfmungard:
New Jersey has Ivy League (Princeton). And the Boss, Atlantic City, Asbury Park, ... and Jersey Shore :)
Please -- not Jersey Shore! The
Thomas Edison National Historic Park is the strongest candidate I can think of here.
nfmungard:
New York has also sites in the state proper. Niagara Falls, Kodak in Rochester. NYC still has Broadway/Radio City Music Hall/Rockefeller Center, Harlem, the UN and the Metropolitan Museum on offer.
Surprisingly no one has suggested Niagara Falls this go-around! Not sure about the Kodak company. NYC has plenty of potential.
nfmungard:
For Oklahoma the Native American's come to mind, but that is more dark history (Trail of Tears).
Very true.
Tahlequah is the capital of the Cherokee Nation, and has a history of over 180 years. Oklahoma also has Route 66 running through it, and Tulsa has many Art Deco buildings, but I think Miami would be stronger for Art Deco.
nfmungard:
Oregon akin to Northern California and Washington State. But there should be some nature.
The coast is Goonies country, but it is similar terrain to Olympic National Park.
Crater Lake National Park is interesting, though I don't know how it would fare against Lake Baikal or the interest folks have in Lake Titicaca.
nfmungard:
Pennsylvania seems too short too. Carnegie's state. Oil (Oil Region Nat. Heritage Area), Steel. (Rivers of Steel Nat. Heritage Area) And early colonists. And the Amish.
New Sweden and Gloria Dei Church are just funny (Swedish Colonial Empire!).
Yes on the steel industry, and yes on the Amish. As for early colonists, I'm content leaving Independence Hall as the star of Philadelphia.
As for the Swedish Colonial Empire, there was also Fort Christina, Delaware. And New Castle, Delaware, which the Swedes seized from the Dutch only to be chased out of town by the Dutch the next year. Nowadays, the Swedes have conquered the US with IKEA. And all of Minnesota which isn't German.
nfmungard:
Rhode Island has New Port and the Cliff Walk with the Vanderbilt era mansions
Absolutely beautiful on both. Newport is one that winterkjm has mentioned before, and would be interesting. The Vanderbilt mansions are an interesting ensemble highlighting American wealth from the Gilded Age.
nfmungard:
South Dakota has Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore has always seemed of more national importance to me. I'm not sure if I'd appreciate the Madara Rider, either, though, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
nfmungard:
Texas seems eerily short. Camino Real. Alibates Flint Quarries. Big Bend NP, Guadalupe Mountains ("world's most extensive Permian fossil reef")
Yes to Camino Real extension, and Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. Not sure about Alibates Flint Quarries, and as much as I like
Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the US, I'm not sure I would suggest that one to consider since the Grand Canyon is so much better.
nfmungard:
What is Utah without the Salt Lake? And the Mormons?
The Mormon settlements in Utah might actually make a good submission because they are not otherwise represented and they have a unique history.
nfmungard:
Vermont similar to Maine; across the border in Canada may be better.
Agree. The only unique thing I can think of would be maple sugaring, but that is more of an intangible cultural heritage. Also, Quebec is a bigger producer.
nfmungard:
In Virginia, Shenendoah Valley NP comes to mind. They also have the first colonial settlements in the USA (Yorktown, Jamestown)
The Great Smoky Mountains better capture the Appalachians than Shenandoah National park, in my opinion. The original Jamestown is mostly an archaeological dig. What most folks think of these days as Jamestown is a reconstruction.
nfmungard:
Washington State: Boeing, Native American sites, Mount St. Helans and Mount Rainier.
Sure, but what I like best is the already proposed Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail which showcases the geologic formations resulting from the
Missoula Floods between 13,000 and 15,000 years ago.
nfmungard:
West Virigina has these terrible coal mines.
As much as Americans love to make fun of West Virginia, I kind of feel I should defend it like my little brother. West Virginia is more than coal mines. They have a lot of beautiful outdoor parks and recreation areas, and they have the
Green Bank telescope, the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope. Not sure if I could advocate for anything to make the list, though.
nfmungard:
Wisconsin must offer more non industrial sites.
I would hope an extension for the Frank Lloyd Wright works would include the recommended
Johnson Wax Headquarters. The
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle_Islands_National_Lakeshore would have some of the same features as the previously proposed Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. I'm not sure if there would be anything to Milwaukee and its beer brewing history, since I don't know that it can compare to European counterparts. I really should leave Wisconsin discussions to winterkjm, though, since that is his hometurf.
nfmungard:
Wyoming has the Devils Tower (sacred to the Native Americans) and Fossil Butte. Grand Teton NP also extends to Wyoming as it seems.
Yes to Devil's Tower, and Fossil Butte looks interesting. Grand Teton National Park abuts Yellowstone, and I think it would make a fine extension.