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City/Town Names that are one-of-a-kind

Started by webny99, January 14, 2019, 12:01:00 PM

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Flint1979

Quote from: Rushmeister on January 15, 2019, 12:52:41 PM
Indiana (almost certainly one-of-a-kinds)
Nappanee
Oolitic
Gnaw Bone

Indiana (maybes)
Birdseye
Popcorn
Santa Claus
I've been to Nappanee and think that's a cool name lol. It also is the longest city name containing each letter in it's name twice.


formulanone

Quote from: triplemultiplex on January 15, 2019, 12:07:03 PM
Quote from: formulanone on January 15, 2019, 06:52:06 AM
I was surprised that there's multiple places called "Big Tussle" in the US, figuring Alabama had that one to herself.

You mean "Bug Tussle", right?
Makes me think of some podunk little corner of the South where there's nothing to do but crack open a Busch Light and watch a couple of insects throw down.

Yup, that's the one.

lepidopteran

There are a handful in northeastern PA

Catawissa
Shickshinny
Wapwallopen (sounds like a bowling term, LOL!)
Paxinos
Selinsgrove

Then there's Shamokin, but there's also a Shamokin Dam in the region.

GaryV

Quote from: lepidopteran on January 15, 2019, 04:07:36 PM
There are a handful in northeastern PA

Catawissa
Shickshinny
Wapwallopen (sounds like a bowling term, LOL!)
Paxinos
Selinsgrove

Then there's Shamokin, but there's also a Shamokin Dam in the region.

What about those Amish names, Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand?  Are those unique?

roadman65

Kissimmee in Florida I would guess there is none other like it.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

jp the roadgeek

CT
Middle Haddam
Haddam Neck
Clarks Falls
(North) Grosvenor Dale
Killingly (and all derivatives)
Attawaugen
Ballouville
Putnam Heights
Scitico
Hadlyme
Old & East Lyme
Old Saybrook
Eastford
Northford
Gaylordsville
Barkhamsted
Yalesville
Jewett City
Gales Ferry
Uncasville
Upper Stepney
South Britain
Weatogue (there is a Wetaug, IL)
Occum
Old Mystic
Harwinton
Torringford
Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)

Takumi

#56
Poquoson, VA
Also Newport News, though Newport by itself is far from unique.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

hotdogPi

Interesting fact about data: If you gather the names of all cities/towns in the country or in the world, almost exactly half of names will be unique.

Half of names, not half of cities. For example, if the list has 25000 places and 3000 unique names, then there will be 1500 unique names and 1500 names with more than one entry from the other 23500 places.

This is true for other data sets, as it is a mathematical property.

The number qualifying for this thread is lower than half, though; some unique town names are also people's names, words that can be found in a dictionary, etc.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

Ian

Like many states, Maine has a fair amount of town names derived from the local Native tribes, usually named for nearby water or geological features. To name a few, we have...

Skowhegan
Passadumkeag
Kenduskeag
Millinocket (and East Millinocket)
Macwahoc
Damariscotta
Allagash
Wiscasset
Meddybemps (my favorite)
UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
Youtube l Flickr

cjk374

When I started working for my railroad, we had a depot agent job in Gibsland. In the depot, I had access to the KCS's system-wide computer system called MCS. An option it had was a nation-wide station master list of every city, town, community (incorporated or not), and railhead (siding, no town necessary). It also gave the zip code of all of these communities. I would type in a community name and see how unique of a name it was.

I typed in my downtown's name in one day. I found out there are 3 places named "Simsboro" in all of North America...AR, TX, & LA. After looking on GMSV, I discovered that my Simsboro is the biggest of the three. The one in AR is unincorporated on AR highway 50 southwest of Memphis & has place signs. The one in TX is located on an old branch line of the Rock Island RR. It doesn't have place signs on the roads, and you wouldn't even know you were in a named community.

I wish I still had access to MCS. That was a fun system to play with.
Runnin' roads and polishin' rails.

dvferyance

I am sure it's good bet Milwaukee suburbs like Muskego, Mukwonago, Pewaukee, Menomonie Falls and Mequon are unique. Most likely Cudahy too as it was named after Patrick Cudahy. I am also sure there isn't another South Milwaukee since the only other Milwaukees that exist are tiny unincorporated areas.

kphoger

Quote from: dvferyance on February 05, 2019, 06:23:43 PM
Most likely Cudahy too as it was named after Patrick Cudahy.

California has one with more than 20k people.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Throckmorton

   
Without doing exhaustive research I'm gonna say Knob Noster and Tightwad, both in the State of Missouri.   
   
   
Proceed with caution

Road Hog

In Arkansas lies the unincorporated community of Drasco in Cleburne County. I had to scroll through four pages on Google before I found someone with even the surname of Drasco.

Max Rockatansky

#64
Coalinga, California is unique.  The name apparently originated as a shortening of the rail siding name "Coaling Station A."   I'm fairly certain Firebaugh is unique to California as well.  It is named after a guy who operated a ferry on the San Joaquin River and toll road over Pacheco Pass. 

bing101


Scott5114

Quote from: formulanone on January 15, 2019, 06:52:06 AM
Quote from: Bruce on January 15, 2019, 02:33:50 AM
This thread is pretty much going to be a bunch of indigenous names.

The largest U.S. cities with indigenous names (that were not significantly Anglicized/rendered in other European languages) are Seattle, Milwaukee, Albuquerque, Miami, Oklahoma City, and Tucson.

There's a Miami (mi-ami-uh) in Oklahoma and the Miami River Valley representing a good deal of south central Ohio along the Miami River.

Though Florida also has many Seminole, Miccosukee, and Creek place names...doubtful there's another Tallahassee, Okeechobee, or Weeki Wachee somewhere else in the world - though not impossible - in the way things can be Anglicized.

I was surprised that there's multiple places called "Big Tussle" in the US, figuring Alabama had that one to herself.

Close but no cigar: there's a Tullahassee, OK.

Keep in mind that even indigenous names can repeat, because the indigenous residents had a tendency to get kicked off their land and moved to Oklahoma, where they reused names from home for features that reminded them of the originals.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

jakeroot

An indigenous name in Washington State that a lot of people struggle with is "Puyallup". One-of-a-kind for sure.

nexus73

Oregon South Coast unique names: Port Orford, which to those who are more familiar with Port Orchard WA, gets confused with.  Coquille was originally on US 101 until the bypass was built in 1961 to tie Coos Bay and Bandon directly.  Pronounced as koh-queel by locals, the ones not from here say koh-quill. 

Powers sounds like a plebian name but it is the only city of Powers I could find with a web search.  Their high school is called the Cruisers, which is about timber cruising, not car cruising or naval warships.  Myrtle Point also sounds like something which should be common but once again, the name surprises by being unique.  Myrtlewood is a tree which grows here.  If you go to their football stadium, a gorgeous myrtlewood tree is just outside the east endzone.  Their team name is ordinary though.  They are the Bobcats.

Coos Bay is the name of the bay here.  After an election to consolidate the adjacent cities of North Bend (Bulldogs) and Marshfield (Pirates) failed in 1943, Marshfield went ahead with the name change that was part of the consolidation measure, so they became the city of Coos Bay.  There are no other cities of Coos Bay but strangely enough, there is another Coos County.  It is in New Hampshire and has half the population of Oregon's Coos County.  Here is a short blurb about it:


Coös County, frequently spelled Coos County, is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,055, the least of any New Hampshire county. The estimated population as of 2017 is 31,634. en.wikipedia.org
County Seat: Lancaster
Population: 31,634

By the way, Coquille is the county seat for Oregon's Coos County while Coos Bay is the city with the largest population, a bit over 16K currently.

Curry County's county seat also has an unique name which one would think would be found elsewhere.  Gold Beach is on US 101 at the mouth of the Rogue River.  The drive from Brookings in the south to Port Orford in the north has Gold Beach at the midway point.  You can see the Pacific Ocean for almost the entire mileage.

Names of our cities which show up elsewhere: Lakeside (various), Bandon (Ireland), Brookings (South Dakota).

Oregon is so full of unique city names.  I will leave room for other Oregonians here on the forum to post those from their areas.

Rick
US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.

KEVIN_224

The city of New Britain, CT has roughly 72,000 people. It's only 9 miles southwest of Hartford. The only other New Britain I've heard of is northwest of Philadelphia. I believe it's on one of the SEPTA rail lines. There's nothing there, from what I've been told, however.

I've seen Hartford, VT (contains the village of White River Junction) and New Haven, IN before.

Brandon

Quote from: nexus73 on March 14, 2019, 01:53:15 AM
Powers sounds like a plebian name but it is the only city of Powers I could find with a web search.  Their high school is called the Cruisers, which is about timber cruising, not car cruising or naval warships.

Powers, Michigan, a village in the UP.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

GreenLanternCorps

Two from Ohio:

Fairborn  (created by merger of Fairfield and Osborn Ohio)

Beavercreek  (As opposed to Beaver Creek, CO)

briantroutman

Quote from: KEVIN_224 on March 14, 2019, 07:18:22 AM
The only other New Britain I've heard of is northwest of Philadelphia. I believe it's on one of the SEPTA rail lines. There's nothing there, from what I've been told, however.

New Britain, PA is just west of Doylestown and is served by its Regional Rail line (formerly known as R5). And while it isn't particularly populous or significant, it's still a bit more than nothing–an incorporated borough with a population of about 3,100.

sandwalk

Galion , Ohio
Sweetser, Indiana
Loves Park, Illinois

Mark68

Pretty sure my hometown of Anaheim, CA is the only Anaheim. Its name derives from the original founders who emigrated from Germany and named their town using the Santa Ana River (which is nearby) and the German word for "home".
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."~Yogi Berra



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