# How many states have a city with another state name? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366 "2014-06-09T00:00:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/1 "2014-06-09T00:00:02Z")
I think that covers it. I’m talking about a place like **Virginia, Minnesota**. I’m assuming that there must be a number of places with a city called Washington because of ol’ George. There is also **Owyhee, OR** , named for the old spelling of Hawaii.I’m having trouble coming up with any others. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/2 "2014-06-09T00:02:26Z")
Indiana, Pennsylvania. I have an extended family member that lives there. The confusion it causes during conversations with strangers and customer service people knows no bounds. > **[Indiana, Pennsylvania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana,_Pennsylvania)** > > Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,044 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Indiana, Pennsylvania micropolitan area, about 46 miles (74 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. It is a part of the greater Pittsburgh–New Castle–Weirton combined statistical area, as well as the Johnstown and Pittsburgh media markets. > The borough and the region as a whole promote itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" b... Here is the whole list in case you just want a comprehensive list. There are a lot (113) of them in total in the U.S. It sounds like a nice gesture or a cool coincidence but I think it causes enough problems in daily life to warrant a name change to help everyone out, especially the residents of those places. > **[PLACES NAMED AFTER STATES](https://weekendroady.com/2012/02/13/places-named-after-states/)** > > I don’t know why I thought of this little map “game” the other day, but it occurred to me after thinking about the town of Virginia, Minnesota. I passed through Virginia last summ… ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/3 "2014-06-09T00:08:05Z")
There’s Virginia City, NV. Does that count? Not sure if you were looking for just the state name as the city name. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/4 "2014-06-09T00:11:36Z")
Oregon has Ontario, which is something like a state. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/5 "2014-06-09T00:13:16Z")
Florida, Massachusetts. California, Pennsylvania. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/6 "2014-06-09T00:15:56Z")
Missouri, Texas (suburb of Houston). There are Kansas cities in Alabama, Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma; and a Kansasville, Wisconsin. Texas, NJ, NY, WV, WI Texas City, IL, TX Arizona Township, Nebraska Arizona, Manitoba Virginia, CA, IL, MN, Nebraska California, KY, MD, MI, MO, PA Nevada, IN, Iowa, MO, OH, TX, and one in Serbia [Nevada, Serbia - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_(Kur%C5%A1umlija)) ---
**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:** [June 9, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/7 "2014-06-09T00:53:39Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Here is the whole list in case you just want a comprehensive list. There are a lot (113) of them in total in the U.S. It sounds like a nice gesture or a cool coincidence but I think it causes enough problems in daily life to warrant a name change to help everyone out, especially the residents of those places. > > [PLACES NAMED AFTER STATES | The Weekend Roady](http://weekendroady.com/2012/02/13/places-named-after-states/) That site has some omissions, provided we’re allowed some leeway in interpreting the question. I found… [New Hampshire, Ohio](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire,_Ohio) [Arizona Township, Nebraska](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Township,_Burt_County,_Nebraska) [Arkansas, West Virginia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas,_West_Virginia) [Illinois Township, Arkansas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Township,_Pope_County,_Arkansas) [Idaho Springs, Colorado](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_Springs,_Colorado) [Michigan, West Virginia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan,_West_Virginia) [Minnesota Junction, Wisconsin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Junction,_Wisconsin) [Missouri City, Texas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_City,_Texas) [Wisconsin Township, Minnesota](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Township,_Jackson_County,_Minnesota) Also, my Delorme atlas has a place called New Connecticut, New York, which is in the town of Newark Valley in Tioga County. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/8 "2014-06-09T00:56:44Z")
Kansas City, MO ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/9 "2014-06-09T00:57:43Z")
New York has towns named Alabama, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Ohio, and Wyoming. We also have a surprising number of towns that have the same names as countries: Angola, Columbia, Cuba, Greece, Holland, Italy, Jamaica, Lebanon, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Persia, Peru, Poland, Russia, and Sweden. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/10 "2014-06-09T01:02:10Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Texas, NJ, NY, WV, WI Here’s a trivia note. [Texas, New York](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas,_New_York) is a hamlet located in the town of [Mexico](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_(town),_New_York). So in New York, Texas is still legally part of Mexico. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/11 "2014-06-09T01:02:59Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I think that covers it. I’m talking about a place like **Virginia, Minnesota**. My DeLorme atlas for Minnesota has a dot named “West Virginia”, which is (surprise, surprise) just west of Virginia. I may actually have driven through West Virginia MN once or twice about 15 or 20 years ago but I didn’t notice it if I did. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/12 "2014-06-09T01:51:18Z")
In addition to Kansas city, Missouri also has California, Louisiana, Maryland (Heights), Mexico, Nevada, and Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Cognoscant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Cognoscant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cognoscant)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/13 "2014-06-09T02:08:28Z")
It’s not exactly the same thing but there’s a Toronto, Ohio which always made me laugh. And where do Texarkana and Kanorado fit in? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/14 "2014-06-09T02:54:24Z")
Pretty sure there’s an Oregon, Wisconsin, but they pronounce it ‘ory-GON’. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/15 "2014-06-09T03:09:11Z")
Does Washington County, Maine count? ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/16 "2014-06-09T03:36:18Z")
Ohio includes the cities of Texas and Oregon (the latter is substantial) ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/17 "2014-06-09T03:48:03Z")
Wyoming, Michigan (suburb of Grand Rapids) ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/18 "2014-06-09T03:48:31Z")
Georgia has a Washington County, and a city named Washington (in Wilkes County.) Both are named for the man, not the state, though - both predate the founding of the state of Washington. And there’s a tiny town named Jersey. To make up for the dearth of other state names, however, we have Athens, Rome, Cairo (pronounced KAY-row,) Turin, Sparta, Vienna(VIE-ee-nuh ,) Damascus, Berlin, Kingston, Hamilton, Geneva, Culloden, and Avalon. Then there are the incorporated towns of Gay, Climax, and Cumming! Not to mention Between, Santa Claus, Newborn, plus Enigma and Riddleville. (And some fun little unincorporated communities, including Bugtussle, K’ville, and Hopeulikit.) ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/19 "2014-06-09T03:57:24Z")
I would guess just about all of them. Possibly Hawai’i and Alaska don’t since much of both of them use native language names. But I bet the rest of them do. ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366/20 "2014-06-09T04:04:52Z")
A quick check of Wikipedia confirms that neither Hawaii or Alaska has any cites with the same name as another state, at least not that they list. The closest is St. George, Alaska. So I revise my estimate to say that the other 48 probably do. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-states-have-a-city-with-another-state-name/690366.md?page=2)