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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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michravera

Quote from: roadman65 on September 08, 2019, 09:39:32 AM
Florida is pretty good about not being too redundant, but you have Edgewood, Englewood, and Edgewater all that can be confusing as the names are close.  Sometimes I mix up the city with location too!

We have both Seminole, the county near Orlando, and the city near St. Pete.  However that may not be what the OP is looking for due to one being not a city, and the fact Ohio and North Carolina both have city and counties that have the same names but no where near each other, so that may be more a common thing.

Oh, don't get me started on the permutations in California such as "Palos Verdes" "Palos Verdes Estates" Rancho Palos Verdes" and "Rancho Palos Verdes Estates". All of these are fairly near each other. I am told that this also happens in a lot in the desert.

There is a "Cucamonga" and a "Rancho Cucamonga". As I recall, they are not very near each other.

There is a "San Jose" both in Alta California and Baja (as well as a "San Lucas" and "Cabo San Lucas").

Both "San Fernando" and "San Francisco" are often abbreviated "SF".





roadman65

Winter Park, Winter Garden, Winter Haven, and Winter Springs could be something in the Sunshine State.

Then you have the many different Palm Beaches such as Palm Beach, then West Palm Beach (the big city of those), North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, and Royal Palm Beach.

Miami is Miami, Miami Beach (not the same as the main city as Miami Beach is its own municipality), Miami Gardens, Miami Springs, and North Miami.    Nobody refers to all as "The Miamis" like all the Palm Beaches.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Beltway

#102
Silver Springs, Florida and Silver Spring, Maryland.

Leesburg, Florida and Leesburg, Virginia.

Gainesville, Florida and Gainesville, Virginia.

We noticed those when we moved from Florida to northern Virginia.

Even saw a Virginia road mileage sign that had both Gainesville and Leesburg.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

roadman65

On US 211 E Bound because there is a Washington in VA along the way to Washington, DC, VDOT has to place the DC when referring to the Nation's Capital.  Usually VA just uses Washington to refer to the capital on roads leading to it.

Then in WV and PA both states always say PA after Washington on I-70 E Bound to make sure that drivers do not think that they are talking about DC's Washington either.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

DTComposer

Quote from: michravera on September 10, 2019, 04:04:47 PM
Oh, don't get me started on the permutations in California such as "Palos Verdes" "Palos Verdes Estates" Rancho Palos Verdes" and "Rancho Palos Verdes Estates". All of these are fairly near each other. I am told that this also happens in a lot in the desert.

Almost. The two actual cities are Palos Verdes Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes (usually abbreviated to PVE and RPV in local usage), although they are adjacent to each other. The entire peninsula is the Palos Verdes Peninsula. There is no such thing as Rancho Palos Verdes Estates.

However, there is another level of ambiguity, as the other two cities on the peninsula are Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates; and the two high schools serving the area (about two miles from each other) are Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School - the later is usually just referred to as Pen.

The whole kit and caboodle is often referred to as Palos Verdes.

Quote from: michravera on September 10, 2019, 04:04:47 PM
There is a "Cucamonga" and a "Rancho Cucamonga". As I recall, they are not very near each other.

They're the same place. Cucamonga was the small farm town (located along Route 66) and (a mile south) railroad stop made famous by Jack Benny. As suburbanization took over the area, in 1977 Cucamonga, along with Etiwanda and Alta Loma, incorporated into the city of Rancho Cucamonga (the name of the 19th century Mexican land grant covering the area).

Scott5114

Quote from: roadman65 on September 10, 2019, 10:02:32 PM
Miami is Miami, Miami Beach (not the same as the main city as Miami Beach is its own municipality), Miami Gardens, Miami Springs, and North Miami.    Nobody refers to all as "The Miamis" like all the Palm Beaches.

Then there's Miami, OK. Not confused by anyone because it's pronounced Mi-am-uh. It's at the last exit from I-44 before you get to Missoura.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

ftballfan

Michigan has a Lake County and a community named Lake. Lake is not in Lake County, but is in Clare County. However, Lake (community) is on US-10, which also goes through Lake County.

Also in Michigan, Otsego is not in Otsego County, but in Allegan County. Oscoda is not in Oscoda County, but in (kiddy-corner) Iosco County. St. Joseph is not in St. Joseph County, but in relatively nearby Berrien County.

SP Cook

Quote from: ftballfan on September 12, 2019, 09:11:18 AM
Michigan has a Lake County and a community named Lake. Lake is not in Lake County, but is in Clare County.

WV has plenty of county - town mismatches.

Morgantown is in Monongalia County, not Morgan County.
Barboursville is in Cabell County, not Barbour County.
Point Pleasant is in Mason County, not Pleasants County.
Summersville is in Nicholas County, not Summers County.
Pleasant Valley is in Marion County, not Pleasants County.
Grant Town is in Marion County, not Grant County.
Jefferson is in Kanawha County, not Jefferson County.
Masontown is in Preston County, not Mason County.
Grantsville is in Calhoun County, not Grant County.
Berkeley Springs is in Morgan County, not Berkeley County.
Kanawha Falls is in Fayette County, not Kanawha County. 
Summerlee is in Fayette County, not Summers County. 
And Marshall University's main campus is in Cabell County, and it has major operations in Wayne, Putnam, Mason, Kanawha, Raleigh, Marion, Logan, Mingo, and Mineral counties, but none in Marshall County.


NWI_Irish96

Quote from: SP Cook on September 12, 2019, 10:12:38 AM
Quote from: ftballfan on September 12, 2019, 09:11:18 AM
Michigan has a Lake County and a community named Lake. Lake is not in Lake County, but is in Clare County.

WV has plenty of county - town mismatches.

Morgantown is in Monongalia County, not Morgan County.
Barboursville is in Cabell County, not Barbour County.
Point Pleasant is in Mason County, not Pleasants County.
Summersville is in Nicholas County, not Summers County.
Pleasant Valley is in Marion County, not Pleasants County.
Grant Town is in Marion County, not Grant County.
Jefferson is in Kanawha County, not Jefferson County.
Masontown is in Preston County, not Mason County.
Grantsville is in Calhoun County, not Grant County.
Berkeley Springs is in Morgan County, not Berkeley County.
Kanawha Falls is in Fayette County, not Kanawha County. 
Summerlee is in Fayette County, not Summers County. 
And Marshall University's main campus is in Cabell County, and it has major operations in Wayne, Putnam, Mason, Kanawha, Raleigh, Marion, Logan, Mingo, and Mineral counties, but none in Marshall County.

Indiana has a bunch of these as well:
Brownstown and Brownsburg are not in Brown County
Decatur is not in Decatur County
Lafayette is not in Fayette County
Franklin is not in Franklin County
Henryville is not in Henry County
Jeffersonville is not in Jefferson County (but is in a county that borders two Jefferson Counties)
Knox is not in Knox County
Lawrenceburg is not in Lawrence County
Madison is not in Madison County
Marion is not in Marion County
Martinsville is not in Martin County
Newtown is not in Newton County
Noblesville is not in Noble County
Warren is not in Warren County
Waynetown is not in Wayne County
Whitestown is not in White County

and finally, none of Greensburg, Greenwood, Greencastle, Greentown, and Greenville are in Greene County
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%

Beltway

How about the variety of suffixes on the main word?

Waynesboro, Waynesville, Waynesburg.

Lewisburg, Lewistown, Lewisville.

Williamsport, Williamsville, Williamstown, Williamsburg.

Just for a couple examples.  Sometimes when I am about to name one of them I need to make sure I got the right suffix.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

US 89

Springdale, Utah is the town located closest to Zion National Park. However, people with a certain Utah accent frequently pronounce it as "Springdell", which is off US 189 east of Provo.

webny99

Plenty of Ontario's around here: the lake, the town (in Wayne County), the hamlet within the town, the county, and the Canadian province.

ftballfan

Also in Michigan:
Branch is not in Branch County, but is on the Mason/Lake county line.
Clinton is not in Clinton County, but is on the Washtenaw/Lenawee county line.
Clinton Township is not in Clinton County, but is in Macomb County.
Mackinaw City is not in Mackinac County, but is on the Emmet/Cheboygan county line. However, Mackinac Island is part of Mackinac County.
Schoolcraft is not in Schoolcraft County, but is in Kalamazoo County.
Van Buren Township is not in Van Buren County, but is in Wayne County.

golden eagle

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 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.

There's also a Troy, MO and Troy, IL, both in the St. Louis metro area. I'm pretty sure one has to say Illinois or Missouri when determining which Springfield one is talking about. One more in the STL is Columbia. I was listening to a radio station while driving through the area and heard Columbia as the city of license. I was thinking Columbia, MO and thought how massive of a signal the station has until I looked it up and finding out it's Columbia, IL.

When in Memphis and you say you're going to or that you're from Jackson, you'll be asked which one. You could be asked the same when in Baton Rouge or Mobile, as there are Jacksons near both cities. And when you're in Nashville and going to Franklin, are you going to the booming suburb just south of the city, or to the town just across the Kentucky border?

golden eagle

Quote from: Jim on January 16, 2019, 05:21:18 PM
I live adjacent to the Town of Florida, NY, and previously have lived near Florida, MA, and I would always use and generally recall "Florida" by default meaning the state, and "Town of Florida" for the one near Amsterdam, and "Florida, Mass." or "Florida Mountain" for the one up the hill from North Adams.

Florida, NY, was the setting of a Law & Order: SVU episode. Benson and Stabler were looking for a suspect and thought the suspect would be in the state of Florida, but somehow realized it was Florida, NY.

roadman65

Quote from: golden eagle on September 13, 2019, 08:07:37 PM
Quote from: Jim on January 16, 2019, 05:21:18 PM
I live adjacent to the Town of Florida, NY, and previously have lived near Florida, MA, and I would always use and generally recall "Florida" by default meaning the state, and "Town of Florida" for the one near Amsterdam, and "Florida, Mass." or "Florida Mountain" for the one up the hill from North Adams.

Florida, NY, was the setting of a Law & Order: SVU episode. Benson and Stabler were looking for a suspect and thought the suspect would be in the state of Florida, but somehow realized it was Florida, NY.
And Route 94 is in both Florida, NY and the State of Florida to make them look in Florida for the suspect .
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

KEVIN_224

There's also a Florida, MA along MA Route 2. I think I went through Worcester, NY on the way to Cooperstown once. :)

golden eagle

My father asked me years ago why are there so many "villes"  in the south. Greenville, Fayetteville, Gainesville, Nashville, Huntsville...he has a point.

SoCal Kid

When I lived in New Jersey, I lived in the small town of Marlboro. However, when I mentioned it, many I met thought I was referring to Malborough, Massa.
Are spurs of spurs of spurs of loops of spurs of loops a thing? ;)

KEVIN_224

We also have Marlborough, CT. It's along CT Route 2 in the southeastern corner of Hartford County. It's between Glastonbury and Colchester (New London County).

michravera

Quote from: cabiness42 on September 12, 2019, 01:39:29 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on September 12, 2019, 10:12:38 AM
Quote from: ftballfan on September 12, 2019, 09:11:18 AM
Michigan has a Lake County and a community named Lake. Lake is not in Lake County, but is in Clare County.

WV has plenty of county - town mismatches.

Morgantown is in Monongalia County, not Morgan County.
Barboursville is in Cabell County, not Barbour County.
Point Pleasant is in Mason County, not Pleasants County.
Summersville is in Nicholas County, not Summers County.
Pleasant Valley is in Marion County, not Pleasants County.
Grant Town is in Marion County, not Grant County.
Jefferson is in Kanawha County, not Jefferson County.
Masontown is in Preston County, not Mason County.
Grantsville is in Calhoun County, not Grant County.
Berkeley Springs is in Morgan County, not Berkeley County.
Kanawha Falls is in Fayette County, not Kanawha County. 
Summerlee is in Fayette County, not Summers County. 
And Marshall University's main campus is in Cabell County, and it has major operations in Wayne, Putnam, Mason, Kanawha, Raleigh, Marion, Logan, Mingo, and Mineral counties, but none in Marshall County.

Indiana has a bunch of these as well:
Brownstown and Brownsburg are not in Brown County
Decatur is not in Decatur County
Lafayette is not in Fayette County
Franklin is not in Franklin County
Henryville is not in Henry County
Jeffersonville is not in Jefferson County (but is in a county that borders two Jefferson Counties)
Knox is not in Knox County
Lawrenceburg is not in Lawrence County
Madison is not in Madison County
Marion is not in Marion County
Martinsville is not in Martin County
Newtown is not in Newton County
Noblesville is not in Noble County
Warren is not in Warren County
Waynetown is not in Wayne County
Whitestown is not in White County

and finally, none of Greensburg, Greenwood, Greencastle, Greentown, and Greenville are in Greene County
Of course in California:
Sutterville (a suburb of Sacramento) is in Sacramento county, not Sutter
Marysville is in Yuba County
Yuba City is in Sutter County, not Yuba
Placerville is in El Dorado county, not Placer

But, with those exceptions, most of the rest of California's counties that have a city or town name that is the same as the county, have at least one of the places so named inside the county. Now, places named "Little X" or the Spanish "Xito" may be named for a place that is far away. San Francisquito, for example, is in LA county.

TheHighwayMan3561

One that might confuse people not from the area, Marine on St. Croix, MN and St. Croix Falls, WI (the latter also located in St. Croix County).
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

index

Not a settlement, but there are four mountains named Rich Mountain within a ten-mile radius of Boone, NC, and three named Rich Mountain within a ten-mile radius of Edneyville, NC. Western North Carolina and its immediate vicinity has...a lot...of mountains named Rich Mountain, for whatever reason.
I love my 2010 Ford Explorer.



Counties traveled

zachary_amaryllis

Intersection with my personal hobby...

There's a LOT of places called Signal Mountain, TV Hill, Transmitter Hill, etc... ironically, the Signal Mountain nearest me, is completely devoid of any antennas.
clinched:
I-64, I-80, I-76 (west), *64s in hampton roads, 225,270,180 (co, wy)

JayhawkCO

Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on July 06, 2023, 06:54:17 AM
Intersection with my personal hobby...

There's a LOT of places called Signal Mountain, TV Hill, Transmitter Hill, etc... ironically, the Signal Mountain nearest me, is completely devoid of any antennas.

But as far as cities go, I can't think of a single one for Colorado. Not a lot of population in the states right around us and no cities of any size with the same name as cities here.



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