This fabled district-America's first tourist playground- boasts the highest peaks in the Northeast and the world's worst weather. Rising above the forests, lakes, and rivers of northern New Hampshire and western Maine, this storied range is the centerpiece of the 770,000-acre White Mountain National Forest. These mountains have witnessed centuries of change, from Native Americans through early European settlers, the arrival of railroads and automobiles, and the rise of the grand hotels during the region's heyday.

Born of a country's collective desire for riches, Sacramento was resolute in its survival while other Gold Rush towns faded into history. It battled catastrophic fires, floods, and epidemics to become the original western hub and laid claim to the capital of a state that would one day have the world's fifth largest economy. The community's flourishing growth is not just a product of its economic viability, but a direct result of the cultural vibrance and fortitude of a diverse populace that remains the backbone of our country's most dynamic state.

Old City Philadelphia is the heart of the City of Brotherly Love, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution written. From the Delaware Indians and early Swedish settlers to the artisans and craftspeople who lived along Elfreth's Alley-the oldest residential street in the United States-this town represented the backbone of the new nation until the city's priorities shifted. As change buffeted the city and the nation, Old City Philadelphia resisted passing into oblivion and recreated itself as a place committed to tradition, craftsmanship, and history that is a...