# Why "Vegas" and not "Angeles" or "Cruces"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074 "2006-12-30T03:58:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/1 "2006-12-30T03:58:40Z")
Was pondering this while watching _CSI_ (which is set in Las Vegas)… Why does it sound ok when someone refers to Las Vegas as “Vegas” but not Los Angeles as “Angeles” or Las Cruces as “Cruces”? Since I am not very familiar with the American West, I do not know many more examples of cities that begin with “Las” or “Los.” Anyone have any more examples that sound utterly wrong when the Las/Los is left off? Any examples of more names like “Vegas” that sound normal? I am guessing the answer to the question of “why does Vegas by itself sound normal?” is just because it’s worked its way into the American lexicon that way. Is there a reason why? ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/2 "2006-12-30T04:06:35Z")
My guess: 'cause “Vegas” is easer to say than “Ell Vee” - and the clipped name just sounds cool - but we don’t say “Angeles” 'cause it’s harder to say than “Ell A”. I don’t know what of if the folks in New Mexico have a for as local term for “The Crosses”. [Hijack]You didn’t ask, and it’s pretty irrelevant, but I understand that “Las Vegas” is Spanish for “The Meadows.”[\Hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/3 "2006-12-30T04:10:11Z")
That is: I don’t know what the folks in New Mexico have as a local knickname for “The Crosses”. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/4 "2006-12-30T04:10:30Z")
Err… “Frisco” for “San Francisco”? _duck_ ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/5 "2006-12-30T04:24:39Z")
[QUOTE=Civil Guy] That is: I don’t know what the folks in New Mexico have as a local knickname for “The Crosses”. [/QUOTE] We call it “Cruces”. And nobody calles it “Angeles” because we call it “LA”. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/6 "2006-12-30T17:16:50Z")
Can any California Dopers tell me the correct pronounciation for La Canada CA? I presume it’s pronounced ca-NAD-a, rather than like the country to the north of the US. Am I correct? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/7 "2006-12-30T17:25:00Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] Can any California Dopers tell me the correct pronounciation for La Canada CA? I presume it’s pronounced ca-NAD-a, rather than like the country to the north of the US. Am I correct? [/QUOTE] Almost right, except there’s supposed to be. or originaly was, a tilde (~) over the n, which makes it “la Can-YAH-da”. As for Los Angeles, I read somewhere that in the early years, Anglos did the opposite and called it “Los”. This seems to have been done mainly by wagon drivers in the 19th century, like Wyatt Earp. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/8 "2006-12-30T17:41:14Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Was pondering this while watching _CSI_ (which is set in Las Vegas)… Why does it sound ok when someone refers to Las Vegas as “Vegas” but not Los Angeles as “Angeles” or Las Cruces as “Cruces”? Since I am not very familiar with the American West, I do not know many more examples of cities that begin with “Las” or “Los.” Anyone have any more examples that sound utterly wrong when the Las/Los is left off? Any examples of more names like “Vegas” that sound normal? I am guessing the answer to the question of “why does Vegas by itself sound normal?” is just because it’s worked its way into the American lexicon that way. Is there a reason why? [/QUOTE] For the same reason that New Jersey is often refered to as “Jersey” but New York is never called “York”. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/9 "2006-12-30T18:01:43Z")
Only partialy on topic, but one of my pet peeves is when somebody calls it “Las Lunas”, when it’s “Los Lunas”. In other words, subsituting the feminine for the masculine article. Drives me crazy! ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/10 "2006-12-30T18:11:03Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Why does it sound ok when someone refers to Las Vegas as “Vegas” but not Los Angeles as “Angeles” [/QUOTE] The name of Los Angeles has alread been shortened from\*\* El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula\*\* to **LA**. Isn’t that enough? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/11 "2006-12-30T18:38:54Z")
“LA” is also Lewiston-Auburn, Maine. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/12 "2006-12-30T18:56:04Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] Almost right, except there’s supposed to be. or originaly was, a tilde (~) over the n, which makes it “la Can-YAH-da”. [/QUOTE] If it’s the one near San Francisco, it should still have an en-yay instead of an en. It would reduce the number of road accidents. Driving along the freeway, I saw a sign for something like 'la Canada keep right" and almost wrecked until I saw the ‘la’ before ‘Canada’. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/13 "2006-12-30T19:19:45Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] If it’s the one near San Francisco, it should still have an en-yay instead of an en. It would reduce the number of road accidents. Driving along the freeway, I saw a sign for something like 'la Canada keep right" and almost wrecked until I saw the ‘la’ before ‘Canada’. [/QUOTE] I believe the one they are talking about is SoCal, and the full name seems to be “La Cañada Flintridge”. SF Bay area has Cañada road and Cañada Community College, which you might have seen road signs for on 280, in particular. Cañada means “gorge”, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/14 "2006-12-30T19:25:11Z")
[QUOTE=Civil Guy] That is: I don’t know what the folks in New Mexico have as a local knickname for “The Crosses”. [/QUOTE] I’ve only heard the joke name “Lost Causes” for Las Cruces. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/15 "2006-12-30T22:33:04Z")
Because Vegas is a star and doesn’t need the full name - just like Cher, Madonna, Prince, Elvis - nobody ever asks, “Which Vegas do you mean?” But quite seriously, that is a very good question. Even locals often call it Vegas (unlike people in SF who get a bit touchy about “Frisco”). But when it comes time to write your address, it would seem weird to just write, “Vegas, NV”…so I guess you can say the word “Vegas” is mostly used when speaking, or when you refer to the hoopla around The Strip. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/16 "2006-12-30T23:13:43Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] I believe the one they are talking about is SoCal, and the full name seems to be “La Cañada Flintridge”. SF Bay area has Cañada road and Cañada Community College, which you might have seen road signs for on 280, in particular. Cañada means “gorge”, BTW. [/QUOTE] Despite what the signs say, it is not the turnoff for the LA to Canada Freeway. 😃 Flintridge is a community that is next door to La Cañada. They use the same freeway exit, so they are listed together on the sign. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/17 "2006-12-30T23:22:44Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] Despite what the signs say, it is not the turnoff for the LA to Canada Freeway. 😃 Flintridge is a community that is next door to La Cañada. They use the same freeway exit, so they are listed together on the sign. [/QUOTE] A lot more than that. The Atlas lists it as a single name, as does the Wiki article, and the chamber of commerce page: > **[La Cañada Flintridge, California](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Ca%C3%B1ada_Flintridge,_California)** > > La Cañada Flintridge /ˌlɑː kənˈjɑːdə/, commonly known as just La Cañada (Spanish for 'The Ravine'), is a city in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Crescenta Valley on the western edge of the San Gabriel Valley, it is the site of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as well as Descanso Gardens. Before the city's incorporation on November 30, 1976, it consisted of the two distinct communities of La Cañada and Flintridge. The popula... > **[Home](https://www.lacanadaflintridge.com/)** > > WELCOME TO THE La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce Calendar Event Calendar Calendar Join Today Calendar Find a Member Calendar Member Login Newsletter LCF Vista News Outlook News The mission of the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and... And from the wiki page: > [@](#): > > The area consisted of two distinct communities (La Cañada and Flintridge) until they incorporated in 1976, out of unincorporated Los Angeles County land. The city name specifically does not have a hyphen in it, to illustrate unity between the communities that were once separately known as La Cañada and Flintridge. Which explains the awkward sounding name. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/18 "2006-12-30T23:27:34Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] I believe the one they are talking about is SoCal, and the full name seems to be “La Cañada Flintridge”. SF Bay area has Cañada road and Cañada Community College, which you might have seen road signs for on 280, in particular. Cañada means “gorge”, BTW. [/QUOTE] Yes, it was Cañada Community College I saw the signs for. 280 is the freeway that runs inland down the peninsula, isn’t it? If so, I thought of it as the “Beautiful Rich-People Freeway”, as opposed to 101 along the bayshore, which was older and more congested, and which I though of as “The Older Working-Class Freeway”. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-vegas-and-not-angeles-or-cruces/386074/19 "2006-12-30T23:41:33Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Yes, it was Cañada Community College I saw the signs for. 280 is the freeway that runs inland down the peninsula, isn’t it? If so, I thought of it as the “Beautiful Rich-People Freeway”, as opposed to 101 along the bayshore, which was older and more congested, and which I though of as “The Older Working-Class Freeway”. [/QUOTE] Not a bad impression. Both run down the Peninsula, actually, but 280 runs through the area up in the hills, 101 down next to the bay. 280, as you observed, runs through some very expensive real estate in communities like Woodside and Los Altos Hills. 101 is the main commute corridor, and runs mostly through commercial districts.