Town name origins
@townnames.bsky.social
Occasional facts about towns in the USA.
Flyover state aficionado.
Flyover state aficionado.
is anyone else still waiting on Sufjan Stevens to make his Delaware album
July 19, 2025 at 4:06 PM
is anyone else still waiting on Sufjan Stevens to make his Delaware album
King County, Texas 🗺️ is named after William Phillip King who died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.
Kingsville, Texas is the county seat of Kleberg County 🗺️ and is named after Richard King (1824–1885), founder of the King Ranch, which is the largest ranch in the United States.
Kingsville, Texas is the county seat of Kleberg County 🗺️ and is named after Richard King (1824–1885), founder of the King Ranch, which is the largest ranch in the United States.
July 15, 2025 at 11:13 PM
King County, Texas 🗺️ is named after William Phillip King who died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.
Kingsville, Texas is the county seat of Kleberg County 🗺️ and is named after Richard King (1824–1885), founder of the King Ranch, which is the largest ranch in the United States.
Kingsville, Texas is the county seat of Kleberg County 🗺️ and is named after Richard King (1824–1885), founder of the King Ranch, which is the largest ranch in the United States.
Is anyone else still waiting on Sufjan Stevens to make his North Dakota album
July 14, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Is anyone else still waiting on Sufjan Stevens to make his North Dakota album
Reposted by Town name origins
Founded by 1881 (as Millhaven), then changed to "Dlo", and then "D'Lo", purportedly from the French "De l'eau non potable..."
There's also a folk etymology that a factory owner said of the place "it's too damn low!" (shortened to D'Lo).
www.wlbt.com/story/345791...
There's also a folk etymology that a factory owner said of the place "it's too damn low!" (shortened to D'Lo).
www.wlbt.com/story/345791...
July 14, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Founded by 1881 (as Millhaven), then changed to "Dlo", and then "D'Lo", purportedly from the French "De l'eau non potable..."
There's also a folk etymology that a factory owner said of the place "it's too damn low!" (shortened to D'Lo).
www.wlbt.com/story/345791...
There's also a folk etymology that a factory owner said of the place "it's too damn low!" (shortened to D'Lo).
www.wlbt.com/story/345791...
Founded by 1881 (as Millhaven), then changed to "Dlo", and then "D'Lo", purportedly from the French "De l'eau non potable..."
There's also a folk etymology that a factory owner said of the place "it's too damn low!" (shortened to D'Lo).
www.wlbt.com/story/345791...
There's also a folk etymology that a factory owner said of the place "it's too damn low!" (shortened to D'Lo).
www.wlbt.com/story/345791...
July 14, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Founded by 1881 (as Millhaven), then changed to "Dlo", and then "D'Lo", purportedly from the French "De l'eau non potable..."
There's also a folk etymology that a factory owner said of the place "it's too damn low!" (shortened to D'Lo).
www.wlbt.com/story/345791...
There's also a folk etymology that a factory owner said of the place "it's too damn low!" (shortened to D'Lo).
www.wlbt.com/story/345791...
Guys I found my dream job
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_ju...
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_ju...
Mail jumping - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
July 12, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Guys I found my dream job
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_ju...
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_ju...
"City of Wood Village"
Wood Village, Oregon
Population: 4,093
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_Village,_Oregon
Population: 4,093
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_Village,_Oregon
July 11, 2025 at 2:02 AM
"City of Wood Village"
Mamma mia here we go again
("An American Indian language")
("An American Indian language")
July 2, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Mamma mia here we go again
("An American Indian language")
("An American Indian language")
Iowa Colony, Texas: One of the most bizarre municipal layouts in the United States (from my home county)
July 1, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Iowa Colony, Texas: One of the most bizarre municipal layouts in the United States (from my home county)
Not to be confused with Altair, Texas, which is also in Colorado County, and has a name meaning "the Bird" in Arabic.
June 20, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Not to be confused with Altair, Texas, which is also in Colorado County, and has a name meaning "the Bird" in Arabic.
Originally "The Pleasant Plains of Damascus" (after Damascus, Syria)
Damascus, Maryland
Population: 15,094
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus,_Maryland
Population: 15,094
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus,_Maryland
June 18, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Originally "The Pleasant Plains of Damascus" (after Damascus, Syria)
If you include mythological place names, it would be a long list:
Atlantis, Florida
Mt Olympus, Washington
Asgard Peak, British Columbia (in Valhalla Park)
But place names adapted from literature are not as common.
Atlantis, Florida
Mt Olympus, Washington
Asgard Peak, British Columbia (in Valhalla Park)
But place names adapted from literature are not as common.
How many place names are named after fictional places/things? So far I've found (in English) California, Shangri-La and the Amazon
June 15, 2025 at 4:13 PM
If you include mythological place names, it would be a long list:
Atlantis, Florida
Mt Olympus, Washington
Asgard Peak, British Columbia (in Valhalla Park)
But place names adapted from literature are not as common.
Atlantis, Florida
Mt Olympus, Washington
Asgard Peak, British Columbia (in Valhalla Park)
But place names adapted from literature are not as common.
Oops, I missed Atlanta, Delaware.
That one, unlike all the others, is at least reasonably close to the Atlantic Ocean, which makes it a little less eccentric as a name choice.
That one, unlike all the others, is at least reasonably close to the Atlantic Ocean, which makes it a little less eccentric as a name choice.
June 3, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Oops, I missed Atlanta, Delaware.
That one, unlike all the others, is at least reasonably close to the Atlantic Ocean, which makes it a little less eccentric as a name choice.
That one, unlike all the others, is at least reasonably close to the Atlantic Ocean, which makes it a little less eccentric as a name choice.
America has at least 13 Atlantas outside Georgia:
Atlanta, Mississippi
Atlanta, Louisiana
Atlanta, Arkansas
Atlanta, Missouri
Atlanta, Texas
Atlanta, Michigan
Atlanta, Indiana
Atlanta, Illinois
Atlanta, Idaho
Atlanta, Kansas
Atlanta, Nebraska
Atlanta, Ohio
Atlanta, California
Atlanta, Mississippi
Atlanta, Louisiana
Atlanta, Arkansas
Atlanta, Missouri
Atlanta, Texas
Atlanta, Michigan
Atlanta, Indiana
Atlanta, Illinois
Atlanta, Idaho
Atlanta, Kansas
Atlanta, Nebraska
Atlanta, Ohio
Atlanta, California
June 3, 2025 at 5:59 PM
America has at least 13 Atlantas outside Georgia:
Atlanta, Mississippi
Atlanta, Louisiana
Atlanta, Arkansas
Atlanta, Missouri
Atlanta, Texas
Atlanta, Michigan
Atlanta, Indiana
Atlanta, Illinois
Atlanta, Idaho
Atlanta, Kansas
Atlanta, Nebraska
Atlanta, Ohio
Atlanta, California
Atlanta, Mississippi
Atlanta, Louisiana
Atlanta, Arkansas
Atlanta, Missouri
Atlanta, Texas
Atlanta, Michigan
Atlanta, Indiana
Atlanta, Illinois
Atlanta, Idaho
Atlanta, Kansas
Atlanta, Nebraska
Atlanta, Ohio
Atlanta, California
Named after Sparta, Tennessee (of course)
Sparta, Missouri
Population: 1,946
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta,_Missouri
Population: 1,946
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta,_Missouri
June 2, 2025 at 6:45 AM
Named after Sparta, Tennessee (of course)
Panama City, Florida was named in 1906 after the capital of Panama.
The new name was meant to capitalize on popular interest in the Panama Canal project which was ongoing at the time.
The new name was meant to capitalize on popular interest in the Panama Canal project which was ongoing at the time.
June 1, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Panama City, Florida was named in 1906 after the capital of Panama.
The new name was meant to capitalize on popular interest in the Panama Canal project which was ongoing at the time.
The new name was meant to capitalize on popular interest in the Panama Canal project which was ongoing at the time.
Despite being a lumber town, completely surrounded by the "piney woods", Woodville, TX is named after George Tyler Wood, 2nd governor of Texas (1847–1849).
June 1, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Despite being a lumber town, completely surrounded by the "piney woods", Woodville, TX is named after George Tyler Wood, 2nd governor of Texas (1847–1849).
The location of Van in Van Zandt County is a coincidence; the two names were given separately.
Van, TX was named in 1894 for both postmaster Henry Vance and resident Vannie Tunnell.
"Van" is an intersection of the two names.
Previous names were Ratty Towns (after a resident) and Who'd-a-Thought-it.
More in the Handbook of Texas:
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent...
"Van" is an intersection of the two names.
Previous names were Ratty Towns (after a resident) and Who'd-a-Thought-it.
More in the Handbook of Texas:
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent...
May 31, 2025 at 4:13 AM
The location of Van in Van Zandt County is a coincidence; the two names were given separately.
Van, TX was named in 1894 for both postmaster Henry Vance and resident Vannie Tunnell.
"Van" is an intersection of the two names.
Previous names were Ratty Towns (after a resident) and Who'd-a-Thought-it.
More in the Handbook of Texas:
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent...
"Van" is an intersection of the two names.
Previous names were Ratty Towns (after a resident) and Who'd-a-Thought-it.
More in the Handbook of Texas:
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent...
May 31, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Van, TX was named in 1894 for both postmaster Henry Vance and resident Vannie Tunnell.
"Van" is an intersection of the two names.
Previous names were Ratty Towns (after a resident) and Who'd-a-Thought-it.
More in the Handbook of Texas:
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent...
"Van" is an intersection of the two names.
Previous names were Ratty Towns (after a resident) and Who'd-a-Thought-it.
More in the Handbook of Texas:
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/ent...
Named for the biblical location of Bethel, meaning ‘house of God’.
Source: William D. Overton, Ohio Town Names
Read his 1958 book about Ohio town names here:
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=md...
Source: William D. Overton, Ohio Town Names
Read his 1958 book about Ohio town names here:
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=md...
May 31, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Named for the biblical location of Bethel, meaning ‘house of God’.
Source: William D. Overton, Ohio Town Names
Read his 1958 book about Ohio town names here:
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=md...
Source: William D. Overton, Ohio Town Names
Read his 1958 book about Ohio town names here:
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=md...
Clarinda, IA is supposedly named for Clarinda Buck, who carried water to the surveyors while Page County was first being surveyed.
Clarinda, Iowa
Population: 5,215
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarinda,_Iowa
Population: 5,215
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarinda,_Iowa
May 31, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Clarinda, IA is supposedly named for Clarinda Buck, who carried water to the surveyors while Page County was first being surveyed.
The name of Haysi, VA is probably a portmanteau from the surnames of Charles M. Hayter and Otis L. Sifers, general store owners.
Folk etymology:
Said to be from "hey, Si!", shouted while addressing a ferry operator named Silas.
Other names:
The area was called "The Mouth of McClure" in the past.
Folk etymology:
Said to be from "hey, Si!", shouted while addressing a ferry operator named Silas.
Other names:
The area was called "The Mouth of McClure" in the past.
Haysi, Virginia
Population: 465
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haysi,_Virginia
Population: 465
Photos from Google Places API
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haysi,_Virginia
May 30, 2025 at 9:28 AM
The name of Haysi, VA is probably a portmanteau from the surnames of Charles M. Hayter and Otis L. Sifers, general store owners.
Folk etymology:
Said to be from "hey, Si!", shouted while addressing a ferry operator named Silas.
Other names:
The area was called "The Mouth of McClure" in the past.
Folk etymology:
Said to be from "hey, Si!", shouted while addressing a ferry operator named Silas.
Other names:
The area was called "The Mouth of McClure" in the past.