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City/town names that are ambiguous in your area

Started by hotdogPi, January 13, 2019, 10:43:45 AM

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csw

Nothing much comes to mind in Indiana. But I still don't know which is which of Sioux Falls and Sioux City. And I always mix up Great Falls, MT, with Grand Forks, ND. And Billings and Bozeman. I'd probably get it if I ever went to Montana.


GenExpwy

One that I remember from my days as a Junior Roadgeek, studying the New York Thruway map, was DeWitt vs Depew. It took me a while to remember which one was near Buffalo and which one was Syracuse.

More locally, there is sometimes confusion about "Dansville" . The Village of Dansville is in the Town of North Dansville in Livingston County. The adjacent Town of Dansville, which contains the hamlet of South Dansville, is in Steuben County.

I have previously mentioned this in another thread: I once saw in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle a foreclosure notice for a property that was actually in the Town of Rochester, Ulster County, at the edge of the Catskills.

Scott5114

Quote from: SCtoKC on January 13, 2019, 08:15:39 PM
Kansas City MO/KS.  Trying to tell non-locals which one is which is incredibly difficult at times.

I've noticed locals (at least in the part of the Kansas side that I'm familiar with) tend to disambiguate by referring to "KCK" or "KC Mo" (with Mo pronounced as if it were a word, as in Larry, Curly, and Moe). Obviously, non-locals would probably just be confused further.

I always figured the town of Kansas, Oklahoma would be somewhat confusing, as it's not too terribly far from the state of Kansas. They should make things more confusing and change their name to Kansas City.
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Brandon

Chicagoland:
- Lake County: Illinois and Indiana, both sides of Cook County.
- Matteson and Madison (WI).  Both are pronounced the same.
- Palos - Which one, Hills Heights, or Park?
- There's both a Park Forest and a Forest Park.

And then there are the USPS  names versus the actual municipality in an area:
- Plainfield.  The two ZIP Codes cover a wide area, including parts that are incorporated into Joliet, Romeoville, and Bolingbrook.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

abefroman329

Quote from: Brandon on January 14, 2019, 07:29:25 AM
Chicagoland:
- Lake County: Illinois and Indiana, both sides of Cook County.
- Matteson and Madison (WI).  Both are pronounced the same.
- Palos - Which one, Hills Heights, or Park?
- There's both a Park Forest and a Forest Park.

And then there are the USPS  names versus the actual municipality in an area:
- Plainfield.  The two ZIP Codes cover a wide area, including parts that are incorporated into Joliet, Romeoville, and Bolingbrook.
It also seems weird that East Chicago is in Indiana, though of course it couldn't be due east of Chicago.

hbelkins

Virginia has a couple of border cities that share names with municipalities in the adjacent states -- Bristol (with Tennessee) and Bluefield (with West Virginia.) I'm not sure what locals do in those places to differentiate between the states.

It's hard to tell much difference between the Bristols. The downtown areas look much the same, and both have newer development, Virginia's out on US 11/19 north along I-81, and Tennessee's along US 11E/19 toward the speedway. But West Virginia's Bluefield has a much larger downtown area than does Virginia's, but Virginia has more newer commercial development, out along US 460 just abutting the state line.


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hotdogPi

Quote from: hbelkins on January 14, 2019, 10:22:27 AM
Virginia has a couple of border cities that share names with municipalities in the adjacent states -- Bristol (with Tennessee) and Bluefield (with West Virginia.) I'm not sure what locals do in those places to differentiate between the states.

It's hard to tell much difference between the Bristols. The downtown areas look much the same, and both have newer development, Virginia's out on US 11/19 north along I-81, and Tennessee's along US 11E/19 toward the speedway. But West Virginia's Bluefield has a much larger downtown area than does Virginia's, but Virginia has more newer commercial development, out along US 460 just abutting the state line.

What about treating them as if Bristol and Bluefield were each a single city, such as Lloydminster (AB/SK) currently is?
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LM117

#32
Quote from: Takumi on January 13, 2019, 11:24:34 AM
Washington, VA, which is often called Little Washington

Same with Washington, NC. When I was growing up in eastern NC, everybody called it Little Washington. They still do, AFAIK.
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webny99

Naples, FL, vs. Naples, NY.

The former is bigger, the latter is better.  :-P

SP Cook

Bluefield - The common way of saying things is just "Bluefield" and "Bluefield, Virginia".  The core town of Bluefield, Virginia is really a separate place, at one time with undeveloped land between it and the core of Bluefield, WV.  Odd side note, the Virginia HS is Graham, which was the original name of the core of Bluefield, VA and it shares a stadium, in WV, with the WV HS, which is just Bluefield, but is called by locals "Beaver" as in "I graduated from Beaver in 17".   The mascot is the Beavers, but the singular is used to mean the school in everyday talk. 

Others around WV and my TV market:

Charleston.  Obviously the big one.  In air travel if either city is involved say "Charleston CRW" or "Charleston CHS".  Pilots use "Charley West" and "Charley South" on the radio.  Getting sent to the wrong one happens more often than you think. 

Chesapeake.  Chesapeake OH is a suburb of Huntington, Chesapeake WV is a suburb of Charleston.  TV will say "Chesapeake" to mean the one in Ohio, and 'Chesapeake, West Virginia" to mean the one in WV. 

Lawrence County.  Both Ohio and Kentucky have one, within this TV market, so the weather or news people always say the state name after it to make it clear which one.

Institute.  The unincorporated town of Institute is home to WV State "University" (formerly College, calling it a university is like calling a Hyundai Elantra a Mercedes-Benz), formerly the WV Colored Institute.  Just down the road, previously in Montogomery, just moved to Beckley is the WVU Institute of Technology.   Locals say "town of Institute" and either "WV Tech" or "the Institute". 

High School sports.  Because it is a small state with statewide playoffs, and a few school names repeat, the system is somewhat like this.  In Parkersburg the two HSs are always "Parkersburg High" and "Parkersburg South", in Morgantown the two are "Morgantown High" and "Morgantown University" (always using the word "High", never just "Parkersburg" or "Morgantown".  In Fairmont, which is bisected by a river that totally divides the populataion, the legal names of the two schools are "East Fairmont HS" and "Fairmont Senior HS".  People on the west side of town will say just that, "East Fairmont" and "Fairmont Senior", while those on the east will say "Fairmont East" and "Fairmont West".   When names repeat in the state, they add the county after, as "Liberty - Raleigh" and "Liberty - Harrison".

Ohio U.  For some weird reason, in Ohio the school in Athens, among the oldest in the midwest is always "Ohio U" or "Ohio University", never just "Ohio".  Something to do with the  school in Columbus. 

The Nature Boy

Quote from: hbelkins on January 13, 2019, 04:58:24 PM
Quote from: Takumi on January 13, 2019, 11:24:34 AM
Washington, VA, which is often called Little Washington and is always referred to as "Washington VA"  on distance signs since it's not terribly far from DC.

And you also have Washington, PA, because I-70 serves both it and the nation's capital (via I-270, of course.)

Around here, the city of Jackson and Jackson County have one county in between them, and are both served by KY 30, but there's always some confusion.

This reminds me of a sign in the Raleigh area that directs "Washington" bound traffic to take US 264 west at its junction with I-40. Not technically false for DC traffic I suppose since that's a route back to I-95 but they're referring to Washington, NC.

hbelkins

Quote from: SP Cook on January 14, 2019, 12:09:38 PM
Bluefield - The common way of saying things is just "Bluefield" and "Bluefield, Virginia".  The core town of Bluefield, Virginia is really a separate place, at one time with undeveloped land between it and the core of Bluefield, WV.  Odd side note, the Virginia HS is Graham, which was the original name of the core of Bluefield, VA and it shares a stadium, in WV, with the WV HS, which is just Bluefield, but is called by locals "Beaver" as in "I graduated from Beaver in 17".   The mascot is the Beavers, but the singular is used to mean the school in everyday talk. 

The exit where US 19 splits from US 460/Corridor Q in Virginia has a destination of "W Graham" listed.

Concerning the high schools and my other example of Bristol, I know the high school on the south side of the border is called Tennessee High School. Derrick Hord, UK basketball player of the late 70s-early 80s, went there. I think, but am not positive, that the one on the north side is called Virginia High.

QuoteLawrence County.  Both Ohio and Kentucky have one, within this TV market, so the weather or news people always say the state name after it to make it clear which one.

And both are in the Charleston NWS office region, which I'm sure complicates things. The warning coordination meteorologist who was former with the Jackson (JKL) NWS office recently transferred to Charleston. He lives somewhere near Hurricane or Teays Valley. I've been in meetings with him a couple of times since he left.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 11:05:31 AM
Naples, FL, vs. Naples, NY.

The former is bigger, the latter is better.  :-P
What about Italy?
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Brandon

Quote from: SP Cook on January 14, 2019, 12:09:38 PM
Ohio U.  For some weird reason, in Ohio the school in Athens, among the oldest in the midwest is always "Ohio U" or "Ohio University", never just "Ohio".  Something to do with the  school in Columbus. 

More like something to do with the school in Ann Arbor calling the school in Columbus "Ohio" instead of "Ohio State" or "OSU".  Tends to peeve the school in Athens, Ohio.
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1995hoo

Quote from: The Nature Boy on January 14, 2019, 12:57:06 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 13, 2019, 04:58:24 PM
Quote from: Takumi on January 13, 2019, 11:24:34 AM
Washington, VA, which is often called Little Washington and is always referred to as "Washington VA"  on distance signs since it's not terribly far from DC.

And you also have Washington, PA, because I-70 serves both it and the nation's capital (via I-270, of course.)

Around here, the city of Jackson and Jackson County have one county in between them, and are both served by KY 30, but there's always some confusion.

This reminds me of a sign in the Raleigh area that directs "Washington" bound traffic to take US 264 west at its junction with I-40. Not technically false for DC traffic I suppose since that's a route back to I-95 but they're referring to Washington, NC.

I'd forgotten about it until your post, but there's a sign on I-95 in North Carolina that refers to Nashville (with no further clarification). My wife saw it when we were driving south and said she didn't think I-95 went that far west; she was then somewhat embarrassed when I said "it's not the famous one in Tennessee."
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kphoger

Whenever I'm in Mexico and tell someone I'm from Kansas, they immediately say "Kansas City!?"  When I say no, they become quite confused.

Not my area, but speaking of which...

Mexico City is not in Mexico State, but rather borders it.
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Male pronouns, please.

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Brandon

Quote from: kphoger on January 14, 2019, 02:36:52 PM
Whenever I'm in Mexico and tell someone I'm from Kansas, they immediately say "Kansas City!?"  When I say no, they become quite confused.

Not my area, but speaking of which...

Mexico City is not in Mexico State, but rather borders it.

There's a tread all on its own, "National Capitals that are not in the State/Province of the Same Name".  We also have Washington, DC not being in Washington, the state.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

Beltway

#42
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on January 13, 2019, 11:07:42 AM
There are at least three areas that go by the name "Alexandria" in Northern VA:
1) The chartered City of Alexandria, which has a mayor, city council, etc.
2) The "Alexandria section" of Fairfax County, which is east of Annandale (VA-236/Little River Turnpike) and borders the western side of the City of Alexandria.
3) The "Alexandria section of Fairfax County, which is north of Groveton (US-1/Richmond Highway) and borders the southern side of the City of Alexandria.

Blame the U.S. Postal Service for that, for better or worse.  Happens in many places around the country.

There are areas well outside of the City of Richmond, VA that have a Richmond P.O. address.

There are areas well outside of the City of Petersburg, VA that have a Petersburg P.O. address.  I lived for a year near the VA-35/I-95 interchange, 9 miles from the city, and it had a Petersburg P.O. address; not sure if they still do that as it was over 30 years ago.
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CNGL-Leudimin

#43
Quote from: kphoger on January 14, 2019, 02:36:52 PM
Mexico City is not in Mexico State, but rather borders it.

In that vein, in Argentina Buenos Aires (the city) is not in Buenos Aires (the province).

A pair of strong contenders for confusion are the neighboring Chinese provinces of 山西 Shānxī and 陕西 Shǎnxī. Their pronounciation only differs in tone, and when writting in English (i.e. without tone markers) they would be spelled exactly the same (Shanxi), so in order to disambiguate the latter is oficially spelled Shaanxi, with two As.
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abefroman329

Quote from: kphoger on January 14, 2019, 02:36:52 PM
Whenever I'm in Mexico and tell someone I'm from Kansas, they immediately say "Kansas City!?"  When I say no, they become quite confused.
When I was in England in 2000, no one had heard of Atlanta or Georgia (guess the 1996 Olympics hadn't had quite the expected impact).  One person said they had, but we later figured out they thought I said "Atlantic City."

triplemultiplex

Quote from: SCtoKC on January 13, 2019, 08:15:39 PM
I spend a decent amount of time in the St. Louis area, where there is an O'Fallon in Missouri and Illinois, although they're not right next to each other.

It makes booking a hotel near St. Louis potentially troublesome.  Many chains have locations in both and both will show up in searches.  Woe to the would-be guest not paying close enough attention.
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frankenroad

Here in Cincinnati, the most common one is Georgetown.   Georgetown OH is closer, but Georgetown KY is a little bigger, and used to be the home to the Bengals Training Camp.

In Cincinnati, if you say Columbus, you mean our state capital.  But if you go 20 miles west into Indiana, and say Columbus, people may think you mean Columbus, IN.  Columbus, IN is actually a little closer to Cincinnati than Columbus, OH.

Dayton, KY is directly across the river from Cincinnati, but if you say Dayton, 9 out of 10 people will think of the larger Ohio city 50 miles north.

I remember taking an airline ticketing class back in the 70s (when plane tickets were manually generated, normally by a travel-agent), and being confused because they wanted me to route someone to Richmond, VA, but I assumed they meant Richmond, IN. 

My dad once was taking a trip to Greenville, MS, and almost ended up on a plane to Greenville, SC.
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NWI_Irish96

Quote from: csw on January 13, 2019, 11:40:05 PM
Nothing much comes to mind in Indiana. But I still don't know which is which of Sioux Falls and Sioux City. And I always mix up Great Falls, MT, with Grand Forks, ND. And Billings and Bozeman. I'd probably get it if I ever went to Montana.

Columbus OH and IN, both served by interstates from Indianapolis. 
St. Joseph Counties IN and MI, not far from each other.
Plainfield IL and IN (only ambiguous if you've spent a lot of time in both Chicago and Indy metro areas)
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Takumi

Quote from: 1995hoo on January 14, 2019, 01:43:18 PM
Quote from: The Nature Boy on January 14, 2019, 12:57:06 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 13, 2019, 04:58:24 PM
Quote from: Takumi on January 13, 2019, 11:24:34 AM
Washington, VA, which is often called Little Washington and is always referred to as “Washington VA” on distance signs since it’s not terribly far from DC.

And you also have Washington, PA, because I-70 serves both it and the nation's capital (via I-270, of course.)

Around here, the city of Jackson and Jackson County have one county in between them, and are both served by KY 30, but there's always some confusion.

This reminds me of a sign in the Raleigh area that directs "Washington" bound traffic to take US 264 west at its junction with I-40. Not technically false for DC traffic I suppose since that's a route back to I-95 but they're referring to Washington, NC.

I’d forgotten about it until your post, but there’s a sign on I-95 in North Carolina that refers to Nashville (with no further clarification). My wife saw it when we were driving south and said she didn’t think I-95 went that far west; she was then somewhat embarrassed when I said “it’s not the famous one in Tennessee.”
In the opposite direction, there are all those Rocky Mount NC signs on I-95 and I-295 in VA, though Rocky Mount VA is a few hours to the west. (However, 95 does meet VA 40, which goes to Rocky Mount VA, on that stretch.)
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bing101

#49
http://articles.latimes.com/1993-06-30/news/mn-8608_1_brentwood-news


  In California there are 2 Brentwoods.1 is a District in Los Angeles and theres also a City in Contra Costa County that is named Brentwood.



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