Your town - what started there that is known nationwide?

[pianocello]

Valparaiso, IN: Orville Redenbacher had strong ties to the area, I think he perfected his popcorn hybrid formula when he was working near here. Also, Valparaiso University has a bit of regional fame for Bryce Drew, who upset Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA tournament with a last-second 3-pointer (known around here as "The Shot"). He's now our head basketball coach.

Davenport, IA: Not much in Davenport itself except for a few regional companies (people familiar with the Quad Cities will know about Whitey's Ice Cream and Happy Joe's pizza), but just across the river in Moline is where the origin and headquarters for John Deere are.

[algorerhythms]

The town where I grew up (Frostburg, MD) isn't really known nationally for anything, though it used to be the site of the Washington Redskins' summer training camp. The town where I went to college (Latrobe, PA) is known for Rolling Rock beer and Mr. Rogers. The town where I live now has already been mentioned in the thread as being known for OU and the National Storm Prediction Center.

edit -- how could I have forgotten... Frostburg is known for the crazy dude who is trying to rebuild Noah's Ark.

[us175]

Jacksonville, TX:
There is that 'east terminus of a certain US highway' thing I guess  , but also country singers Lee Ann Womack (I was a grade ahead of her in school) and Neal McCoy, actress Margo Martindale (The Millers, Justified, Lonesome Dove), the careers of Broadway performer Tommy Tune and actress Sandy Duncan began at the now-late Lon Morris College there, also the first successful union voters at a Walmart were there (which led to chain-wide use of pre-cut/pre-wrapped meat from distribution centers which meant no more use for meatcutters in that (and every) Walmart)

[Sanctimoniously]

West Monroe, Louisiana has Duck Commander, subject of the popular TV show Duck Dynasty.

We also have had NASA astronaut James Halsell (pilot, STS-65, -74; commander, STS-83, -94, -101), who grew up just down the road from my mother.

[6a]

Columbus:

- Kindergarten
- The NFL (the Panhandles are credited with playing the first game with another pro team in the league, and the first headquarters were here.)
- Modern water treatment
- Air conditioned department stores (and escalators in department stores)

[roadman]

Lynn, MA (where I lived from 1961 to 1990) was the headquarters of General Electric's Aircraft Engine Division.  Until about 1984, when the division was downsized, nearly every jet engine GE produced was manufactured at their West Lynn plant.

Wakefield, MA (where I currently live) is the home of Paul K. Guillow, Inc., a long time maker of balsa wood airplane and glider kits.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

Salinas, CA: known for gang violence, lettuce & strawberry fields forever, and John Steinbeck.

[KEVIN_224]

New Britain, CT: The Stanley Works, a.k.a. the tool people. We also have the New Britain Rock Cats, the AA-level Eastern League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

[mgk920]

Appleton, WI

-First hydro-electric powered house (1882)
-First commercially successful electric streetcar service
-First purpose-built enclosed mall shopping center (now demolished Valley Fair - opened 1954-08-11)

Mike

[tchafe1978]

My current hometown of Belmont, WI has as its claim to fame as being the first state capitol of Wisconsin, for all of about 6 months way back in the 1840s. One major decision to come out of those 6 months was to pick Madison as the permanent state capitol, and the rest is history.

Nearby Platteville, WI is home to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, which from 1984 to 2001 was the home to the training camp for the Chicago Bears. That accounts for the fact that, despite being in the middle of Packers country, there are so many dang Bears fans in the area. UWP was also the first head coaching job for Bo Ryan, now the head coach at UW-Madison, the Badgers. Ryan was the coach at UWP from 1984-1999 and won 4 Division III National Titles.

Just outside Platteville on the side of a mound is the world's largest "M", a symbol of the original Mining School, which is now UWP. The "M" measures 241 feet tall by 214 feet wide.

[ET21]

DeKalb, IL: Barbed wire was invented here, that's all I know lol

Oak Lawn, IL: the band Disturbed was formed here and a member of REO Speedwagon lived here

[Molandfreak]

Malt-O-Meal (headquartered in Minneapolis, but manufactured in Northfield).

[Dr Frankenstein]

Rochester, NY:

Most famously, Kodak film and cameras. When people talk about Hollywood films, I like to say that films aren't made in Hollywood; they're made in Rochester. Hollywood's just where they take the pictures. 

Hots. You forgot hots.

Beauharnois, QC, home of (possibly) the largest Quebec flag.

And the Beauharnois hydro plant nearby, which is a National Historic Site.

I can't think of anything else.

[xcellntbuy]

Hudson, NY was the first chartered city in the USA after independence.  Hudson was chartered in 1785.  It almost became the state capital, but Albany won out to become the permanent capital by a single vote.

Until 1850, Hudson was a whaling port.  Hudson is also one of the very few places in America to be honored on its sesquicentennial with a commemorative silver half dollar issued in 1935.  For coin collectors, it is one of the rarer issues.

[Duke87]

Stamford, CT supposedly gave the world the electric shaver. I have not seen this claim substantiated, however.

Other than that, there are several things that can be associated with Stamford, CT but all of them had their beginnings elsewhere... of note, Stamford is currently home to:
- WWFE, the wrestling organization
- Filming of Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, and Steve Wilkos shows
- Pitney Bowes, the postage scale company
- the North American headquarters of two international banks: UBS and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Likewise, when it comes to people, a lot more famous individuals lived in Stamford than were born there. Most noteworthy, Jackie Robinson lived in Stamford after he retired from baseball... and we actually had Bobby Valentine as our director of public safety under our previous mayor (I swear I'm not making this up).

[Zmapper]

Fort Collins: Accurate time.

[empirestate]

Rochester, NY:

Most famously, Kodak film and cameras. When people talk about Hollywood films, I like to say that films aren't made in Hollywood; they're made in Rochester. Hollywood's just where they take the pictures. 

Hots. You forgot hots.

And you forgot garbage plates.

However, as far as I know those aren't of much interest outside of town (and I have rarely heard hots spoken of, even within the area); certainly not nationwide as per the OP.

One town over, though, and of course you have Buffalo wings. Those are known of nationwide, though not everybody knows how they're made.

[renegade]

Monroe, MI:  Home of La-Z-Boy!

[DTComposer]

Los Gatos, CA, where I grew up:
-FMC Technologies started out as the Bean Spray Pump Company in 1883.
-Netflix.

[briantroutman]

Stamford, CT supposedly gave the world the electric shaver. I have not seen this claim substantiated, however.

I don't know about that...but this guy was a well known Stamford resident for many years. Which must be worth millions of electric shaver brownie points.

[Jardine]

A town near me used to be known back in the 60s as the The World Goose Calling Championship.  As I recall, there was one key individual that really did the work and when he died it just ended.

Also, thanks to AARoads, that town also has a leading contended for most acute angle on an intersection.

[DaBigE]

Columbus:

- Kindergarten

Watertown, WI seems to disagree.

[Zeffy]

Hillsborough: The only thing Hillsborough has are the Duke Estates and the Belle Meade AGA supply depots during WWII. Now, I'm not sure if any of these are nationally known facts, but, well, that's all I could find for Hillsborough.

When I lived in Orlando, Disney World.

[dfilpus]

Chapel Hill NC: Michael Jordan, Dean Smith and UNC Basketball

[hm insulators]

There is a chain of sporting goods stores called Sport Chalet that got their start in my hometown of La Canada Flintridge, California. And the grocery store chain called Trader Joes started in nearby Pasadena.

Pasadena, of course, is also famous for the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Rose Bowl game and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.