BS: Silliest Name for a City....

Subject: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 03:53 PM

Canadian nominations:

Banff - (in Alberta)

Guelph - (in Ontario)

Apto - (also in Ontario) Apto's not really a city, though...I think it has a population of less than 10 people, but it does have a couple of road signs.

Moosenee

Blind River

Moosejaw

Capuscasing

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:00 PM

When you think about it, Scunthorpe is pretty daft... even more so now when a lot of firewalls won't let you look for it.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:02 PM

If we're going to allow places like Apto (population: 10 - what was the Hee-Haw response? c'mon, don't pretend you don't know), I think Canada may face some stiff competition from Australia. And Wales. Heck, even the good ol' US of A. Not to mention England ...

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:05 PM

4 corners of the US....

Tallahassee, Kennebunk, Walla Walla, Cucamonga

and one right in the middle.... Topeka

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:09 PM

oh...and there's Gas, Kansas.

and some more from that site...http://www.gladstone.com/america/america1.html ...including Surprise and Tightwad

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:09 PM

If that's the case, I see your Walla Walla and raise you a Pratt's Bottom!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: terrier
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:14 PM

I've just driven through PEOVER, pronounce that any way you like

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:15 PM

That would be the hind end of Tony Blair, would it?

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Ebbie
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:16 PM

Hey, Bill, that ain't fair. Unless I know what Indian names mean, I'm not going to badmouth those. We have enough English names to choose from.

'Boring' in Oregon was named after an early settler.

The sun often shines on 'Cape Foulweather', Oregon. (Not actually a town, though)

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:23 PM

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

Dimebox, Texas

What's silly about Banff? A good Scottish name.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:24 PM

Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico

                                       SOL

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: KB in Iowa
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:24 PM

What Cheer, Iowa

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:25 PM

Mouthcard, Kentucky

                                           SOL

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: kendall
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:25 PM

Herkimer NY
Passadumkaeg Maine
Truth or Consequences NM

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: bobad
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:27 PM

Dildo, Newfoundland.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:29 PM

Schenectady, New York! Schenectady is the all-time champ of goofy sounding city names as far as I'm concerned. It is an Indian name. You can look up what it means on their website.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: KB in Iowa
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:30 PM

Not a town but a great name anyway - Big Bone Lick State Park

It's in Kentucky

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: bobad
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:31 PM

I don't think the native Indians would find those names silly or goofy.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: johnross
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:34 PM

Humptulips, Washington
George, Washington
Mumbles, Wales (as heard on this week's "Any Questions" on BBC Radio 4)

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:36 PM

Chicken, Alaska.
Las Putas, California.
Big Neck, Illinois (probably deserted now).
French Lick, Indiana.
French Gulch, California.
French Creek, Idaho.

Right here in Idaho let's not forget Gentile Valley, Ketchum, Headquarters, Letha, Atomic City, Movie City, Ovid, Murphy Hot Springs, both Paul and Pauline, Pingree, Santa, Sunbeam, Ucon, Tensed, and of course, Malta.

Then there's Truth-Or-Consequences, New Mexico and Showlo, Nevada.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:39 PM

"Las Putas"???? That's pretty strange. It means "The Whores" in colloquial Spanish.

How about Boise? Now, there's a weird name.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: terrier
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:40 PM

A place not to be after dark might be Wilde Street in Suffolk, UK.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: terrier
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:43 PM

You might be rather disappointed if you go to BITTERLY in Shropshire!

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Scoville
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:44 PM

Resaca, Georgia ("hangover" in Spanish)

Texas
Cut N Shoot
Telephone (cutting edge of technology)
Chocolate Bayou
Reklaw (because "Walker" was already taken)
Post Office (glad they even had one)
Salt Flat (famous for its scenery)

Missouri
Peculiar
Tightwad
Claycomo (located in Clay County, MO)

More listings here.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Scoville
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:48 PM

Oh, and "Y" City, Arkansas (located at a split in the road) and Splendora, Texas, which smacks of Victorian romanticism.

There was also once a Velie, Lousiana. Apparently the Velie car company, which was a division of John Deere, offered some kind of reward to any town that would rename itself "Velie", so one town did. I don't believe it exists any more; either died out or renamed again.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:52 PM

Pennsylvania...hands down winner for Blue Ball, Bird-in-Hand, and Intercourse.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Donuel
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:53 PM

Hiram Bingham was the 're' discoverer of Machu Pichu

Now we have Binghamton NY named after him. Also the birthplace of Rod Serling.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Slag
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 04:57 PM

I'm BAAAA-aaack!
Truth or Consequences changed their name ( I don't remember the former name) on a dare from the old quiz show by the same title. I think that was still in the days of radio. The earlier TV show hosted by Bob barker may have been responsible. Yup! Crazy name.

How about:
Bug Tussle OK (just south of Muskogee)
Bumble Bee TX
Winona AZ
Swindletown LA
Wee Wah NSW OZ
Weedpatch CA
Pumpkin Center CA
Button Willow CA
Woody CA
Hayfork CA
Whisky Flat CA
Hangtown (now Placerville) CA
Uncle Sam (now Kelseyville) CA

One of the weirdest places I've ever been in is California City. That sounds like an appropriate enough name, doesn't it? It's located just a little northeast of Mojave CA. There are miles of streets and curbs, sidewalks, street signs and other infra-structure but no houses! Well actually there are a few, built miles apart. There are even a few stores sprinkled here and there. I think it was the Dell-Webb Corp. that planned and sold the project to investors but there was a question of fraud and corruptions and the project was stopped and never resumed (ca 1950's).

and there is always Podunk MA!

Slag

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: pdq
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:03 PM

Nevada has several odd Indian names including Pahrump and Winnemucca, plus the enigmatic Weed Heights. A few years ago, the eBay associate halfcom.org/ paid a small town near the Ruby Mountains to change it name to Halfcom, which it did.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Scoville
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:03 PM

Texas has a lot of odd ones:

Dime Box (allegedly named for a dime box of tobacco), Angus, Mustang, Missouri City, Texas (southeast of Houston, nowhere near Missouri), Daisetta (named for the founders' wives, Daisy and Etta), Tomball (named for a guy named Thomas Ball), Palestine (Palesteen, and if you say "PaleSTINE", you will be corrected).

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: KB in Iowa
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:04 PM

Lake City, Iowa

Only reason this is odd is there is no lake anywhere near Lake City. There motto is even something like "Everything but a lake"

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: pdq
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:09 PM

"Dime Box" sounds like a rapper.

BTW, Show Low is in Arizona, not Nevada, and has something to do with card games.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Donuel
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:11 PM

There is a town in Massachusettes with 26 letters in its one word name.

I can't spell it but my wife can with pride.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: KB in Iowa
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:14 PM

Correctionville, Iowa (on the correction line for laying out townships)
Diagonal, Iowa (so named because the two rail lines serving the town crossed diagonally)
Lineville, Iowa (on the state line with Missouri)

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Desdemona
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:14 PM

I've always been fond of Chipping Sodbury, which has a right silly sound but comes from Old English "caepen" for market and "bury" for "fort," presumably belonging to some old sod!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:18 PM

Ordinary, VA (Ordinary used to be a synonym for an inn)

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:18 PM

Yeah, I put Showlow in the wrong state.

There's also East Hope, Idaho. There is no Hope, no North, South, or West Hope, either. Just East Hope.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: KB in Iowa
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:20 PM

Rapaire, West Liberty, Iowa is east of North Liberty, Iowa. West Liberty was named after Liberty, Ohio and is indeed west of there.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:21 PM

There are some fun one on THis PAge including "Acme, Wyoming."

There're also "Last Chance, Colorado" and "No Name, Colorado."

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Ebbie
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:37 PM

No dare involved. I remember when the New Mexico town renamed iself. Here is what Wikipedia says:
"Originally called "Hot Springs", it took the name of a popular radio program in 1950, when Truth or Consequences host Ralph Edwards announced that he would do the program from the first town that renamed itself after the show. Ralph Edwards came to the town during the first weekend of May for the next fifty years."

Intercourse, (communion) Pennsylvania and Amity,(peace) Oregon named themselves in hopes of reducing the current rancor.

A "lick", of course, is a place of naturally occurring minerals, especially salt.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: bubblyrat
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 05:54 PM

I believe that the noted American author, Bill Bryson, whilst in Australia , discovered somewhere called TITTIBONG, although he doesn"t say if it is a city ( ie it has a cathedral----the usual criterion for attaining that status ) ---Does that apply in the US also ?? But who cares?? Tittibong is such a good name !!

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: GUEST,Jeff
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 06:32 PM

There's a town in N. Wales commonly referred to as Llanfair. The full name in welsh is about 40 letters long...too long for me to remember. Though I think antidisestablishmentarianism is a welsh concept, yes? Or should I say, da?

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 06:49 PM

Dr. Phillips, Florida (named for Dr. Phillip Phillips!)

(why do I get the feeling a lot of folks are skipping earlier posts and going right to the end? There sure have been a lot of repeats.)

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: terrier
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 06:53 PM

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
OK someone had to be daft enough to type it out and no, it's not a city, just a small village on Anglesey, Gwynedd. Its shortened name is Llanfair.P.G.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: kendall
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 07:27 PM

In Scotland there are three towns named:
1. Lick
2.Bunn
3. Tongue

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Bobert
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 07:32 PM

Well, I ain't too sure if this is a real town or an imaginaary town but Bob Martin wrote and recorded a great song entitled...

..."Frog Dick, South Dekota (Toilet Eat Capital of the World)"

As fir "Ordinary, Va.", yup, but other than the sign there ain't no town....

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 07:45 PM

I sorta like Wapping, Barking, and Dorking, all places in or near London, England.

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: Don Firth
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 07:56 PM

Washington State has some real doozies! Out west of Port Townsend, which sounds perfectly reasonable, one finds Pysht ("Pisht") and Sequim ("Skwim"). Vader, in Lewis County. Mossy Rock sounds like a real swingin' town.

And then there's Stinking Water, Oregon.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: JennieG
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 08:01 PM

There is a small settlement north of Sydney (Oz not Canada or anywhere else) named "The Letter A" - so called, I believe, because the 3 roads that make up the place look like the letter A from the air.

There are probably some doozies in Oz but at present I am suffering from The Dreaded Lurgy with accompanying lethargy, so it may take a while to look them up.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: Silliest Name for a City....
From: retrancer
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 08:10 PM

"Toad Suck" Arkansas, really!