Interesting Town NamesFonda, NY was originally an American Indian community. In the mid-1700's it saw the arrival of the Dutch and in1851 was named for one of the original Dutch founders. It is from this same family that several generations of well-known actors have come. The rural community named Ding Dong, TX began when two cousins named Bell opened a store there. A local who was hired to paint the store’s sign designed a pictorial pun with a bell on each end of the sing with the words “Ding Dong” in between. By the way, Ding Dong is located in Bell County. Hippo, KY was named for a local resident, the husband of the woman who ran the first post office there. Because he complained all the time, the man was called ‘Hippo’ - once a not uncommon Southern nickname for a hypochondriac. Magnet, TX was named in the hope that its appellation would “attract” people. Sunrise, FL was originally named ‘Sunset’ and was planned as a retirement community. The developers found out pretty quickly that retirees don’t like to be reminded that they are in the ‘sunset’ of their lives, so a more optimistic name was chosen. Frostproof, FL began with the name Keystone City. The Post Office Department asked the residents to find a new name to avoid confusion with a town in the northern apart of the state named Keystone Heights. Although a few freezes have hit the area throughout the years, generally it’s not hard enough to damage the precious fruit trees and citizens are quick to remind a smart aleck that the town was not named ‘Frostfree!” The great state of Kansas has a Saint Marys and a St. Marys. Rome, GA is named because the planned town site was located on seven hills, as was the ancient city of Rome. Altus, OK once had a different name and well as a different location. When the town was destroyed in a flood, the residents wisely opted to rebuild the town on safer ground and renamed the town Altus, Latin for “high.” Delaware is not an Indian name. The Native American name is Lenape, meaning ‘the people.’ The name given to them by the white settlers was Delaware, which came from the river along which these indigenous people lived. The river was named for Lord Thomas West, Baron De La Waar, the colonial governor of Virginia in the early 1600s. Peculiar, MO was named by the Postmaster after the town’s fathers told him, “We don’t care what you name it as long as it’s sort of peculiar.” Lake Webster in central Massachusetts is called that because no one can pronounce the real name, which is: ‘Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.’ Half way between Pine and Cornucopia, Oregon is the town of ‘Halfway ’ of course. Gnaw Bone, IN has some colorful stories of how the town got its name, but the truth is that it is named after the French city of Narbonne. Gripe, AZ was named by the employees of the agricultural inspection station which is located there. We can all guess why it was named. Some other interestingly named towns:Section, AL Shorter, AL St. Elmo, AL Alaska: Candle, AK Dead Horse, AK Krik, AK Mary's Igloo, AK Nightmute, AK North Pole, AK Arizona: Monkey's Eyebrow,AZ Why, AZ Colorado: Bonanza, CO Hasty, CO Hygiene, CO Joes, COLast Chance, CO Lay, CO Paradox, CO Yellow Jacket, CO Delaware: Bear, DE Blades, DE Florida: Briny Breezes, FL Cadillac, FL Celebration, FL Christmas, FL Day, FL Elfers, FL Frostproof, FL Havana, FL Lorida, Florida Mayo, FL Panacea,FL Picnic, FL Sopchoppy, FL Spuds, FL Two Egg, FL Wacahoota, FL Yeehaw Junction, FL Georgia: Alley, GA Between, GA Enigma, GA Experiment, GA Hephzibah, GA Homerville, GA Ideal, GA Quitman, GA Illinois: Energy, IL Normal, IL Indiana: Bacon, IN Birds Eye, IN Buddha, IN French Lick, IN Santa Claus, IN Solitude, IN Iowa: Beebeetown, IA Elvira, IA Iowa Falls, IA Sac City, IA Tingley, IA What Cheer, IA Kansas: Buttermilk, KS Gas, KS Moonlight, KS Petrolia, KS Protection, KS Skiddy, KS Smileyberg, KS Speed, KS Yoder, KS Zook, KS Kentucky: (Positively takes the cake!) Beauty, KY Burning Springs, KY Cadillac, KY Cranks, KY Combs, KY Cut Shin, KY Decoy, KY Duckers, KY Dukedom, KY Dwarf, KY Hazard, KY Hippo, KY Jetson, KY Krypton, KY Lovely, KY Moon, KY Mummie, KY Mud Lick, KY Oddville, KY Ono, KY Ordinary, KY Oscar, KY Parrot, KY Petroleum, KY Pippa Passes, KY Pyramid, KY Quicksand, KY Ready, KY Redhouse, KY Relief, KY Ringos Mills, KY Select, KY Shoulderblade, KY Slusher, KY Sligo, KY Top Most, KY Turkey, KY Viper, KY Vortex, KY Wax, KY Yeadiss, KY Zoe, KY Louisiana: Angie, LA Archie, LA Cutoff, LA Dry Prong, LA Eros, LA Fort Necessity, LA Plain Dealing, LA Slaughter, LA Trout, LA Vixen, LA Waterproof, LA Maine: Mount Desert Island, ME Strong, ME Maryland: Boring, MD California, MD Crappo, MD Hale, Maryland Point of Rocks, MD Scaggsville, MD Massachussetts: Cummaquid, MA Michigan: Bad Axe, MI Christmas, MI Climax, MI Gay, MI Hell, MI Lake, MI Nirvanna, MI Paradise, MI Saline, MI Minnesota: Nimrod, MN Missisippi: Askew, MS Bobo, MS Hot Coffee, MS Petal, MS Missouri: Competition, MO Elmo, MO Fairdealing, MO Gipsy, MO Novelty, MO Pumpkin Center, MO Skidmore, MO Success, MO Nebraska: Magnet, NE Nevada: Pahrump, NV New Jersey: Piscataway, NJ New Mexico: Flying H, NM Truth Or Consequences, NM Weed, NM New York: Bath, NY Busti, NY Fishkill, NY Flushing, NY Horseheads, NY North Carolina: Cooleemee, NC Kill Devil Hills, NC North Dakota: Arthur, ND Beach, ND Can do, ND Mott, ND Hoople, ND Horace, ND Max, ND Ray, ND Napolean, ND Zap, ND Ohio: Gaysport, OH Businessburg, OH Oklahoma: Bowlegs, OK Kremlin, OK Loco, OK Happyland, OK Slapout, OK Oregon: Boring, OR Half.com, OR Pennsylvania: Beaverdale, PA Bird-in-Hand, PA Blue Ball, PA Intercourse, PA Jugtown, PA Manda Gap, PA Scalp Level, PA Squirrel Hill, PA Stalker, PA Stiltz, PA Burning Well, PA South Carolina: Ninety-six, SC North, SC South Dakota: Bonesteel, SD Box Elder, SD Crooks, SD Eaglebutte, SD Gayville, SD Mud Butte, SD Pukwana, SD Roscoe, SD Tea, SD Texas: Bangs, TX Bushland, TX Camelot, TX Canadian, TX Cut and Shoot, TX Dozier, TX Dripping Springs, TX Earth, TX Friendship, TX Gun Barrel City, TX Happy, TX Lazbuddie, TX Lolita, TX Muleshoe, TX Nacogdoches, TX Needmore, TX Notrees, TX Old Glory, TX Pep, TX Progress, TX Quail, TX Skidmore, TX Schertz, TX Tiki Island, TX Turkey, TX Tuxedo, TX Twitty, TX Valentine, TX Study Butte, TX Telegraph, TX Rankin, TX Royalty, TX Midkiff, TX Best, TX Veribest, TX Sweetwater, TX China Grove, TX China Grove, TX (yes two of 'um) Lawn, TX Grow, TX Cee Vee, TX Zunkerville, TX Bigfoot, TX RingGold, TX Petty, TX Boston, TX Old Boston, TX New Boston, TX Tigertown, TX Ben Franklin, TX Chocolate Bayou, TX Needville, TX Oatmeal, TX Blanket, TX Flat, TX Moss Hill, TX Honey Island, TX Egypt, TX Rosebud, TX Virginia: Disputanta, VA Washington: Aloha, WA Humptulips, WA Index, WA La Push, WA Medical Lake, WA Onion Creek, WA Pysht, WA Ritzville, WA Ruff Starbuck, WA Thrall, WA Tiger, WA Walla Walla, WA Zillah, WA West Virginia: Acme, WV Alloy, WVBoggs, WV Canvas, WV Forks-Of-Cacpon, WV Friendly, WV Frost, WV Left Hand, WV Mammoth, WV Man, WV Maud, WV Muddlety, WV Odd, WV Pinch, WV Shanghai, WV Sod, WV Tornado, WV Wyoming: Bairoil, WY Jackson Hole, WY |
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