The Love, Money, UFO and 28 Other Unofficial Capitals of the World

Chicago has some competition for this title as the town of New Castle, Pennsylvania, declared itself Hot Dog Capital of the World in the 1970s because of its popular Greek-style chili dogs. But the Windy City has its own way of dressing up a hot dog that includes mustard, relish, a pickle spear, tomatoes, and diced onions.

Near the remote recording site of the Patterson-Gimlin film, the most famous piece of alleged bigfoot footage in the world, Willow Creek in Northern California is home to dozens of bigfoot statues and murals, a museum, and an annual bigfoot festival.

With a melanoma rate of 71 cases per 100,000 people, the state of Queensland in Australia leads the world in instances of skin cancer, due to the area’s climate and demographics. Melanoma rates are expected to rise among the elderly because of damage to the skin already done, long before the skin cancer awareness campaign had begun.

In 1925, two famous magicians, Harry Blackstone and Percy Abbott, opened a magic shop in Colon, Michigan, making the town a destination for top-name magicians from around the world. An annual magic convention still takes place every August.

Bangkok is one of the top destinations for gay travelers, and is known for its accepting culture, high-profile transgender community, and incredibly creative gay nightlife scene.

The birthplace of bungee jumping, Queenstown is now a destination for thrillseekers. Canyon swinging, skydiving, and paragliding are a few of the extreme sports the area is famous for.

The state of Texas executes more prisoners than any other state in the U.S. and Huntsville is where the executions take place.

Home to multiple international organizations, including the Red Cross and the United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva is a hub of humanitarian organizing and global peace strategizing.

Niagara Falls earned the reputation as the Honeymoon Capital of the World in the early 1900s, and currently about 50,000 couples per year honeymoon at the iconic waterfall.

Paris has long been a top destination for honeymoons, proposals, and romantic getaways. From the iconic Pont des Arts bridge, to which lovers once attached padlocks as symbols of their affection, to the Eiffel Tower, to the legendary Moulin Rouge Cabaret, the city is full of romantic places to explore.

Once lost airline luggage is declared unclaimed — usually after three months — the Unclaimed Baggage Center buys the baggage sight unseen and sells the contents out of a huge retail center in Scottsboro, Alabama.

Former home of Buffalo Bill, Cimarron, New Mexico, ties with Bandera, Texas, and Oakdale, California — both rodeo towns — for the title of Cowboy Capital of the World.

According to a NASA study, Lake Maracaibo has lightning storms nearly 300 nights of the year, with over 600 bolts of lightning per square mile annually.

In the state where 97% of all bourbon is made, Bardstown is home to multiple distilleries including Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam, as well as an annual week-long bourbon festival.

Bicycles, mopeds, and motorbikes rule the streets of Burkina Faso, a West African country where two-wheeled vehicles outnumber cars two to one.

Wisconsin, which ranks second in number of UFO sightings in the U.S. after New Mexico, is home to three cities that claim the title of UFO Capital: Belleville, Dundee, and Elmwood.

Grand Cayman Island is hit by more hurricanes than any other location in the Atlantic. Since 1871, at least 64 hurricanes have touched down on the Caribbean Island.

New Smyrna Beach, a popular surf spot, has the highest rate of shark-related incidents per square mile in the world. It’s estimated that anyone who has swum there has been within ten feet of a shark.

Home to such iconic brands as Prada, Versace, and Armani, Milan is world famous for its Fashion Week, design museum, and high end boutiques.

Home to the world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalization, New York City recently overtook London as the financial center of the world, after the U.K. decided to leave the European Union.

Tokyo has 230 Michelin-starred restaurants. That’s more than any other city in the world and double the amount found in Paris.

Korube is the home to the world’s largest zipper manufacturer, Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikigaisha or YKK, which produces half of the world’s zippers.

Lobstering has been a part of the Shediac economy since at least the 1860s, and the town hosts an annual lobster festival that focuses not only on serving perfectly cooked lobsters, but also on preserving the lobster population.

Tijuana is one of the world’s top producers of HDTV and plasma televisions. About 120 electronics manufacturing companies — many based in East Asia — have factories in the Mexican border city.

This small California town lies along the San Andreas Fault and has been consistently monitored for earthquakes due to a detectable pattern of 6.0 quakes that occurred an average of 22 years apart starting in 1857.

Prostitution has been legal in Amsterdam since 1999, and the city is famous for its red light district, where sex workers display themselves behind large windows facing the street.

In a country where sheep outnumber humans seven to one, the art of shearing sheep has been honed for ages. Te Kuiti hosts an annual sheep-shearing competition and a running of the sheep down Main Street.

Los Cabos just topped Caracas, Venezuela, as the Murder Capital of the World, with an average of 111.33 murders per 100,000 people, the majority of which can be attributed to the drug trade.

The Gambling Capital of the World has over 40 casinos and makes a significant portion of its revenue catering to high-spending VIP customers, who gamble in private rooms.

In 1905, drillers struck oil in the Glenn Pool in Tulsa County, Oklahoma. By 1907, over 100 oil companies were tapped into the Glenn Pool. The oil boom financed much of the building of historic Tulsa.