# Earthy city names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 14, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438 "2008-07-14T14:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/1 "2008-07-14T14:45:49Z")
After a bout of random association this morning, I was thinking about cities named after rocks and minerals. It turns out that Little Rock, Arkansas is larger than Boulder, Colorado. I imagine that Granite City, Illinois is populated by tough, hard-eyed people. And, while I know that carbon is neither a rock nor a mineral, coal is. So Glen Carbon, Illinois gets an honorable mention. What are some other cities named after our geological friends? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/2 "2008-07-14T14:49:08Z")
Quartzsite, Arizona Gold Canyon, Arizona Pebble Beach, CA ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/3 "2008-07-14T14:51:12Z")
[QUOTE=Bayard] After a bout of random association this morning, I was thinking about cities named after rocks and minerals. It turns out that Little Rock, Arkansas is larger than Boulder, Colorado. I imagine that Granite City, Illinois is populated by tough, hard-eyed people. And, while I know that carbon is neither a rock nor a mineral, coal is. So Glen Carbon, Illinois gets an honorable mention. What are some other cities named after our geological friends? [/QUOTE] [Rhyolite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyolite), a volcanic rock high in silicon, is the name of a ghost town in Nevada founded in 1904 after gold was struck nearby. More generally speaking, we have Rockford and Rock Island, IL (what is it about Illinois? - they’ve also got Carbondale and Galena); Rockville, MD; Round Rock, TX; Slippery Rock, PA; Rockland, ME; and Rockland County, NY. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/4 "2008-07-14T15:09:48Z")
Redgranite, WI ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/5 "2008-07-14T15:23:56Z")
Telluride, Colorado ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/6 "2008-07-14T15:31:56Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Telluride, Colorado [/QUOTE] [Huh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telluride_%28chemistry%29). I did not know that. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/7 "2008-07-14T16:00:27Z")
[Copper Cliff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_neighbourhoods_of_Sudbury#Copper_Cliff) and [Nickel Centre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_Centre,_Ontario) have both become part of [Greater Sudbury](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Sudbury). Sudbury has two electoral districts – Sudbury, and [Nickel Belt](http://www.elections.on.ca/en-CA/Tools/ElectoralDistricts/EDMaps/NickelBelt.htm). Sudbury’s institutions of higher learning include the Laurentian University and Cambrian College (Cambrian has mining-related programs, but, as far as I know, not a single Welsh-language course). Meanwhile, in Quebec, there’s the town of [Asbestos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos,_Quebec), as well as the more appealing [Val-d’Or](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val-d%27Or,_Quebec) (French for “Valley of Gold”). Saskatchewan has [Uranium City](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_City,_Saskatchewan), which has some common history with [Chalk River, Ontario](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalk_River%2C_Ontario). Speaking of Ontario, How about [Smooth Rock Falls](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_Rock_Falls,_Ontario), [Petrolia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrolia,_Ontario), and [Cobalt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt,_Ontario)? ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/8 "2008-07-14T16:17:43Z")
Flint, Michigan ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/9 "2008-07-14T16:29:26Z")
Rock, MI. Can’t get more basic than that. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/10 "2008-07-14T16:40:58Z")
Salt Lake City, UT Silicon Valley, CA Detroit Rock City, MI ---
**Author:** ![RunSilent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@RunSilent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RunSilent)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/11 "2008-07-14T16:45:52Z")
How about counties? In Minnesota we have Rock County and Blue Earth County. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/12 "2008-07-14T16:48:17Z")
[Copperopolis, Ca](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperopolis,_CA) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/13 "2008-07-14T16:52:46Z")
Mineral Point, Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/14 "2008-07-14T17:06:51Z")
Mineral City, OH (and a ghost town in WA), Mineral Wells, TX (a one-time spa town); Mineral Springs, NC; Mineralville, PA (and CA.) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/15 "2008-07-14T17:18:31Z")
Carbon Hill, Alabama (nearly destroyed by a tornado a few years ago) Coaling, Alabama Stoney Point, AL Rocky Hollow, AL Natural Bridge, AL (named after, you guessed it, a natural bridge) Pebble, AL Silver Run, AL Limestone County, AL ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/16 "2008-07-14T17:33:05Z")
[Bedrock, CO](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedrock,_Colorado) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/17 "2008-07-14T17:34:40Z")
Marble, Basalt, Granite, Gypsum, Leadville, Coaldale, Coal Creek, Coalmont, Placerville and Carbondale CO. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/18 "2008-07-14T17:40:30Z")
On a macro scale: [Earth, Texas](http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGLR_enUS261US262&q=%22town+of+earth%22+texas&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title) (link to Google Maps). ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/19 "2008-07-14T17:48:57Z")
[Glen Rock, NJ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Rock%2C_NJ) [Great Falls, MT](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_falls%2C_mt) [Big Sandy, MT](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sandy%2C_MT) [Grass Range, MT](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass_Range%2C_MT) [Sandy Springs, GA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Springs%2C_Georgia) . . . and then there’s that whole [Glacier National Park](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_National_Park_%28U.S.%29) thing. . . Tripler Hell, there’s a bunch of 'em out West. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438/20 "2008-07-14T17:54:35Z")
Rockport, TX Galena, IL Red Rocks, CO Silverton, CO [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthy-city-names/456438.md?page=2)