Inspired by some discussion here (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=26839.0), what are some city names that it is necessary to specify the state, or otherwise provide context, so that others will know what you're talking about? Obviously, this will vary from place to place, which is partly what makes this an interesting conversation.
Rochester (NY vs MN) was discussed in the other thread. (Obligatory nod to New England: There is also a Rochester, NH.)
Augusta (ME vs GA) comes immediately to mind.
Also Newark (NJ vs DE).
What other examples exist in your area, and do you think they are specific to your area, or largely nationwide?
Let's say that both cities (or all, if there are 3+), have to have at least 5,000 residents to qualify.
Every state except OK and a couple others has a Springfield. Most of the time it refers to MO, IL, or MA.
One of my favorites is nearby Louisville, Colorado versus the more famous Louisville, Kentucky.
Of course, ours is pronounced like "Lewisville" versus the Kentucky "Looey-ville" so it only matters in written communication and for out-of-towners.
Quote from: zzcarp on May 13, 2020, 05:17:05 PM
the Kentucky "Looey-ville"
That is one thing I've genuinely never understood. Is it supposed to sound French, or something?
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 05:12:08 PM
Inspired by some discussion here (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=26839.0), what are some city names that it is necessary to specify the state, or otherwise provide context, so that others will know what you're talking about? Obviously, this will vary from place to place, which is partly what makes this an interesting conversation.
Rochester (NY vs MN) was discussed in the other thread. (Obligatory nod to New England: There is also a Rochester, NH.)
Augusta (ME vs GA) comes immediately to mind.
Also Newark (NJ vs DE).
What other examples exist in your area, and do you think they are specific to your area, or largely nationwide?
Let's say that both cities (or all, if there are 3+), have to have at least 5,000 residents to qualify.
Newark immediately comes to mind for New Jersey. I don't think that Delaware would be thought of that much. Maybe Charleston (SC vs WV).
Quote from: zzcarp on May 13, 2020, 05:17:05 PM
One of my favorites is nearby Louisville, Colorado versus the more famous Louisville, Kentucky.
Of course, ours is pronounced like "Lewisville" versus the Kentucky "Looey-ville" so it only matters in written communication and for out-of-towners.
Lousville would almost always be thought of as the Kentucky one.
Portland ME and Portland OR (there are others, but they are the best-known).
Las Vegas NV and Las Vegas NM.
Not the same, but Ontario CA sometimes gets confused with the Canadian province with that name, to the point where some airline passengers reportedly get ticketed to the wrong airport.
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 05:26:24 PM
Quote from: zzcarp on May 13, 2020, 05:17:05 PM
the Kentucky "Looey-ville"
That is one thing I've genuinely never understood. Is it supposed to sound French, or something?
Yes. The city is named after Louis XVI, the king of France at the time the city was founded, as a sign of gratitude for France's help during the Revolutionary War. Later his head was, shall we say, involuntarily removed, but that all came later.
Springfield IL and MO
Columbus OH and IN
Wauconda IL and Wakanda
Wilmington, North Carolina, versus Wilmington, Delaware; this was even ambiguous when I was attending law school in North Carolina because some people referred to the Delaware one without specifying, which led some of us to assume they meant the local one.
I mentioned the two Charlestons (West Virginia and South Carolina) in another thread a few days ago. Some people refer to "Charlie West" and "Charlie South" to distinguish.
Per Oscar's point, I knew someone who claimed to have been sent to California when he wanted to fly to the province of Ontario. I never believed him. Who would ask for a ticket to "Ontario" instead of to "Toronto" or "Ottawa" or wherever?
There are "Ozark"s in states where the Ozarks are located (MO, AR, OK, IL) Some consider the area around Shawnee Nat'l Forest to be part of the Ozarks but most do not.
There are "Buffalo"s in NY, MO, and SD (probably some more out west where you actually find them).
Both NC and SC has Greenvilles.
Chillicothe
Concord (MA and NH).
How did I miss the most obvious one, Kansas City, KS and MO?
Troy MI is larger - by nearly a factor of 2 - than it's namesake, Troy NY.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 13, 2020, 05:55:59 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 05:26:24 PM
Quote from: zzcarp on May 13, 2020, 05:17:05 PM
the Kentucky "Looey-ville"
That is one thing I've genuinely never understood. Is it supposed to sound French, or something?
Yes. The city is named after Louis XVI, the king of France at the time the city was founded, as a sign of gratitude for France's help during the Revolutionary War. Later his head was, shall we say, involuntarily removed, but that all came later.
Better to say "unfavorably relocated".
Quote from: michravera on May 13, 2020, 07:46:20 PM
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 13, 2020, 05:55:59 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 05:26:24 PM
Quote from: zzcarp on May 13, 2020, 05:17:05 PM
the Kentucky "Looey-ville"
That is one thing I've genuinely never understood. Is it supposed to sound French, or something?
Yes. The city is named after Louis XVI, the king of France at the time the city was founded, as a sign of gratitude for France's help during the Revolutionary War. Later his head was, shall we say, involuntarily removed, but that all came later.
Better to say "unfavorably relocated".
:-D
Woodbury. If you're in South NJ or NY, you probably know specifically which one they're referring to. Otherwise, it's best to mention the state, although my guess would be the NY one is more popular.
How about within states?
There are two places named "Lakewood" at opposite ends of the Seattle metro area. One was established in 1927 and remains a fairly rural community (with suburban encroachment), while another was named in 1996 and immediately incorporated as a new city. The original Lakewood lost its name for its post office and was forced to be renamed to North Lakewood after the new Lakewood refused to use a different name and kept getting its mail redirected.
If we ever extend commuter rail service further north, there's potential to have two termini named Lakewood.
Saginaw is probably not going to be well known outside of the city in Michigan but I know of Michigan, Texas and Alabama having one.
As a matter of fact the Tri-Cities of Saginaw, Bay City and Midland all have a city in Texas with the same name.
So Midland, MI and TX
How about Lansing, MI and IL?
Gainesville, GA/FL. Roadgeeks probably think of the end of I-985, college sports fans probably think of the Gators.
Quote from: Bruce on May 13, 2020, 08:09:22 PM
How about within states?
NJ has 5 Washington Twps (down from 6), and rarely are they referenced in such a way where you can easily figure it out without context.
Quote from: Bruce on May 13, 2020, 08:09:22 PM
How about within states?
Michigan has a Harrison Township in Macomb County and a Harrison in Clare County.
The one in Macomb County is a suburb of Detroit and the one in Clare County is the county seat of Clare County.
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 05:12:08 PM
Inspired by some discussion here (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=26839.0), what are some city names that it is necessary to specify the state, or otherwise provide context, so that others will know what you're talking about? Obviously, this will vary from place to place, which is partly what makes this an interesting conversation.
Rochester (NY vs MN) was discussed in the other thread. (Obligatory nod to New England: There is also a Rochester, NH.)
Augusta (ME vs GA) comes immediately to mind.
Also Newark (NJ vs DE).
What other examples exist in your area, and do you think they are specific to your area, or largely nationwide?
Let's say that both cities (or all, if there are 3+), have to have at least 5,000 residents to qualify.
San Jose has at least one name check in all of the southwestern US states (CA, NV, AZ, NM, and TX). I haven't looked, but I would be surprised that there aren't also at least one each in FL and PR. It also has at least one name check in Mexico, Guatemala, and, of course, Costa Rica. I didn't look any farther south than Costa Rica. It is hard to believe that any of the rest of the Americas that were colonized by Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Roman Catholics would not have named some city for the man celebrated as the earthly father of their savior.
San Jose del Cabo, BCS, MX (SJD) and San Jose, CA, USA (SJC) have regularly scheduled non-stop airline service. I am fairly sure that some airlines also fly SJC to San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) but I couldn't immediately find non-stop service.
Sacramento, CA and NM has been mentioned, I am sure.
There are San Francisco and San Fransiquito both in California and an "Arcada" or "Arcata" each in both northern and southern California.
"San Juan" or "Sa~o Joa~o" (22 or 23 popes plus an important cousin), and "San Luis" (of which there are a large number of Catholic Saints) are likewise going to be common in Spanish and Portuguese settled areas.
When Spanish and Portuguese explorers had named one of each geographical feature for every important member of their crew, they turned to naming things based upon the feast day near which they found the place. The French did some of that, too, but they will look similar to the English word "Saint" because the masculine is spelled the same (but pronounced similar to the Spanish and Portuguese).
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 13, 2020, 08:19:24 PM
Quote from: Bruce on May 13, 2020, 08:09:22 PM
How about within states?
NJ has 5 Washington Twps (down from 6), and rarely are they referenced in such a way where you can easily figure it out without context.
We have multiple Franklin Townships too, and some soundalike towns - Bellmawr/Belmar, Moorestown/Morristown - to generate even more confusion. A few years ago Dover Township in Ocean County decided to avoid confusion with another Dover in NJ and rename itself to what everyone already called it - Toms River. One of the reasons I heard at the time was when national retailers and restaurants were looking at locations and they looked at Toms River, NJ they were seeing just the population of the downtown area of the township while the township is pretty sprawling with a population of around 92K and includes a mall outside of what they were seeing as "Toms River". Toms River always seemed a little underserved by major chains, even by its mall, compared to Brick Township to the north.
Quote from: Bruce on May 13, 2020, 08:09:22 PM
How about within states?
Hawaii has three Waimeas and two Kailuas, left over from when the islands were divided into multiple kingdoms. Not until the U.S. Postal Service got involved was there any effort to fix the problem. The Waimea on Kauai and the Kailua on Oahu kept their names for postal purposes. The Waimeas on Oahu and the Big Island became, for postal purposes, respectively Maunawai and Kamuela. The Kailua on the Big Island became, postally, Kailua-Kona.
Quebec has two communities named Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc, one south of the St. Lawrence and the other, larger one well north of the river. I don't know whether Canada Post did anything about that, besides assigning them different six-character postal codes.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 13, 2020, 08:19:24 PM
Quote from: Bruce on May 13, 2020, 08:09:22 PM
How about within states?
NJ has 5 Washington Twps (down from 6), and rarely are they referenced in such a way where you can easily figure it out without context.
Seems like the perfect address to live at if you're in the Witness Protection Program.
Personally, I have no idea why you would want to do that to yourselves. Isn't some sort of Postmaster supposed to vet the names to prevent duplicates? Or does nobody care because there's no authority within a township?
When I think of this thread title, it's not the duplicates that strike me as ambiguous, so much as place names that are entirely generic. Like...Southland, Northfield, Spring Hill, West Point, or if you live in Florida, some variant of Coral / Palm / Spring / Glade.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
Wilmington, North Carolina, versus Wilmington, Delaware; this was even ambiguous when I was attending law school in North Carolina because some people referred to the Delaware one without specifying, which led some of us to assume they meant the local one.
That's a good one, because neither is particularly well-known or of national importance, so it's probably ambiguous for most of the country. I would have guessed Wilmington, DE was the bigger of the two, but it actually only has a population of 70,000 to Wilmington, NC's 122,000. That just goes to show that it's ambiguous to me, if nothing else!
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
I mentioned the two Charlestons (West Virginia and South Carolina) in another thread a few days ago. Some people refer to "Charlie West" and "Charlie South" to distinguish.
Charleston, WV is much closer for me, but I still think of the SC one first and foremost, not least because of its rich history. The WV Charleston is just not on my radar for some reason. West Virginia just isn't associated with cities or urbanization, and it is under 50K in population (although it
feels bigger than that), so maybe that plays into it.
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 10:07:04 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
Wilmington, North Carolina, versus Wilmington, Delaware; this was even ambiguous when I was attending law school in North Carolina because some people referred to the Delaware one without specifying, which led some of us to assume they meant the local one.
That's a good one, because neither is particularly well-known or of national importance, so it's probably ambiguous for most of the country. I would have guessed Wilmington, DE was the bigger of the two, but it actually only has a population of 70,000 to Wilmington, NC's 122,000. That just goes to show that it's ambiguous to me, if nothing else!
That's probably because Wilmington DE is more prominent in its state than Wilmington NC.
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 13, 2020, 07:40:24 PM
How did I miss the most obvious one, Kansas City, KS and MO?
Eh, those are the same place as far as most of us are concerned. :D
Quote from: oscar on May 13, 2020, 05:53:08 PM
Not the same, but Ontario CA sometimes gets confused with the Canadian province with that name, to the point where some airline passengers reportedly get ticketed to the wrong airport.
Well, it certainly doesn't help that CA could mean California
or Canada.
Around here, we also have an Ontario County, a
town of Ontario (in neighboring Wayne County), a
lake Ontario, and an Ontario Beach. Not to mention being less than 2 hours from the border with Ontario, Canada. So as far as I'm concerned, Ontario is a word for which context is an absolute must. :)
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 10:07:04 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
Wilmington, North Carolina, versus Wilmington, Delaware; this was even ambiguous when I was attending law school in North Carolina because some people referred to the Delaware one without specifying, which led some of us to assume they meant the local one.
That's a good one, because neither is particularly well-known or of national importance, so it's probably ambiguous for most of the country. I would have guessed Wilmington, DE was the bigger of the two, but it actually only has a population of 70,000 to Wilmington, NC's 122,000. That just goes to show that it's ambiguous to me, if nothing else!
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
I mentioned the two Charlestons (West Virginia and South Carolina) in another thread a few days ago. Some people refer to "Charlie West" and "Charlie South" to distinguish.
Charleston, WV is much closer for me, but I still think of the SC one first and foremost, not least because of its rich history. The WV Charleston is just not on my radar for some reason. West Virginia just isn't associated with cities or urbanization, and it is under 50K in population (although it feels bigger than that), so maybe that plays into it.
Wilmington, the city, has 70k. Wilmington, the region with a Wilmington zip code, is probably much larger than its NC rival.
Virginia, MN vs. Virginia the state. This is usually disambiguated when someone says "up in Virginia" which refers to the MN city, or "down/out" in Virginia for the state. A lot of people just use "Iron Range" for Virginia, MN's region as a whole anyway. I was listening to a radio show when the pro-gun protests took place in Virginia, the state. Simultaneously, there was one in Hibbing, MN next door to Virginia, MN. This did cause some confusion about which rally was being discussed.
There are many examples of this in Germany, if you don't include the "in/am/an der (river name)", such as Frankfurt am Main and Frankfurt an der Oder, or Landsberg am Lech and Landsberg an der Warthe (Modern-day Gorzow Wielkopokski, Poland). There are also a lot of Neustadts "New City".
There's also Washington DC versus Washington State. Pennsylvania, Virginia, and several other states also have a Washington. But typically it's either the District of Columbia or the state.
On that note, the NFL a few years back sold "state pride" front license plates. Humorously, they got this one wrong :)
(https://www.rantsports.com/nfl/files/2017/06/Washington-Redskins-license-plate-in-Washington-state-640x360.png)
Grand Marais, MN and Grand Marais, MI. Both are located on Lake Superior at the foot of popular tourist destinations.
When our company was merger into a larger company that was based in Glendale, AZ my fellow employee thought that the Glendale office was in Glendale, CA
How about Pennsylvania, that has cities named after other states like California and Wyoming
Glendale is also both a neighborhood of Salt Lake City (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendale,_Salt_Lake_City) and a small town in southern Utah (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendale,_Utah).
In the Bay Area, there's local confusion on occasion between the city of Richmond (in Contra Costa County) and the Richmond District in San Francisco (north of Golden Gate Park, south of the Presidio). And the hyperlocal version: when I was working in Santa Clara County, "Castro Street" could mean the main commercial street of Mountain View, but was more likely to refer to Castro Street in San Francisco.
On a national scale, "Portland" always means Oregon here, but I grew up in Rhode Island, where it always meant Maine.
New York
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:23:24 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:06:57 PM
New York
What other New York's exist?
The state, obviously.
If you say you're from New York, people aren't sure if you mean the city or the state.
Unless I read it wrong, the OP didn't specify that both locations must be cities. Apparently, I read it wrong.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:23:24 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:06:57 PM
New York
What other New York's exist?
Seems to me I've driven through a small town called New York, Ill.
As to Louisville, the city makes liberal use of the fleur de lis in its imaging.
I'm surprised it took this many posts to mention the two Vancouvers, although I don't know why that confuses anyone outside of the PNW.
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:25:30 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:23:24 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:06:57 PM
New York
What other New York's exist?
The state, obviously.
If you say you're from New York, people aren't sure if you mean the city or the state. Unless I read it wrong, the OP didn't specify that both locations must be cities. Apparently, I read it wrong.
I feel like almost everyone assumes the city.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:40:12 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:25:30 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:23:24 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:06:57 PM
New York
What other New York's exist?
The state, obviously.
If you say you're from New York, people aren't sure if you mean the city or the state. Unless I read it wrong, the OP didn't specify that both locations must be cities. Apparently, I read it wrong.
I feel like almost everyone assumes the city.
They do in my region. I've spent a fair amount of time in NYS, never been to NYC. Always asked what museums, whatever I was planning to see and I'd have to specify I wasn't going to the city.
I assume the opposite. I figure someone will say "New York City" if they mean the city, same as people will say "Mexico City" if they mean the city.
When San Antonio is mentioned, it almost always means the city in TX, but there is also San Antonio, NM.
Quote from: formulanone on May 13, 2020, 08:37:28 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 13, 2020, 08:19:24 PM
Quote from: Bruce on May 13, 2020, 08:09:22 PM
How about within states?
NJ has 5 Washington Twps (down from 6), and rarely are they referenced in such a way where you can easily figure it out without context.
Seems like the perfect address to live at if you're in the Witness Protection Program.
Personally, I have no idea why you would want to do that to yourselves. Isn't some sort of Postmaster supposed to vet the names to prevent duplicates? Or does nobody care because there's no authority within a township?
Michigan has several instances of township names being duplicated in different counties. In most cases they have nothing to do with the post office name, unless the township gets so big that it gets a post office to itself, or a community within the township has the same name as the township.
Except for the larger townships that are suburbs of cities, no one knows where they are. Yet newspaper stories use the township name in the byline. Ugh. Where did this thing take place? Maybe later in the text it will say something like "27 miles northeast of Grand Rapids", if you're lucky.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 13, 2020, 11:31:08 PM
Grand Marais, MN and Grand Marais, MI. Both are located on Lake Superior at the foot of popular tourist destinations.
Eh, those early French explorers. They didn't know one big swamp (marsh) from another.
Another name is Presque Isle. "Hey this peninsula looks almost like an island! That's what I'll call it."
Quote from: Henry on May 14, 2020, 02:45:24 PM
When San Antonio is mentioned, it almost always means the city in TX, but there is also San Antonio, NM.
But it's difficult to imagine a context in which someone would get them mixed up. Otherwise, this would be a thread about all the large cities that also have a namesake small town in some other state. (such as Des Moines, if we stick with NM)
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:46:56 PM
Quote from: Henry on May 14, 2020, 02:45:24 PM
When San Antonio is mentioned, it almost always means the city in TX, but there is also San Antonio, NM.
But it's difficult to imagine a context in which someone would get them mixed up. Otherwise, this would be a thread about all the large cities that also have a namesake small town in some other state. (such as Des Moines, if we stick with NM)
Maybe if you live near San Antonio NM.
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:06:57 PM
New York
This is akin to most of the Spanish provinces (named after their seats), except of course the capital of New York (the state) is Albany, not New York (the city).
I'm surprised this has run for so long before anyone pointed out there is an earlier thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24262) about this very same topic.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:49:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:46:56 PM
Quote from: Henry on May 14, 2020, 02:45:24 PM
When San Antonio is mentioned, it almost always means the city in TX, but there is also San Antonio, NM.
But it's difficult to imagine a context in which someone would get them mixed up. Otherwise, this would be a thread about all the large cities that also have a namesake small town in some other state. (such as Des Moines, if we stick with NM)
Maybe if you live near San Antonio NM.
Doubtful. They're more than 650 miles apart. I struggle to think of a conversation in which it wouldn't be clear by context which location was being referred to.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on May 14, 2020, 02:52:28 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:06:57 PM
New York
This is akin to most of the Spanish provinces (named after their seats), except of course the capital of New York (the state) is Albany, not New York (the city).
I'm surprised this has run for so long before anyone pointed out there is an earlier thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24262) about this very same topic.
New York isn't in my area. :sombrero:
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:52:58 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:49:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:46:56 PM
Quote from: Henry on May 14, 2020, 02:45:24 PM
When San Antonio is mentioned, it almost always means the city in TX, but there is also San Antonio, NM.
But it's difficult to imagine a context in which someone would get them mixed up. Otherwise, this would be a thread about all the large cities that also have a namesake small town in some other state. (such as Des Moines, if we stick with NM)
Maybe if you live near San Antonio NM.
Doubtful. They're more than 650 miles apart. I struggle to think of a conversation in which it wouldn't be clear by context which location was being referred to.
At 10 miles away from San Antonio NM, most people are thinking of the one in NM.
Equidistant from the two, most are thinking of the one in TX.
There has to be somewhere in between (much closer to the one in NM, obviously) where it's half and half.
Quote from: 1 on May 14, 2020, 02:58:08 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:52:58 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:49:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:46:56 PM
Quote from: Henry on May 14, 2020, 02:45:24 PM
When San Antonio is mentioned, it almost always means the city in TX, but there is also San Antonio, NM.
But it's difficult to imagine a context in which someone would get them mixed up. Otherwise, this would be a thread about all the large cities that also have a namesake small town in some other state. (such as Des Moines, if we stick with NM)
Maybe if you live near San Antonio NM.
Doubtful. They're more than 650 miles apart. I struggle to think of a conversation in which it wouldn't be clear by context which location was being referred to.
At 10 miles away from San Antonio NM, most people are thinking of the one in NM.
Equidistant from the two, most are thinking of the one in TX.
There has to be somewhere in between (much closer to the one in NM, obviously) where it's half and half.
Maaaaaaaaybe, but I'm doubtful even of that. I could see possibly being confused in, say, Roswell.
Much more likely to cause confusion in NM is Las Vegas, but that one's already been mentioned.
Maybe London if you are in Ontario or near Ontario, but the vast majority of people would think England.
Quote from: kendancy66 on May 14, 2020, 12:40:50 AM
How about Pennsylvania, that has cities named after other states like California and Wyoming
... and Indiana, which is actually a decent sized county seat.
New York has an Alabama and a Florida, possibly among others.
Quote from: webny99 on May 14, 2020, 03:43:06 PM
Quote from: kendancy66 on May 14, 2020, 12:40:50 AM
How about Pennsylvania, that has cities named after other states like California and Wyoming
... and Indiana, which is actually a decent sized county seat.
New York has an Alabama and a Florida, possibly among others.
Massachusetts has a town of Florida too.
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 03:02:50 PM
Quote from: 1 on May 14, 2020, 02:58:08 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:52:58 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:49:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:46:56 PM
Quote from: Henry on May 14, 2020, 02:45:24 PM
When San Antonio is mentioned, it almost always means the city in TX, but there is also San Antonio, NM.
But it's difficult to imagine a context in which someone would get them mixed up. Otherwise, this would be a thread about all the large cities that also have a namesake small town in some other state. (such as Des Moines, if we stick with NM)
Maybe if you live near San Antonio NM.
Doubtful. They're more than 650 miles apart. I struggle to think of a conversation in which it wouldn't be clear by context which location was being referred to.
At 10 miles away from San Antonio NM, most people are thinking of the one in NM.
Equidistant from the two, most are thinking of the one in TX.
There has to be somewhere in between (much closer to the one in NM, obviously) where it's half and half.
Maaaaaaaaybe, but I'm doubtful even of that. I could see possibly being confused in, say, Roswell.
So, Roswell would be in the zone where context is required for clarity, thus making it ambiguous there.
In this case, I would guess the zone of ambiguity for "San Antonio" is bounded very roughly by US 54 and the Texas/New Mexico state line.
Quote from: kendancy66 on May 14, 2020, 12:40:50 AM
How about Pennsylvania, that has cities named after other states like California and Wyoming
The state is named after the valley in Pennsylvania.
QuoteThe territory was named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania, made famous by the 1809 poem Gertrude of Wyoming by Thomas Campbell, based on the Battle of Wyoming in the American Revolutionary War. The name ultimately derives from the Munsee word xwé:wamənk, meaning "at the big river flat".[9][10]
Quote from: webny99 on May 14, 2020, 03:43:06 PM
New York has an Alabama and a Florida, possibly among others.
New York actually has
two Floridas, a town and a village. That in and of itself wouldn't be unusual, but they're nowhere near each other. The Town is south of Amsterdam and the Village is down in Orange County.
Rochester is also duplicated, and the two are in opposite ends of the state (the Town is in Ulster County; I think most people know where the City is). And there are two Town of Brightons - one that's a suburb of Rochester, the other in the Adirondacks.
Speaking of Rochester, apparently the confusion between Rochester, NY and Rochester, MN is enough that this media market map (http://bl.ocks.org/simzou/6459889) accidentally swapped them.
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:25:30 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:23:24 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:06:57 PM
New York
What other New York's exist?
The state, obviously.
If you say you're from New York, people aren't sure if you mean the city or the state. Unless I read it wrong, the OP didn't specify that both locations must be cities. Apparently, I read it wrong.
Heh. When I was a kid, my relatives in Brooklyn would say they were "going to New York" if they were going to Manhattan, which to this day none of us ever call "Manhattan"–nowadays, my aunts live in Breezy Point, which feels like it's a long way from New York City despite being in Queens, so we generally just refer to "the city" instead (and "the city" still doesn't include Brooklyn).
This discussion prompts me to think of how here in Northern Virginia we have Fairfax County and Fairfax City. The latter is almost always referred to as "Fairfax City" to clarify because there are so many Fairfax County addresses that are just "Fairfax."
Quote from: webny99 on May 14, 2020, 03:43:06 PM
Quote from: kendancy66 on May 14, 2020, 12:40:50 AM
How about Pennsylvania, that has cities named after other states like California and Wyoming
... and Indiana, which is actually a decent sized county seat.
New York has an Alabama and a Florida, possibly among others.
To increase the potential for confusion, the town of Indiana, Pennsylvania, is the home of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, often referred to as "IUP." I attended a convention there in the summer of 1989.
I suppose that calls to mind Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, which is usually called "Miami of Ohio" to distinguish it from the better-known one in Florida. But in this case the town doesn't share the name, so it doesn't really count for this thread.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 14, 2020, 02:41:23 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 14, 2020, 02:40:12 PM
I feel like almost everyone assumes the city.
They do in my region. I've spent a fair amount of time in NYS, never been to NYC. Always asked what museums, whatever I was planning to see and I'd have to specify I wasn't going to the city.
It's even worse when you're
from the state. You go out of town and tell strangers you're from New York, and inevitably, they'll ask "what borough?" or some such question. The icing on the cake is when you say Rochester, or upstate, and get a flat "Oh." in response.
I remember discussing this phenomenon with an art teacher in middle school, and she apparently just picked random borough that she was from in answer to those types of questions. You're all lined up to be cool by being able to say you're from New York, so why not let them think you're from the city?! :)
Quote from: kphoger on May 14, 2020, 02:42:35 PM
I assume the opposite. I figure someone will say "New York City" if they mean the city, same as people will say "Mexico City" if they mean the city.
Thank you! That's how it should be. But unfortunately, that rule doesn't seem to apply to the Biggest and the Best, as those of us north of the 42nd parallel know all too well...
Quote from: webny99 on May 14, 2020, 10:17:41 PM
I remember discussing this phenomenon with an art teacher in middle school, and she apparently just picked random borough that she was from in answer to those types of questions. You're all lined up to be cool by being able to say you're from New York, so why not let them think you're from the city?! :)
Hell, you could probably convince someone in a different part of the country that Rochester
is a borough of NYC. Around here, people know NYC has "boroughs", and they would recognize Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens as being such thanks to TV and movies, but I doubt most people know how many boroughs there are or could list them all (who ever talks about Staten Island? May as well be Rochester).
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 14, 2020, 02:31:40 PM
I'm surprised it took this many posts to mention the two Vancouvers, although I don't know why that confuses anyone outside of the PNW.
Both Vancovuers are on the same freeway corridor, the same Amtrak line, and are on the edge of Washington. Apparently there were more than a few tourists who booked hotels in the wrong Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 13, 2020, 10:16:00 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 10:07:04 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
Wilmington, North Carolina, versus Wilmington, Delaware; this was even ambiguous when I was attending law school in North Carolina because some people referred to the Delaware one without specifying, which led some of us to assume they meant the local one.
That's a good one, because neither is particularly well-known or of national importance, so it's probably ambiguous for most of the country. I would have guessed Wilmington, DE was the bigger of the two, but it actually only has a population of 70,000 to Wilmington, NC's 122,000. That just goes to show that it's ambiguous to me, if nothing else!
That's probably because Wilmington DE is more prominent in its state than Wilmington NC.
Likewise, Peoria IL (115,000) versus Peoria AZ (154,000).
Quote from: GenExpwy on May 15, 2020, 03:12:20 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 13, 2020, 10:16:00 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 13, 2020, 10:07:04 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
Wilmington, North Carolina, versus Wilmington, Delaware; this was even ambiguous when I was attending law school in North Carolina because some people referred to the Delaware one without specifying, which led some of us to assume they meant the local one.
That's a good one, because neither is particularly well-known or of national importance, so it's probably ambiguous for most of the country. I would have guessed Wilmington, DE was the bigger of the two, but it actually only has a population of 70,000 to Wilmington, NC's 122,000. That just goes to show that it's ambiguous to me, if nothing else!
That's probably because Wilmington DE is more prominent in its state than Wilmington NC.
Likewise, Peoria IL (115,000) versus Peoria AZ (154,000).
Well Peoria AZ is just some no name suburb.
Quote from: oscar on May 13, 2020, 05:53:08 PM
Portland ME and Portland OR (there are others, but they are the best-known).
Those two may enjoy the distinction of having the largest size disparity compared to their relative prominence (and eligibility for this thread). Even as large as it is, Portland OR is not universally considered the default choice against Portland ME.
QuoteNot the same, but Ontario CA sometimes gets confused with the Canadian province with that name, to the point where some airline passengers reportedly get ticketed to the wrong airport.
Greatly exacerbated by the fact that "Ontario CA" could be construed as an abbreviation for "Ontario, Canada".
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 14, 2020, 11:13:39 PM
Hell, you could probably convince someone in a different part of the country that Rochester is a borough of NYC. Around here, people know NYC has "boroughs", and they would recognize Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens as being such thanks to TV and movies, but I doubt most people know how many boroughs there are or could list them all (who ever talks about Staten Island? May as well be Rochester).
That actually isn't uncommon, largely because of the similarity of "Rochester" to "Westchester", which people do know is near NYC. (And the distinction between a borough and an adjacent suburban county to NYC isn't universally understood.)
On a similar and more general note, I feel that the ambiguity between New York city and state isn't so much that people assume you're referring to one versus the other, but that they simply don't recognize a distinction between the two. That's particularly true of folks from abroad, as not all countries have large sub-national units like our states.
Quote from: empirestate on May 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Quote from: oscar on May 13, 2020, 05:53:08 PM
Portland ME and Portland OR (there are others, but they are the best-known).
Those two may enjoy the distinction of having the largest size disparity compared to their relative prominence (and eligibility for this thread). Even as large as it is, Portland OR is not universally considered the default choice against Portland ME.
And yet schoolchildren and adults alike, the nation over, have trouble remembering which state's capital is Portland: is it Oregon or Maine? ;-)
Not cities, but Georgia (US vs country). State is probably the default one in America, but I'm not sure about elsewhere.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 15, 2020, 02:56:48 PM
Not cities, but Georgia (US vs country). State is probably the default one in America, but I'm not sure about elsewhere.
Wikipedia naming debate:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Georgia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Georgia)
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 15, 2020, 02:56:48 PM
Not cities, but Georgia (US vs country). State is probably the default one in America, but I'm not sure about elsewhere.
I like to deliberately confuse the state with the former Soviet country. I refer to the state as the "American Caucasus", and since I go through the countries in the Caucasian area Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia the state following Georgia gets always called "Azerbaijan" by me regardless of which one is. And I won't be the first time I refer to Atlanta as "Tbilisi"...
Even though it hasn't been the official name since the 90s, I still refer to it as "the Republic of Georgia".
Mississippi has two communities named "Bogue Chitto"
Seriously, look it up.
Surprised Kingston hasn't been mentioned yet.
There's one in MA, RI, NH, NY, PA, and ON
Quote from: empirestate on May 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
That actually isn't uncommon, largely because of the similarity of "Rochester" to "Westchester", which people do know is near NYC. (And the distinction between a borough and an adjacent suburban county to NYC isn't universally understood.)
No, what I'm saying is that you could get away with this with
any city in upstate New York. You could probably convince the average Oklahoman that Utica and Syracuse are boroughs too. Because they just vaguely associate all of that with New York. New York City or State? Aw hell, who cares? Sounds close enough.
Buffalo and Albany are the only ones that you might have a hard time with, because of the Bills and people knowing state capitals.
Does the average Oklahoman even know what a borough is, let alone know their names?
Quote from: GaryV on May 15, 2020, 07:13:30 PM
Does the average Oklahoman even know what a borough is, let alone know their names?
They probably know better what a borough is than what a Bronx is. :-D
In the line of the Georgias, I bring up the Congos :sombrero:. Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The former is usually referred to as just "Congo", even though the latter is way larger (even larger than Greenland, despite what may appear on a map). I refer to the DRC as "Belgian Congo", even though for a while it had a different name to its neighbor (Zaire).
Quote from: GaryV on May 15, 2020, 07:13:30 PM
Does the average Oklahoman even know what a borough is, let alone know their names?
I think there's a vague awareness that NYC has "boroughs", and Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn are boroughs. They don't know how many there are or what the other ones are. So you could slip in counterfeit boroughs pretty easily.
Quote from: Ben114 on May 15, 2020, 05:48:34 PM
Surprised Kingston hasn't been mentioned yet.
There's one in MA, RI, NH, NY, PA, and ON
Plus the capital of Jamaica, which is likely better-known than all the above. (If I hear "Kingston" without clarification, I think of the one in Ontario.)
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
I mentioned the two Charlestons (West Virginia and South Carolina) in another thread a few days ago. Some people refer to "Charlie West" and "Charlie South" to distinguish.
The Charlie West/Charlie South thing is mostly an Air National Guard thing, picked up on by civilian air line employees as well, relative to the airports. As I have to use the awful Charleston WV airport a lot, the best practice is to make sure your bags and tickets read CRW for the one in WV, or CHS for the one in SC, as mix ups happen all the time.
Virginia uses "Charleston, W. Va." as a control city at at least two places, while the other one is not really that close, confusion could occur.
Quote from: SP Cook on May 16, 2020, 11:45:54 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 13, 2020, 06:54:00 PM
I mentioned the two Charlestons (West Virginia and South Carolina) in another thread a few days ago. Some people refer to "Charlie West" and "Charlie South" to distinguish.
The Charlie West/Charlie South thing is mostly an Air National Guard thing, picked up on by civilian air line employees as well, relative to the airports. As I have to use the awful Charleston WV airport a lot, the best practice is to make sure your bags and tickets read CRW for the one in WV, or CHS for the one in SC, as mix ups happen all the time.
Virginia uses "Charleston, W. Va." as a control city at at least two places, while the other one is not really that close, confusion could occur.
I seem to recall at least one or two signs on I-81 in Virginia that just say "Charleston." Or at least, I recall that used to be the case–I last went that way in October 2017 (heading to Charleston, actually, en route to St. Louis, via a route that allowed me to complete clinching I-64), so it could be different now.
Cleveland, TX - a suburb of Houston - vs. Cleveland, OH
Some other ones in my area:
Dover, NH (much closer) vs. DE (state capital, although the population is not that much larger). MA is in third place.
Bedford, MA vs. NH (equidistant)
Milford, MA vs. NH (also equidistant)
Rochester, NH vs. NY (MN is in third place from where I live)
Likely Gardner MA vs. Gardiner ME, although I haven't heard anyone talk about either one.
Quote from: 1 on May 16, 2020, 01:16:13 PM
Some other ones in my area:
Dover, NH (much closer) vs. DE (state capital, although the population is not that much larger). MA is in third place.
Bedford, MA vs. NH (equidistant)
Milford, MA vs. NH (also equidistant)
Rochester, NH vs. NY (MN is in third place from where I live)
Likely Gardner MA vs. Gardiner ME, although I haven't heard anyone talk about either one.
For my area, Bedford MA is more well known. There is also a Rochester MA, but not that known.
Quote from: GaryV on May 14, 2020, 02:46:31 PM
Quote from: formulanone on May 13, 2020, 08:37:28 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 13, 2020, 08:19:24 PM
Quote from: Bruce on May 13, 2020, 08:09:22 PM
How about within states?
NJ has 5 Washington Twps (down from 6), and rarely are they referenced in such a way where you can easily figure it out without context.
Seems like the perfect address to live at if you're in the Witness Protection Program.
Personally, I have no idea why you would want to do that to yourselves. Isn't some sort of Postmaster supposed to vet the names to prevent duplicates? Or does nobody care because there's no authority within a township?
Michigan has several instances of township names being duplicated in different counties. In most cases they have nothing to do with the post office name, unless the township gets so big that it gets a post office to itself, or a community within the township has the same name as the township.
Except for the larger townships that are suburbs of cities, no one knows where they are. Yet newspaper stories use the township name in the byline. Ugh. Where did this thing take place? Maybe later in the text it will say something like "27 miles northeast of Grand Rapids", if you're lucky.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 13, 2020, 11:31:08 PM
Grand Marais, MN and Grand Marais, MI. Both are located on Lake Superior at the foot of popular tourist destinations.
Eh, those early French explorers. They didn't know one big swamp (marsh) from another.
Another name is Presque Isle. "Hey this peninsula looks almost like an island! That's what I'll call it."
Saginaw County has Saginaw the city and Saginaw Township. Genesee has Flint and Flint Township. When people see Flint, MI even though it could be in the township I'm sure they think oh it's Flint I'm not going there.
Quote from: webny99 on May 14, 2020, 03:43:06 PM
Quote from: kendancy66 on May 14, 2020, 12:40:50 AM
How about Pennsylvania, that has cities named after other states like California and Wyoming
... and Indiana, which is actually a decent sized county seat.
New York has an Alabama and a Florida, possibly among others.
We have a Wyoming, MI. It's a larger inner ring suburb of Grand Rapids but I always think of the state when I hear Wyoming.
There's also a Wyoming, MN which is notable in the roadgeek community for being the northern terminus of US 61. I always have to be mindful of that when posting about that location.
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 13, 2020, 05:13:18 PM
Every state except OK and a couple others has a Springfield. Most of the time it refers to MO, IL, or MA.
I think CT is one of the few which doesn't have a Springfield. I think 26 states have one. It's part of the reason the city has that name on "The Simpsons". The VT version (along I-91 between Brattleboro and White River Junction) hosted "The Simpsons Movie" when it premiered.
Portland, OR was named for Portland, ME. Portland, CT is on the other side of the Connecticut River from Middletown.
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on May 16, 2020, 06:23:50 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 13, 2020, 05:13:18 PM
Every state except OK and a couple others has a Springfield. Most of the time it refers to MO, IL, or MA.
I think CT is one of the few which doesn't have a Springfield. I think 26 states have one.
As I mention in another post, here's a map of all the Springfields:
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 16, 2020, 07:26:07 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/g1nMzQE.png)
Quote from: kphoger on May 15, 2020, 01:48:28 PM
Quote from: empirestate on May 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Quote from: oscar on May 13, 2020, 05:53:08 PM
Portland ME and Portland OR (there are others, but they are the best-known).
Those two may enjoy the distinction of having the largest size disparity compared to their relative prominence (and eligibility for this thread). Even as large as it is, Portland OR is not universally considered the default choice against Portland ME.
And yet schoolchildren and adults alike, the nation over, have trouble remembering which state's capital is Portland: is it Oregon or Maine? ;-)
It's neither one... I'm guessing that was the point?
I always have to specify between Green River, Wyoming or Green River, Utah. They're actually surprisingly similar - both are major gas/food stops located where an x0 interstate crosses the Green River. Turns out the one in Wyoming is more than 10 times bigger, but they're more or less equal in the eyes of most people in the Wasatch Front.
Quote from: webny99 on May 16, 2020, 07:44:44 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 15, 2020, 01:48:28 PM
Quote from: empirestate on May 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Quote from: oscar on May 13, 2020, 05:53:08 PM
Portland ME and Portland OR (there are others, but they are the best-known).
Those two may enjoy the distinction of having the largest size disparity compared to their relative prominence (and eligibility for this thread). Even as large as it is, Portland OR is not universally considered the default choice against Portland ME.
And yet schoolchildren and adults alike, the nation over, have trouble remembering which state's capital is Portland: is it Oregon or Maine? ;-)
It's neither one... I'm guessing that was the point?
That's why he used that smiley.
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 16, 2020, 05:58:47 AM
Quote from: GaryV on May 15, 2020, 07:13:30 PM
Does the average Oklahoman even know what a borough is, let alone know their names?
I think there's a vague awareness that NYC has "boroughs", and Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn are boroughs. They don't know how many there are or what the other ones are. So you could slip in counterfeit boroughs pretty easily.
Probably also depends on how much East Coast hip-hop one has consumed.
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 16, 2020, 05:58:47 AM
Quote from: GaryV on May 15, 2020, 07:13:30 PM
Does the average Oklahoman even know what a borough is, let alone know their names?
I think there's a vague awareness that NYC has "boroughs", and Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn are boroughs. They don't know how many there are or what the other ones are. So you could slip in counterfeit boroughs pretty easily.
What about Bronx?
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 16, 2020, 05:58:47 AM
Quote from: GaryV on May 15, 2020, 07:13:30 PM
Does the average Oklahoman even know what a borough is, let alone know their names?
I think there's a vague awareness that NYC has "boroughs", and Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn are boroughs. They don't know how many there are or what the other ones are. So you could slip in counterfeit boroughs pretty easily.
I'm pretty sure they'd know The Bronx as well as Staten Island despite Staten Island being the forgotten borough.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 17, 2020, 09:14:06 AM
Quote from: webny99 on May 16, 2020, 07:44:44 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 15, 2020, 01:48:28 PM
Quote from: empirestate on May 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Quote from: oscar on May 13, 2020, 05:53:08 PM
Portland ME and Portland OR (there are others, but they are the best-known).
Those two may enjoy the distinction of having the largest size disparity compared to their relative prominence (and eligibility for this thread). Even as large as it is, Portland OR is not universally considered the default choice against Portland ME.
And yet schoolchildren and adults alike, the nation over, have trouble remembering which state's capital is Portland: is it Oregon or Maine? ;-)
It's neither one... I'm guessing that was the point?
That's why he used that smiley.
Well, I guess it worked. Because I had to think about it for a minute or two, and even then, I double checked Google to make sure I wasn't crazy.
Yes, it's like asking people how to pronounce the capital of Kentucky: is it Lou-ee-ville or is it Lou-iss-ville? Nope, it's pronounced Frank-furrt.
Quote from: kphoger on May 18, 2020, 12:28:11 PM
Yes, it's like asking people how to pronounce the capital of Kentucky: is it Lou-ee-ville or is it Lou-iss-ville? Nope, it's pronounced Frank-furrt.
Biggest city is Loo-eh-vull
Quote from: Rothman on May 18, 2020, 08:19:26 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 18, 2020, 12:28:11 PM
Yes, it's like asking people how to pronounce the capital of Kentucky: is it Lou-ee-ville or is it Lou-iss-ville? Nope, it's pronounced Frank-furrt.
Biggest city is Loo-eh-vull
More like Loo-vull, with two syllables.
Quote from: US 89 on May 18, 2020, 08:37:22 PM
Quote from: Rothman on May 18, 2020, 08:19:26 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 18, 2020, 12:28:11 PM
Yes, it's like asking people how to pronounce the capital of Kentucky: is it Lou-ee-ville or is it Lou-iss-ville? Nope, it's pronounced Frank-furrt.
Biggest city is Loo-eh-vull
More like Loo-vull, with two syllables.
Nah. There's a little hitch in there if you listen closely.
Lou-ee-ville.
Quote from: Flint1979 on May 17, 2020, 11:49:30 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 16, 2020, 05:58:47 AM
Quote from: GaryV on May 15, 2020, 07:13:30 PM
Does the average Oklahoman even know what a borough is, let alone know their names?
I think there's a vague awareness that NYC has "boroughs", and Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn are boroughs. They don't know how many there are or what the other ones are. So you could slip in counterfeit boroughs pretty easily.
I'm pretty sure they'd know The Bronx as well as Staten Island despite Staten Island being the forgotten borough.
Nobody here knows or cares about the Bronx or Staten Island.
Just for fun, I quizzed my wife. I asked how many NYC boroughs there are. She said, "you mean, like the neighborhoods?" I said they're basically counties, but yeah. She didn't know how many there were. I asked her to name as many as she could. She got Manhattan and Brooklyn. After some hinting around about
King of Queens she got Queens. She said she didn't know any others. I asked her to guess. "The Hamptons?"
I would have guessed more people would know the Bronx because of the Yankees, but maybe they think that's just a neighborhood or a nickname for that part of town.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 19, 2020, 07:08:33 AM
I would have guessed more people would know the Bronx because of the Yankees, but maybe they think that's just a neighborhood or a nickname for that part of town.
Brooklyn actually has a sports team named after it, Bronx does not.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 19, 2020, 09:12:43 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 19, 2020, 07:08:33 AM
I would have guessed more people would know the Bronx because of the Yankees, but maybe they think that's just a neighborhood or a nickname for that part of town.
Brooklyn actually has a sports team named after it, Bronx does not.
When the Dodgers were founded, Brooklyn was still a separate city and not yet merged with NYC. When the Yankees were founded, the Bronx had already been part of NYC for a while.
Quote from: cabiness42 on May 19, 2020, 09:19:01 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 19, 2020, 09:12:43 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 19, 2020, 07:08:33 AM
I would have guessed more people would know the Bronx because of the Yankees, but maybe they think that's just a neighborhood or a nickname for that part of town.
Brooklyn actually has a sports team named after it, Bronx does not.
When the Dodgers were founded, Brooklyn was still a separate city and not yet merged with NYC. When the Yankees were founded, the Bronx had already been part of NYC for a while.
But, the Nets moved in long after NYC absorb the City of Brooklyn.
Quote from: roadman65 on May 19, 2020, 09:24:33 AM
Quote from: cabiness42 on May 19, 2020, 09:19:01 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 19, 2020, 09:12:43 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 19, 2020, 07:08:33 AM
I would have guessed more people would know the Bronx because of the Yankees, but maybe they think that's just a neighborhood or a nickname for that part of town.
Brooklyn actually has a sports team named after it, Bronx does not.
When the Dodgers were founded, Brooklyn was still a separate city and not yet merged with NYC. When the Yankees were founded, the Bronx had already been part of NYC for a while.
But, the Nets moved in long after NYC absorb the City of Brooklyn.
Right, but the Dodgers gave Brooklyn notoriety that the other absorbed areas didn't have. Unlikely the Nets ever used the Brooklyn name if not for the Dodgers.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 19, 2020, 07:08:33 AM
I would have guessed more people would know the Bronx because of the Yankees, but maybe they think that's just a neighborhood or a nickname for that part of town.
Right, I think people tend to recognize the name, but not what it represents as a political entity. And that's not completely unfair in the Bronx's case, as it has perhaps the weakest name-identity outside of the borough system. Brooklyn was, after all, a separate city (and a major one at that); Queens has always been a county; and both Manhattan and Staten Island are recognized to be–well, islands. But the Bronx was a part of Westchester County until it was set off to become a borough of New York City (and even then, it didn't comprise a separate county until 1914).
Richmond. When I'm traveling I usually tell people I live in Virginia (versus the city specifically) because they'll assume I'm talking about anything other than the capital of VA :-D
Another one that I don't think has been mentioned: Murfreesboro, AR vs TN.
The TN one is much bigger population-wise, but the AR one is much more famous.
Quote from: webny99 on May 28, 2020, 10:10:40 AM
Another one that I don't think has been mentioned: Murfreesboro, AR vs TN.
The TN one is much bigger population-wise, but the AR one is much more famous.
Whereas I think of the one in North Carolina because I lived in that state for three years.
How about Cambridge? There's a small one in MD along US 50 on the eastern shore, and the larger one across the Charles from Boston. But with zero context, a lot of people might first think of the one across the pond in England.
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 28, 2020, 10:45:59 AM
How about Cambridge? There's a small one in MD along US 50 on the eastern shore, and the larger one across the Charles from Boston. But with zero context, a lot of people might first think of the one across the pond in England.
Most people I know would think of the MA one first.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 28, 2020, 11:43:28 AM
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 28, 2020, 10:45:59 AM
How about Cambridge? There's a small one in MD along US 50 on the eastern shore, and the larger one across the Charles from Boston. But with zero context, a lot of people might first think of the one across the pond in England.
Most people I know would think of the MA one first.
Gee, I wonder why.
Seattle has a neighborhood called Montlake, because it has views of the mountain and is situated on a lake.
There is a suburban city named Mountlake Terrace, because it has views of the mountain and the lake.
Apparently the two are mixed up quite often. Mountlake Terrace passed ordinances in the 1990s that required city employees to always use the full name rather than the nickname ("the Terrace") in part to prevent confusion with Montlake.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 28, 2020, 02:28:22 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 28, 2020, 11:43:28 AM
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 28, 2020, 10:45:59 AM
How about Cambridge? There's a small one in MD along US 50 on the eastern shore, and the larger one across the Charles from Boston. But with zero context, a lot of people might first think of the one across the pond in England.
Most people I know would think of the MA one first.
Gee, I wonder why.
Always thought that the MA one was more well known nationwide because of Harvard and MIT but maybe I'm wrong.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 28, 2020, 03:22:39 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 28, 2020, 02:28:22 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 28, 2020, 11:43:28 AM
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 28, 2020, 10:45:59 AM
How about Cambridge? There's a small one in MD along US 50 on the eastern shore, and the larger one across the Charles from Boston. But with zero context, a lot of people might first think of the one across the pond in England.
Most people I know would think of the MA one first.
Gee, I wonder why.
Always thought that the MA one was more well known nationwide because of Harvard and MIT but maybe I'm wrong.
I'd wager the one in Massachusetts is better-known nationally than the one in Maryland, but I wouldn't be surprised to find the one in England is better-known nationally than either of those, especially since the Queen gave William and Catherine the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (never underestimate how much the newspapers' "style" sections focus on the Royal Family).
One thing is for sure: Cambridge, NY is less well-known than the one in England, MA or MD. There's also a Cambridge in Ontario, Canada, and one in New Zealand.
But Cambridge, NY the still the first one that comes to mind for me because it's the only one in the US that I've been to (although I've also been to Cambridge, ON, many times).
Quote from: webny99 on May 28, 2020, 10:10:40 AM
Another one that I don't think has been mentioned: Murfreesboro, AR vs TN.
The TN one is much bigger population-wise, but the AR one is much more famous.
I can't say I'd ever heard of the one in Arkansas before this post. Tennessee, sure.
Quote from: Eth on May 28, 2020, 07:07:01 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 28, 2020, 10:10:40 AM
Another one that I don't think has been mentioned: Murfreesboro, AR vs TN.
The TN one is much bigger population-wise, but the AR one is much more famous.
I can't say I'd ever heard of the one in Arkansas before this post. Tennessee, sure.
Same here.
There are also fairly well known regional Cambridges in MN (north of MSP) and WI (east of Madison)
Quote from: 1 on May 28, 2020, 07:47:28 PM
Quote from: Eth on May 28, 2020, 07:07:01 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 28, 2020, 10:10:40 AM
Another one that I don't think has been mentioned: Murfreesboro, AR vs TN.
The TN one is much bigger population-wise, but the AR one is much more famous.
I can't say I'd ever heard of the one in Arkansas before this post. Tennessee, sure.
Same here.
I've known about the existence of Murfreesboro, AR for as long as I can remember. Come to think of it, I think it was mentioned/pictured (as the home of the only diamond site open to the public in the nation) in a book about the 50 states that I used to pore over as a little kid.
It's funny, the stuff that sticks in your memory and you just assume is common knowledge after you've seen it enough times. It used to baffle me when I was about 10 or 11 that there were grown adults that didn't know all 50 state capitals.
Murfreesboro is one of those city names that I’ve heard of but have no clue where it is. If somebody asked me what state it was in, I probably would say Tennessee...but that would mostly be a guess.
Quote from: 1 on May 28, 2020, 07:47:28 PM
Quote from: Eth on May 28, 2020, 07:07:01 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 28, 2020, 10:10:40 AM
Another one that I don't think has been mentioned: Murfreesboro, AR vs TN.
The TN one is much bigger population-wise, but the AR one is much more famous.
I can't say I'd ever heard of the one in Arkansas before this post. Tennessee, sure.
Same here.
Me too, it's definitely a Tennessee city in my mind. I know there's more than one, but I don't think I'd even come up with Arkansas if you asked me out of the blue.
Quote from: empirestate on May 29, 2020, 01:18:09 PM
Quote from: 1 on May 28, 2020, 07:47:28 PM
Quote from: Eth on May 28, 2020, 07:07:01 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 28, 2020, 10:10:40 AM
Another one that I don't think has been mentioned: Murfreesboro, AR vs TN.
The TN one is much bigger population-wise, but the AR one is much more famous.
I can't say I'd ever heard of the one in Arkansas before this post. Tennessee, sure.
Same here.
Me too, it's definitely a Tennessee city in my mind. I know there's more than one, but I don't think I'd even come up with Arkansas if you asked me out of the blue.
I didn't know that Arkansas had one.
I think the only reason I knew of the Murfreesboro in Tennessee is that Middle Tennessee State is located there, which I knew because UVA played a football game against them a few years ago.
I've been to both Murfeesboro, TN and AR, and the AR one is famous because of the nearby Crater of Diamonds State Park. Despite being there before, I had to look up where Murfeesboro, AR was because the town itself isn't very significant.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Jackson. If you're in Memphis, you would have to differentiate between Tennessee or Mississippi.
Another one would be Arlington. Are you speaking of Texas or Virginia?
Quote from: golden eagle on May 31, 2020, 10:37:58 PM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Jackson. If you're in Memphis, you would have to differentiate between Tennessee or Mississippi.
If you're in Memphis is the key. The rest of the country mostly only knows about the Mississippi one, although Michigan also has a decent-sized city named Jackson, and there could be potential confusion with Jacksonville, Florida.
Quote from: golden eagle on May 31, 2020, 10:37:58 PM
Another one would be Arlington. Are you speaking of Texas or Virginia?
Virginia. I don't think America's Team is as famous as America's Cemetery.
I've been through, or near, Florida, MA (along MA Route 2 - Mohawk Trail) and Worcester, NY (close to I-88).
Charlotte, North Carolina and Charlotte, Tennessee
Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on June 02, 2020, 04:17:26 PM
Charlotte, North Carolina and Charlotte, Tennessee
The TN one is only population 1200, and it's more than 400 miles from the NC one. In what context would that be ambiguous?
Charlotte is more likely to be confused with someone with that given name. In the Dravet syndrome community alone (into which I am through the large running team the DS Foundation in Spain has) there are two relevant Charlottes. One is the syndrome's namesake, Charlotte Dravet, a French epileptologist; and the other is a recently deceased (right on my birthday the anniversary of my birth) Colorado Springs girl, Charlotte Figi, who had that kind of epilepsy and whose family was a pioneer in the use of medical marijuana.
On the chat of a certain streamer I like to follow around the country (BigRigTravels, who else...), I sometimes mention "Belvidere" without saying a state, even though there are a few places (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvidere) with that name. In that case, I'm referring to Belvidere, Illinois, since it is where Steve spends most of his time off the truck (like he is doing right now) and which also happens to be the largest of the Belvideres.
Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on June 02, 2020, 04:17:26 PM
Charlotte, North Carolina and Charlotte, Tennessee
And don't forget Charlotte, MI. Although that one is pronounced char-LOT.
Quote from: GaryV on June 02, 2020, 06:19:57 PM
Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on June 02, 2020, 04:17:26 PM
Charlotte, North Carolina and Charlotte, Tennessee
And don't forget Charlotte, MI. Although that one is pronounced char-LOT.
The one in Vermont is also pronounced char-LOT. Charlotte, MI and Charlotte, VT are the only "Charlotte" related ambiguity I can think of and that's largely due to the irregular pronunciation of the city names.
Since we're in New England: How about Lebanon, NH and Lebanon, ME? Or for bonus points, West Lebanon, NH and West Lebanon, ME?
Quote from: kphoger on June 02, 2020, 04:43:39 PM
Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on June 02, 2020, 04:17:26 PM
Charlotte, North Carolina and Charlotte, Tennessee
The TN one is only population 1200, and it's more than 400 miles from the NC one. In what context would that be ambiguous?
Nashville?
Quote from: GaryV on June 02, 2020, 06:19:57 PM
And don't forget Charlotte, MI. Although that one is pronounced char-LOT.
Isn't the NC one also pronounced that way? That's how I've always pronounced it.
Other than the MI and VT examples just mentioned, every Charlotte I've ever known, person or city, has been pronounced SHAR-luht.
Come to think of it, Rochester has a neighborhood called Charlotte (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Charlotte,+Rochester,+NY/@43.236194,-77.6566521,13z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x89d6b71c84ff024f:0xea37f3a839c4eb30!8m2!3d43.2349796!4d-77.6220989!5m1!1e1)... and locally, it's pronounced Char-LOT. "I'm going to the Char-LOT Pier", for example.
Quote from: The Nature Boy on June 02, 2020, 10:34:29 PM
Quote from: GaryV on June 02, 2020, 06:19:57 PM
Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on June 02, 2020, 04:17:26 PM
Charlotte, North Carolina and Charlotte, Tennessee
And don't forget Charlotte, MI. Although that one is pronounced char-LOT.
The one in Vermont is also pronounced char-LOT. Charlotte, MI and Charlotte, VT are the only "Charlotte" related ambiguity I can think of and that's largely due to the irregular pronunciation of the city names.
Since we're in New England: How about Lebanon, NH and Lebanon, ME? Or for bonus points, West Lebanon, NH and West Lebanon, ME?
Or "Lepnin", PA.
China has several possible ambiguous pairs of cities when spoken, because they only differ in the tone of one of the characters:
玉林 (Yulin in Guangxi Zhuang) vs 榆林 (Yulin in Shaanxi) - Low potential for confusion due to distance.
济宁 (Jining in Shandong) vs 集宁 (Jining district of Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia - basically the city itself) - Again, low potential for confusion, even though they are a bit closer
福州 (Fuzhou in Fujian) vs 抚州 (Fuzhou in Jiangxi) - Even better, Virginia is yet another "Fuzhou" in Chinese (佛州), perfect homphone of the capital of Fujian.
苏州 (Suzhou in Jiangsu, next to Shanghai) vs 宿州 (Suzhou in Anhui) - Both are stops in the Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway. To further spice things, there's also a Suzhou district (肃州) in Jiuquan, Gansu which is a perfect homophone of the city in Anhui, but there is low potential for confusion due to distance.
台州 (Taizhou in Zhejiang) vs 泰州 (Taizhou in Jiangsu) - I once fell to this, as they are in the same megalopolis. Fortunately there is no longer a 合州 anywhere (there used to be one in between Chongqing and Sichuan), which would be a written ambiguity to the city in Zhejiang (but pronounced way differently: Hezhou).
However the pair that takes the cake are the neighboring provinces of 山西 and 陕西. Both would be written Shanxi in English, so the latter is spelt Shaanxi instead, a remnant of an earlier romanization system.
Quote from: GaryV on June 02, 2020, 06:19:57 PM
Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on June 02, 2020, 04:17:26 PM
Charlotte, North Carolina and Charlotte, Tennessee
And don't forget Charlotte, MI. Although that one is pronounced char-LOT.
Funny enough, having passed by Charlotte, MI many, many times, it's the first one I think of (and then pronounce the other Charlottes the same way).
Charlotte is the seat of Eaton County so its a little more known in Michigan at least in the Lansing area so I think of Charlotte, Michigan first when I see Charlotte and also pronounce all of them Char-LOT.
Quote from: webny99 on June 01, 2020, 12:48:14 PM
Quote from: golden eagle on May 31, 2020, 10:37:58 PM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Jackson. If you're in Memphis, you would have to differentiate between Tennessee or Mississippi.
If you're in Memphis is the key. The rest of the country mostly only knows about the Mississippi one, although Michigan also has a decent-sized city named Jackson, and there could be potential confusion with Jacksonville, Florida.
Quote from: golden eagle on May 31, 2020, 10:37:58 PM
Another one would be Arlington. Are you speaking of Texas or Virginia?
Virginia. I don't think America's Team is as famous as America's Cemetery.
We have a Jackson in California also. It's on the eastern part of CASR-16 which ran very near my house in Sacramento. I believe that it is the seat of the county of Amador.
Ocean City, MD vs NJ. Both are seaside resort towns, and are really not that far apart, at least as the crow flies -- or more practically, as the ferry sails.
There was a story once on the American Top 40 radio show about someone who sent a letter to Hollywood, CA, but it somehow ended up in Hollywood, FL.
Minnesota has Shoreview and Shorewood in the Twin Cities. Shoreview is the junction of I-35W and I-694 while Shorewood is a wealthy community near Lake Minnetonka on the west side.
Prior to 1930, there was a Potomac, Virginia, not far from Potomac, Maryland. It's now apart of the City of Alexandria and very few people even know it was ever there. That might've been ambiguous in its time and certainly would be today.
Not a city name, but Oregon WI vs Oregon.
Monroe WI vs several other Monroes.
Cambridge WI vs Cambridge MA
Not so much in Wisconsin, but I imagine in other states, other Madisons vs Madison WI can create some confusion due to kids learning about state capitals in schools.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 06, 2020, 01:32:57 AM
Minnesota has Shoreview and Shorewood in the Twin Cities. Shoreview is the junction of I-35W and I-694 while Shorewood is a wealthy community near Lake Minnetonka on the west side.
Shoreview is also where most of the big TV and radio stations in the Twin Cities broadcast from
Quote from: cabiness42 on May 13, 2020, 06:03:52 PM
Columbus OH and IN
Another confusing Columbus pair includes Columbus, MS and GA. More confusing is that they're both off US-82. Even more confusing is that they're both on the Alabama state line.
Quote from: webny99 on June 01, 2020, 12:48:14 PM
Quote from: golden eagle on May 31, 2020, 10:37:58 PM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Jackson. If you're in Memphis, you would have to differentiate between Tennessee or Mississippi.
If you're in Memphis is the key. The rest of the country mostly only knows about the Mississippi one, although Michigan also has a decent-sized city named Jackson, and there could be potential confusion with Jacksonville, Florida.
I've never been to Ole Miss or Southern Miss, but I sure have been to Jackson Miss :bigass:
Quote from: I-55 on September 06, 2020, 09:47:29 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on May 13, 2020, 06:03:52 PM
Columbus OH and IN
Another confusing Columbus pair includes Columbus, MS and GA. More confusing is that they're both off US-82. Even more confusing is that they're both on the Alabama state line.
Columbus, GA is on US 80, not US 82.
Las Vegas is a tiny town in northern New Mexico, which happens to have an Amtrak station, while Las Vegas Nevada is obviously the gambling capital of the USA. I wonder how many travelers have been thrown off by that.
There are sizable "Bloomingtons" in both Illinois and Indiana. Both are home to fairly significant universities as well. (Yes, I know Illinois State is legally in Normal.)
There are also Clintons all over the midwest. When I lived in Indiana, I had a coworker who just moved to the area accidentally go to the one in Illinois instead of Indiana for a meeting.
One that's gotten some mild confusion around where I live is Roanoke, VA and Roanoke Rapids, NC. They're nowhere near each other, but I've heard people from the Emporia area talk about "Roanoke" and meaning Roanoke Rapids.
Quote from: Eth on September 07, 2020, 10:12:09 AM
Quote from: I-55 on September 06, 2020, 09:47:29 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on May 13, 2020, 06:03:52 PM
Columbus OH and IN
Another confusing Columbus pair includes Columbus, MS and GA. More confusing is that they're both off US-82. Even more confusing is that they're both on the Alabama state line.
Columbus, GA is on US 80, not US 82.
Thanks for fixing, I'm much more familiar with their alignments west of I-65 (since I've actually been there).
Almost 1/2 of all states in the US have a Lexington. I've been to Lexington, KY, TN, and probably one I don't remember
Quote from: I-55 on September 14, 2020, 04:05:04 PM
Almost 1/2 of all states in the US have a Lexington. I've been to Lexington, KY, TN, and probably one I don't remember
MA? It's a tourist attraction (because of history) and very close to Boston.
To me, Lexington means Lexington OK, which is the location of the next Canadian River bridge south of Norman.
Quote from: SEWIGuy on September 07, 2020, 11:16:48 AM
There are sizable "Bloomingtons" in both Illinois and Indiana. Both are home to fairly significant universities as well. (Yes, I know Illinois State is legally in Normal.)
There are also Clintons all over the midwest. When I lived in Indiana, I had a coworker who just moved to the area accidentally go to the one in Illinois instead of Indiana for a meeting.
Don't forget about Bloomington, MN, the home of the Mall of America and former home of the Vikings and Twins. Also, don't forget about Clinton, IA.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the guy I worked with when I lived in Omaha who came from Cedar Rapids, NE. I assumed he had moved from Cedar Rapids, IA. Big mistake there and he never let me forget it as long as I worked with him.
The one that shocks me for not being mentioned yet is O'Fallon, Missouri and O'Fallon, Illinois. Both are in the St. Louis area.
Several flight confusion cases have involved Sydney, NS, Canada and Sydney, NSW, Australia. Another involved Konstanz, Germany and Constanta, Romania (both are Constanza in Spanish and Italian).
Though not similarly-named, I'm pretty sure Kinshasa and Brazzaville get confused more than often, both being capitals of their respective Congos (and across the Congo river from each other).
Back in the 60s, my dad traveled a lot to various cities along the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast. He would always have to fly to Atlanta and then change planes. One time, he was on his way to Greenville MS, but got on a plane headed for Greenville SC. Fortunately, being the "never met a stranger" kind of guy he was - he got talking to his seatmate before the plane took off and discovered he was on the wrong plane, and was able to get off before it left.
It never occurred to me to ask him if the travel agent had booked the wrong Greenville, or if he just boarded the wrong plane.
Wisconsin has Menomonie, Menomonee Falls, and is bordered by Menominee, MI.
Minnesota has two Split Rock state parks in opposite corners of the state; someone told me more people confuse them than one would think.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Wisconsin has Menomonie, Menomonee Falls, and is bordered by Menominee, MI.
Minnesota has two Split Rock state parks in opposite corners of the state; someone told me more people confuse them than one would think.
It's right there in the name--Split Rock--once that happens of course there are two of them.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on September 15, 2020, 06:52:53 AM
Several flight confusion cases have involved Sydney, NS, Canada and Sydney, NSW, Australia. Another involved Konstanz, Germany and Constanta, Romania (both are Constanza in Spanish and Italian).
Though not similarly-named, I'm pretty sure Kinshasa and Brazzaville get confused more than often, both being capitals of their respective Congos (and across the Congo river from each other).
I've heard several accounts of people boarding planes for Auckland, New Zealand instead of Oakland. CA, USA.
There are a number of airports in California whose local name is "South County". The are usually not close enough to each other or on the same CTAF frequency, but I always use the city or town name in addition to "South County" whenever I address traffic (e.g. "San Martin-South County Traffic ..."). One such airport is Q99 in San Martin ("South County of Santa Clara County") which is also the Spanish name of a French-Nederlandsk island in the Caribbean (airport is SXM). As far as I know, there are no scheduled direct flights to SXM from SJC, but lots of private pilots fly from SJC to Q99.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Wisconsin has Menomonie, Menomonee Falls, and is bordered by Menominee, MI.
And a Menominee County, which does not include any of the municipalities above.
Two other oddities in Wisconsin:
*Portage isn't located in Portage County (even though it used to be.) Portage is the seat of Columbia County, while Stevens Point is the seat of Portage County.
*Juneau isn't located in Juneau County (and it never was.) Juneau is the seat of Dodge County, while Mauston is the seat of Juneau County.
Quote from: michravera on September 15, 2020, 02:00:37 PM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on September 15, 2020, 06:52:53 AM
Several flight confusion cases have involved Sydney, NS, Canada and Sydney, NSW, Australia. Another involved Konstanz, Germany and Constanta, Romania (both are Constanza in Spanish and Italian).
Though not similarly-named, I'm pretty sure Kinshasa and Brazzaville get confused more than often, both being capitals of their respective Congos (and across the Congo river from each other).
I've heard several accounts of people boarding planes for Auckland, New Zealand instead of Oakland. CA, USA.
I've spent some time around a New Zealand-based online Twitch community lately and "Auckland" pronounced in a NZ accent does sound a lot like "Oakland". I even mentioned that recently. Weird.
Quote from: cabiness42 on September 15, 2020, 01:48:48 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Minnesota has two Split Rock state parks in opposite corners of the state; someone told me more people confuse them than one would think.
It's right there in the name--Split Rock--once that happens of course there are two of them.
Q: What do you get when you split rocks?
A: Twin Cities
Quote from: webny99 on September 15, 2020, 10:15:45 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on September 15, 2020, 01:48:48 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Minnesota has two Split Rock state parks in opposite corners of the state; someone told me more people confuse them than one would think.
It's right there in the name--Split Rock--once that happens of course there are two of them.
Q: What do you get when you split rocks?
A: Twin Cities
Q: What do you get when you split I-35?
A: I-35E and I-35W
Quote from: thspfc on September 16, 2020, 04:11:04 PM
Quote from: webny99 on September 15, 2020, 10:15:45 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on September 15, 2020, 01:48:48 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 15, 2020, 01:42:10 PM
Minnesota has two Split Rock state parks in opposite corners of the state; someone told me more people confuse them than one would think.
It's right there in the name--Split Rock--once that happens of course there are two of them.
Q: What do you get when you split rocks?
A: Twin Cities
Q: What do you get when you split I-35?
A: I-35E and I-35W
An ambiguous split.
Quote from: michravera on September 15, 2020, 02:00:37 PM
I've heard several accounts of people boarding planes for Auckland, New Zealand instead of Oakland. CA, USA.
I highly doubt this has happened in the last 20 years; the boarding just won't scan, let alone the possible need for a passport check and the improbability of two very different types of aircraft.
Quote from: formulanone on September 16, 2020, 05:08:22 PM
Quote from: michravera on September 15, 2020, 02:00:37 PM
I've heard several accounts of people boarding planes for Auckland, New Zealand instead of Oakland. CA, USA.
I highly doubt this has happened in the last 20 years; the boarding just won't scan, let alone the possible need for a passport check and the improbability of two very different types of aircraft.
I think that you are right. As I recall, the last time that I heard of it was around 1990. The incident of which I am aware was a younger person (maybe 12-16) travelling alone through LAX and in transito on an international flight when the LAX-OAK leg left from the international terminal or the LAX-AUK leg left from the domestic side for some reason. The person may have even had help from the airline personnel to get to the wrong gate.
Manistee and Manistique, Michigan. Both on Lake Michigan and both on a US Highway. Fun fact: The previous school superintendent in Manistee came there from Manistique
One that I don't really think of because I live near one of them, but I run into more people than I realize that confuse Albert Lea and Albertville, MN. Albertville is a regional destination due to their large outlet mall.
What about state vs. city? It's almost obligatory to add "state" at the end of Washington and New York referring to the state, cutting down the confusion from Washington, DC and New York, respectively.
westminster, co seems more north than west, to me.
longmont is much wider than it is long. (named for longs peak, i think, but it sounded funny)
California City in where else CA! Home of the Whiptails minor league baseball team (not sure they're coming back). It has 200 square miles of city area but 20,000 residents overall. Close to Edwards AFB and Space-X facilities, so people who live there have a job close to them. And in the Star Trek universe, it is a massive major city akin to New York City or nearby L.A. in size.
There are 8 counties named Orange, although I know of one in Southern CA, home to Disneyland.
Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando and Walt Disney World.
Orange County, Indiana (home county of VP Danforth "Dan" Quayle).
Orange County, New York, part of the New York metropolitan area.
Orange County, North Carolina.
Orange County, Texas (not sure it has the city of Orange, like the one in CA).
Orange County, Vermont.
Orange County, Virginia.
In Tulsa OK, a city similar in size to the state capital OK City, locals joke about Osage County is their "Orange County". It has affluent areas known for oil pumping (similar to CA's own Kern county where many Oklahomans have relatives from the 1930s dust bowl relocations). In Provo UT, Utah county is their "Orange county", must be from all those Californians who moved in.
The Orange County Choppers are based in the one in upstate NY.
I always found it mildly humorous that the Village of Florida, NY is located in Orange County.
Well in New Jersey it is Washington as the most ambiguous name as no matter where you drive, there is a Washington Township. NJ 57 encounters two with Washington and one Borough. I believe the USPS considers the Morris County Washington as Mount Olive, though, to avoid confusion in mail sending.
Jasper is used a lot in the Southeast.
Jasper, FL
Jasper, AL
Jasper, TN
Jasper, MS
Jasper County, SC (part of the Savannah, GA metropolitan area)
Joke to follow:
Quote from: Desert Man on October 10, 2020, 06:04:23 PM
There are 9 counties named Orange, although I know of one in Southern CA, home to Disneyland.
Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando and Walt Disney World.
Orange County, Indiana (home county of VP Danforth "Dan" Quayle).
Orange County, New York, part of the New York metropolitan area.
Orange County, North Carolina.
Orange County, Texas (not sure it has the city of Orange, like the one in CA).
Orange County, Vermont.
Orange County, Virginia.
[...]
The Orange County Choppers are based in the one in upstate NY.
</joke> :-D
Quote from: Desert Man on October 10, 2020, 06:04:23 PM
There are 8 counties named Orange, although I know of one in Southern CA, home to Disneyland.
Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando and Walt Disney World.
Orange County, Indiana (home county of VP Danforth "Dan" Quayle).
Orange County, New York, part of the New York metropolitan area.
Orange County, North Carolina.
Orange County, Texas (not sure it has the city of Orange, like the one in CA).
Orange County, Vermont.
Orange County, Virginia.
In Tulsa OK, a city similar in size to the state capital OK City, locals joke about Osage County is their "Orange County". It has affluent areas known for oil pumping (similar to CA's own Kern county where many Oklahomans have relatives from the 1930s dust bowl relocations). In Provo UT, Utah county is their "Orange county", must be from all those Californians who moved in.
The Orange County Choppers are based in the one in upstate NY.
Quayle isn't from Orange County. He was born in Indy and spent most of his adult life in Huntington before retiring to Arizona.
Quote from: cabiness42 on October 13, 2020, 08:38:06 AM
Quote from: Desert Man on October 10, 2020, 06:04:23 PM
There are 8 counties named Orange, although I know of one in Southern CA, home to Disneyland.
Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando and Walt Disney World.
Orange County, Indiana (home county of VP Danforth "Dan" Quayle).
Orange County, New York, part of the New York metropolitan area.
Orange County, North Carolina.
Orange County, Texas (not sure it has the city of Orange, like the one in CA).
Orange County, Vermont.
Orange County, Virginia.
In Tulsa OK, a city similar in size to the state capital OK City, locals joke about Osage County is their "Orange County". It has affluent areas known for oil pumping (similar to CA's own Kern county where many Oklahomans have relatives from the 1930s dust bowl relocations). In Provo UT, Utah county is their "Orange county", must be from all those Californians who moved in.
The Orange County Choppers are based in the one in upstate NY.
Quayle isn't from Orange County. He was born in Indy and spent most of his adult life in Huntington before retiring to Arizona.
Orange, Texas is indeed in Orange County. Not a bad assumption though, the list of counties and like named cities not in that county in Texas is lengthy.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on October 14, 2020, 12:47:47 PM
Quote from: cabiness42 on October 13, 2020, 08:38:06 AM
Quote from: Desert Man on October 10, 2020, 06:04:23 PM
There are 8 counties named Orange, although I know of one in Southern CA, home to Disneyland.
Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando and Walt Disney World.
Orange County, Indiana (home county of VP Danforth "Dan" Quayle).
Orange County, New York, part of the New York metropolitan area.
Orange County, North Carolina.
Orange County, Texas (not sure it has the city of Orange, like the one in CA).
Orange County, Vermont.
Orange County, Virginia.
In Tulsa OK, a city similar in size to the state capital OK City, locals joke about Osage County is their "Orange County". It has affluent areas known for oil pumping (similar to CA's own Kern county where many Oklahomans have relatives from the 1930s dust bowl relocations). In Provo UT, Utah county is their "Orange county", must be from all those Californians who moved in.
The Orange County Choppers are based in the one in upstate NY.
Quayle isn't from Orange County. He was born in Indy and spent most of his adult life in Huntington before retiring to Arizona.
Orange, Texas is indeed in Orange County. Not a bad assumption though, the list of counties and like named cities not in that county in Texas is lengthy.
Pretty much everywhere. Georgia and Ohio have plenty of examples.
cheyenne, wy is in laramie county.
laramie, wy is in albany county.
Quote from: Desert Man on October 10, 2020, 06:04:23 PM
There are 8 counties named Orange, although I know of one in Southern CA, home to Disneyland.
Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando and Walt Disney World.
Orange County, Indiana (home county of VP Danforth "Dan" Quayle).
Orange County, New York, part of the New York metropolitan area.
Orange County, North Carolina.
Orange County, Texas (not sure it has the city of Orange, like the one in CA).
Orange County, Vermont.
Orange County, Virginia.
The ones in Virginia and North Carolina are both named after the Scottish House of Orange (which ironically was and is the royalty in The Netherlands). Similarly, the ones in New York and Vermont are named after William of Orange (later King William III, to whom our Revolutionary War was waged). The one in Indiana is named after mine here in North Carolina.
I suspect that all the others are named after the citrus fruits that grow in those states.
Quote from: ozarkman417 on May 30, 2020, 02:45:14 PM
I've been to both Murfeesboro, TN and AR, and the AR one is famous because of the nearby Crater of Diamonds State Park. Despite being there before, I had to look up where Murfeesboro, AR was because the town itself isn't very significant.
Ironically both Murfreesboros are just down the road from a Nashville.
Quote from: ozarkman417 on May 30, 2020, 02:45:14 PM
I've been to both Murfeesboro, TN and AR, and the AR one is famous because of the nearby Crater of Diamonds State Park. Despite being there before, I had to look up where Murfeesboro, AR was because the town itself isn't very significant.
Quote from: Urban Prairie Schooner on October 20, 2020, 07:59:18 PM
Ironically both Murfreesboros are just down the road from a Nashville.
In the grander scheme of things, the other Murfreesboro is not too far from Nashville, North Carolina (but not down the same road). One of my wife's ancestors was buried in this Murfreesboro with his horse in the family cemetery. It's become a well-known Halloween tale in that area.
Oklahoma City (state capital of Oklahoma) in Oklahoma County...the city limits is 600 some square miles of area, it is actually in 6 counties...and only half a million people overall. The name Oklahoma means "Land of the red people" in Choctaw, one of 5 major Native American tribal nations, and 35-50 tribes have land jurisdictions in the eastern and southern halves of the state. OKC is in the middle portion not within any tribal nations jurisdictions, parts of northern and western OK aren't either.
Quote from: Desert Man on October 23, 2020, 04:12:21 PM
Oklahoma City (state capital of Oklahoma) in Oklahoma County...the city limits is 600 some square miles of area, it is actually in 6 counties...and only half a million people overall. The name Oklahoma means "Land of the red people" in Choctaw, one of 5 major Native American tribal nations, and 35-50 tribes have land jurisdictions in the eastern and southern halves of the state. OKC is in the middle portion not within any tribal nations jurisdictions, parts of northern and western OK aren't either.
Six counties? I only see four - Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian, and just a tiny bit of Pottawatomie.
Quote from: US 89 on October 23, 2020, 06:19:56 PM
Quote from: Desert Man on October 23, 2020, 04:12:21 PM
Oklahoma City (state capital of Oklahoma) in Oklahoma County...the city limits is 600 some square miles of area, it is actually in 6 counties...and only half a million people overall. The name Oklahoma means "Land of the red people" in Choctaw, one of 5 major Native American tribal nations, and 35-50 tribes have land jurisdictions in the eastern and southern halves of the state. OKC is in the middle portion not within any tribal nations jurisdictions, parts of northern and western OK aren't either.
Six counties? I only see four - Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian, and just a tiny bit of Pottawatomie.
Yes, I stand corrected. The OK City metro area is 7 counties including Pottawatomie where the city of Shawnee is located. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_metropolitan_area