# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/81 "2023-10-12T20:25:24Z")
True that. And it gets even more confusing with the [demonyms](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonym): Germany in Italian is _Germania_, but German is _tedesco_. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/82 "2023-10-12T20:43:22Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Idlewild Airport sounds much cooler than JFK. _There’s a holdup in the Bronx,_ _Brooklyn’s broken out in fights._ _There’s a traffic jam in Harlem_ _That’s backed up to Jackson Heights._ _There’s a scout troop short a child,_ _Khrushchev’s due at Idlewild_ _Car 54, Where Are You?_ > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Mount McKinley just sounds… majestic and big. Then they had to rename Denali, which sounds like a pasta dish. To me it sounds like “you’re in denali” Mind you, I get the idea of renaming it. ---
**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 12, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/83 "2023-10-12T20:46:16Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Despite being named after a corporation, Staples Center in Los Angeles was still considerably better than the current [Crypto.com](http://Crypto.com) Arena. Likewise, ARCO Arena was a way better name than Sleep Train Arena, the final name for Sacramento’s old arena before the Kings moved the the new Golden 1 Center downtown. I’m not really a fan of the name “Golden 1 Center” either, but that was the new arena’s name from day one so it doesn’t really count for this thread. And then there’s the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center, the theater formerly known as the Sacramento Community Center Theater. I mean, the old name wasn’t exactly great either but selling the naming rights made it overly wordy and just worse. And it just makes me think someone at SAFE Credit Union said “If our competitor Golden 1 Credit Union has their name on a downtown venue, we want to have our name on one, too!” ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/84 "2023-10-12T20:47:41Z")
For a while it was Central African Empire. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/85 "2023-10-12T20:50:45Z")
The _Sharktank_ is way way better than _SAP Center_. However, everyone in San Jose calls it the Sharktank anyway. ---
**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 12, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/86 "2023-10-12T20:50:47Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > For a while it was Central African Empire. And on that note, Austria should change their name back to the Austrian Empire. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/87 "2023-10-12T20:51:03Z")
Long Island also had a Mitchell Field named after same said Billy. No longer exists (as an airfield). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/88 "2023-10-12T20:54:14Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I can’t imagine demanding that the French call our capital “London” rather than “Londres” or the Germans demanding that both us and the French call the Bavarian capital “Munchen”. When I lived in Europe, it was my job to travel to other embassies from Frankfurt. It took me awhile to figure out city names, and there was a bit of panic looking at the flight boards on my first few trips. Munchen, Praha, Wien, etc. were somewhat confusing to a new transplant. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/89 "2023-10-12T21:12:05Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > Despite being named after a corporation, Staples Center in Los Angeles was still considerably better than the current [Crypto.com](http://Crypto.com) Arena. Wonder if they’ll even still be in business when the naming rights expire in 2040. My theory with regard to corporate names on sports arenas is that names of well-known consumer brands work better than names of obscure tech companies. So Gillette Stadium is better than CMGI Stadium and Staples Center is better than [Crypto.com](http://Crypto.com) Arena. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/90 "2023-10-12T21:15:07Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Long Island also had a Mitchell Field named after same said Billy. No longer exists (as an airfield) The names are similar, but Mitchel Field on Long Island has just 1 L and isn’t named for Billy: “In July 1918, Field #2 [of Hazelhurst Field] was renamed Mitchel Field in honor of former New York City Mayor John Purroy Mitchel who was killed while training for the Air Service in Louisiana.” [Mitchel Field at the Cradle of Aviation](https://www.cradleofaviation.org/history/history/air_fields/mitchel_field.html) Coincidentally, I work in a building that used to be part of Mitchel Field. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/91 "2023-10-12T21:16:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > My theory with regard to corporate names on sports arenas… What is funny is that San Jose is still chasing the idea of another sports stadium “to put San Jose on the map”. whereupon, instead of calling it the **San Jose arena** , they will promptly sell out to Google or Apple or someone. When sports announcers call it the SAP Center, you have no idea that it is in San Jose. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/92 "2023-10-12T21:18:48Z")
Yes, but that’s always the case, though it helps if the corporate name is one of a company known to be from that city or area (Ford Field, Citi Field, Gillette Stadium, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/93 "2023-10-12T21:45:20Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Nitpick: M_ü_nchen, with the diaeresis diacritical mark on the “u”: [ü](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9C). 🙂 Well I’ve no idea how to do that and don’t care to. The German language doesn’t do that for all english place names and no-one in the UK cares. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > But some places insist that they always be called everywhere in their language, for instance Ivory Coast wants to be called formally and officially Côte d’Ivoire in other languages too. From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast): Do they practice what they are trying to preach with all other countries and cities? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/94 "2023-10-12T21:48:03Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Renaming places for one’s own convenience is a starkly colonial attitude. Hardly just a colonial issue. It is common worldwide. Should the Germans, French and all other countries in the world change how they refer to english language place names? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/95 "2023-10-12T21:52:23Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Do they practice what they are trying to preach with all other countries and cities? I bet they don’t, and I hope I did not give the impression I agreed with that policy. I do not. As for unusual letters, even if you don’t care to, I recommend copy&paste from the [typography cheatsheet](https://www.typewolf.com/cheatsheet). Or, if you lean on the nerdier side of typography, memorize the shortcuts (something not even I do. Well, only a few). ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/96 "2023-10-12T21:54:06Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I bet they don’t, and I hope I did not give the impression I agreed with that policy. I do not. no, no, not at all. It was a rhetorical question from me. I know they don’t. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > As for unusual letters, even if you don’t care to, I recommend copy&paste from the [typography cheatsheet](https://www.typewolf.com/cheatsheet). Or, if you lean on the nerdier side of typography, memorize the shortcuts (something not even I do. Well, only a few). Well that’s a useful resource, thanks for that. Saves me remembering multiple key shortcuts. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/97 "2023-10-12T22:06:38Z")
When can we start discussing football bowl game names? 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/98 "2023-10-12T22:29:01Z")
Both names are Irish (but not “Old Irish”) for “Blackpool,” which nobody calls it. The Welsh for Dublin is _Dulyn_ (same word-elements as _dubh linn_), and the Manx is _Divlyn_. It does seem that the D- names came _via_ Norse, after a particular water feature in the town. It’s clear enough in Irish: _baile_ is town but _linn_ is pool. Edit: I’m from San Diego, whose indigenous name in Kumeyaay was Cosoy. I like Cosoy better. Double edit: Cosoy is apparently the Spanish spelling. Kumeyaay is Kosa’aay, which is even better. [Kosa'aay - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosa%27aay) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/99 "2023-10-12T22:36:21Z")
You can still tell who did and didn’t grow up here by what they call the airport. I still call it “National” and still get momentarily confused when I hear “Reagan.” I suppose in another couple of generations that will no longer be the case. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353/100 "2023-10-12T22:48:45Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Should the Germans, French and all other countries in the world change how they refer to english language place names? Everyone should call all places what the people who live there call them. It’ll be a wrench at first, but so much more convenient ever afterwards. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-that-were-better-before-they-changed-them/991353.md?page=6)