Romantic-sounding places >
Cupid Lake, Minn.
Flowers, Miss.
Heart, Ark.
Heart’s Content, Pa.
Love, Ariz.
Love, Ky.
Lovelady, Texas
Love Lake, Wis.
Loving County, Texas
Loveland, Colo.
Loveland, Wash.
Loveland Park, Ohio
Lovington, N.M.
Lovejoy, Ga.
Loving, N.M.
Loves Park, Ill.
Love County, Okla.
Lovelock, Nev.
Lovington, Ill.
Love Valley, N.C.
Romance, W.Va.
Romeo, Mich.
Romeoville, Ill.
Valentine, Neb.

By the numbers >
• 2.2 million: The number of marriages that take place in the United States annually. That breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.

• 120: Number of single men (i.e. never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s, for every 100 single women of the same ages.

• 33: Number of single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) age 65 or older for every 100 single women of the same ages.

• 3,523: Number of candy stores in the United States in 2003.

• 24.7 pounds: Amount of candy eaten by each American in 2004.

• $122.98: What the average American will spend on Valentine’s Day.

• 36 million: Number of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate that will be sold for Valentine’s Day.

Symbols and origins >
Although there is no definitive evidence that shows precisely when the valentine heart shape became the symbol for the heart, the connection between the heart and Valentine’s Day is clearer. In ancient times, the heart was considered to be the source of all emotions. It later came to be associated only with the emotion of love. Here are some other Valentine’s Day symbols:

• Red roses were said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Also, red is a color that signifies strong feelings.

• Lace has long been used to make women’s handkerchiefs. Hundreds of years ago, if a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man might pick it up for her. Sometimes, if she had her eye on the right man, a woman might intentionally drop her handkerchief to encourage him. So, people began to think of romance when they thought of lace.

• Lovebirds, colorful birds found in Africa, are so named because they sit closely together in pairs. Doves are symbols of loyalty and love, because they mate for life and share the care of their babies.

• “X” for a kiss started with the medieval practice of allowing people who could not write to sign documents with an “X.” This was done before witnesses, and the signer placed a kiss upon the “X” to show sincerity.

Heart’s not into it >
Over the past few years, a growing number of people have been voicing their discontent with Valentine’s Day, and retailers have created a market of products just for them. Anti-Valentine’s Day cards and merchandise have appeared online and in stores, and they have become more mainstream.

Messages on cards and T-shirts are targeted toward singles or to people who prefer to ignore the holiday. Some sentiments poke fun at the occasion or mock Valentine’s Day. Even e-cards have gotten in on the action.

One electronic card on bluemountain.com shows a woman crying and covered with roses. “Valentine’s Day …” it begins. Inside it says, “Hate it with a passion!” Then there are cards for the more bitter and angry consumers.

“What is worse than a cheating husband? Give up?” asks the front of a card on cafepress.com. Inside, the card answers, “A cheating husband that got caught! Goodbye loser!”

Despite the increase in demand for such sentiments, not all stores that carry greeting cards sell the anti-Valentine’s Day line.

Sources > howstuffworks.com, Gannett News Service, www.census.gov, American FactFinder, cafepress.com, www.bluemountain.com, National Retail Federation.