24 Funniest American Town Names. Which Is Your Favorite?
The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave is also home to the land of some amusing town names.
America is dotted with town names that make those who aren’t from there scratch their heads in confusion (and laugh out loud, too). Settle in for a funny read!
1: North, South Carolina
The founders of North, South Carolina weren’t trying to confuse anyone. They named the town after John North, who donated land for a railway depot, which residents thrived on. Of course, George Pou and Samuel Livingston also donated land for the cause. Using their names might have made giving directions to or from the town less complicated.
2: Paris, Arkansas
Despite its miniature Eiffel Tower, the rural town of Paris, Arkansas, is a far cry from the renowned and iconic city in France. It’s home to a mere 3,700 residents and the original Warren’s Shoe Store, which isn’t quite on par with the City of Love’s fashion houses.
3: Montana, Wisconsin
Using the name of another state for your town is a perplexing choice, but in Montana, Wisconsin’s case, the town founders weren’t being copycats. Montana wasn’t a state until 1889, but Montana, Wisconsin, came to be in 1867.
4: Okay, Oklahoma
Calling a town an affirmative response is confusing in itself, but Okay, Oklahoma is especially confounding given that “OK” is the abbreviation for Oklahoma.
5: Halfway, Oregon
If Halfway, Oregon rings a bell, it may be because it made headlines as the first “internet city” when it changed its name to Half.com in 2000. Now, it’s back to Halfway, but halfway to where? No one’s entirely sure.
6: Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne, Florida, is nowhere near the famous Australian city. Its name is due to a lack of creativity by its founder, an Englishman who spent several happy years in the Land Down Under.
7: Why, Arizona
The town of Why isn’t trying to ask a philosophical question. It’s named for a now non-existent y-shaped intersection that sat in the town’s center. Founders who wanted to name their home “Y” were met with resistance from the state legislature, which required at least three letters for every city name.
8: Texas, New York
Technically speaking, Texas, New York is a hamlet, not a town. It’s located in the town of Mexico, New York, which makes things very confusing.
9: New York, Texas
Not to be left out of the New York-Texas confusion, the Lone Star state has a town named after the Big Apple. It’s unclear whether New York, Texas, earned its moniker as a joke or because of its founders’ high hopes for the little town.
10: Athens, Georgia
The founders of Athens, Georgia, named it as such because of the recently opened University of Georgia. Athens was the educational center of ancient Greece, and many hoped it would also become a mecca of learning in the Peach State.
11: Delhi, New York
Delhi, New York, is named after Delhi, India, but locals don’t pronounce it that way. Instead, they say, “Del-High.” The pronunciation started as a jibe against one of the town’s founders, and it stuck.
12: Alaska, New Mexico
Perhaps in search of a warmer climate, many Alaskan natives live in this small town in Cibolo County, New Mexico, which is probably how it earned its moniker.
13: New Mexico, Maryland
New Mexico, Maryland isn’t named for the state or the country. Instead, the founders named it after the community across the highway, called Mexico.
14: Illinoi, Indiana
Illinoi is an unincorporated town that’s technically in Indiana. However, it sits against the state line, placing it exceptionally close to neighboring Illinois.
15: Nameless, Tennessee
Just an hour east of Nashville’s big city lights sits Nameless, Tennessee. Legend has it that the small town got its name, or lack thereof, when founders left the name blank on their application with the U.S. Postal Service.
16: Portland, Maine
You may be more familiar with Portland, Oregon, but Portland, Maine, was sort of the original. The founders of the East Coast port city based its name on the English Isle of Portland. Later, Oregonians named their largest city after the one in Maine.
17: Berlin, Connecticut
Berlin, Connecticut, was originally called “The Great Swamp Society.” Even though the new name copies Germany’s capital, it’s arguably still an improvement over the original.
18: Toronto, Ohio
When Toronto native W.F. Dunspaugh brought his business to Ohio, he said his home city was worth emulating. Other city founders agreed, and Toronto, Ohio, was born.
19: Dublin, Ohio
Dublin, Ohio, gets its name from yet another homesick founder. When John Sells decided to set up a village along the Scioto River, he asked his surveyor, John Shields, to name it. Shields couldn’t think of anything better than his hometown, Dublin, Ireland.
20: Oxford, Mississippi
The founders of Oxford, Mississippi, chose to name their town after the famous educational center in Oxford, England, even before Mississippi’s first university was built. They hoped the aspirational name would lead to a university. The plan worked, and students of the University of Mississippi have been able to say they earned a degree in Oxford ever since.
21: Warsaw, Indiana
Warsaw, Indiana, was named in honor of Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish hero who fought with the Americans in the Revolutionary War. It’s a nice gesture, but this city does have a small airport, which could make things confusing if you’re trying to get to Poland’s capital city.
22: Uncertain, Texas
Getting to Uncertain, Texas could quickly become an ordeal. Just imagine trying to buy a bus ticket to this town. “Where are you heading?” “Uncertain.”
23: Stop, Georgia
Stop, Georgia is really a neighborhood within the larger Tyrone, Georgia, but that doesn’t make it any less puzzling. Naming anything after a verbal command is a sure way to confuse everyone.
24: Madrid, Iowa
Before it was Madrid, Iowa, it was Swede’s Point. The name came from the founder’s wife, who was Swedish, but when said founder had a falling out with his wife’s family, he decided to rename the city to something entirely un-Swedish. Madrid was his choice.
50 Weirdest Laws in Each State
Most Americans are clear on treating thy neighbor as they’d want to be treated to reduce the chance of fines and jail time. But did you know you could be breaking the law by carrying an ice cream cone in your pocket? These are the weirdest laws in each state, most of which courts don’t enforce.
50 Weirdest Laws in Each State That’ll Make You Chuckle
40 Most Confusing Acronyms
With many people wanting to send and receive information quickly, new acronyms seem to appear by the minute. The problem? Many Americans are left in the dust about what they mean.
