1

Townhouse

Image: Aman Kumar

Most commonly found in cities, townhouses have spacious layouts, more amenities than the condo styles, and lower maintenance than most residential homes. They’re typically two or three-story homes, usually sharing one or two walls with adjacent properties, and a rooftop deck to enjoy sprawling views.

While the most famous examples are the ones from New York or San Francisco, thanks to TV series and movies, these types of homes can be found all over the country.

2

Cape Cod

Image: Phil Hearing

Cape Cod houses bring to mind the classic American cottage style but with a weekend feel to them. This type of home design migrated from the UK to the United States, maintaining its symmetrical design and central chimney.

These houses feature a steep roof to keep snow from accumulating, dormer windows for added light, wood siding and shutters to keep the heat in, and hardwood floors for comfort and practicality.

3

Modern

Image: Avi Werde

Funny how the word "modern" is used to define things that happened 100 years ago, right? Emerging in the 1920s to embrace minimalism and reject the more ornate house styles, modern house styles include progressive elements such as asymmetrical exteriors, flat roofs, and integrated outdoor spaces.

Many modern interiors also feature minimal to zero molding and trim, neutral color palettes, and metal accents to accentuate the simplicity of its design.

4

Farmhouse

Image: Raychel Sanner

A house design that has been around for a long time, the farmhouse style was created back in the early 1700s, as housing for farmers and is all about practicality.

Modern farmhouses still showcase many of the same features from the original design such as large, wraparound front porches, clapboard siding, large fireplaces, wood floors, eat-in kitchens, and oversized kitchen sinks.

5

Craftsman

Image: Lernestorod

This style became increasingly popular in the 1900s and has remained a staple throughout the 21st century. Craftsman style adds charm to any neighborhood with its exterior features, including shingles, low-pitched roofs, and covered front porches.

These types of houses feature interior details such as thick trim, prominent ceiling beams, and built-in shelving and seating.

6

Contemporary

Image: James Kovin

A style often compared to modern style architecture, contemporary is very much a trend these days among house builders. These homes have simple forms without elaborate ornamentation or detail.

Showcasing geometric lines, large windows and doors to bring in light, and open floor plans, contemporary homes often incorporate sustainable and eco-friendly building materials, textures, and components, exposed roof beams, and flat or low-pitched roofs.

7

Cottage

Image: Czapp Botond

As the name implies, cottage houses of the 1920s and 30s were inspired by the cozy cottage-style houses of the English countryside, but with a more modern twist.

This style of house typically has a steep, thatched roof, arched doorways, and shuttered windows. They can be found in semi-rural areas, closed communities, and holiday spots, among other places.

8

Mid-Century Modern

Image: Lenalensen

A style that has been well represented in modern media, the mid-century modern style is part of the modernism movement and dates back to post-World War II, and remained popular throughout the 1970s.

This design is characterized by minimalism. Think of clean lines and floor-to-ceiling windows, open layouts, and a mix of natural and manufactured materials for the interior elements like wood, stone, steel, and plastic.

9

Colonial

Image: Mateus Campos Felipe

Another early style, colonial architecture has maintained its allure in many parts of the United States. These classic homes are known for their vintage charm, decorative doorways, and symmetrical window placement.

Many of these houses will be similar to the Cape Cod-style home because of their symmetry and side-gabled roofs but with two or three stories, fireplaces, and brick or wood exteriors.

10

Ranch

Image: Michal Průcha

A style that dates back to the 1930s, ranch homes grew in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, and are still popular today. This architecture is known for its simple, single-story floor plan, low-to-the-ground look, often with an open layout and occasional basement.

With a smaller yard, attached garage, and a low-pitched roof, the ranch-style home often features large windows and sliding glass doors, encouraging an indoor-outdoor living style. A ranch can also be called a ‘rambler,’ depending on which region in the country it is located.

1

It was originally an advertisement

Image: Emma Timmers

Have you ever wondered why the sign exists at all? After all, not many cities display neighborhood names on a nearby hill . When the sign was first erected in 1923, it was simply a billboard promoting a real estate development, and it was supposed to stand for only about 18 months.

2

It used to be longer

Image: Sarah Sheedy

The sign originally read "Hollywoodland" , the name of a new housing development that promised wealthy buyers unique views of the sunny hills of Los Angeles. So, they stuck a gigantic sign on Mount Lee. Just temporary , they said. Just for marketing .

Over 20 years later, the district had become more culturally relevant than the housing development, but people had grown used to the sight by then. So, they decided to let go of four letters. Each cost a fortune to maintain anyway.

3

It used to be bigger

Image: Eliot

The original "Hollywoodland" sign was massive. Each letter stood 43 feet tall and stretched 30 feet across. They were made from thin metal panels slapped onto wooden frames and held up by telephone poles.

It dazzled from afar, but up close, it was a wobbly mess . The construction was so flimsy that by the 1930s, some of the letters were already tilting, cracking, or sliding out of place.

4

It’s appeared in more movies than most actors

Image: Ramaz Bluashvili

Doesn’t that fact make you giggle? It’s not Bette Davis, and it’s not Anthony Hopkins—it’s the Hollywood Sign that has more movie credits .

Aliens have blown it up. Earthquakes have toppled it. Sharks have flown right through it. But it’s also been the backdrop for kisses, chases, and friendship montages. Directors love it because it screams "L.A." in three seconds flat.

5

Technically, it’s not in Hollywood

Image: RDNE Stock project

The Hollywood Sign doesn’t actually sit within the neighborhood of Hollywood—it stands atop Mount Lee, inside Griffith Park, which is managed by the City of Los Angeles . So while it may say Hollywood , it’s not technically in Hollywood.

6

It’s been rebuilt twice

Image: Gerald Schömbs

By the 1940s, the city stepped in and gave the sign a minor facelift. After the crumbling "LAND" was scrapped, the remaining letters were patched up.

But by 1978, the sign was in serious trouble again—rusted, leaning, and on the verge of collapse, it was deemed beyond repair. This time, Hollywood did what it does best: rebooted it entirely . A new sign was built from scratch, using steel beams and concrete foundations.

7

Celebrities "sponsored" letters

Image: Joseph Menjivar

When Hollywood cried for help in the late ’70s, it was Playboy founder Hugh Hefner who stepped in. The city didn’t have the funds to rebuild the sign, so Hefner threw a glitzy fundraiser to find sponsors for each of the nine letters, at $27,777 apiece.

And it worked. Alice Cooper funded the "O" in memory of Groucho Marx. Gene Autry sponsored the second "L." Even Warner Bros. chipped in.

8

No public trail leads directly to it

Image: Venti Views

Perhaps you’ve heard a disappointed tourist complain about this before: You can hike near it. You can pose below it. But actually walking up to the letters is a no-go. The trails in Griffith Park will get you close, with plenty of Instagram-worthy views. But conservation efforts mean you’ll never legally stand between the "L"s.

One reason is that decades ago, it was easier to reach the sign—and some fans even climbed the letters.

9

The land surrounding it was once nearly sold for development

Image: izayah ramos

In the early 2000s, developers had their eyes on the land behind the sign. The plan was to construct luxury homes in the hills with killer views. But the public response was pure outrage.

Enter Hugh Hefner (again), along with celebrities and conservation groups , who raised over $12 million to save the land. Today, those hills are permanently protected.

10

It has its own security team

Image: Lukas Geck

As mentioned earlier, you can’t get a selfie next to the "H" because the sign is off-limits to the public. It’s monitored 24/7 with infrared cameras, motion sensors, microphones, and regular patrols. Some hikers still try their luck, but trespassing can lead to citations, fines, and in some cases, arrest.

11

It’s copyrighted; you can’t just slap it on a T-shirt

Image: Simon Ray

Call a lawyer before you print the Hollywood Sign on your merch. Some trademark rights to the sign are owned by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. That means any commercial use—like shirts, mugs, or movie scenes— requires a license . Even photographers have to tread carefully.

12

Helicopters were used to move the letters

Image: Somchai Kongkamsri

The letters have been helicoptered off before. In 1978, when the new sign was being installed, the old, rusted letters had to go. But since you can’t exactly wheel 50-foot steel slabs down a hiking trail, helicopters came to the rescue.

One by one, the original letters were airlifted off the mountain in a strange, sky-high farewell. It was quite an event, and crowds gathered to watch.

1

Franklin

Image: Brett Wharton

Also known as the Free Republic of Franklin or the State of Frankland, this short-lived territory in eastern Tennessee declared independence from North Carolina in 1784. Its founders even petitioned Congress and appealed to Benjamin Franklin for support—hence the name—but it never gained official recognition.

By 1788, the movement had collapsed, and the area was reabsorbed into North Carolina before eventually becoming part of Tennessee in 1796. Today, the "State of Franklin" lives on mostly in U.S. law school exams as a fictional stand-in for a generic state —often where the imaginary property Blackacre is located.

2

Jefferson

Image: Shelby White

This proposed state has its origins in the 19th-century California Gold Rush, when settlers in the remote, resource-rich region between northern California and southern Oregon pushed for self-governance.

Though their efforts were largely ignored, the movement resurfaced over time. In 1941, frustrated locals staged a symbolic one-day secession. Armed men stopped traffic near Yreka, handing out a Proclamation of Independence declaring the State of Jefferson in "patriotic rebellion" and vowing to "secede every Thursday until further notice."

3

Deseret

Image: SoloTravelGoals

Proposed by Mormon settlers in 1849, the State of Deseret would’ve spanned a massive portion of the West. The name Deseret is derived from the word for "honeybee" in the Book of Mormon, and the vision was of a theocratic state encompassing parts of present-day Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and beyond.

Congress denied the proposal due to its size and religious nature, but a stone donated by Deseret’s supporters in 1853 was still placed in the Washington Monument.

4

Sequoyah

Image: MJ Tangonan

Proposed in 1905, this would’ve been a Native American–majority state in what is now eastern Oklahoma. Despite extensive lobbying by representatives of the Five Civilized Tribes, Congress refused, preferring a single Oklahoma Territory.

Despite its failure, the proposed state’s constitution left a lasting legacy —much of its content was later adopted into the Oklahoma Constitution.

5

Absaroka

Image: Michael Bourgault

Named after the Crow word for "children of the large-beaked bird," the State of Absaroka was proposed in 1939. Comprising parts of Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota, the idea emerged mainly as a protest against New Deal policies, which were deeply resented by the rural population.

Leaders of the movement even issued license plates, but the effort never gained serious traction and remained a largely symbolic gesture.

6

Westsylvania

Image: Matthew Lancaster

Proposed during the Revolutionary War, Westsylvania would have been a new state formed from the western parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania . Backwoods settlers, feeling neglected by distant colonial governments, sought self-governance.

However, Congress rejected the plan to avoid stirring further conflict during wartime.

7

Superior

Image: Mikaela Charette

With such a strong regional identity, it was perhaps inevitable that Michigan’s Upper Peninsula would eventually seek statehood. Efforts began as early as the 1850s and resurfaced repeatedly due to the region’s political and economic isolation.

Another proposed name for the state was Ontonagon. Despite these repeated attempts, the Upper Peninsula remained part of Michigan.

8

Lincoln

Image: K. Mitch Hodge

Named for Abraham Lincoln, this proposed state would have split the Texas Panhandle from the rest of the state. Throughout the 1860s and again in the 1880s, residents of the Panhandle and surrounding areas sought separation due to the region’s distance from Austin and cultural differences.

While none of the proposals gained enough federal support, residents of the area still feel distinct today and take pride in their unique identity.

9

Texlahoma

Image: Tommy Bond

Another failed attempt at carving out part of one of the largest states in the U.S., the State of Texlahoma would have—as its name suggests—combined portions of Texas and Oklahoma into a single state.

The push for autonomy was especially strong during the Dust Bowl, when a shared economy and perceived neglect by local governments united residents of both regions.

10

Columbia (D.C. Statehood)

Image: Heidi Kaden

Washington, D.C., has long been considered for statehood under the name of Columbia . Multiple bills and referenda have tried to turn the federal district into the 51st state, as residents pay federal taxes but lack voting representation in Congress.

Despite strong support among D.C. residents, the idea has yet to gain serious traction at the national level.