# What is the longest county name in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241 "2016-02-05T16:23:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [February 5, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241/21 "2016-02-05T20:35:33Z")
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska has 23 letters and one hyphen. If you include the word ‘Alaska’, then it’s 31. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241/22 "2016-02-06T00:51:02Z")
The county I live in is King, 4 letters. Sounds like that’s beat, though. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241/23 "2016-02-06T01:58:24Z")
How about city names. The place usually called Los Angeles or just LA is actually _El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula_. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241/24 "2016-02-06T18:56:21Z")
In Minnesota, the longest county name is 17 characters, “Lake of the Woods”. The second longest is 15 characters, “Yellow Medicine”. The 3rd longest is 13 characters, “Lac Qui Parle”. So if the 2 long ones are abbreviated in the obvious ways, all the 87 Minnesota County names will fit in 13 characters. Nothing very long here. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241/25 "2016-02-06T21:38:15Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I downloaded the list from Wikipedia and used Excel to sort by name length. The results may be a little dirty because they contain superfluous descriptions in many cases but it depends on your definition. > > County or equivalent State or district Length > > Carson City, Consolidated Municipality of [19] Nevada 45 > Prince of Wales – Hyder Census Area[5] Alaska 38 > San Francisco, City and County of[10] California 37 > Southeast Fairbanks Census Area[5] Alaska 34 > Broomfield, City and County of[11] Colorado 34 > Nantucket, Town and County of[17] Massachusetts 33 > Wrangell, City and Borough of[4] Alaska 32 > Honolulu, City and County of[15] Hawaiʻi 32 > Fairbanks North Star Borough[4] Alaska 31 > Yakutat, City and Borough of[9] Alaska 31 > Juneau, City and Borough of[7] Alaska 30 > Denver, City and County of[12] Colorado 30 > Aleutians West Census Area[5] Alaska 29 > Anchorage, Municipality of[6] Alaska 29 > Lake and Peninsula Borough[4] Alaska 29 > Sitka, City and Borough of[8] Alaska 29 > Valdez–Cordova Census Area[5] Alaska 29 > Colonial Heights, City of[23] Virginia 29 > Hoonah–Angoon Census Area[5] Alaska 28 Yeah, use Excel and a database why dontcha’. Takes all the fun out it. 🙂 ETA: Native Indian (original) political divisions and, famously, Welsh ones would blow these away. But that’s a different thread. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241/26 "2016-02-07T03:08:04Z")
The Democratic People’s Republic of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge County … 76 or about 19 per capita ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241/27 "2016-02-07T18:50:03Z")
Nowhere near the longest in America, but the longest county name in Texas in Nacogdoches. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-county-name-in-the-us/745241.md?page=1)