• Smithsonian
    Institution
  • Travel
    With Us
  • Smithsonian
    Store
  • Smithsonian
    Channel
  • goSmithsonian
    Visitors Guide
  • Air & Space
    magazine

Smithsonian.com

  • Subscribe
  • History & Archaeology
  • Science
  • Ideas & Innovations
  • Arts & Culture
  • Travel & Food
  • At the Smithsonian
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Games
  • Shop
  • Archaeology
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Today in History
  • Document Deep Dives
  • The Jetsons
  • National Treasures
  • Paleofuture
  • History & Archaeology

A By-The-Numbers Look at American Real Estate

An index to houses great and small over the centuries

| | | Reddit | Digg | Stumble | Email |
  • By T.A. Frail
  • Photographs by Scott S. Warren
  • Smithsonian magazine, May 2012, Subscribe
View Full Image »
$Alt
(Scott S. Warren)

1,000: Approximate age, in years, of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the United States: pueblos in Acoma and Taos, New Mexico, and the village of Oraibi, Arizona

375: Approximate age, in years, of Fairbanks House, in Dedham, Mass., believed to be the nation’s oldest timber-frame house

1,297: Square footage of Fairbanks House when new

1,740: Square footage of average new house in the U.S., 1980

2,392: Square footage of average new house, 2010

175,000: Square footage of Biltmore, in Asheville, North Carolina, the largest privately owned U.S. residence

3: Number of people in the immediate family of original Biltmore owner George Washington Vanderbilt III

1.1 million: Visitors to Biltmore, the nation’s most popular house, 2011

1.06 million: Visitors to Mount Vernon, Virginia home of George Washington, 2011

1: Number of times Washington said he would “rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world”

2: U.S. municipalities named Hometown


1,000: Approximate age, in years, of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the United States: pueblos in Acoma and Taos, New Mexico, and the village of Oraibi, Arizona

375: Approximate age, in years, of Fairbanks House, in Dedham, Mass., believed to be the nation’s oldest timber-frame house

1,297: Square footage of Fairbanks House when new

1,740: Square footage of average new house in the U.S., 1980

2,392: Square footage of average new house, 2010

175,000: Square footage of Biltmore, in Asheville, North Carolina, the largest privately owned U.S. residence

3: Number of people in the immediate family of original Biltmore owner George Washington Vanderbilt III

1.1 million: Visitors to Biltmore, the nation’s most popular house, 2011

1.06 million: Visitors to Mount Vernon, Virginia home of George Washington, 2011

1: Number of times Washington said he would “rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world”

2: U.S. municipalities named Hometown

    Subscribe now for more of Smithsonian's coverage on history, science and nature.


Related topics: USA Houses


| | | Reddit | Digg | Stumble | Email |
 

Add New Comment


Name: (required)

Email: (required)

Comment:

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until Smithsonian.com has approved them. Smithsonian reserves the right not to post any comments that are unlawful, threatening, offensive, defamatory, invasive of a person's privacy, inappropriate, confidential or proprietary, political messages, product endorsements, or other content that might otherwise violate any laws or policies.

Comments (2)

This is a great post.I think it will be very usefull to us. I read it but I need some thing more to know about this. How can I know about this.

Posted by Turnkey rentals on August 14,2012 | 10:32 AM

This article would have been improved 1000% by including a link for each relevant item.

Posted by Matt Hock on May 18,2012 | 06:02 PM



Advertisement


Most Popular

  • Viewed
  • Emailed
  • Commented
  1. For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of WWII
  2. Seven Famous People Who Missed the Titanic
  3. The Battle Over Richard III’s Bones…And His Reputation
  4. Bodybuilders Through the Ages
  5. Top Ten Demonstrations of Love
  6. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials
  7. Harry Truman’s Adorable Love “List” to His Wife, Bess
  8. The Unsuccessful Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln
  9. Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple?
  10. Tattoos
  1. For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of WWII
  2. Native Intelligence
  3. A Brief History of the Honus Wagner Baseball Card
  1. Abandoned Ship: the Mary Celeste
  2. The Making of Mount Rushmore
  3. The Beer Archaeologist
  4. The Swamp Fox
  5. To Be...Or Not: The Greatest Shakespeare Forgery
  6. The Battle Over Richard III’s Bones…And His Reputation
  7. The American Football League's Foolish Club
  8. The Freedom Riders, Then and Now
  9. For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of WWII
  10. America's True History of Religious Tolerance

View All Most Popular »

Advertisement

Follow Us

Smithsonian Magazine
@SmithsonianMag
Follow Smithsonian Magazine on Twitter

Sign up for regular email updates from Smithsonian.com, including daily newsletters and special offers.

In The Magazine

February 2013

  • The First Americans
  • See for Yourself
  • The Dragon King
  • America’s Dinosaur Playground
  • Darwin In The House

View Table of Contents »






First Name
Last Name
Address 1
Address 2
City
State   Zip
Email


Travel with Smithsonian




Smithsonian Store

Framed Lincoln Tribute

This Framed Lincoln Tribute includes his photograph, an excerpt from his Gettysburg Address, two Lincoln postage stamps and four Lincoln pennies... $40



View full archiveRecent Issues


  • Feb 2013


  • Jan 2013


  • Dec 2012

Newsletter

Sign up for regular email updates from Smithsonian magazine, including free newsletters, special offers and current news updates.

Subscribe Now

About Us

Smithsonian.com expands on Smithsonian magazine's in-depth coverage of history, science, nature, the arts, travel, world culture and technology. Join us regularly as we take a dynamic and interactive approach to exploring modern and historic perspectives on the arts, sciences, nature, world culture and travel, including videos, blogs and a reader forum.

Explore our Brands

  • goSmithsonian.com
  • Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
  • Smithsonian Student Travel
  • Smithsonian Catalogue
  • Smithsonian Journeys
  • Smithsonian Channel
  • About Smithsonian
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • RSS
  • Topics
  • Member Services
  • Copyright
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • Ad Choices

Smithsonian Institution