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Spooky decorations abound in Anoka's Halloween house decorating contest
Anoka is believed to be the first city in the U.S. host a Halloween event back in 1920. Ten years later, the celebration is still going strong. Shayne Wells checked out one of the haunted homes entered in the decorating contest.
ANOKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - This Minnesota city has been named one of the best places for Halloween celebrations in the United States.
Halloween celebrations
StudyFinds released a list of the top 5 best U.S. cities for Halloween festivities and trick-or-treating. The list features places known for their eerie pasts, haunted locations, spooky and infamous hotels, or going all out to celebrate Halloween.
Here are the top five U.S. cities for Halloween celebrations:
- Salem, Massachusetts
- Sleepy Hallow, New York
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Anoka, Minnesota
- Estes Park, Colorado
Why the cities made the list
Anoka, known as the "Halloween Capital of the World," ranked fourth on the list. It is believed to have been the first city in the U.S. to host a Halloween event back in 1920. StudyFinds said the city has renowned Halloween festivals and is home to the nation’s oldest Halloween parade.
The northwest metro city goes all out for the spooky season and features activities through the month of October, including walking ghost tours, haunted houses, and pub crawls. The city also hosts several non-spooky events, such as costume and pumpkin carving contests, parades, bonfires, house decorating contests and more. The city loves Halloween so much there is a coronation ceremony for the Anoka Halloween Royal Ambassadors.
The list also features Estes Park, home to the haunted Stanley Hotel that inspired Stephen King’s novel "The Shining", and Sleepy Hallow, the setting for Washington Irving’s book "Legend of Sleepy Hollow". New Orleans, one of the most haunted cities in the U.S., also made the list, in addition to Salem, home to the infamous 1692 witch trials.
StudyFinds said it complied the list by "consensus picks featured on credible review sites."