# Shelbyvilles, i.e. places that look like they have a generic place name in them but don't **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667 "2026-02-14T17:27:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/21 "2026-02-15T02:34:50Z")
[Carol Stream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Stream%2C_Illinois) is a village in the western suburbs of Chicago. People assume that it’s named after a stream, which was named after a woman, but in fact, it’s named after a woman whose name actually was Carol Stream; she was the daughter of Jay Stream, the man who founded the village. This is her: [![](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2020/01/27/25RFA24OABHYLHP67GQURD4HQM.jpg?w=1024&h=670) ](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2020/01/27/25RFA24OABHYLHP67GQURD4HQM.jpg?w=1024&h=670) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/22 "2026-02-15T03:07:11Z")
Does New York count? It was not named after York, the city in England. It was named in honor of the heir apparent, the future James II, who held the title Duke of York. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/23 "2026-02-15T08:40:48Z")
[The lakeless Lake Mountain in Victoria, Australia, is said to have been named after local surveyor George Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Mountain_(Victoria)), but apparently this is disputed. [Brooksville, FL and Brooks County, GA got their names](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Brooks#Legacy) not from any local small waterways but as a tribute 🤮 to the notably loathsome US Representative Preston Brooks (D-SC) for his 1856 savage beating of antislavery Senator Charles Sumner (R-MA). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/24 "2026-02-15T08:46:58Z")
Oh, and [Hillsboro, Kansas is named not for any hill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsboro,_Kansas) (of which Kansas, as the seventh-flattest state in the US, doesn’t have a lot of), but for early homesteader John Hill. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/25 "2026-02-15T08:51:52Z")
Lethbridge, Alberta has a huge railway trestle—just over a mile, end-to-end, and about 360 feet above the river valley that it crosses. It is known as the “High Level Bridge,” the “Lethbridge Viaduct,” and other names. Many people assume that the bridge has something to do with the name of the city. Nope. The city is named after William Lethbridge, who was the president of the coal mining company that founded the coal mines in and around today’s current city of Lethbridge. ETA: The last coal mine in Lethbridge closed down in the 1950s. Today, the city’s economy is built on agriculture, industry, education, services, the railway, and a small amount of tourism. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/26 "2026-02-15T09:01:03Z")
Hey, did you know that [Wikipedia has pages of US county name etymologies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_U.S._county_name_etymologies)? Bacon County, GA is named for Sen. Augustus Bacon, not for its pork products. All the Clay Counties in various states owe their name to the renowned Henry Clay, not to mineral resources. (And the Pike Counties are not about the fish or the weapon, but about explorer Zebulon Pike.) Similarly, Coke County and Crane County in Texas, and apparently Kingfisher County in Oklahoma, are also commemorating personal surnames instead of their namesake common nouns. I’m sure you can dig up at least a couple dozen more examples in those lists. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/27 "2026-02-15T13:02:32Z")
The Picket Wire canyon in Colorado is not named for the military term of a line of soldiers or a wire designating their position but is a mondegreen for the French original name “Purgatoire” (purgatory). It takes it’s name from the Picker Wire river, which has reverted to its original French name. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/28 "2026-02-15T13:22:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Does New York count? > > It was not named after York, the city in England. It was named in honor of the heir apparent, the future James II, who held the title Duke of York. How is that not named after the city in England? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/29 "2026-02-15T14:13:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > How is that not named after the city in England? Consider the city of Victoria in British Columbia. It was named after Queen Victoria, who was reigning when the community was founded in 1843. The future Queen Victoria was born in 1819. She was named after her mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. So who was the city in British Columbia named after? The Queen or the Princess? I would say (and I feel this is the consensus) the city was named after the Queen, even though the Queen was named after the Princess. I feel the same is true for New York. It was named after James (via his title), not the city he was Duke of. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/30 "2026-02-15T14:16:48Z")
I have the opposite problem with places called Victoria. Their demonym is “Victorian” for all the ones I’ve been able to find. But I always think of the era and the queen when I see that name, not the place. If I just see the name Victoria, then I am more open to it being a place. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/31 "2026-02-15T14:22:31Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > (And the Pike Counties are not about the fish or the weapon, but about explorer Zebulon Pike.) There are three towns named Zebulon in the U.S., but the one in North Carolina is named after a Civil War-era governor, Zebulon Vance. Pikeville, Kentucky is of course named for Zebulon Pike and is the county seat of Pike County. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/32 "2026-02-15T14:29:58Z")
Goochville, GA was named after a commonly found family name in Northern Georgia, not the human perineum. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Pikeville, Kentucky is of course named for Zebulon Pike and is the county seat of Pike County. That’s funny because Georgia has a Pike county whose county seat is Zebulon. Probably a coincidence I’m sure. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/33 "2026-02-15T15:01:08Z")
West, Texas was named after the city’s first postmaster, Thomas West. (Locals sometimes call it “West Comma Texas” to avoid confusion.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/34 "2026-02-15T16:06:02Z")
Especially because it’s in east Texas. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/35 "2026-02-15T16:19:17Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > but in fact, it’s named after a woman whose name actually was Carol Stream; she was the daughter of Jay Stream, the man who founded the village. Cool story. Thank you. One of the big credit card processors has a mail reception plant there and I’ve been sending money to PO Boxes in Carol Stream for ~~years~~ decades. I always wondered a little about the name. Real estate developers have been naming things for themselves or their kids kids since forever. This one is adjacent to the OP’s target. Here in greater Miami is the town of Doral. Built in the late 1950s as an early golf-centric luxo community and famous in the golfing world for PGA tournaments still played there today. The origin of “Doral” you ask? The developer’s name was Albert & his wife was Doris. He graciously gave her top billing. The fact “Aldor” would’ve been a sucky name probably had something to do with it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/36 "2026-02-15T16:20:03Z")
Island Lake in Orangeville, Ontario is supposedly named after a farming family called Island and not the actual islands in the lake, according to a nearby historical marker. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/37 "2026-02-15T16:55:39Z")
Some people think that Race Lagoon on Whidbey Island is named for how the water runs into and out of the Lagoon during the tides. It’s actually named for the Race family, which is one of the non-native settlers. > **[Grandma's Trout](https://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/threads/grandmas-trout.161848/)** > > This trout hung on the wall of my grandmothers home since before my earliest memories. > When she passed I inherited it and later tied the flys and put it in the shadow box. > > My grandmother was an avid and accomplished angler in her time. > She was... ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/38 "2026-02-15T17:09:56Z")
There’s a building at Gallaudet University called Hall Memorial-- people mistakenly call it Memorial Hall, a type of building many campuses have, but Hall Memorial is Gallaudet’s main classroom building, an also the place where most faculty have offices. It’s named for the second president of Gallaudet, Percival Hall, sr. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2026, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/39 "2026-02-15T17:29:50Z")
At my alma mater (Rensselaer) one of the freshman dorms is Hall Hall, named after someone named Hall. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667/40 "2026-02-15T18:10:54Z")
Not place names, but a street names. Or maybe they’re road names. Pennsylvania route 926 in Chester County dates back to colonial times and is known as Street Road, named after Marlborough Street, to which it ran parallel. Pennsylvania route 132 in Bucks and Montgomery County, also from colonial times, is also known as Street Road. It takes its name from an early meaning of street (which meant a paved road). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelbyvilles-i-e-places-that-look-like-they-have-a-generic-place-name-in-them-but-dont/1027667.md?page=3)