# American cities named after foreign cities **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 29, 2001, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873 "2001-05-29T10:23:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/1 "2001-05-29T10:23:38Z")
_Originally posted by Greg Charles in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1342929#post1342929):_ > [@](#): > > Yeah, but we haven’t started a category for American cities named > after foreign cities … just foreign countries. There must be hundreds of > examples of the former. Some famous ones: Athens, GA, Paris, TX, > St. Petersburg, FL … Well, there’s an Odessa, Texas, a Versailles (pronounced “Ver- **sales** ”), Indiana, and a London, Ohio. What others can you think of? ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/2 "2001-05-29T11:18:51Z")
Another one in Ohio, where I was born and reared: Ravenna, from Ravenna, Italy. I grew up with lots of Italians. ---
**Author:** ![tatertot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@tatertot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tatertot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/3 "2001-05-29T11:22:33Z")
Memphis, Tennessee I hate it here - just had to share. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/4 "2001-05-29T11:45:35Z")
Prague (PRAYG), Nebraska Cairo (CAYRO), Illinois York, Pennsylvania Sparta, New York …and I believe there’s a Philadelphia in Syria or Jordan. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/5 "2001-05-29T12:53:01Z")
Rome, NY OTOH, there is only one city in Europe named after an American city: Filadelphia, Italy. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/6 "2001-05-29T12:57:31Z")
There are several States with a town named Portsmouth. Ohio,Virginia and Massachusetts come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/7 "2001-05-29T13:42:37Z")
Cairo, NY Athens, AL Athens, TN Rome, GA ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/8 "2001-05-29T14:06:14Z")
There’s a Washington in the UK but I’m not sure which version came first or even if there is a causal link. I seem to recall a Boston in the UK too. Anyway, who are you callng foreign? 😃 pan ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/9 "2001-05-29T14:07:55Z")
Moscow, ID Ontario, CA (Okay, that one’s named after a Canadian _provice_…) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/10 "2001-05-29T14:14:03Z")
Paris, Ms Moscow, Ms Rome, Ms Well Dang, that’s all I can think of right now… ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/11 "2001-05-29T14:18:59Z")
Theres a Medina Ohio and Macedonia. ---
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/12 "2001-05-29T14:25:39Z")
**Versailles, MO** (VER-sails) **Paris, MO** **St. Louis, MO** Ok, maybe it wasn’t named after the one in Senegal but close enough. I’m feeling dumb now because that’s all that I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/13 "2001-05-29T14:29:01Z")
In **Texas** , in addition to the already-mentioned _Paris_ and _Odessa_ (btw, one of my favorite weekend destinations): Karnack(sp?), TX London, TX Edinburgh, TX Moscow, TX Roma, TX Marathon, TX (just ~26 mi away from me–coincidence?) Dublin, TX (home of the last Dr. Pepper made w/ cane sugar) and it’s not a city, but just outside of town is Toronto siding… _could’ve_ been a city, but will forever remain a mere siding. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/14 "2001-05-29T15:02:22Z")
Warsaw, MO London, KY Venice, IL Vienna, IL Rome, IL Paris, IL Athens, IL (a lot of river towns in southern Illinois seem to have taken their names from world capitals) Birmingham, AL Hannibal, MO (wasn’t there an ancient city of Hannibal in Egypt) Syracuse, NY _New_ Orleans, LA (does that count?) Manchester, RI (or is it MA?) ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/15 "2001-05-29T15:36:13Z")
New Brunswick, NJ, named after Brunswick, Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/16 "2001-05-29T15:39:51Z")
Maybe its just that I’m from Illinois and have driven the open prarie alot but I think this list will get extremely long to the point of the entries not being notable. It seems that as you drive any stretch of highway every other off ramp is to a town which shares a name with a Old World city or country. But like rastahomie said, maybe its just an Illinois thing. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/17 "2001-05-29T16:48:38Z")
Pantellerite, how could you miss Paris, TX? Do other Parises generate bad jokes? Where are you going for your honeymoon? Paris…TX I’m spending the summer in Paris…TX ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/18 "2001-05-29T21:46:06Z")
There’s also Milan, TN. They pronounce it Mile-an down here in TN though. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2001, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/19 "2001-05-29T22:09:09Z")
All from Minnesota: Alexandria Belgrade Cambridge Ceylon (country, not city, though) Cologne Dover Finland (another country name) Ghent Hamburg Hamel Hanover Hanska Holland (country) Karlstad Kensington (but that’s a county, not city, correct? Ditto with Kent.) Lancaster Little Canda (country) Manchester Milan Montevideo Mora Nassau Navarre New London New Munich New Prague New Ulm Odessa Oslo St. Cloud (There’s also a bunch of other ‘St. cities’; I assume any country would have the equivalent of St. Paul or St. Peter) Santiago Upsala Warsaw This was just from a quick browse through an atlas and I only listed cities I **know** exist elsewhere; I’m certain I cound find a few more with some more time. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/20 "2001-05-30T00:46:34Z")
For most of my life I lived eleven miles from the second largest Copenhagen in the world… Copenhagen, New York (pop. about 500) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873.md?page=2)