# Places known for bad reasons **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314 "2006-09-27T03:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/61 "2006-09-28T12:43:55Z")
The Dakota in New York City is khown as the place where “Rosemary’s Baby” was filmed and John Lennon was shot to death. Attica, New York is know for the prison riot. And let’s not forget “Yesterday in old Fall River Mr. Andrew Borden died.” ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/62 "2006-09-28T12:44:34Z")
Cromwell Street, Gloucester. I lived near there, and it was a reasonably popular cut-through across the edge of the city (just cut down behind Boots, and across to the car park, avoiding all the crowds of people). Now it’s just known for [the West killings](http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/west/index_1.html)… ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/63 "2006-09-28T13:16:55Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] …And let’s not forget “Yesterday in old Fall River Mr. Andrew Borden died.” [/QUOTE] Nearby New Bedford, MA is on most of the country’s radar only because almost 25 years ago, a woman was gang-raped on a pool table in a crowded bar while the rest of the clientele cheered the attackers on. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/64 "2006-09-28T13:42:21Z")
[QUOTE=faithfool] I would certainly think Amityville would qualify [/QUOTE] But [nothing happened at Amityville](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/amityville.asp). Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/65 "2006-09-28T14:20:29Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] I don’t think I ever would have heard of Brentwood, if not for the troubles. [/QUOTE] And Greenwich CT, known for the Martha “it was done by a Kennedy cousin” Moxley murder. Mark Furman wrote books on both the subjects. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/66 "2006-09-28T14:41:09Z")
Scarsdale, NY, in reference to the Scarsdale Diet doctor. Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Charles Starkweather rampage (at least in the Springsteen song). Holcomb, KS, for the Clutter murders. Birmingham, AL, for the church bombing. [QUOTE=FelixKat930] Chalome…what"s that? never heard of it [/QUOTE] Maybe Cholame, where James Dean died?? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/67 "2006-09-28T18:01:27Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Charles Starkweather rampage (at least in the Springsteen song). [/QUOTE] I think I’ve heard about Lincoln, Nebraska for reasons quite separate than that. . .can’t really put my finger on it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/68 "2006-09-28T18:04:40Z")
Ground Zero ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/69 "2006-09-28T18:10:35Z")
How 'bout Transylvania? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/70 "2006-09-28T18:15:00Z")
Nobody’s stepped in to explain why **salt Lake City** is known for a bad reason. I’m still legitimately curious. I should’ve thought of **salem** , MA, as has already been pointe out. Salem would rather you remember them for the China Trade and Nathaniel Hawthorne (except at this time of year, when they get the Halloween tourists), but the truth is that the Witch trials were a significant and weird bump in their history. It’s true that most of the witches lived in present-day Danvers, but the judges lived in Salem, and the court was there. And the monument is there, today. Closer to where I grew up, **Grover’s Mill** is known solely for the Martian Invasion – which didn’t happen, of course. But there’s a monument there now. For that matter, **Soccorro, NM** is known for UFOs and ETs, but the locals probably don’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/71 "2006-09-28T18:16:22Z")
If it weren’t for the name, would anybody even know that **Intercourse, PA** even existed? ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/72 "2006-09-28T18:21:53Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] I think I’ve heard about Lincoln, Nebraska for reasons quite separate than that. . .can’t really put my finger on it, though. [/QUOTE] My family lives in Lincoln, and I cannot think of any other infamous claims to fame. Maybe the crime rate of NU’s college football team in the mid-90s? **Cleveland** for Lake Erie catching on fire **Flint, Michigan** for Roger & Me (and the rabbit-beating lady) Here, we had Pearl Harbor, but I wouldn’t think it’s the first thing people think of for Honolulu. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/73 "2006-09-28T18:26:55Z")
[Shanksville Pennsylvania](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanksville%2C_Pennsylvania) ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/74 "2006-09-28T18:40:26Z")
[QUOTE=HubZilla] My family lives in Lincoln, and I cannot think of any other infamous claims to fame. Maybe the crime rate of NU’s college football team in the mid-90s? [/QUOTE] Ok, I thought the initial question was, “What places are known for bad stuff happening there?” I found that to be a pretty interesting poll. People seem to be answering the question, “List every place in the world something bad happened.” Lincoln, Nebraska is \*known for \*being the FREAKIN’ CAPITAL OF NEBRASKA. New York City is\* known for\* being FREAKIN’ NEW YORK CITY. Why do we know Shanksville, PA? Because a hijacked airplane crashed there! Why do we know the Aceh province? Because a tsunami wiped it off the face of the earth. There’s a big distinction between why we know Shanksville and why we know Lincoln, in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/75 "2006-09-28T19:08:16Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Nobody’s stepped in to explain why **salt Lake City** is known for a bad reason. I’m still legitimately curious. [/QUOTE] It definately doesn’t fit the criteria of the OP, but very few people nationally get any warm and fuzzy feelings at the thought of Salt Lake City, unless they are from there or LDS. For some reason, when Denver is mentioned people say things like “oh, skiing, mountains, snow” etc., but not when say Salt Lake City. Even skiiers think in terms of Park City, Alta, Snowbird, etc. but they don’t really associate those places with SLC, even though it is much closer to them than Denver is to any Colorado ski area. Most people have long ago forgot about the Olympics. There’s just not anything sentimental or particularly warm about SLC. Most people will never go there due to it’s remoteness. I’m heading there in a couple of hours and am already looking forward to coming home. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/76 "2006-09-28T19:21:51Z")
And to answer the OP, Hiroshima. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/77 "2006-09-28T20:22:59Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] Lincoln, Nebraska is \*known for \*being the FREAKIN’ CAPITAL OF NEBRASKA. [/QUOTE] I did not know that. :smack: j/k, I figured that’s what you meant by your post ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/78 "2006-09-29T01:08:55Z")
Hamlet, NC. Fire in a chicken processing plant, with locked doors. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/79 "2006-09-29T01:13:53Z")
Pine Hills is known by locals as “Crime Hills.” ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/places-known-for-bad-reasons/374314/80 "2006-09-29T01:33:02Z")
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