# Place names that were better before they changed them **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2023, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353 "2023-10-10T11:37:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/21 "2023-10-10T15:19:24Z")
Whorehouse Meadow in Oregon was changed on Bureau of Land Management maps in the 1960s to Naughty Girl Meadow, which is among the worst examples of place name bowdlerization in history. Fortunately it reverted to the old name after “public outcry”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/22 "2023-10-10T15:24:53Z")
I definitely prefer “Burma” to “Myanmar”. So do many of the residents: > [@](#): > > In 1989, the [military government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_government) [officially changed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_renamed_places_in_Myanmar) the English translations of many names dating back to [Burma’s colonial period](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_rule_in_Burma) or earlier, including that of the country itself: _Burma_ became _Myanmar_ . The renaming remains a contested issue.[[31]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar#cite_note-Houtman1999-35) Many political and ethnic opposition groups and countries continue to use _Burma_ because they do not recognise the legitimacy or authority of the military government.[[32]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar#cite_note-steinberg-36) ---
**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:** [October 10, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/23 "2023-10-10T15:31:07Z")
I kinda miss the [Pirate Coast](https://order-essay.org/essays/history/the-pirate-coast). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/24 "2023-10-10T15:36:04Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > I definitely prefer “Burma” to “Myanmar”. “Myanmar Shave” is a total loser. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/25 "2023-10-10T15:59:26Z")
Hot Springs, New Mexico definitely lost some of its appeal when the town changed its name to Truth or Consequences in honor of the game show. Velda Village, Missouri changed its name to avoid confusion (and show superiority) to its next-door neighbor, Velda Village Hills. Unfortunately, they “upgraded” to Velda City. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/26 "2023-10-10T17:11:00Z")
I liked Siam, where the Siamese cats comes from. Thailand doesn’t sound the same. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/27 "2023-10-10T17:23:26Z")
We use feet And pounds as well Even Fahrenheit degrees We fit in with Liberia And the United States with ease Myanmar Shave ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/28 "2023-10-10T17:29:40Z")
According to Norman Maclean (in _Young Men and Fire_), in the 1920s a U.S. Forest Service crew dubbed a stream they’d mapped “Wet Ass Creek”. Unfortunately, the bluenoses in D.C. revised it to “Wetase Creek” on the official USFS maps. ---
**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:** [October 10, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/29 "2023-10-10T17:36:08Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > I definitely prefer “Burma” to “Myanmar”. [Why’d you say “Burma”?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5p2XAGE8R8&ab_channel=MontyPythonBrasil) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/30 "2023-10-10T17:42:19Z")
“Washington National Airport” was a much better name than “Ronald Regan Washington National Airport” (which is the full official name). Regardless of how you feel about Regan, they just made the name of the airport overly long by sticking his name in there. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/31 "2023-10-10T18:11:37Z")
I always preferred the name Pangaea. We were all one big happy family in those days. Then the splitters called the different parts names like “Africa” and “South America”, and we’ve been drifting apart ever since. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/32 "2023-10-10T18:18:58Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > “Washington National Airport” was a much better name than “Ronald Regan Washington National Airport” (which is the full official name). Regardless of how you feel about Regan, they just made the name of the airport overly long by sticking his name in there. I always thought that they should have compromised, and just named the control tower after him. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/33 "2023-10-10T18:25:03Z")
I like Turtle Island better than North America. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/34 "2023-10-10T18:29:34Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > How about Zambia, the other half of Rhodesia? Not a bad name at all, it’s vigorous without being overbearing. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/35 "2023-10-10T19:03:15Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > “Washington National Airport” was a much better name than “Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport” (which is the full official name). Regardless of how you feel about Reagan, they just made the name of the airport overly long by sticking his name in there. I feel kinda the same way about Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. I mean, I like memorializing Atlanta’s first African-American mayor (and he was good at his job, so far as I remember), but it’s a bit of a mouthful. On the other hand, the widely-used shorter form “Hartsfield-Jackson”, has a better flow than “Hartsfield International”, which it replaced. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/36 "2023-10-10T19:27:36Z")
Czech Republic is better than Czechia. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/37 "2023-10-10T19:46:06Z")
Arrowhead Stadium vs GEHA Field. No contest. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/38 "2023-10-10T19:46:58Z")
Politics aside, National airport (DCA) in D.C. just makes sense. Nation’s capital, national airport. I don’t call it Reagan. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/39 "2023-10-10T19:48:00Z")
From what I understand (based on a quick look at a Wikipedia article) “Czech Republic” was never the country’s official name, it was just a name widely used in the English speaking world. “Czechia” was always their recommended English equivalent of _Česko_, their official short name in Czech. It’s only just become more widely adopted in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/40 "2023-10-11T15:41:46Z")
I guess it has always been officially called “Hoover Dam”, but thanks to that president’s unpopularity, it was always called “Boulder Dam” in my family. Politics aside, I just like the unintended allusion to a huge dam made out of big rocks. When I’ve called it Boulder Dam out of habit, most people don’t know what I’m talking about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353.md?page=3)