# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/21 "2001-05-30T01:05:24Z")
A few from Maine and New Hampshire come to mind right off the bat, but I’ll probably come up with a lot more later when I look at the atlas. Bangor, Maine Brunswick, Maine Berlin, N.H. (say BER-lin) Paris, Maine Portsmouth, N.H. Milan, N.H. (say MY-lin) Calais, Maine (say CAL-us) Manchester, N.H. Leeds, Maine Hanover, N.H. Madrid, Maine (say MAD-rid) Dublin, N.H. Londonderry, N.H. Derry, N.H. York, Maine Moscow, Maine (say MOS-kow not MOS-koe) Oxford, Maine Lancaster, N.H. Rochester, N.H. (also Rochester, N.Y., but I happen to know that one was named after a person, a Colonel Rochester) Toledo, Ohio Lyons, New York (say LIE-inz) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/22 "2001-05-30T01:07:49Z")
There is a **Lebanon** Kentucky ( or tennessee, I can never remember. I live in \*\*Oxford, Michigan \*\* which is the sister city of Oxford, England. They have a buncha colleges and lots of spectacular history. We have a Feed Store, Star Bucks and a Multiplex. Woo. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/23 "2001-05-30T01:07:58Z")
In New York: Rome Cairo Athens Amsterdam Dunkirk Waterloo **rastahomie** , Manchester’s in Vermont. ---
**Author:** ![messiah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@messiah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/messiah)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/24 "2001-05-30T01:08:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chique \* > \*\*Kensington (but that’s a county, not city, correct? Ditto with Kent.) > \*\* Kensington was a town, now a borough of the county of Greater London. It was never a county itself, Kent was and still is a county. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/25 "2001-05-30T01:21:56Z")
Nice list **chique** , but you forgot Albertville(France). ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/26 "2001-05-30T02:08:33Z")
Ta, **messiah** , and merci, **imthjckaz** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/27 "2001-05-30T02:22:22Z")
**chique** ,is there a Foley anywhere else in the world?😃 ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/28 "2001-05-30T02:24:47Z")
Dear gawd I hope not 😛 ---
**Author:** ![jaimest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/48db29/32.png) [@jaimest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaimest)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/29 "2001-05-30T02:42:21Z")
Don’t forget Toledo, Ohio (Spain) Naples, Florida and …Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenicia?) ---
**Author:** ![demanton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@demanton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/demanton)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/30 "2001-05-30T02:46:31Z")
**Saint Zero** , don’t forget Sebastapol, MS ---
**Author:** ![fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fish_in_the_sky)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/31 "2001-05-30T03:36:49Z")
Also: Athens, Wisconsin Rome, Wisconsin Sparta, Wisconsin ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/32 "2001-05-30T04:24:02Z")
From [Interesting Names and Places in Oregon](http://www.webtrail.com/applegate/oregon.html) Names of foreign cities used in Oregon Berlin, Linn County Troy, Wallowa County Toledo, Lincoln County Waterloo, Linn County Liverpool, Linn County Manila, Yamhill County Elgarose, Douglas County London Peak, Josephine County Rome, Malheur and Marion Counties Paris, Lane County Dundee, Yamhill County Bandon, Coos County Malin, Klamath County ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/33 "2001-05-30T07:13:46Z")
Bath, Maine Naples, Maine Belgrade, Maine Belfast, Maine Bremen, Maine Bristol, Maine Buxton, Maine Cambridge, Maine Carthage, Maine Chelsea, Maine Corinth, Maine Lisbon, Maine Hanover, Maine Hebron, Maine Falmouth, Maine Palmyra, Maine Stockholm, Maine Vienna, Maine Waterford, Maine Yarmouth, Maine Bethlehem, N.H. Lisbon, N.H Bath, N.H. Hebron, N.H. Bristol, N.H. Newport, N.H. Nottingham, N.H. Marlborough, N.H. ---
**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 30, 2001, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/34 "2001-05-30T09:34:14Z")
And of course, the most common town name in the US is derived from the name of a foreign city: **Salem** , short for **Jerusalem**. ---
**Author:** ![Heloise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e36b37/32.png) [@Heloise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heloise)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/35 "2001-05-30T13:03:27Z")
There is also a Prague, OK. Pronounced Prayg. But, of course, lengthened for drawl. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2001, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/36 "2001-05-30T14:14:04Z")
Supposedly every capital city in Europe has a counterpart town or city with its name in the US. Obviously the Europeans got there first though. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/37 "2001-05-31T01:49:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jr8 \* > \*\*And of course, the most common town name in the US is derived from the name of a foreign city: > > **Salem** , short for **Jerusalem**. \*\* We had a thread about this in GQ a while back. [Most Common Town Name](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=67039) I’m not sure how you define “town name”, but I don’t believe Salem is the most common placename in the U.S. There are “only” 98 populated places called Salem in the U.S. (120 if you count places named Jerusalem as well), but 131 populated places called Riverside. There are also more places called Centerville (122) than places called Salem. Other names that average more than one per state are Franklin and Springfield (both around 60). Of course, most of those are tiny unincorporated hamlets. If you count only towns that have their own zip codes, several names (such as Franklin-27) beat Salem (24). ---
**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 31, 2001, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/38 "2001-05-31T10:50:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by jr8 \* > > \*\*And of course, the most common town name in the US is derived from the name of a foreign city: > > > > **Salem** , short for **Jerusalem**. \*\* > > We had a thread about this in GQ a while back. [Most Common Town Name](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=67039) I’m not sure how you define “town name”, but I don’t believe Salem is the most common placename in the U.S. \*\* I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/39 "2001-05-31T12:14:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > I seem to recall a Boston in the UK too. Yes, Boston is in Lincolnshire, England. It’s a small town near the East Coast. Didn’t the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from there? If so, I could look up a few nearby placenames, and you could tell me if they’re in use in the US. P.S. Hampshire is an English County. P.P.S. Before Coldfire sees it, Holland is not technically the name of The Netherlands (jolly nice country, though). ---
**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 31, 2001, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873/40 "2001-05-31T12:41:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by glee \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > > I seem to recall a Boston in the UK too. > > Yes, Boston is in Lincolnshire, England. It’s a small town near the East Coast. > > Didn’t the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from there? > If so, I could look up a few nearby placenames, and you could tell me if they’re in use in the US. > \*\* No, I think they set sail from **Plymouth** (sound familiar?). My hometown is Reading, Pennsylvania, in Berks County. Named after Reading, England, in the county of Berkshire. English people will kindly refrain from sniggering at Americans pronouncing “Berks” the way it’s spelled, as opposed to “BARKshur”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-cities-named-after-foreign-cities/66873.md?page=3)