Have you ever thought about how your town got its name? While some names seem to make sense, others can be a bit strange and out there, and now a new report reveals some of the strangest in the U.S.
The site 24/7 Tempo has come out with their picks for the 50 strangest town names, choosing them either simply because of the name, or because of its odd history.
Strange town names include (click here for the complete list)
- Accident,Maryland– Chosen by speculator William Deakins, Jr. apparently because he and another speculator accidentally surveyed the same land at the same time.
- Arab, Alabama– (pronounced “ey-rab”) The name is apparently came from a mistake, when settler Stephen Tuttle Thompson asked for a post office he gave three suggested names, one, Arad, was after his son, but it was misspelled.
- Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida –Named after founder William John Howey, it was originally just called Howey, but changed to reflect the area’s hills and lakes.
- Between, Georgia– It was chosen because the postman said it was approximately midway between Monroe and the town of Loganville.
- Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania– Allegedly inspired by in the inns in the area that were named after images most people could understand.
- Boring, Oregon– No, it’s not a description of the area, it’s named for Civil War veteran William Harrison Boring.
- Cucumber, West Virginia– Named after the cucumber tree, which grows in the area, or Cucumber Creek, but that also may be named for the tree.
- Cutand Shoot, Texas– Allegedly named because of a 1912 disagreement in which a small boy was so annoyed he announced, “I’m going to cut around the corner and shoot through the bushes in a minute.”
- Why, Arizona– It likely got it’s name for the Y-shaped junction of two state highways, although one tale suggests it was named when people wondered why settlers would live all the way out there.
- Whynot, North Carolina– After a long discussion over the name somebody simply asked “Why not name it Why Not and then we can go home?”
- Gross, Nebraska– It was named after a couple who opened a store there, who hoped to make money off folks traveling on a promised railroad that was never built. It only has nine residents now.
- Toad Suck, Arkansas– According to the town’s website, when the Arkansas River got too shallow, crews on steamboats would wait it out at a local tavern and they drank so much somebody joked, “They suck on the bottle ‘til they swell up like toads.”
As for South Carolina they awarded the honor to Coward. The town was most likely named after the prominent Coward family, which lived in the county