Funny-named towns

[1995hoo]

There's a Bumpass, Virginia, near Lake Anna (not too far from the epicenter of the earthquake earlier this year). The name is pronounced like "bump us," as if you told someone to hit your vehicle while parallel parking.

[Scott5114]

Potential use for these silly town names: I like to add them to the weather app on my mom's iPhone when she's not looking. The look on her face when the weather for "Bumpass, VA" comes up is just too priceless

[J N Winkler]

A couple of names which have caused me to wonder "What the hell were they thinking":

White Settlement, Texas
Villejuif, France

is White really a reference to the race, as opposed to, say, Captain Theophilus J. White's Merry Band of Explorers, Land Squatters, and Printers of Spurious Private Currency?

Yes, says Wikipedia, though originally in the sense "This is not to be confused with the Native American settlement, which is nearby," not "non-whites not welcome here."  The potential misinterpretation of "White Settlement" has already prompted an unsuccessful attempt to rename it "West Settlement."

and the French - is that "village of Jews"?  My French is pretty rusty.

Yes, that is exactly what it means.  Per Wikipedia, the origin of the name is obscure, but it dates from 1119 at least.  One theory holds that it means "estate of the Jews" while another (the more widely accepted these days) has it as "estate of Juvius" (a Gallo-Roman landowner).

[hm insulators]

Chicken, AK

Asbestos, Quebec still lives, and I made sure to send some postcards from there when I visited back in September.

Maybe that's the inspiration for the fictional town called "Port Asbestos" on a Canadian TV program called "The Red Green Show." And all this time, I thought it was one of those "joke names" dreamed up by some TV producer.

[hm insulators]

There's a Bumpass, Virginia, near Lake Anna (not too far from the epicenter of the earthquake earlier this year). The name is pronounced like "bump us," as if you told someone to hit your vehicle while parallel parking.

There's also a Bumpass Hell in California. It's not a town but a spot in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

[bassoon1986]

Belcherville, TX. Uuuuuuuhhhhhhhh!

And a plain ole Belcher in Louisiana. the new I 49 will have it as an exit i think

[Takumi]

Goose Pimple Junction, VA

[Ian]

Belcherville, TX. Uuuuuuuhhhhhhhh!

And a plain ole Belcher in Louisiana. the new I 49 will have it as an exit i think

That reminds me! I passed right near Belchertown, Massachusetts on Wednesday.

[empirestate]

Every time I see the control cities for Dumas and Pampa from I-40 in Amarillo, I remember my friend's comment..."What is a Dumb-ass Pampa, anyway?"

[hobsini2]

My favorite city name is What Cheer IA (east of DSM on I-80). Sidenote - Favorite high school nickname (also happens to be my fantasy football team's name) is Hooker Horny Toads in Hooker OK.

[empirestate]

My favorite city name is What Cheer IA (east of DSM on I-80). Sidenote - Favorite high school nickname (also happens to be my fantasy football team's name) is Hooker Horny Toads in Hooker OK.

I'm in Hershey as we speak...I'm not even going to mention what I think their Little League team should be named...

[kphoger]

Wow, I can't believe NONE of the ones I came up with had been mentioned yet!

French Lick, Indiana
Notrees, Texas
Circleback, Texas
Funk, Nebraska
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (Seriously, have I missed something, did NOBODY mention this one?)

By the way, the town of Hooker (OK) has/had a business named "Hooker Hardware Co."  I guess in case she breaks! 

[hobsini2]

Wow, I can't believe NONE of the ones I came up with had been mentioned yet!

French Lick, Indiana
Notrees, Texas
Circleback, Texas
Funk, Nebraska
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico (Seriously, have I missed something, did NOBODY mention this one?)

By the way, the town of Hooker (OK) has/had a business named "Hooker Hardware Co."  I guess in case she breaks! 

I completely forgot Funk, NE even though I have driven thru there.

[kphoger]

Oh, wow, nobody has mentioned.....

BIGFOOT ???

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=29.058758,-98.999906&spn=0.000038,0.019205&t=m&z=16&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=29.058707,-99.004102&panoid=r1E6jaieea5Mv-UWLAtBQw&cbp=12,79.47,,0,2.12

[nyratk1]

Pennsylvania is the king of funny-named towns. Too many to name. Effort, Kunkletown, Moon, Pillow, Lititz, Gaskill, Jersey Shore, Eighty Four...

As for other states, there's Tuckahoe, NY and Cockeysville, MD

There's two Tuckahoes - one in Westchester County and one that's out in Suffolk County in the Hamptons.

As for LI locations, I think people would find Hicksville, Islip (eye-slip) and Speonk funny (spee-ahnk).

[empirestate]

^^^I'd laugh at Yaphank a lot sooner than I would at Hicksville.  (I guess since I've known a few people with the surname "Hicks", my mind just goes there first.)

Speaking of Long Island, you also have such gems as Aquebogue and Arshamonaque. And somebody please, there's Quogue, and then next door there's...Qioque? or Quiogue? I've seen both spellings within the same article on the place!

[nyratk1]

^^^I'd laugh at Yaphank a lot sooner than I would at Hicksville.  (I guess since I've known a few people with the surname "Hicks", my mind just goes there first.)

Speaking of Long Island, you also have such gems as Aquebogue and Arshamonaque. And somebody please, there's Quogue, and then next door there's...Qioque? or Quiogue? I've seen both spellings within the same article on the place!

Road signs on Montauk Highway say Quiogue.

And I guess living just right next to Yaphank has desensitized me.

[hobsini2]

I noticed no one has mentioned "Big Ugly WV" in Lincoln County.

[webfil]

I just found out that Saint-Léonard borough in Montréal used to bear the name Municipalité de la Paroisse de Saint-Léonard-de-Port-Maurice from the 1850s until 1962, when I-don't-know-who found out that Cité de Saint-Léonard (City of Saint-Léonard) was sufficient.

This 55 character length is comparable to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch...

[djsinco]

Lewiston, Idaho.

I'll let you all figure that one out

It is across the river from Clarkston, WA, for context.

[agentsteel53]

Lewiston, Idaho.

I'll let you all figure that one out

It is across the river from Clarkston, WA, for context.

why is that funny?  seems like a perfectly reasonable historic naming.

[corco]

I honestly can't remember why I said that was a funny-named town 2.5 years ago. There's a non-zero chance I was joking.

[NE2]

Joliet and Romeoville hurr hurr

[KEVIN_224]

Other than Lewis and Clark, I'm stumped. The twin city/town of Lewiston, Maine is Auburn for comparison.

I know there's a town called Intercourse, PA.

Connecticut has Cockaponsett State Forest, either in eastern New Haven or western Middlesex County.

[kphoger]

Joliet and Romeoville hurr hurr

Joliet was originally called Juliet.