Streets/Roads/Towns You Once Thought Were Named After Famous People, But Are Not

[Henry]

I'd like to start a thread on streets, roads, cities and towns whose namesake is someone famous, even though they were not named after said person as you may have believed.

For example, there's a street in Orlando named Kaley Avenue that makes you think of Ms. Cuoco (the actress who played Penny on The Big Bang Theory), although its existence predates her birth.

What other examples can you name?

[hotdogPi]

Town name: Lincoln, MA. For a while, I thought that at the time of the American Revolution, Lexington and Concord were adjacent (because of the battle names), and Lincoln was created later and named after our 16th president. It turns out that the town of Lincoln existed at that time (and is important to history but somewhat forgotten), and it was obviously not named after someone who wasn't born yet.

How many years before people are no longer aware that most streets named Clinton St. predate Bill?

[kphoger]

Joliet, IL

The town is not named after Louis Jolliet, even though that explorer reached the area in 1673.  The truth is that the town was first incorporated in the 1830s as Juliet, named after the founder's daughter.  By the time the town re-incorporated fifteen years later–having nullified its previous incorporation status–the town's name had been changed to Joliet.

Source:
"The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (Second Edition), Dept of the Interior USGS, pub. 1905
(.pdf warning)
Page 170

[Max Rockatansky]

Turns out Visalia, CA is just named after a place in Kentucky.  The name sounds kind of like something like you'd expect to have a Spanish origin given it is in California but it turned out not to be the case. 

[kphoger]

Man, I read 1's reply and my brain switched to thinking this topic included town names.  Oops, sorry.

[1995hoo]

What a timely thread. Yesterday afternoon, my brother, who lives in New Orleans, sent my mother and me an e-mail with a weather map showing heat indices throughout southeastern Louisiana, including a 107° reading in New Orleans (he was getting ready to go out for a bike ride). The map showed Boothville at "000°," presumably due to damaged equipment or other Cristobal-related disruptions.

Our mom e-mailed back assuming that Boothville's name had some connection to John Wilkes Booth. My brother looked it up and advised it was named after a "Colonel Booth" who owned land in the area. John Wilkes Booth was never a colonel.

[Brandon]

Joliet, IL

The town is not named after Louis Jolliet, even though that explorer reached the area in 1673.  The truth is that the town was first incorporated in the 1830s as Juliet, named after the founder's daughter.  By the time the town re-incorporated fifteen years later—having nullified its previous incorporation status—the town's name had been changed to Joliet.

Source:
"The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (Second Edition), Dept of the Interior USGS, pub. 1905
(.pdf warning)
Page 170

Living here, that's only partially true.  There was a mound, now gone as it was mined for clay, named "Joliet's Mound" or "Mount Joliet" for Louis Jolliet (also spelled Joliet and Joliette).  The original town, on the east side where downtown is now, was named Juliet, apparently for a daughter of a settler.  Romeo, later Romeoville, was named in complement to it.  For the reincorporation in 1852, they consciously took the name of the mound named for the explorer.

[kphoger]

In Chicago:

Clarence L. Shaffer, Sr. Drive – named after William and Caleb Halsted
Frank Lodarek Way – named after George Rogers Clark
Reverend J. M. Stone Drive – named after Senator Stephen A. Douglas
Apostle Cornelius Parker, Sr. Way – named after Amos G. Throop
Ronald Lucius Salazar Way – named after Daniel Elston
Górale podhalańscy Way – named after Colonel William Archer
Robert Borgstrom Way – named after John Kinzie
[/snark]

[kphoger]

Joliet, IL

The town is not named after Louis Jolliet, even though that explorer reached the area in 1673.  The truth is that the town was first incorporated in the 1830s as Juliet, named after the founder's daughter.  By the time the town re-incorporated fifteen years later–having nullified its previous incorporation status–the town's name had been changed to Joliet.

Source:
"The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (Second Edition), Dept of the Interior USGS, pub. 1905
(.pdf warning)
Page 170

Living here, that's only partially true.  There was a mound, now gone as it was mined for clay, named "Joliet's Mound" or "Mount Joliet" for Louis Jolliet (also spelled Joliet and Joliette).  The original town, on the east side where downtown is now, was named Juliet, apparently for a daughter of a settler.  Romeo, later Romeoville, was named in complement to it.  For the reincorporation in 1852, they consciously took the name of the mound named for the explorer.

Having been born in Joliet, I thank you for mentioning Romeoville.  I was going to but, by that time I got around to it, I'd realized this topic wasn't actually about city names.

[ftballfan]

Ford St in Manistee, MI predates Gerald R. Ford

[bob7374]

There are several Lincoln counties in the south. Including in AL, GA, KY, NC and TN. All of them are named after Revolutionary War Major General Benjamin Lincoln, the most famous resident of my hometown, Hingham, MA, not the 16th US President. As well as the town of Lincolnton, GA and NC and Lincoln, VT.

[webny99]

How many years before people are no longer aware that most streets named Clinton St. predate Bill?

Probably about -25 years.

[hbelkins]

Probably any place with a King Street where the street was named before MLK was killed.

Which is probably why most places that name streets after him use his full name, sometimes down to the "Jr.," instead of just calling it King Street.

One surprising entry for Kentucky is Lincoln County. Since Abe Lincoln was born here and spent some of his childhood here before the family moved away to Indiana and later Illinois, most people assume that the county is named for him. Nope. Lincoln County was one of Kentucky's first three counties when Kentucky County separated from Virginia and became its own state. The county is named for Benjamin Lincoln, whom I believe was a Revolutionary War figure but certainly not as famous as Honest Abe.

[GaryV]

Ford St in Manistee, MI predates Gerald R. Ford

Ford Road (M-153) from Detroit to Ann Arbor was not named for Gerald, nor for Henry.   It was named for Henry's father, William.

[Bruce]

Until 2005, King County was officially named for Vice President William R. King. It was then switched to honor Martin Luther King Jr. (with his face on the flags and logos of the county).

[Scott5114]

Walker Avenue in Oklahoma City is probably not named after Walker, Texas Ranger.

Probably.

[kphoger]

Until 2005, King County was officially named for Vice President William R. King. It was then switched to honor Martin Luther King Jr. (with his face on the flags and logos of the county).

What the heck?  That's like erasing the history of who the locale was named for.  To me, the question of who a locale was named for is only a question of who the founders had in mind when they chose the name. 

Of course, there would be no question if the county had actually changed names–say, from King County to Washington County in honor of Booker T. Washington.  Then they could legitimately say it was named after a different person.  But, keeping the same name, I don't buy it.

[1995hoo]

Until 2005, King County was officially named for Vice President William R. King. It was then switched to honor Martin Luther King Jr. (with his face on the flags and logos of the county).

What the heck?  That's like erasing the history of who the locale was named for.  To me, the question of who a locale was named for is only a question of who the founders had in mind when they chose the name. 

....

It's probably motivated by the fact that William King and his family owned at least 500 slaves, more than almost any other slaveholding family in Alabama.

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right."
–George Orwell, 1984

[hotdogPi]

Until 2005, King County was officially named for Vice President William R. King. It was then switched to honor Martin Luther King Jr. (with his face on the flags and logos of the county).

What the heck?  That's like erasing the history of who the locale was named for.  To me, the question of who a locale was named for is only a question of who the founders had in mind when they chose the name. 

....

It's probably motivated by the fact that William King and his family owned at least 500 slaves, more than almost any other slaveholding family in Alabama.

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right."
–George Orwell, 1984

You can't change etymology by claiming that it's something different. It's still named after the first person in reality.

[1995hoo]

Until 2005, King County was officially named for Vice President William R. King. It was then switched to honor Martin Luther King Jr. (with his face on the flags and logos of the county).

What the heck?  That's like erasing the history of who the locale was named for.  To me, the question of who a locale was named for is only a question of who the founders had in mind when they chose the name. 

....

It's probably motivated by the fact that William King and his family owned at least 500 slaves, more than almost any other slaveholding family in Alabama.

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right."
–George Orwell, 1984

You can't change etymology by claiming that it's something different. It's still named after the first person in reality.

Don't know whether you've read the book. In that world, if you believed what you just said, you would be guilty of thoughtcrime.

[webny99]

So, essentially, nothing changes, but you must now believe it's named after a different person?
That strikes me as completely illogical. Psychotic, almost.

[Flint1979]

Ford St in Manistee, MI predates Gerald R. Ford

Ford Road (M-153) from Detroit to Ann Arbor was not named for Gerald, nor for Henry.   It was named for Henry's father, William.

I don't know why anyone would think it was named for President Ford considering he was only president less than 50 years ago and that road was named Ford Road long before he was even born.

[Flint1979]

How many years before people are no longer aware that most streets named Clinton St. predate Bill?

Probably about -25 years.

Some of them are probably named for DeWitt Clinton.

[1995hoo]

So, essentially, nothing changes, but you must now believe it's named after a different person?
That strikes me as completely illogical. Psychotic, almost.

I take it you've never read 1984. Find a summary of it online (even Wikipedia would probably do). You obviously get the point, though it sounds like you aren't familiar with the novel.



Going back to street names, I know very well the name of this street near us has nothing to do with a certain US president, but I still get a kick out of it and I wonder how many people who go house-hunting bypass that street just because of its name (seriously, I'm sure there are people who do that):

https://goo.gl/maps/iAY2YWwkJcaJpqcDA

[kphoger]

Until 2005, King County was officially named for Vice President William R. King. It was then switched to honor Martin Luther King Jr. (with his face on the flags and logos of the county).

What the heck?  That's like erasing the history of who the locale was named for.  To me, the question of who a locale was named for is only a question of who the founders had in mind when they chose the name. 

....

It's probably motivated by the fact that William King and his family owned at least 500 slaves, more than almost any other slaveholding family in Alabama.

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right."
–George Orwell, 1984

You can't change etymology by claiming that it's something different. It's still named after the first person in reality.

Don't know whether you've read the book. In that world, if you believed what you just said, you would be guilty of thoughtcrime.

Who needs a book for that?  We might laugh at the thought, but I think at least some of us do so with a twinge of suspicion that something like that might be the reality in our society twenty years from now.

So, essentially, nothing changes, but you must now believe it's named after a different person?
That strikes me as completely illogical. Psychotic, almost.

Thank you for putting it so succinctly–except that the words 'illogical' and 'psychotic' don't go far enough.  The King County Council, Governor Gregoire, and the 59th Legislature essentially signed a lie into law:  that the county was renamed.  In reality, the county didn't change names.  But, if you continue to claim that the county is named after the nations 13th Vice President, then you're officially wrong.

King county is renamed in honor of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.

Passed by the Senate March 8, 2005.
Passed by the House April 5, 2005.
Approved by the Governor April 19, 2005.