# US places named for regions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 9, 2017, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385 "2017-02-09T11:13:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/1 "2017-02-09T11:13:28Z")
Since my thread thread about [US cities named for non-US cities](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=816533) was such a success, I’m going to followup with a thread on non-US regions with US namesakes. The Wikipage has been submitted for that topic, and they changed my sandbox page to have a link to the draft version of that page. But at the rate they’re approving new pages, it’s going to be a week or more before they get to mine. But I found that I can still change my [sandbox](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Dtilque/sandbox&redirect=no). I left the link in there at the top and, for all I know, their approval process will wipe out any changes I make there. So I’ll have to make a copy of it every time I change it. Right now, it has a partial list of regions and I still have a bunch left to put in. But you can give me any additions here. As far as what I want, any non-US geographic entity that’s not a city or municipality that has a US city or county named for it. Or even maybe some other US region. I prefer those that are confirmed to be actually named after the foreign place, but if you have one that you don’t know if it is or isn’t, you can give that. Finally, I want to give thanks to everyone who contributed to the other thread. You guys were a great help. Especially Kimstu. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/2 "2017-02-09T11:24:26Z")
I suspect that you could find a place in the US named after most of the English counties. ---
**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 9, 2017, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/3 "2017-02-09T12:08:35Z")
Suffolk County in NY, MA, and VA, ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/4 "2017-02-09T12:31:10Z")
Peru, NY (I think there are a few others as well – Illinois, maybe?). I confirmed that the NY one, at least, was named for the country. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/5 "2017-02-09T12:43:16Z")
Laconia, N.H., after the region in Greece Rhodes, Michigan, possibly after the Greek island (the one in Iowa is named for a person) There are lots of places called Lebanon. I know the one in Maine is named for the country because early settlers found cedar trees growing there. There are lots of places named Hanover (Germany), Wales (UK), and Piedmont (Italy). There are places called Crete in ND, NE, IL, and ND Samos, VA, possibly after the Greek island. Mecklenburg counties in VA and NC, after the German region Arabi, GA, possibly after the Arabian peninsula There are places called Lorraine in KS and NY possibly after the French region. Also some others called Lorain or Loraine. Flanders NY and Flanders Village CT possibly after the region in Belgium Galilee, RI, after the biblical region. Normandy TX and Normandy Beach NJ, possibly after the French region. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/6 "2017-02-09T12:57:50Z")
If mountains and mountain ranges count, then there are lots of places named after biblical peaks like Mount Carmel, Pisgah, Mount Horeb, Mount Hermon, Mount Zion, and Sinai. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/7 "2017-02-09T13:05:36Z")
Little Canada, Minnesota ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/8 "2017-02-09T13:16:31Z")
Finland, Minnesota Jutland, New Jersey Lapland, Indiana ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/9 "2017-02-09T14:15:47Z")
British Columbia … a two-fer … named after Britain _and_ Columbia Portland, Maine … ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/10 "2017-02-09T14:17:04Z")
Darien, Connecticut, after the region in Panama. Panama City, Florida, is apparently named after the country, rather than the capital city of Panama. The various “Jamaicas” in the northeastern US are mostly derived from a Native American word meaning “beaver” or other Native American terms. There are Jamaicas in Illinois and Iowa, and a Jamaica Beach in Texas, that could be named after the island. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/11 "2017-02-09T14:19:05Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > British Columbia … a two-fer … named after Britain _and_ Columbia Perhaps I’m being whooshed and this was intended as a joke, but the South American country is spelled Colombia. Both places are independently named after Christopher Columbus. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/12 "2017-02-09T14:42:39Z")
Mexico NY Scotia NY (after Scotland) Moravia NY possibly from the region in the Czech Republic Bohemia NY from the region in the Czech Republic Cuba NY Java NY Sweden ME Siberia, IN Sumatra FL Brazil IN Guinea VA Zeeland MI after the Dutch province ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/13 "2017-02-09T15:11:51Z")
Ontario CA after the Canadian province There are places called Quebec in CT and MT but I don’t know if they’re named for the city or the province. There are several towns called Yukon but it’s hard to tell which are named after the river and which after the territory. Vineland MN and Vinland WI for Vinland, the Viking colony in eastern Canada. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/14 "2017-02-09T15:17:20Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Perhaps I’m being whooshed and this was intended as a joke, but the South American country is spelled Colombia. Both places are independently named after Christopher Columbus. The whoosh was the second entry … the OP severely scolded me on the other thread for mentioning Portland, Maine … as Portland is a rock connected by a spit to mainland Britain … and not a city _per se_ … I guess I shouldn’t be so butthurt about that but as a West Coast resident just about all our cities that would superficially match the OP’s criteria are in fact named after East Coast cities … thus don’t match at all … and I feel left out and ignored … spurned even … British Virgin Islands … ---
**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 9, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/15 "2017-02-09T15:23:54Z")
Luxemburg, WI. Named after the country Luxembourg, and apparently originally spelled “Luxumbourg”, as well; settled by emigrants from Luxembourg. Belgium, WI. Named after Belgium, but apparently also settled by ethnic Luxembourgers, from a part of that country which had been annexed by Belgium. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/16 "2017-02-09T15:26:16Z")
Cuba and Japan in Missouri. Texas County should also count, because it was named after Texas while Texas was still an independent republic, and California was named while that state was still a Mexican territory. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/17 "2017-02-09T15:38:53Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Both places are independently named after Christopher Columbus. To nitpick myself, British Columbia was actually named after the Columbia River, which in turn was named after the ship _Columbia Rediviva_. So the connection to Columbus is indirect. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/18 "2017-02-09T15:40:49Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Cuba NY According to Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > John S. Minard’s Civic History of Cuba, published in 1910, states: > > > [@](#): > > > > “Cuba is a Roman word and means Goddess or Protector of the Young. So in all probability, the Legislators of 1822, when they set aside the township from the town of Friendship, by accident, stumbled upon the word and appropriated the name, the significance of which is pleasant to think of.” > > Simeon DeWitt, the surveyor general for New York State in the early 19th century, was an avid student of ancient Roman mythology and is credited with suggesting the name. However, there are more than a dozen other “Cubas” in the US, at least some of which must have been named after the island. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/19 "2017-02-09T17:18:58Z")
Mars, PA 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385/20 "2017-02-09T17:35:09Z")
New Russia Township in Lorain County, Ohio. Heck, Lorain county, city and many streets from Lorraine, France. Dennis [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-places-named-for-regions/779385.md?page=2)