# Boringly ordinary town names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 30, 2021, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091 "2021-04-30T07:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/81 "2021-05-05T08:50:45Z")
There’s a little village near where I grew up which was the site of an old roman settlement. The only visible remains of this is now a very small, low roman wall skirting some of the surrounding fields - you would never know it was roman if you didn’t know. So the village is now called ‘Wall’. > **[Wall, Staffordshire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall,_Staffordshire)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > Wall is a small village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, just south of Lichfield. It lies on the site of the Roman settlement of Letocetum. > The parish includes the small villages of Pipehill, Hilton and Chesterfield, and the tiny hamlet of Aldershawe, which is about .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .f... ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/82 "2021-05-05T16:05:08Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Another Texas city - El Paso means “the pass” Most place names that come from other languages probably would sound a lot more boring if you translated them into English. While not a town name, Rio Grande just means “big river”. Mississippi means the same thing in Ojibwe. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/83 "2021-05-05T16:05:29Z")
Don’t get me wrong, Oceanside, CA is a lovely place. But under the circumstances, the name is pretty obvious, maybe even boring. I’ve been through a few of the places called Long Beach in the US, and those are pretty obvious as well. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/84 "2021-05-05T16:15:05Z")
Riverside, CA, as well (except maybe for the part about it being a lovely place). The [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside,_California#History) for Riverside mentions that the founder of that town had previously founded Northfield, MN. Apparently he wasn’t very creative when it came to naming his towns. And that reminds my of my mom’s hometown, Marshfield, WI. Supposedly it was named because the early settlers drained a marsh, so they could use the land as a field. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/85 "2021-05-05T16:37:44Z")
Its sister village should be Wall, South Dakota, which arrived at its thrilling name because someone thought the nearby rock formations resembled a wall. Like Interior, S.D. (mentioned previously), Wall also has a boringly ordinary Lakota name, “Makȟóšiča Aglágla Otȟuŋwahe” which translates to “Town alongside the Badlands”. Legend has it that the village was a tourist trap dating back to when the Lakota Sioux ran things, and there was an oversized lodge selling fossilized buffalo turds and other knick knacks.\* \*now known as Wall Drug. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/86 "2021-05-05T16:59:37Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, Oceanside, CA is a lovely place. But under the circumstances, the name is pretty obvious, maybe even boring. I’ve been through a few of the places called Long Beach in the US, and those are pretty obvious as well. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > Riverside, CA, as well (except maybe for the part about it being a lovely place). Down in Mississippi is the town of Waveland. Dad used to drive us there from Harahan every Labor Day; probably not as big of a draw after Katrina wiped out about half of the beach. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/87 "2021-05-05T17:20:44Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > [Industry, CA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Industry,_California). It usually goes by the marginally more poetic “City of Industry,” but the name is really just Industry. Michigan has Commerce Township - and apparently so do several other states: > **[Commerce (disambiguation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_(disambiguation))** > > Commerce is a branch of economics that deals with trade and exchange of goods and services at any stage between a producer and a consumer. > Commerce may also refer to: ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/88 "2021-05-05T17:34:41Z")
There is a town I occasionally have driven through called [Petrolia, Pennsylvania.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrolia,_Pennsylvania) Driving through the town, one side of the road is a [huge chemical plant](https://images.app.goo.gl/BuaEf68bUttngp588) that goes on for a mile or so, while on the other side of the road there are just [old houses where the chemical plant employees all live.](https://images.app.goo.gl/Qwc4nCLQ8zD3NJrx9) Every few years there are accidents/near accidents and the town needs to be evacuated. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/89 "2021-05-05T17:43:28Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, Oceanside, CA is a lovely place. But under the circumstances, the name is pretty obvious, maybe even boring. I’ve been through a few of the places called Long Beach in the US, and those are pretty obvious as well. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > Riverside, CA, as well (except maybe for the part about it being a lovely place). And Seaside, CA (upon whose loveliness I pass no judgment). ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/90 "2021-05-05T18:28:00Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > And Seaside, CA (upon whose loveliness I pass no judgment). I stayed in Seaside once. It seems like it’s main appeal is that it’s close to Monterey, but cheaper. My impression wasn’t that great, but that might be just the neighborhood where my motel was. Even though it looks close to the beach on the map, it was actually surrounded by strip malls, car dealerships, and car repair shops. Actually accessing the beach required walking across a busy street, walking to the end of street past a strip mall, and then under the freeway. That’s actually probably why Seaside didn’t develop as a more upscale beach town in its own right – the freeway cuts off the beach from the rest of the town. The next time I visited the Monterey area I just paid more for an hotel actually in Monterey. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/91 "2021-05-06T11:08:32Z")
Fries, Virginia, does not come from “want fries with that”, but from the surname of the town’s first cotton mill owner, who pronounced his name “freeze”. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/92 "2021-05-07T03:02:12Z")
In response to your whynot, I give you [Why, Arizona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why,_Arizona). ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/93 "2021-05-07T14:54:03Z")
More in the spirit of “boring” than “town” I give you two locations around Puget Sound: Point No Point\* Useless Bay\* /\* Apparently this promontory is less impressive up close than it appears to be at a distance (Wikipedia) \*\* This one I can vouch for: It opens to the south, so during storms the wind and waves come blasting into the bay, making it a poor place to moor or anchor. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/94 "2021-05-08T04:40:27Z")
Most places named Lincoln were named after Abraham. But Lincoln, Maine, was founded when Abe was a teenager, and was named for Enoch Lincoln, a governor of Maine. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/95 "2021-05-08T05:13:58Z")
There’s also a number of places (especially in the South) named after Benjamin Lincoln, a Revolutionary War general. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/96 "2021-05-08T05:39:18Z")
There are separate towns in Wisconsin named Menominie, Menominee and Menomonee Falls. Arkansas City, Kansas, is pronounced ar-KAN-zus, as is the Arkansas River where it flows through Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![PointyOintment](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pointyointment/32/7777_2.png) [@PointyOintment](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PointyOintment)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/97 "2021-05-08T15:57:39Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Most place names that come from other languages probably would sound a lot more boring if you translated them into English. While not a town name, Rio Grande just means “big river”. Mississippi means the same thing in Ojibwe. Malibu is derived from a name that means “the surf sounds loudly”. Occasionally you’ll see someone write “The La Alhambra”, which means “The The The Red”. One definite article in each of English, Spanish, and Arabic. > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Seaside, CA And Seaside, Oregon—I’ve been there. Apparently there’s one in Florida too. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/98 "2021-05-08T18:38:05Z")
> [@PointyOintment](#): > > Occasionally you’ll see someone write “The La Alhambra”, which means “The The The Red”. One definite article in each of English, Spanish, and Arabic. And, famously (in England, anyway), Pendle Hill - hill hill hill. ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/99 "2021-05-08T18:46:54Z")
Wiki has hundreds of 'em: > **[List of tautological place names](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tautological_place_names)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > A place name is tautological if two differently sounding parts of it are synonymous. This often occurs when a name from one language is imported into another and a standard descriptor is added on from the second language. Thus, for example, New Zealand's Mount Maunganui is tautological since "maunganui" is Māori for "great mountain". The following is a list of place names often used tautologically, plus the languages from which the non-English nam... - [Torpenhow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpenhow), Cumbria, England, supposedly meaning “hill hill hill”, exaggerated into an (unsubstantiated) “[Torpenhow Hill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpenhow_Hill) = hill-hill-hill hill” for effect;[[19]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tautological_place_names#cite_note-19) it may only be a single tautology, _torpen_ expressing “the top or breast of a hill” (rather than “hill-hill”), with the tautological addition of Old Norse _howe_ ( _haugr_ ) “hill”.[[20]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tautological_place_names#cite_note-20) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091/100 "2021-05-09T14:59:49Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Middletown, Ohio. > > Motto: “Together, We Rise.” Hamilton, Ohio is just down the road from Middletown. In 1986, city council decided to change its name from **Hamilton** to _ **Hamilton!** _. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boringly-ordinary-town-names/941091.md?page=6)