Newport News is a city of 180,000 located on the banks of the James River in the Southeast portion of the Virginian Peninsula, the fifth largest in the state. Newport News’ history dates back to the founding of Jamestown and the early colonies. Due to its location on the James River, Newport News has long been a center for the boating industry, as well as shipping and water sports. A large percentage of its residents are employed with Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding or in one of the many military-related jobs created by the large U.S. Air Force-Army base located there.

Irving, Texas is a city of 216,000 within the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The past five decades have seen explosive population growth, as Irving has climbed from only 45,000 people to its current population.

Mobile is the county seat of Mobile County in the State of Alabama. The city actually began as the very first capitol of colonial French Louisiana in the year 1702. During the first hundred years of its history, Mobile was a colony of France. The city became a part of the United States in 1810. The city is a cultural hub, featuring many art centers, museums, a ballet company and a variety of historic architectural designs.

Located in western New York, Rochester is the thirds largest city in the state, trailing only New York City and Buffalo. It has a population of over 210,000 in the city itself and slightly over one million in its metropolitan region. Rochester has been recognized by several publications for its livability and overall high quality of life. It is widely viewed as a great place to raise a family, with a school system amongst the best in the country.

Spokane is the second largest city in the state of Washington, behind Seattle. As of 2010, its population is just under 209,000. Located in the westernmost part of Washington, it is the principle city in a section of the country known as the “Inland Northwest.”

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana, behind New Orleans and the capitol, Baton Rouge. Located in the northwest corner of the state, it is the economic and cultural center of the Ark-La-Tex region, which consists of the area where the states of Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana meet.

From its inception, Shreveport has been a transportation hub, connecting points north and east with Texas. Originally, most of the transportation revolved around the Red River. In modern times, this was expanded to include rail and interstate road transport.

Yonkers is the fourth largest city in the state of New York, behind New York City, Rochester, and Buffalo. Much of its population of 196,000 commutes to work in New York City, using Yonkers as a sort of sleeper community.

Yonkers boasts one of the country’s best and most used public transportation systems, including extensive bus and train service. It also houses a number of tourist attractions, including casinos, race tracks, shopping centers and museums.

With a population of over 201,000, Modesto is one of the larger cities in North-Central California. The city was originally designed as a railroad stop between Los Angeles and Sacramento and has historically relied on the rich and diverse agricultural land surrounding it for its economic development.

New Orleans, known locally as The Big Easy, is the largest city in the state of Louisiana and one of the largest port cities in the United States. Its economy is rooted heavily in shipping, international trade and the oil industry. It is also one of the leading corporate bases in the American South, particularly for offshore oil production.