Boonsboro

In 1792, two cousins of frontiersman Daniel Boone established Boonsboro when they sold the town's first plotted lot. After growing from five taxable buildings in 1796 to 24 houses in 1803 and nearly doubling in population from 1820 to 1830, Boonsboro was officially incorporated in 1831. Along the way, Maryland governor William Hamilton was born in Boonsboro in 1820, and residents completed the world's first monument to US president George Washington in 1827. During the Civil War, the Battle of South Mountain produced
6,000 casualties near Boonsboro on September 14, 1862, and three days later, the Battle of Antietam left 23,110 casualties six miles west of Boonsboro. The town's famous raspberries and Hearts of Gold cantaloupes helped carry Boonsboro through the 20th century. Today, with four state parks and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail lining the top of nearby South Mountain range, Boonsboro boasts a popular town park, three museums, and a population of 3,400 people.

Nora Roberts is a bestselling author of more than 209 romance novels. She was the first author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. As of 2011, her novels had spent a combined 861 weeks on the "New York Times" Bestseller List, including 176 weeks in the number-one spot. Over 280 million copies of her books are in print, including 12 million copies sold in 2005 alone.