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Thread: Favorite Place Names

  1. #1
    blasphemer grandpa's Avatar
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    Favorite Place Names

    I figure I should start another "lighthearted, pointless thread."
    What are some funny names in your state?

    This was inspired by the following quote:
    "...if one day you happen to wake up and find yourself in an
    existential quandary full of loathing and self doubt and racked with
    the pain and isolation of your pitiful meaningless existence, at least
    you can take a small bit of comfort in knowing that somewhere out
    there in this crazy, old, mixed up universe of ours, there's still a
    little place called...Albuquerque!" --Weird Al Yankovic, "Albuquerque"

    I live in Michigan, not entirely far from a place called "Misery Bay" (around where I grew up). In my view, that's an awesome name for a place.
    Here's another one:
    Hell, Michigan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    According to legend, "In 1841 when the State of Michigan came by, and asked George what he wanted to name his town, he replied, 'Call it Hell for all I care, everyone else does.' So the official date of becoming Hell was October 13, 1841..."

    Another theory is "that a pair of German travelers stepped out of a stagecoach one sunny afternoon in the 1830s, and one said to the other, 'So schön und hell!' - roughly translated as, 'So beautiful and bright!' Their comments were overheard by some locals and the name stuck."

    And "Paradise, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, is 294 miles (473 km) north of Hell."

    There is also a Gay, Michigan.

    Kalamazoo is a pretty popular one from Michigan, too.
    There are numerous songs that reference the city name in lyrics and title, including: "All Over The World" by Rascalz, "Down on the Corner" by Creedence Clearwater Revival,[3] "I've Been Everywhere" by Johnny Cash;[4] "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" by Glenn Miller;[5] "Kalamazoo" by Ben Folds Five;[6] "Kalamazoo" by Primus;[7] "Kalamazoo" by Dr. Freeman and the Defenders of the Universe; "Kalamazoo" by Luna;[8] and Kalamazoo by Mike Craver on his album "Shining Down".[9] The word also features in the opera Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass. An indie film, Kalamazoo?, features the city as a backdrop.
    Kalamazoo, Michigan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    I alslo have to note these non-Michigan ones, then I'm done:

    F**king, Austria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    snopes.com: Welcome to Austria

    Llanfairpwllgwyngyll - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Grandpa h.

    Last edited by Matt W; 20th June 2008 at 09:04 AM.
    Post by post, building his arguments by smashing a couple of theirs -- for America.

  2. #2
    Volcanic Erupter SoylentGreen's Avatar
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    Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the Māori name for a hill, 305 metres high, close to Porangahau, south of Waipukurau in southern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. , a hill at 40.3480 S, 176.5321 E.[1] It has gained a measure of fame as one of the longest place-names in the world and one of the longest words used in English.
    It may not be the longest place name ,but apparently it is the longest word.


  3. #3
    Throttled Member Nono's Avatar
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    We have definitely had an earlier thread on this, but what the hell (as it were). [I always thought Hell was in Illinois -- seriously. The explanation, by the way, is that hell means "bright" in German.]

    Remaining in the Germanic world, there's also Wank, in Bavaria. And Wankdorf in Switzerland. Another Swiss favourite of mine is Bümplitz, especially when you hear the local intonation.

    OK, let's take Canada province by province from east to west:

    - Witless Bay, Newfoundland.
    - Dingwall, Nova Scotia.
    - Tignish, Prince Edward Island.
    - Oromocto, New Brunswick.
    - Chibougamau, Quebec (sounds rather rude in French).
    - Dogsnest, Ontario (Moosonee too).
    - Flin Flon, Manitoba (Manitoba's ninth-largest community!).
    - Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) is another I love.
    - Medicine Hat, Alberta.
    - Kamloops, British Columbia.

    I'll be back.

    "I wish I was as cocksure of anything as Tom Macaulay is of everything."
    -- Viscount Melbourne

  4. #4
    Molten Ash
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    Weare New Hampshire, pronounced "where".

    Mention this town and it turns into a regular Abbott and Costello bit.


  5. #5
    Throttled Member Nono's Avatar
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    OK, this just in from my British colleague Ruth: Wiggleswick and Gigglesworth, both in North Yorkshire.

    "I wish I was as cocksure of anything as Tom Macaulay is of everything."
    -- Viscount Melbourne

  6. #6
    Hmmmm....... prejudged_Fire's Avatar
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    Maine, Maine. Yup a city with the same name as the state it resides in.

    "It's not easy banging your head against some mad bugger's wall."
    -- Roger Waters (Pink Floyd, "Outside the Wall")

  7. #7
    Selfish shellfish
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    This isn't really a weird name. But I found this somewhat weird, because of the fact that my cousin's house is the closest house to this park/hollow in the area. Rogue's Hollow
    The area is probably the creepiest place I have ever been. My cousin's live in the middle of nowhere. Their house is literally about 1,000 feet from this place. There's a bridge that is in the middle of the hollow and it's dubbed "Crybaby bridge." Apparently in the 80's, some deranged mother threw her child off the bridge and now, supposedly, you can hear the baby cry every night. Trips to this bridge in recent years have been fruitless and have persuaded me otherwise of this legend. Oh well, it makes a good story. I think..


  8. #8
    blasphemer grandpa's Avatar
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    Quote Quote by: SoylentGreen View Post
    It may not be the longest place name ,but apparently it is the longest word.
    Reminds me of this:
    YouTube - Monty Python's - Johann Gambolputty

    Post by post, building his arguments by smashing a couple of theirs -- for America.

  9. #9
    blasphemer grandpa's Avatar
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    Quote Quote by: Nono View Post
    We have definitely had an earlier thread on this, but what the hell (as it were). [I always thought Hell was in Illinois -- seriously. The explanation, by the way, is that hell means "bright" in German.]
    I wasn't aware of an earlier thread on this. But it is of interest, because I grew up around "Misery Bay" (seriously, why isn't that town name more well known?). Apparently, there's also a "Misery Bay" in Pennsylvania

    Grandpa h.

    Post by post, building his arguments by smashing a couple of theirs -- for America.

  10. #10
    blasphemer grandpa's Avatar
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    Quote Quote by: ??! View Post
    This isn't really a weird name. But I found this somewhat weird, because of the fact that my cousin's house is the closest house to this park/hollow in the area. Rogue's Hollow
    The area is probably the creepiest place I have ever been. My cousin's live in the middle of nowhere. Their house is literally about 1,000 feet from this place. There's a bridge that is in the middle of the hollow and it's dubbed "Crybaby bridge." Apparently in the 80's, some deranged mother threw her child off the bridge and now, supposedly, you can hear the baby cry every night. Trips to this bridge in recent years have been fruitless and have persuaded me otherwise of this legend. Oh well, it makes a good story. I think..
    Sure, and it looks like a dandy place to make a horror movie.

    Grandpa h.

    Post by post, building his arguments by smashing a couple of theirs -- for America.

  11. #11
    Resigned Matt W's Avatar
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    Let's also take time to consider Whakapapa, NZ....and when you think about the Wh being pronounced 'F'....all becomes clear...

    I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.

    -George Best, on being asked what he did with his footballing fortunes.

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    busy Chris the Chees's Avatar
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    Foulness Island.

    Society may be formed so as to exist without crime, without poverty, […] no obstacle whatsoever intervenes at this moment except ignorance to prevent such a state of society.

    Robert Owen

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