| One legend has it that Valentine’s Day originated to
commemorate the anniversary of the death of St. Valentine, a Roman clergyman
who was executed on Feb.14, about 270 A.D. for secretly marrying couples
in defiance of the emperor. According to another, the holiday began as a
Roman fertility festival. Americans probably began exchanging handmade valentines
in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther Howland (1828-1904), a native of
Massachusetts, began to sell the nation’s first mass-produced valentines.
Candy is Dandy
1,040
Number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2001. These
establishments employed 45,913 people. California led the nation in the
number of such establishments (with 116) followed by Pennsylvania (with
107). <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html>
616
Number of locations that produced nonchocolate confectionary products
in 2001. These establishments employed 26,400 people.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html>
3,839
Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2001. Often
referred to as candy stores, they are among the best sources of sweets
for Valentine’s Day.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html>
24 pounds
Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2002; it is believed a
large portion is consumed around Valentine’s Day. Candy consumption
has actually declined over the last few years: in 1997, each American
gobbled or savored more than 27 pounds of candy a year. <http://www.census.gov/industry/1/ma311d02.pdf>
Flowers
$410 million
The wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2002 for operations
with $100,000 or more in sales. Among states, California was the leading
producer, alone accounting for about two-thirds of this amount ($279 million).
<http://www.usda.gov/nass/>
$56 million
The wholesale value of domestically produced roses in 2002 for operations
with $100,000 or more in sales. Among all types of cut flowers, roses
were a close second in receipts to lilies ($58 million). <http://www.usda.gov/nass/>
23,870
The number of florists nationwide in 2001. These businesses employed 125,116
people. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html>
Jewelry
29,780
Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2001. Jewelry stores
offer wedding, engagement and other rings, as well as other baubles, to
lovers of all ages.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html>
The merchandise at these locations could well have been produced at one
of the nation’s
2,168 jewelry manufacturing establishments. The manufacture of jewelry
was an $8.8 billion industry in 2001. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html>
<http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/m01as-1.pdf>
Romantic-Sounding Places
2
The number of places in the United States named Valentine. Valentine,
Neb., was the more populous of the two, with 2,842 residents on July 1,
2002; Valentine, Texas, had just 185.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001118.html>
9
Number of places identified by the Census Bureau nationwide with “love”
in their name. Loveland, Colo., was the most populous, with 55,273 residents
in 2002. The others: Lovejoy, Ga., Loves Park, Ill.; Lovelock, Nev.; Love
Valley, N.C.; Loveland, Ohio; Loveland Park, Ohio; Loveland, Okla.; and
Lovelady, Texas.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001118.html>
- Still haven’t had your fill of love? Try Loving County, deep
in the heart of Texas, with
64 residents in 2002. Or cross the border into New Mexico to the city
of Lovington (population 9,484), or the village of Loving (population
1,313), or go to Oklahoma and Love County (population 8,911). And don’t
forget Lovington, Ill., with 1,210 residents.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001118.html>
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000927.html>
- If you really have your heart set on Shakespeare this Valentine’s
Day, you might start the day by visiting Romeo (Romeo, Colo.; Romeo,
Mich.; or Romeoville, Ill., with 384, 3,765 and 28,765 residents, respectively,
in 2002) and end it by calling on Mount Juliet, Tenn. (population, 15,465).
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001118.html>
Be Mine
2.3 million
Number of marriages that take place in the United States annually. That
breaks down to nearly 6,200 a day. <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/>
123,300
The number of marriages performed in Nevada during 2002. So many couples
“tie the knot” in the Silver State that it ranked fifth nationally
in marriages, even though its total population that year was 35th. <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/statab/unpubd/nvstab51.htm>
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000456.html>
25.3 and 26.9
The estimated U.S. median ages at first marriage for women and men, respectively.
The age for women is up 4.4 years in the last three decades. The age for
men is up 3.6 years.
<http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/tabMS-2.pdf>
52% and 56%
The percentages of American women and men, respectively, who are 15 and
over and currently married. <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2002/tabA1-all.pdf>
60%
Percentage of people 15 and over in Idaho who are currently married —
the highest rate among states. New York has the lowest rate, 50 percent.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001489.html>
68%
Percentage of people 15 and over in Naperville, Ill., who are currently
married. Naperville, Gilbert, Ariz., and Plano, Texas, lead all places
with 100,000 or more people.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001489.html>
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