Edgeley, North Dakota, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A mural paying homage to the town's economic geography. Maybe Edgeley could add some real economic landscapes as a backdrop. Oh, wait, they already did!  See those grain silos rising above the storefronts? [2021]

Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? Its physical geography. Not every town has such a dramatic backdrop, the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Not every town can be home to the North Pole, either. Oh, wait, the North Pole in Manitou Springs is an amusement park! [2005]

Osseo, Minnesota, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A water tower with the town's name in all caps. Other towns may have water towers, but there is only one town named Osseo. Maybe Osseo could add some pole banners that exploit the name of the town as well. Oh, wait, they already did! [2021]

Mulvane, Kansas, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A town clock. Every American town could be satisfied with looking like every other town, but why not add something to make it different? Maybe Mulvane could also add a row of visually compatible lamp posts. Oh, wait, they already did! [2021]

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Minneapolis is among the coldest of America's big cities. But indoors, the landscape looks like spring year round. Wending around 80 city blocks, the Minneapolis Skyway connects islands like this, plus the businesses and offices they serve. It comprises a system of 2nd-story bridges that permit travel around the city without braving the elements. [2021]

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Who can turn the world on with her smile? The answer awaits on Minneapolis's Nicollet Mall: Mary Tyler Moore, of course. Her ground-breaking TV show in the 1970s was set in Minneapolis, and each episode ended with a hat toss, filmed on this very spot. With the statue, the fictional history of Minneapolis lives on, often eclipsing the city's real history. [2021]

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Today, Mill Ruins Park hosts one lonely piano (at least for the summer). A hundred years ago, however, twenty flour mills occupied this very site, a place where the Mississippi River drops 50 feet. Minneapolis used to be the flour milling capital of the world. Then, the center of gravity began a shift to Buffalo, and Minneapolis's last lonely mill closed in 2003. [2021]