# Place names that refer to a particular industry. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 22, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616 "2010-07-22T17:14:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SmithCommaJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SmithCommaJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmithCommaJohn)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/61 "2010-07-23T19:44:53Z")
The Emerald Triangle is a geographic region. And, at least in California, it’s only known for one industry (weed). I’d argue that, at least to a Northern Californian, if somebody says “I work in the Emerald Triangle _wink wink_”, it would be understood to mean “I grow and sell marijuana in Northwestern California.” So, “Emerald Triangle” could be considered a metonym for the California marijuana industry, at least in some circles. ---
**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 23, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/62 "2010-07-23T21:35:05Z")
Macquarie Street [Sydney, Australia]. Location of the state legislature and other public buildings. > [@](#): > > _The promotion caps a difficult 20 months in parliament for Ms Goward, who used an early speech to denounce the blokiness of Macquarie Street and was told by colleagues to pull her head in._ The Australian, 27 Dec 2008 > [@](#): > > _Announcing the recall of parliament for a two-day sitting to debate electricity privatisation, NSW Premier Morris Iemma said yesterday the issue was too urgent to be left to the end of the recess … “For Morris Iemma, this is a matter of politics, it’s about his survival, it’s about him winning a war in the Labor Party,” Mr O’Farrell told reporters after confirmation that 134 state MPs are headed back to Macquarie Street._ The Australian, 23 Aug 2008 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/63 "2010-07-23T21:44:06Z")
Pull her head in? Almost every post about Australia or by an Australian reveals a locution I’ve never heard before. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/64 "2010-07-23T21:54:18Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > A place being well-known for a certain type of product is not sufficient for metonymy. Yeah, but if someone says, “I work in Napa Valley”, you expect them to be making wine. I don’t know if Napa Valley is used this way very often in real life, but Napa Valley is so thoroughly identified with wine that the location really does tell you the industry. Maybe not the other way around though–you could say you work in Wall Street even if your office is in Chicago, but you’d never say Napa Valley if you aren’t actually in the Napa Valley. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/65 "2010-07-24T02:56:53Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Saville Row still does, doesn’t it? That is true, but a very different branch of the “fashion” industry from Carnaby Street. Saville Row is a metonym for upscale (and conservative) men’s tailoring. _Carnaby Street_, in the “swinging London” era, and for a bit after, meant miniskirts, caftans and other “young” and disposable fashion like that. Also, **Colophon** mentions Harley Street as referring to medicine, but it does not mean any medicine, it is, specifically, high end private medicine. Harley Street is the antithesis of the NHS (even though many - maybe even all - Harley Street doctors also practice within the NHS). Another London one might be _Billingsgate_, associated with the seafood industry and extreme verbal profanity (it use to be the site of the fish market, and the fish porters were noted for their swearing - can you blame them?). _Billingsgate_ came, pretty much, to _mean_ foul language (though the expression is a bit dated now). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/66 "2010-07-24T03:22:09Z")
Yeah, you wouldn’t consider Brooks Bros. to be fashion. It’s just clothes, an executive’s uniform. That’s what Savile Row is like. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/67 "2010-07-24T03:43:24Z")
Not sure if this fits but Ambridge PA was named for the United States Steel American Bridge Division which was/is located there. There are some other examples like that in Southwestern PA from the steel industry and some on the northeastern part of the state from anthracite coal. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/68 "2010-07-24T08:10:22Z")
Do [The Archers](http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/ambridgearchive/) know this?:eek: ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/69 "2010-07-24T09:37:08Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Do [The Archers](http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/ambridgearchive/) know this?:eek: Wouldn’t surprise me. But get a Brit to admit that something in the colonies got its name from somewhere or something else? Not a chance, the bloody lobsterbacks. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616/70 "2010-07-24T12:11:57Z")
Alcoa TN is know for making aluminum and Copperhill TN used to have a very big copper mine but it closed a while back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-refer-to-a-particular-industry/547616.md?page=3)