# "New" Cities in science fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2019, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776 "2019-09-06T08:16:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/21 "2019-09-06T16:10:21Z")
I’m especially interested in uses of small or obscure cites. For instance, if somebody used something like New Dubuque. (Real world example, this weekend I discovered by passing by the failed colony of [New Bordeaux](https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=51286), SC.) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/22 "2019-09-06T23:45:08Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > _Star Trek_ has a [New Berlin](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/New_Berlin) on the moon. Wisconsin has a [New Berlin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Berlin,_Wisconsin) on the interstate. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/23 "2019-09-06T23:59:42Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Wisconsin has a [New Berlin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Berlin,_Wisconsin) on the interstate. And Minnesota has New Prague and New Ulm, neither of which is pronounced correctly by the locals. In _ **ST: TNG** _, the disappearance of New Providence colony marked the first Borg incursion into Federation territory. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/24 "2019-09-07T00:32:41Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In _ **ST: TNG** _, the disappearance of New Providence colony marked the first Borg incursion into Federation territory. But it’s presumably named after [New Providence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Providence) which is _not_ named after any place called Providence. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/25 "2019-09-07T00:54:03Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > But it’s presumably named after [New Providence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Providence) which is _not_ named after any place called Providence. Last time I looked, Providence was the capital of Rhode Island: > **[Providence, Rhode Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence,_Rhode_Island)** > > Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, it is one of the oldest cities in New England, founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers. The city developed as a busy port, as it is situated at the mou... If New Providence had been named after New Providence, it would have been New New Providence. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/26 "2019-09-07T01:16:43Z")
In Sm Stirling’s _Conquistador_ one of the Family seats, founded by a guy named Sol Perlmutter, in named New Brooklyn. He’ wanted to name it The New Lower East Side, but was talked out of it by the other Families. It’s near what was the location of San Franciscoon in what The Settlerss called First Side. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/27 "2019-09-07T01:21:37Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > If New Providence had been named after New Providence, it would have been New New Providence. Or Newer Providence. ---
**Author:** ![steepone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/28 "2019-09-07T04:14:11Z")
There’s Novy Leningrad in The moon is a Harsh Mistress ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/29 "2019-09-07T04:44:22Z")
New Dresden is a city on the moon in John Varley’s Eight Worlds stories. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/30 "2019-09-07T06:30:49Z")
In the _Fallout_ video game series, [New Vegas](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/New_Vegas) has been built upon the remains of the original Las Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/31 "2019-09-07T07:42:54Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > And Minnesota has New Prague and New Ulm, neither of which is pronounced correctly by the locals. > > In _ **ST: TNG** _, the disappearance of New Providence colony marked the first Borg incursion into Federation territory. That’s fine; New Berlin isn’t pronounced New Berlin. It’s New Burr-lin. The lin is very short and the first syllable is accented. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/32 "2019-09-07T07:47:46Z")
The city of New Glasgow is namechecked in Julian May’s Pliocine Exiles books (it’s where Aiken Drum hopes to offload his loot when he goes burgling at age 15) ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/33 "2019-09-07T12:26:11Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > New New York, from Futurama. > The completely different New New York, from Doctor Who. > Neo Tokyo, from AKIRA. > > (The first and third are, granted, the original cities rebuilt, but…they fit the spirit, I would say.) Nueva Nueva York from Delany’s Babel 17. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/34 "2019-09-07T13:54:20Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Last time I looked, Providence was the capital of Rhode Island: > > [Providence, Rhode Island - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providence,_Rhode_Island) > > If New Providence had been named after New Providence, it would have been New New Providence. Perhaps. But it’s also very common to name a new city after an existing city **without** adding “New” to it. There are more places in the US named [Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_(disambiguation)#United_States) than [New Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Paris). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/35 "2019-09-07T14:30:17Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Perhaps. But it’s also very common to name a new city after an existing city **without** adding “New” to it. There are more places in the US named [Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_(disambiguation)#United_States) than [New Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Paris). I wouldn’t know. It’s never occurred to me to investigate how many of each there are. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/36 "2019-09-07T14:37:52Z")
Believe it or not…there’s a wiki page[specifically listing examples of New New Yorks.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_New_York) One of them is from Bradbury’s “The Martian Chronicles,” which is the first example that came to my mind—a Google Books search indicates there was also a “New Chicago” in the same book, though I could’ve sworn there were a couple of more similar (and chintzy) examples from the same. But, it’s been a couple of decades since I’ve read it. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/37 "2019-09-07T14:55:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > And Minnesota has New Prague and New Ulm, neither of which is pronounced correctly by the locals. How do the locals pronounce them? Reminds me of Cairo and Cuba, Illinois, pronounced “care-oh” and “koobah”. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/38 "2019-09-07T15:06:16Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > How do the locals pronounce them? Reminds me of Cairo and Cuba, Illinois, pronounced “care-oh” and “koobah”. The Prague in the Czech Republic is “Prag.” At least, this is what Czechs (and other Europeans) say when they’re speaking English. (The Czech word for Prague is “PRA-ha.”) In Minnesota, it’s “Prayge.” In German, Ulm is (more or less) “Ooolm.” In Minnesota, it’s just “Ulm.” ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/39 "2019-09-07T15:23:53Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > How do the locals pronounce them? Reminds me of Cairo and Cuba, Illinois, pronounced “care-oh” and “koobah”. There’s also New Madrid, Missouri, which in the town itself is said “Noo MAH-drid” with the accent on a different syllable than the original Madrid in Spain. I suspect some of these odd-sounding re-namings in the US resulted from people picking names out of a history book or newspaper or something who had never actually heard them pronounced before, so they made their best guess and it stuck. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776/40 "2019-09-07T17:52:49Z")
Dan Simmons’ \*Hyperion/Endymion \*books feature planets by the name of New Mecca and Nuevo Madrid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cities-in-science-fiction/839776.md?page=3)