Liland, I'm posting to the original thread only because this post is in direct response to posts in that thread.
'Catters, if you're posting something really new, please post to Lilan's new thread.

Genie

Jerry Rasmussen,

Y' know, Steve Goodman (who was a senior at U of Ill. when I was in my first year of grad school) also mentioned Kankakee -- in City Of New Orleans.

Are you thinking of Keokuk, Iowa? Quincy, Ilinois, Keokuk, Iowa, and Hannibal, Missouri are referred to as "the tri-city area."
There's also Kokomo (is that in Illinois or where?), which is the title town for at least 2 songs, probably for the same reason you used Kankakee.

Liland,
You beat me to the punch on Puyallup , Sequim and Skookumchuk. But you forgot Duwamish.

Bill Kennedy
Thanks for correcting my spelling of Coalinga--I realized it was wrong almost as soon as I posted it-- and for the history of the town name. It IS pronounced "co-uh-LING-uh," isnt' it?

meadowmuskrat,
You left out my favorite New Jersey town name--Piscataway. (I have a story I dreamed up about how THAT town got its name!)

Genie