Profile America: Nickel and Diming

Friday, July 15 — Motorists in Oklahoma City were confronted with America’s first parking meter this month in 1935. It was located on the corner of First Street and Robinson Avenue, and while local drivers could avoid that single space, they couldn’t escape for long. That meter was just the first of many to sprout up in Oklahoma City and across the nation, as millions of ticketed motorists will attest. While municipalities sought to rotate street parking spots among more drivers, raising revenue was always a consideration. At the same time, pay parking lots and garages began to open for business. Today there are over 12,500 such commercial parking facilities in the U.S., which take in around $7.5 billion a year in parking fees. 

You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey.

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