Think of counties you’ve called home and what makes them famous. The ones I’ve lived in? Merced: Joaquin Murrieta, growing tomatoes, gateway city to Yosemite.  Broward: Fort Lauderdale, mega yachts, mansions and canals. Alachua: University of Florida, Gator-aid, Tebow.

Bucks County? Geez, where do I begin? I contacted history buffs Bill Pezza in Bristol, Sally Sondesky in Bensalem, Larry Langhans in Langhorne, Brian Rounsavill in Newtown, Fletcher Walls in Doylestown and Stephen Wiley in Durham to come up with a Top 10 list. That list became far more than 10. I did my best to whittle it to a cool 16 reasons Bucks County is famous.

So here we go in reverse order (to build historical suspense, of course).

No. 16: The Peaceable Kingdom

America’s greatest folk artist was born 242 years ago in Langhorne. Edward Hicks had no intention of becoming famous. He just yearned to make a living. At age 13, he was an apprentice craftsman painting houses and coaches. But he gave it all up in his 20s to become a roving Quaker minister based in Newtown.

With income insufficient to support his wife and five children, he started painting furniture, farm equipment and tavern signs. The Quaker community wasn’t happy. His art was too fanciful.