Pumpkin Crazy Bismarck, Is TOO Small For Pumpkin Crazy Poll
All across the capital city store bins are overflowing with pumpkins. As we approach Halloween, front yards and porch steps are getting more and more populated with these winter squashes. But according to the good folks at lawnstarter.com, we may not hold a jack-o'-lantern candle to many other cities across the country.
The Gourd, the Bad, and the Ugly
Firstly the survey of 2022's Best Cities for Pumpkin only addresses the 200 largest cities in the United States. Bismarck is only the #518 biggest US city population in the country and Fargo at #219 also doesn't make the poll. Sioux Falls South Dakota does as they're in at #131. They must really be growing in population down there
So let's see if we can learn a little something
Well right away I learned this little shocker from Wikipedia
Pumpkins, like other squash, originated in northeastern Mexico and the southern United States. The oldest evidence is pumpkin fragments found in Mexico that are dated between 7,000 and 5,500 BC
As much as I associated pumpkins with the cool fall temps of the country's midwest, what I read really squashed that line of thinking.
Six of the top 20 most pumpkin-crazy cities are in Arizona.
Even Las Vegas cracks the top ten in pumpkin love. Like anyone has a pumpkin patch in Las Vegas? Apparently, they do. If you like to see more- here are the 9 Best Pumpkin Patches in Las Vegas. Seemed at least I already learned a little something. So the factors studied to determine a city's level of pumpkin love included access to pumpkin patches, pumpkin treats and beverages, and pumpkin-related events.
What city came out on top?
The title went to Portland, Oregon. Which seems to be a good candidate for the top spot. At least in my head, it's a better fit than perhaps #15 Phoenix. I bet Bismarck would do pretty well in a more population-suitable pumpkin poll. Even a garden killer like me likes planting pumpkins. You drop in the seeds and play defense against the plants all season long. You get plenty of pumpkins and all the vines keep the weeds out. Plus pumpkin seeds are pretty tasty.