Thanksgiving 2024
Fast Fact
As November draws to a close, the Thanksgiving holiday traditions of the United States come into full swing – family, gratitude, food, football, travel, and reflection on the year passed and ahead.
According to AAA, there are a record-breaking 80 million people who will travel 50+ miles for Thanksgiving this year, up over 2% from 2023! Gas prices, compared to this time last year, are lower on average, and are expected to contribute to the additional 1.3 million drivers this year compared to last.
Did you know that there are 16 countries/territories around the world that celebrate Thanksgiving-like holidays, based around harvest, family, and gratitude? They vary in their placement throughout the year, with only Brazil sharing the 4th Thursday in November timing that the US follows.
There are differing theories among historians as to how Thanksgiving, as we know it today in the United States, originally came to be. In reality, it is likely an amalgam of several traditions, shaped by multiple cultures, and has changed over time. The most-cited origin is that of the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, though very little is known about the “first Thanksgiving” feast. In 1621, after a plentiful corn harvest, which was bolstered by aid and knowledge from indigenous people of the area, the Plymouth colonists celebrated with hope for the future, in the wake of the hardships they’d thus faced.
To that end, below is Geopath’s latest infographic for the Boston DMA, home to Plymouth, MA!
Geopath members can find this infographic, and many more, in the geekOUT Library. For more information about Geopath and membership, please reach out to us at [email protected]!
To everyone celebrating this Thanksgiving: safe travels, and Happy Thanksgiving from Geopath!