Solvang, California
George Rose/Getty Images
George Rose/Getty Images
With its windmills, quaint architectural style, and a replica of the famous “Little Mermaid” statue in Copenhagen, visitors to Solvang, California, could be forgiven for thinking they’ve just walked into a small town in Denmark. And that impression was created by design.
As The Los Angeles Times reported, Solvang was founded by Danish immigrants in 1911 but largely looked closer to a rural American town than anything back home. However, that changed when the now-defunct magazine The Saturday Evening Post described Solvang as “a spotless Danish village that blooms like a rose” in 1947. Since the town was struggling economically at the time, it was revamped to fit this idyllic image and draw in more tourists.