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Are There Many Places in the United States without a Nearby McDonald's?

If you live in the lower 48 U.S states, you live near a McDonald's. That won't come as a surprise for those residing in a big city, but even in all that seemingly open space out West, the Golden Arches are generally still within easy reach. In fact, if you'd rather bypass Big Macs altogether, the best you can do is to call the middle of the Nevada desert home. But even from that no-man's land, you could still drive to the familiar fast food eatery in about two hours: It's only 115 miles (185 km) away -- and that's the farthest you can get from a McDonald's in the contiguous United States. Part of the reason, of course, is that the United States is home to more than 14,000 McDonald's locations. For the record, if you'd prefer to live in civilization, try Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. It's the only state capital without a McDonald's.

There's gold in them arches:

  • On average, McDonald's restaurants around the world sell 75 burgers every second.
  • For about $1,200 USD, you can rent a McDonald's in Hong Kong for a wedding, complete with McDonald's balloon wedding rings.
  • French fries are the most popular item at McDonald's, but when the first location opened in the 1940s, it served potato chips instead.

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