Marquette University is located Milwaukee, WI-- not Marquette, WI, MI, IA, KS or NE.
[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.
Specifically, the Spanish romance novel Las Sergas de Esplandián, 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 concerning the origin of the word “California” as applied to the present-day region encompassing portions of Mexico and the USA.
West New York, New Jersey sounds like a mistake and I double take every time I see it.
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.
The University of Texas at Dallas is - of course - in Richardson, TX.
[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 and Jersey start going by “Old York” and “Old Jersey”?
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).
[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 are neither, too.
Lowestoft has two piers, the more northerly being the South Pier.
[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?
In California, Yuba City is not in Yuba County.
[QUOTE=Governor Quinn]
In California, Yuba City is not in Yuba County.
[/QUOTE]
What about Nevada County?
[QUOTE=Gadarene]
Monster Island.
…It’s really just a peninsula.
[/QUOTE]
Peninsula ensues!
Florida is in Massachusetts
I went thru Intercourse in Pennsylvania, then I was in Ecstacy, but then, alas, Blue Ball.
[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)?
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.
Fountain Valley was named for the many artesian wells in the area.
Kansas City is mostly in Missouri.
Marion, IN is the county seat of Grant County. Indianapolis is the seat of Marion County.
[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.)
[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.