All right, I think I am current on the WHS, TWHS, and Top 50 proposed sites for each state and territory in the United States. Let me know if I have missed any, and I'll update the list.

As it looks right now, between current and proposed sites, most of the United States is covered. There are some gaps in New England and middle America.

I'm trying not to submit any additional US sites since I'm from the US, but for me the Kennedy Space Center and associated sites (I'd recommend Cape Canaveral Air Force Station because the earliest space missions were run from there, as well as possibly the Mission Control Center in Houston) is the most deserving Top 50 site in the United States not previously submitted. In the other forum someone had asked whether the Kennedy Space Center and associated sites could be made into a transnational nomination with the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Whether submitted on its own or as a transnational nomination, I would support such a proposal.

"When I orbited the Earth in a spaceship, I saw for the first time how beautiful our planet is. Mankind, let us preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it!" — Yuri Gagarin, Russian cosmonaut

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." — Neil Armstrong, American astronaut

I was a bit disappointed that there won't be any natural sites on the upcoming tentative list of Finland. And a lake landscape would have been a safest bet. Finland is just about lakes (we have about 190 000) and it would have been nice that it had been represented also in tentative list. So called Lakeland is the largest Lake District in Europe. If I have to choose one particular site among Finnish lakes, it would be Koli which is the most iconic lake landscape in Finland and maybe the most important national landscape of Finland. Koli on Wikipedia and Google Image Search.

Ukraine is a large country and I had thought that it would raise some interest. But there haven't been any interest yet. I have already proposed Cultural Landscape of Canyon in Kamenets-Podilsk (T) which I believe to be one of the most interesting sites in Ukraine. Also Tyras - Bilhorod (Akkerman), on the way from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea (T) and Historic Center of the Port City of Odessa (T) should be one of the best sites in Ukraine. Derzhprom (T) is an interesting building complex from the modernism and communist architecture point of view. Crimea is of course is one thing. Bakhchysarai, Cave Towns and Sudak are quality sites in Crimea.

What's the current status of the Saimaa-Pielinen Lake System proposal on Finland's Tentative list. Would that be a site you would be in favor of? How do you think it compares to Koli (which does look beautiful, by the way)?

@Colvin: Amazing work.

@Winterkjm: Don't fully share your conclusion that states are well covered as there is e.g. FLW which isn't really a state thing.

So, some more ideas. Will update the post.

Alabama has the Tuskegee University. I think this is important. Maybe only nationally.

California has Joshua Tree NP and Muir National Forest (Coastal Sequoias). Probably, read too much Steinbeck (Molinas!) in High School. And Kerouac (Big Sur). And there is always space for yet another vineyard (Napa Valley) :D

Florida has Carneveral and the Keys (Biscayne NP, Dry Tortuga NP). Timucuan ("one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast. 6,000 years of human history and experience the beauty of salt marshes, coastal dunes, and hardwood hammocks."). It also has Orlando with all the amusement districts. And the president's clubs. Plus, the should be some Spanish history.

Georgia has Savannah. And mounds (Ocmulgee Mounds).

Idaho has the Craters of the Moon.

Illinois has a planned city in Pullman ("Their stories came together in Pullman, a planned community famed for its urban design and architecture.")

Iowa has mounds, too: Effigy Mounds.

Louisiana should have French and Creole heritage. The Cane River area seems the best fit.

Maine is gorgeous. However, landscape is probably similar to Canada where the same may even be more beautiful. From my visit, I would name Acadia NP as viable options.

Maryland has the Chesapeake Bay.

Massachussetts Howdie. Here we go. I am not a fan of Boston etc. It's really a national thing. Who cares about a rider, a party, ...
I like Nantucket/Marthas Vineyard/New Bedford for the name and the whaling (if anything tangible remains), Cape Cod and Cape Ann for the coast and the fishing. There is also Harvard (Ivy League).

And loads of industry. Lowell. "The Blackstone River powered America's entry into the Age of Industry." [NPS]

It's also the home of Olmsted, "Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is recognized as the founder of American landscape architecture and the nation's foremost parkmaker. Olmsted moved his home to suburban Boston in 1883 and established the world's first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. " [NPS] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Olmsted_works

Minnesota Fur trade (Grand Portage) seems best here. Voyageurs NP was not as good as the Canadian counterparts.

Mississippi ... No positive thought about the place. Maybe Creol heritage (Natchez)? And obviously the Mississippi Delta.

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".

Nevada has Las Vegas and Death Valley NP. They also have Tule Valley fossils, Great Bassin NP and Lake Mead.

New Jersey has Ivy League (Princeton). And the Boss, Atlantic City, Asbury Park, ... and Jersey Shore :)

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.

North Dakota is a vast area. They seem to have had furs (Fort Union Trading Post).

For Oklahoma the Native American's come to mind, but that is more dark history (Trail of Tears).

Oregon akin to Northern California and Washington State. But there should be some nature.

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.

Hopewell Furnace seems like a typical industiral WHS. New Sweden and Gloria Dei Church are just funny (Swedish Colonial Empire!).

Rhode Island has New Port and the Cliff Walk with the Vanderbilt era mansions

South Carolina must offer sth... NPS offers nothing of relevance. Maybe Charleston?

South Dakota has Mount Rushmore.

Texas seems eerily short. Camino Real. Alibates Flint Quarries. Big Bend NP, Guadalupe Mountains ("world's most extensive Permian fossil reef")

What is Utah without the Salt Lake? And the Mormons?

Vermont similar to Maine; across the border in Canada may be better. But White Mountains were nice.

In Virginia, Shenendoah Valley NP comes to mind. They also have the first colonial settlements in the USA (Yorktown, Jamestown)

Washington State
Boeing, Native American sites, Mount St. Helans and Mount Rainier.

West Virigina has these terrible coal mines.

Wisconsin must offer more non industrial sites.

Wyoming has the Devils Tower (sacred to the Native Americans) and Fossil Butte. Grand Teton NP also extends to Wyoming as it seems.

I would second that.

Anything in Finnish Laponia which makes sense for Finland? Santa Clause town :D

Nothing worthy of inscription here except possibly the Civil Rights Era sites in Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham.


Crater Lake National Park is probably the only natural site in the state that could make the case for OUV.


I think only Colonial Newport could be a potential WHS in Rhode Island.

There seems to be a lot exploring of potential US nominations (understandably), but inevitably many of them were on the US Former Tentative List. Several of these sites have already been proposed for Top 50 Missing 2020 and seconded. This is a rabbit hole, though an interesting one to follow! The reality of this exercise though is the US will likely not make any changes to the current tentative list until at least 2027 (if then). On top of this, if the political impasse continues with UNESCO and the glacial pace of new submitted nominations remains unchanged, we can expect many of our proposals to become WHS (if we're lucky) before we leave this earth.

Acadia National Park
Aleutian Islands - Unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (Fur Seal Rookeries)
Arches National Park
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Cape Krusenstern Archeological District National Monument
Capitol Reef National Park
Casa Grande National Monument
Chapel Hall, Gallaudet College
Colorado National Monument
Crater Lake National Park
Death Valley National Park
Denali National Park
Eads Bridge, Illinois - St. Louis, Missouri
Edison National Historic Site 1979
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Gates of the Artic National Park
General Electric Research Laboratories, Schenectady
Goddard Rocket Launching Site
Grand Teton National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Haleakala NP
Hohokam Pima National Monument
Joshua Tree National Park
Katmai National Park
Lindenmeier Site
Lowell Observatory
McCormick Farm and Workshop
Moundville Archeological Site
Mount Rainier National Park
New Harmony Historic District
North Cascades National Park
Ocmulgee National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Original Bell Telephone Laboratories
Pecos National Historic Park
Prudential (Guaranty) Building, Buffalo
Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau NHP
Pupin Physics Laboratory, Columbia University
Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Reliance Building, Chicago
Rocky Mountains National Park
Saguaro National Park
San Xavier Del Bac Mission
Savannah City Plan
Sequoia/King Canyon National Parks
Trinity Site
Ventana Cave
Virginia Coast Reserve
Wainwright Building, St. Louis
Warm Springs Historic District
Washington Monument
Wright Brothers National Monument
Zion National Park 1990

It used to be on the Irish T list and was made a Unesco Geopark instead.


Don't forget to move consensual ideas back to the main thread.

Thanks for the former tent list. I am not really sure the former list is an argument against sites, as this may simply reflect the lack in initiative and political will. That's why the US is one of the Top Missing countries I enjoy the most; as these sites are missing intentionally. If they had the German / Korean approach, they would approach 100 sites quickly. NYC to me would easily get 5 sites inscribed.

I 100% agree, some of the Former T-list sites are incredible and some have been re-nominated as part of the current tentative list. Once the community here feels the relevant missing gaps have been covered in the United States, then perhaps we will have reached the end of proposals. It's interesting to look STATE by STATE and it may reveal some otherwise overlooked cultural or natural sites, but I certainly don't feel many of these states NEED a WHS.

In particular, Delaware, Vermont, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Mississippi, North Dakota, Idaho, Nevada, West Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Indiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas and Iowa just don't have much that could claim OUV. Certainly some interesting natural/cultural sites here and there, but nothing that really stands out.

Amazing list. Just for reference, if you are interested in some perspective for what individual states think is noteworthy, here is what each state chose to represent themselves via the US state quarter program and the America the Beautiful state quarter program.

Here are some thoughts from an American (I reckon other US folks on the forum will have their own takes, too):


Great thought, but I think you're right that this may be of more national than global importance.


Absolutely agree about Cape Caneveral (but that should surprise no one). I think Everglades covers the most important part of Florida's ecology, though Biscayne and the Keys are beautiful. I'm not sure if they are distinct enough from other Caribbean natural sites. Saint Augustine is the oldest European settlement in the continental US, but Santo Domingo and La Fortaleza in San Juan are older sites in the Americas already inscribed.


Agree about potential for historic centers of Savannah, Georgia, or Charleson, South Carolina.


I've been mulling over your New Orleans French Quarter proposal. I really like the idea of recognizing the long history of New Orleans, with its diverse Spanish, French, Creole, and US cultures, but the city didn't wow me when I visited it a couple years ago. Still, it is historically important...


Acadia National Park is absolutely a treasure, but I don't know if it makes the cut for the world stage. The landscape is very similar to Atlantic Canada (which reminds me that no one has brought up the potential for Bay of Fundy, which has the world's highest tidal range and mudflats that are a rare and unique intertidal habitat).

Maine is also the terminus of the Appalachian Trail, which is described as the longest hiking-only trail in the world. The trail starts in Georgia, and crosses through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire before ending in Maine.


I'd thought about this one; the bay is shared with Virginia. I couldn't find anything superlative about this estuary that would push it to the world stage, though.


Absolutely agree about Boston. As for Lowell, it's one of the US mill towns that New Lanark reminded me of. It has potential.


I generally concur. But to be fair, I should mention the Natchez Trace has potential for its Native American history. The US National Park Service runs the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail.

Comments continued...


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.


Good call -- I need to fix that on my list.


Please -- not Jersey Shore! The Thomas Edison National Historic Park is the strongest candidate I can think of here.


Surprisingly no one has suggested Niagara Falls this go-around! Not sure about the Kodak company. NYC has plenty of potential.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


The Mormon settlements in Utah might actually make a good submission because they are not otherwise represented and they have a unique history.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.

There is always room for a diss of the Madara Rider... Have to say the Confederate version of Mount Rushmore (Stone Mountain) was more impressive than Madara. But I didn't at the time understand the hypocrisy of playing "I am proud to be an American, well, at least I know I am free" and displaying 4 generals fighting against the USA and for slavery.


The German, Chinese, Italian, Russian, ... heritage all could be nice additions if authentic examples remain. Kind of the continuation of Ellis Island. Beer/Cheese in Wisconsin seems rather unimportant.


Honestly, I would love a Maple Leaf WHS. We have some many vineyards. A historic maple leaf farm would be stellar.


Yeah, wasn't too sure about Shenandoah. Roanoke maybe better archaeological remains?


Would be good to point that out. The Ice Age ... Title doesn't really give an idea what this is about.

I seem to recall that the Pacific North West had a distinct Native American culture and that they weren't treated as harshly as in other places.


Setting for Justified :)

I tried to organize all 29 approved US proposals into themes/gaps on the World Heritage List (not perfectly). Perhaps, this will help focus the discussion toward missing gaps.

Native/Indigenous 4
- Heritage of the Hawaiian Kingdom (no Hawaiian cultural representation on the world heritage list)
- Ancestral Lands of the Diné: Canyon de Chelly & Monument Valley (no representation for the Navajo Nation, the largest tribe (land, population) in the US)
- Coso Rock Art District (no Great Basin tribal representation on world heritage list)
- Rock Art of the Chumash People (Pacific coast tribal representation on world heritage list)

Colonial 1
- Fur Trading Centers of the Northwest (transnational) (French trading posts, representative of the fur-trade)

Western Boomtown/California Gold Rush 1
- Bodie Historic District (best example of an intact western mining town)

20th Century Industrial Sites 4
- Ford Plant Ensemble: Birth of the Automotive Industry (0rigin of the mass assembly line, modern production)
- Hoover Dam (influential dam with Art Deco design elements, for decades one of the largest in the world)
- Quincy Mine (or broadly Keweenaw National Historical Park for Copper Mining)

Modern Post-WWII Architecture 1
- Case Study Houses in Los Angeles (influential modern design project)

Engineering Landmarks 5
- Golden Gate Bridge
- New York Skyscrapers
- Early Chicago Skyscrapers
- First Transcontinental Railroad

Science/Space 1
- Tevatron

City Planning/Historic District 1
- The Mall of Washington DC (layout and capitol planning, public space)

Theatrical Arts 1
- History of Film: Hollywood & Movie Palaces on Broadway in Los Angeles (representative of the early movie picture age)

Grassland/Prairie 1
- Badlands National Park (refuge for American Bison, large protected grassland to represent the Great Plans)

Deserts 4
- Death Valley National Park (Mojave/Great Basin Desert transitional zone)
- Arches National Park (Colorado Plataeu High Desert)
- Petrified Forest National Park (Southern Colorado Plateau Desert)
- White Sands National Park (Massive Gypsum Dunes Desert)

Marine/Coastal 5 (Great Lakes, Pacific Coast, Arctic Circle, Bering Sea, Ring of Fire)
- California Current Conservation Complex (important migration route for whales, high productivity upwelling current ecosystem, largest potected area of the Pacific Coast)
- Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area (representative site for the Great Lakes, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake by surface area on Earth)
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (possibly transnational) (Sanctuary for sea birds, includes tundra ecosystems and temperate rainforests)
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (transnational) (enormous refuge that protects the most diverse ecosystem in the Arctic)
- Marianas Trench Marine National Monument (deepest point in the Earth's Oceans)

Glacier Period 1
- Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail (remnant of the last glacial period, Columbia River)

High Sierra 1
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park (tallest mountain in the lower 48, 5 of 10 largest trees in the world)

We are probably more or less done with: Engineering/Industrial sites, Native American sites, Deserts, the Arctic . . .

Themes where there are still potential gaps to filled: Science/Space, Colonial sites, City Planning/Historic Districts, Wetlands . . .

I will never understand Stone Mountain. Let the Confederacy die, people.


My uncle does sugaring in Vermont. It's a really cool process to watch. I'm not sure if there are any good historic sites in the US to look at for this, though. It's possible Quebec might have the edge here.


The Roanoke colony was on the coast of North Carolina. The colony was known as the Lost Colony due to the disappearance of its settlers in 1587. Archaeologists are still conducting research, but I'm not sure if there's enough to tell a story.


It does, but one of the challenges of the Pacific Northwest (similar to southern Chile, actually) is that the indigenous population used a lot of wood, which doesn't last well. First Nations culture from the region is recognized with SGang Gwaay, and there are concerns about how long the Haida totem poles there will last.


That's actually Kentucky. And Deliverance was northern Georgia. But Silent Hill and the Wrong Turn series would be West Virginia. On a more positive note, October Sky is a great story based on real life events.

Incidentally, you didn't mention either Ohio or North Carolina, but as I've expressed elsewhere, I'd be in favor of the Dayton Aviation Sites in Ohio, with an extension to include Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the Wright Brothers conducted their first controlled flight.


Thanks for organizing these, winterkjm!

Catching up on this thread.


Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is missing there.


As I mentioned somewhere else, I would favor a serial nomination encompassing many key parks in between Arches and Zion.

Sites mentioned I considered or find interesting:
Big Bend NP
Guadalupe Mountains
Devils Tower
Crater Lake National Park
Johnson Wax Headquarters


That's a great tool. I picked some of my ideas there.


I also think that Acadia is nice, but Atlantic Canada better. Jacob Choi suggested me the Bay of Fundy on WhatsApp. The tides are sure impressive, but I don't think the geology, ecological processes or biodiversity of the bay make it outstanding or universal. Moreover, it is already partly inscribed with Joggins, so not really Top missing for me.


That trail (like the mountain range) actually goes up to Newfoundland.


Maybe Delaware Bay is better as it is a major site for migratory birds and spawning of horseshoe crabs. I was also looking for sites on barrier islands of Virginia and North Carolina but couldn't find a satisfying one.


If such a site is ever nominated, it should be in Québec. However, I think it's more an intangible heritage. I just did some research and couldn't find any "cabane à sucre" described as historical or old.

Finally, a odd suggestion, but this is the whiteboard! What would you think of the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia?

The penitentiary refined the revolutionary system of separate incarceration first pioneered at the Walnut Street Jail which emphasized principles of reform rather than punishment. At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected in the United States, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide. The prison is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark. [Wikipedia] Google Image