# Misleading Location Names **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 14, 2007, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167 "2007-09-14T14:17:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/41 "2007-09-14T21:58:40Z")
Marquette University is located Milwaukee, WI-- not Marquette, WI, MI, IA, KS or NE. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/42 "2007-09-14T22:00:22Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] “Indiana” in Pennsylvania was founded in 1803; the state joined the Union in 1819. [/quote] Actually, in 1816. The state admitted in 1819 was Alabama. [See this chart.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_date_of_statehood) > [@](#): > > As for California, it was a fairly common name; IIRC, it was from a book. Specifically, the Spanish romance novel [_Las Sergas de Esplandián_](http://www.answers.com/topic/las-sergas-de-esplandi-n), which was published in 1510 (the date of the first surviving edition, although a previous version was available as early as 1496). In the book, California was an island inhabited solely by women. There are, however, [alternative theories](http://www.answers.com/topic/origin-of-the-name-california) concerning the origin of the word “California” as applied to the present-day region encompassing portions of Mexico and the USA. ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/43 "2007-09-14T22:03:58Z")
West New York, New Jersey sounds like a mistake and I double take every time I see it. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/44 "2007-09-14T22:05:53Z")
Another university - the University of Warwick, in Britain. I suppose they didn’t want to admit that the university is actually much closer to the dreary city of Coventry than it is to Warwick, which calls to mind Shakespeare, idyllic pastoral scenes, etc. ---
**Author:** ![InLucemEdita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7ab992/32.png) [@InLucemEdita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InLucemEdita)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/45 "2007-09-14T22:09:45Z")
The University of Texas **at Dallas** is - of course - in Richardson, TX. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/46 "2007-09-14T22:38:47Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] – Krakatoa is **West** of Java. [/QUOTE] A smartass (like me) might argue that Krakatoa _is_ east of Java, if you go far enough east. [QUOTE=Icarus] Oh! And another thing - New York, New Jersey, they are getting a bit on in years. When do we start referring to them as simply York or Jersey? [/QUOTE] Maybe when [York](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York) and [Jersey](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey) start going by “Old York” and “Old Jersey”? ---
**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:** [September 14, 2007, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/47 "2007-09-14T22:39:59Z")
In New York State, the Northern State Parkway is actually in the southern part of the state. It’s only “Northern” because the Southern State Parkway is a few miles further south. For a different type of misleading, Quaker Street, NY is a hamlet in Schenectady county, not a street. And there is no Quaker Street in Quaker Street (though there’s a Quaker Lane). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/48 "2007-09-14T22:51:40Z")
[QUOTE=Icarus] I went to school in Mount Pleasant. We used to joke that it was neither mountainous nor especially pleasant. [/QUOTE] I’m sure [many others](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pleasant) are neither, too. [Lowestoft](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowestoft) has two piers, the more northerly being the South Pier. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/49 "2007-09-14T23:57:05Z")
[QUOTE=Solfy] For that matter, why are there towns named California and Indiana in PA? (says the person who grew up in Beaver Falls) [/QUOTE] I never really learned Pennsylvania geography. How far away is Intercourse from Beaver Falls? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/50 "2007-09-15T00:49:45Z")
In California, [Yuba City](http://www.city-data.com/city/Yuba-City-California.html) is not in [Yuba County](http://www.city-data.com/county/Yuba_County-CA.html). ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/51 "2007-09-15T00:54:49Z")
[QUOTE=Governor Quinn] In California, [Yuba City](http://www.city-data.com/city/Yuba-City-California.html) is not in [Yuba County](http://www.city-data.com/county/Yuba_County-CA.html). [/QUOTE] What about Nevada County? ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/52 "2007-09-15T01:05:15Z")
[QUOTE=Gadarene] Monster Island. …It’s really just a peninsula. [/QUOTE] Peninsula ensues! ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/53 "2007-09-15T01:14:47Z")
Florida is in Massachusetts I went thru Intercourse in Pennsylvania, then I was in Ecstacy, but then, alas, Blue Ball. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/54 "2007-09-15T02:24:38Z")
[QUOTE=jimmmy] West New York, New Jersey sounds like a mistake and I double take every time I see it. [/QUOTE] How about _East_ New York, located in Brooklyn (New York)? ---
**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:** [September 15, 2007, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/55 "2007-09-15T03:42:44Z")
Is a suburb in Orange County, CA, called “Fountain Valley.” No valley, assuredly. If there’s a fountain around anywhere, it’s at least fairly obscure. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/56 "2007-09-15T04:23:22Z")
Fountain Valley was named for the many artesian wells in the area. ---
**Author:** ![Baine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Baine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baine)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/57 "2007-09-15T05:27:48Z")
Kansas City is mostly in Missouri. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/58 "2007-09-15T05:44:28Z")
Marion, IN is the county seat of Grant County. Indianapolis is the seat of Marion County. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/59 "2007-09-15T12:19:19Z")
[QUOTE=Cheez\_Whia] Now that I live in Colorado, I’ve learned that Lake City is the county seat of Hindale County, and the county seat of Lake County is Leadville. Who knew? 😛 [/QUOTE] Lots of places like that, I’m sure. Albuquerque is the county seat of Bernalillo County while Bernalillo is the county seat of Sandoval County. Or, for that matter, Las Cruces is the county seat of Dona Ana county. Of course, Las Cruces has a population of about 80,000 and is by far the biggest city in the county (the town of Dona Ana, by comparision, has a population of maybe 1200.) ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167/60 "2007-09-15T15:14:12Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Boston has a bunch of these on a smaller scale. The one that offends my sensibilities and drives vistors crazy is that the two major interstates heading north and south are I-95 and I-93. So far so good but it you take I-95 South from Boston, you will soon find that I-95 South and I-93 North are the same road at one stretch. It is disturbing when you are just trying to follow directions. [/QUOTE] Don’t forget, too, that most people don’t refer to I-95 around Boston as I-95 - it’s 128. All the signs are for I-95, though. So if you’re getting verbal directions you have to know already that 128 is the same road as I-95. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misleading-location-names/419167.md?page=4)