The 10 Most Patriotic Cities in America

If loving America were a competition, the people of Knoxville would win. According to a survey from Foursquare, Knoxville, Tennessee is the most patriotic city in the U.S. The Marble City is followed by a tally of Midwestern and Southern destinations, where America’s birthday is taken quite seriously and flag pins presumably abound.

Here’s the list in full:

1. Knoxville, TN
2. Oklahoma City, OK
3. Raleigh, NC
4. San Antonio, TX
5. Houston, TX
6. Sarasota, FL
7. Phoenix, AZ
8. Baltimore, MD
9. Charlotte, NC
10. Kansas City, MO

Foursquare is a location-based social networking app that allows users to share what they’re doing by “checking-in” at locations via a mobile device. To come up with this list, Foursquare counted the increase in check-ins at patriotic events like fireworks displays and parades on July Fourth of last year. The places with the biggest jump in holiday check-ins are the most patriotic, says Foursquare.

There’s no doubt that some Americans might rebuff Foursquare’s assessment of their town’s failing patriotism levels. To get your city on next year’s list, download the app and check-in frequently tomorrow. Touché, Foursquare.

Foursquare also looked at the rate of check-ins at historical sites across the country and came up with another list of the most popular attractions on the Fourth. As you can see, half the attractions are located in our nation’s capital and the rest are in major cities with big-ticket July Fourth celebrations—not a huge surprise. These are places you might want to avoid this holiday if copious crowds make you anxious:

1. Washington Monument, Washington, D.C.
2. Quincy Market / Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston
3. Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
4. The White House, Washington, D.C.
5. Independence Hall, Philadelphia
6. Statue of Liberty, New York City
7. Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C.
8. Liberty Bell Center, Philadelphia
9. Alcatraz Island, San Francisco
10. World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Do you agree with these lists? Tell us in the comments.

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(Photo: AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker via flickr/CC Attribution)