Today is the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger planes, crashing two into New York’s Twin Towers and killing 2,977 people.
Another plane hit the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after the passengers on board attempted to retake the cockpit and overcome the hijackers.
Since the attacks, the US has created over 1,100 memorials across all 50 states where visitors can reflect and honor those who died.
Communities have also developed traditions and ceremonies to mark the anniversary. Visitor numbers can vary depending on how the community is connected to the attacks.
From stair climbs and gun salutes to walks of remembrance and observances, here are ways US cities have commemorated the attacks.
New York City
New York City’s skyline fundamentally changed following the attacks. Twenty-three New York Police Department members died in the line of duty, and hundreds of NYPD officers have died as a result of 9/11-related illnesses.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum, located at the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, is the heart of the nation’s 9/11 ceremonies. During each anniversary, the plaza holds a ceremony for the families of victims at the Memorial Plaza to read aloud the names of those killed.
The ceremony holds seven moments of silence to mark the times when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck, when each tower fell, the Pentagon attack, the United Airlines Flight 93 crash, and those lost to 9/11 health effects.
The Museum also holds the “Tribute in Light,” an annual public art installation located six blocks south of the World Trade Center. The installation shoots two beams of light — representing the Twin Towers — four miles up into the sky from dusk to dawn on the night of September 11.
Among the various memorials located throughout the city, the New York City Fire Department holds an annual “Walk of Remembrance” earlier in September to honor Father Mychal Judge, a FDNY Chaplain who was killed while ministering to firefighters during the attacks.
Arlington, Virginia
The Pentagon’s memorial site was designated on Wednesday as an affiliated area of the National Park System. The Pentagon has historically displayed an American flag from the building’s roof near the impact zone.
President Donald Trump attended the annual 9/11 ceremony at the Pentagon and delivered remarks. Vice President JD Vance attended the New York City ceremony alongside the four living former presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
Arlington County will also commemorate the anniversary at Fire Station 5, with remarks from elected officials, a wreath-laying, and a rose-laying ceremony. More than 200 first responders, many of whom responded on the day of the attacks, will attend.
Shanksville, Pennsylvania
At the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed, located in a small Pennsylvania borough, a two-hour morning observance takes place at the memorial’s Wall of Names, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The observance includes a reading of the names of the Flight 93 passengers and crew members, followed by the ringing of the Bells of Remembrance.
Morrison, Colorado
Every year, thousands of people take part in a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, one of many throughout the nation that honors New York City Fire Department firefighters by climbing or walking the equivalent of the World Trade Center’s 110 stories.
The stair climb at Colorado’s famous Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater is one of the country’s largest 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs.
The Denver Gazette reported the climb raised about $110,000 for two charities last year, including the FDNY Counseling Services Unit and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. About $1.4 million was raised nationwide for first responders and their families.
Fall River, Massachusetts
Massachusetts’ Battleship Cove, a non-profit war memorial and historic military museum located in Fall River, about 50 miles south of Boston, holds a Rite of Reflection ceremony at the state’s official 9/11 Memorial.
The USS Massachusetts, a historic battleship, serves as the backdrop for the ceremony, which also holds a 21-gun salute.
At the site, an inscription partially reads: “None of us will ever forget where we were on September 11, 2001. The images of that day will haunt us forever. But the images of fire and smoke, of twisted metal and panic in the streets, are not the only ones we will remember. We will also remember the determined faces of the firefighters and police officers racing up the stairwells of the World Trade Center to help those trapped above. We will remember construction workers, coated in ash, searching by hand for survivors as the skeletons of skyscrapers leaned perilously above them …”
Malibu and Clovis, California
California has several 9/11 memorials, ceremonies, and traditions.
Pepperdine University’s annual “Waves of Flags” display in Malibu was started by students in 2008. Nearly 3,000 American flags are placed in Alumni Park along the Pacific Coast Highway — one flag for every victim, as well as a national flag for each foreign country that lost a citizen.
The California 9/11 Memorial in Clovis, near Fresno, is one of the largest 9/11 memorials outside NYC. It features monuments of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and tributes to first responders and those who died. Wind chimes ring inside the grounds to pay tribute to the passengers on Flight 93.
On Friday, the memorial will hold a ceremony from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. local time, with former FDNY firefighter Andy Isolano, who responded on 9/11, as a guest speaker.
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