# North/South/East/West \[city name\], but a different city than \[city name\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 29, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958 "2024-07-29T16:35:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/21 "2024-07-29T18:04:58Z")
Pittsburgh, PA — South Pittsburg, TN Different spelling; I think the Tennessee folks got pissy about the “h” and high-tailed it 600 miles out of spite. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/22 "2024-07-29T18:08:06Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > East Saint Louis is in Illinois, while Saint Louis is in Missouri. We have relatives who used to live in Springfield, Mass. West Springfield is in Massachusetts but on the opposite side of the Connecticut River. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/23 "2024-07-29T18:10:40Z")
London is a city in Britain. “East London” can refer to a region of that city, but it’s also the name of an entirely different city in Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/24 "2024-07-29T18:19:44Z")
Massachusetts has a number of these: Stockbridge / West Stockbridge Hadley / South Hadley Longmeadow / East Longmeadow Reading / North Reading ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/25 "2024-07-29T18:23:04Z")
In New Jersey there are cities/ municipalities of Orange. East Orange, West Orange and South Orange. There is no North Orange. Similarly there is a New Brunswick, North Brunswick, East Brunswick and South Brunswick. There is no West Brunswick. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/26 "2024-07-29T18:25:26Z")
Illinois also has Moline and East Moline, separate but bordering cities. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/27 "2024-07-29T18:26:09Z")
West New York is to the west of New York but it’s in New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/28 "2024-07-29T18:26:14Z")
I recently learned of South San Francisco, which is a whole different thing than San Francisco itself. It has a population of around 66,000. It is the home to Genentech and Abbvie. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/29 "2024-07-29T18:30:09Z")
And the airport, which is I think technically unincorporated land, is by SSF and San Bruno much more so than SF proper. ---
**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 29, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/30 "2024-07-29T18:32:53Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Palo Alto, CA: among the most expensive cities in the country. East Palo Alto, CA: it’s been gentrified, but was not a nice place for a long time. I grew up in Palo Alto (1960-1969,1973-1978), saying E.PA was not a nice place is putting it mildly. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/31 "2024-07-29T18:46:24Z")
West Covina, CA lies southwest of Covina, CA, and has about twice the population. May be a topic for another thread - cities with N/S/E/W and have a larger population than the source city? I cannot think of any others than Covina/West Covina. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/32 "2024-07-29T18:55:52Z")
A more drastic example. The town of East London in South Africa is a small seaside town in the Eastern Cape. Definitely not a suburb of the British capital ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/33 "2024-07-29T18:57:26Z")
East Rochester NY is … east of Rochester NY. Checking other Rochesters, I can’t find any with an applicable suburb. Rochester NH comes closest with two subunits with North and East designations within the city. None of them seem to have arisen from a Roman fort. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/34 "2024-07-29T18:57:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > West New York is to the west of New York but it’s in New Jersey. Not according to the [guv](https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4576707-hochul-ribbed-online-for-calling-new-jersey-west-of-manhattan/) We have some Upper \_\_\_ & Lower \_\_\_ towns here, but surprisingly they’re east & west of each other, not north & south ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/35 "2024-07-29T19:00:55Z")
We have Providence, East Providence, and North Providence. The first two are designated as cities. North Providence is a town but that has the same standing in our state. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/36 "2024-07-29T19:08:00Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > We have some Upper \_\_\_ & Lower \_\_\_ towns here, but surprisingly they’re east & west of each other, not north & south Upper and lower are often (but not always) related to elevation and/or waterways (up or down river) rather than cardinal directions. E.g. the Upper Nile is south of the Lower Nile. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/37 "2024-07-29T19:12:05Z")
the local Upper/Lower combos all border each other east/west (with Uppers to the west); while we’re hardly Iowa pancake flat there isn’t material elevation differences between them; they aren’t on the eastern side of a mountain. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/38 "2024-07-29T19:19:53Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I recently learned of South San Francisco, which is a whole different thing than San Francisco itself. It has a population of around 66,000. It is the home to Genentech and Abbvie. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > And the airport, which is I think technically unincorporated land, is by SSF and San Bruno much more so than SF proper. I’m pretty sure that the airport and the land thereon are actually part of the city of San Francisco, although separated by 15 miles or so from the rest of the city. At any rate, the city owns the property and the airport has a postal code that falls under San Francisco. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Palo Alto, CA: among the most expensive cities in the country. East Palo Alto, CA: it’s been gentrified, but was not a nice place for a long time. East Palo Alto, the home of an Ikea store, is directly north of Palo Alto, the home of Stanford University, and is in a different county (San Mateo County for East Palo Alto and Santa Clara County for Palo Alto). ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/39 "2024-07-29T19:26:58Z")
Palmerston North is on New Zealand’s North Island - a long way from Palmerston on the South Island. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958/40 "2024-07-29T19:30:58Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I’m pretty sure that the airport and the land thereon are actually part of the city of San Francisco, although separated by 15 miles or so from the rest of the city. Yeah according to Google Maps the airport is south of South San Francisco, and not within South San Francisco, and visibly quite far from San Francisco. But it has a San Francisco address. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-south-east-west-city-name-but-a-different-city-than-city-name/1004958.md?page=3)