Here’s another great example of American spirit: Troy boasts the largest Flag Day Parade in the country. Once the prosperous center of New York’s steel and iron industry, Troy struggled when the industry moved west. But the prestigious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute keeps the town robust. Troy’s downtown was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and storefronts along River Street now feature more than 40 antique shops, earning it the nickname Antiques Row.