Which towns come to mind with common names?

[Buckeye Native 001]

It's almost like Ohio looked at all the towns in New England and said "Yeah, let's name a bunch of our towns and cities after those."

Then again, most of Ohio's settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries were from east of the Appalachians. Hell, there's even places with names like "New Philadelphia" and "New Baltimore."

[pj3000]

^ It's not almost like that. It's exactly like that. That's where those settlers were from.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

It's almost like Ohio looked at all the towns in New England and said "Yeah, let's name a bunch of our towns and cities after those."

Then again, most of Ohio's settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries were from east of the Appalachians. Hell, there's even places with names like "New Philadelphia" and "New Baltimore."

I thought this was common throughout the country. There is a New Baltimore in Michigan, too. There's also a Brooklyn, MI.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I thought this was common throughout the country. There is a New Baltimore in Michigan, too. There's also a Brooklyn, MI.

There was a joke I heard: Why do you think there is a New Mexico? Because we stole it from the old one.

*Ba dum tiss*

[hauntedheadnc]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

It's almost like Ohio looked at all the towns in New England and said "Yeah, let's name a bunch of our towns and cities after those."

Then again, most of Ohio's settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries were from east of the Appalachians. Hell, there's even places with names like "New Philadelphia" and "New Baltimore."

I'm so glad you mentioned New Philadelphia, OH, because it gives me a reason to tell you about the Great Strawberry Pop-Tart Fire. This old news article is the one thing that comes, front and center, to my mind when I think about New Philadelphia, OH.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I thought this was common throughout the country. There is a New Baltimore in Michigan, too. There's also a Brooklyn, MI.

and it's not just eastern seaboard cities that got the "new" treatment either.

michigan has a town named "new buffalo", which is a little unorthodox because it's a place name for a great lakes harbor town based upon an even older great lakes harbor town.

and i have no idea how Buffalo, NY got its name (i always think of american buffaloes (bison) being out on the great plains, not in upstate new york).

[hauntedheadnc]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

...and i have no idea how Buffalo, NY got its name (i always think of american buffaloes (bison) being a great plains animal, not upstate new york).

The story I like, but which isn't true according to Wikipedia, is that it's a corruption of the French Beau Fleuve meaning "beautiful river."

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

For instance, when I hear "Newport", I think of the one in Delaware, since I live in Delaware, rather than the one in Rhode Island or in another state.

What comes to mind with these names?

Salem
Springfield
Middletown
Burlington
Portland
York
Madison
Newark
Kingston
Charleston
Amherst
Greenville
Lancaster
Wilmington
San Jose
Columbus
Lexington

When I hear "Newport," I think of Newport Beach, CA.

OK, here's my list:

Salem, OR
Springfield, IL
Middletown, ?
Burlington, Coat Factory
Portland, ME
York, Peppermint Patty
Madison, WI
Newark, NJ
Kingston, Jamaica
Charleston, SC
Amherst, College
Greenville, ?
Lancaster, CA
Wilmington, CA
San Jose, CA
Columbus, OH
Lexington, KY

[eschaton]

I believe that 26 U.S. states have a city, town, or village named Washington.

[SignalHillHiker]

Very few place names here are common. Conception Bay South, I suppose - lots of Spanish towns with Conception in the name.

But confined to us... we have LOTS of Hearts.



And two Briguses:



Fun aside: Brigus is just a bastardized, mispronounced version of "Brick House" that gradually became the proper name of the centuries lol

And a lot of the towns on the north coast would be familiar to Americans. The first governor of Maryland, etc. was from here and a lot of their early settlers came to Newfoundland first (i.e. the Mayflower picked up supplies in Renews, south of my city, on its way to the U.S.) so a lot of our place names moved south.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

and it's not just eastern seaboard cities that got the "new" treatment either.

michigan has a town named "new buffalo", which is a little unorthodox because it's a place name for a great lakes harbor town based upon an even older great lakes harbor town.

and i have no idea how Buffalo, NY got its name (i always think of american buffaloes (bison) being out on the great plains, not in upstate new york).

I'm from Michigan and never put that together until now, lol. But yeah, makes sense. I'm sure Rochester, MN is named after Rochester, NY. Detroit exported its name to a couple of places around the country, too. I know of Detroit Falls, MN, and Detroit, OR, and there might be others. But... I wonder if there is a case of the original name holder being located farther west than the descendants?

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I wonder if there is a case of the original name holder being located farther west than the descendants?

there are two small towns in NW indiana named "east chicago" and "new chicago", and they are technically east of the real chicago, but they're in the same metro area as chicago, so probably not what you are asking about.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

But... I wonder if there is a case of the original name holder being located farther west than the descendants?

California, PA (coal mining town in the Monongahela Valley south of Pittsburgh) was founded in 1849 and named for the state of California due to the famous gold rush year.

It is home to California University of Pennsylvania, aka CALU (a state school, part of the PA State System of Higher Education).

Interestingly enough, there is also an Indiana, PA which is the home of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, aka IUP. Though the borough of Indiana, PA and Indiana County were named and settled in the 1760s, long prior to the state of Indiana, and prior to the naming of the Indiana Territory in 1800.

[Razor]

A little OT, but a small city named Springfield is about as American as it gets.
It's like the Jones or Smiths of city names.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by pj3000

California, PA (coal mining town in the Monongahela Valley south of Pittsburgh) was founded in 1849 and named for the state of California due to the famous gold rush year.

It is home to California University of Pennsylvania, aka CALU (a state school, part of the PA State System of Higher Education).

Interestingly enough, there is also an Indiana, PA which is the home of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, aka IUP. Though the borough of Indiana, PA and Indiana County were named and settled in the 1760s, long prior to the state of Indiana, and prior to the naming of the Indiana Territory in 1800.

I always notice the sign for IUP on I-80 but always forget to look up the background. Interesting.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I always notice the sign for IUP on I-80 but always forget to look up the background. Interesting.

All of the 14 PA state schools started out as “Normal Schools” or teachers colleges. They became state colleges and then full universities. Both IUP and CALU have good Div II sports teams, football especially. I think IUP has made a few nat’l championship appearances. Both have alums on NFL rosters.

Also, Indiana is where Jimmy Stewart is from. There’s a statue of him in the town.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Oh god, I've heard "Tempe Normal" used as an insult in Arizona by UA Wildcats fans because UA was the state's original university and Arizona State didn't officially become a university until like 1957 or 1958. Tempe Normal School (ASU) was originally established as a teacher's college in the late 19th or early 20th century.

And I forgot about Newport, KY, another Cincinnati-centric name/location despite more popular/well-known Newports in Rhode Island, Virginia and California.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

I'm so glad you mentioned New Philadelphia, OH, because it gives me a reason to tell you about the Great Strawberry Pop-Tart Fire. This old news article is the one thing that comes, front and center, to my mind when I think about New Philadelphia, OH.

I'm not sure which is funnier: The original fire in New Philadelphia, or Dave Barry and a neighbor recreating it in Barry's backyard with a cheap toaster and fireproof gloves.

[JManc]

I can confirm Boston Kentucky is nothing at all like the one in Massachusetts. Yikes...

[mrnyc]

hamilton, broadway

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Oh god, I've heard "Tempe Normal" used as an insult in Arizona by UA Wildcats fans because UA was the state's original university and Arizona State didn't officially become a university until like 1957 or 1958. Tempe Normal School (ASU) was originally established as a teacher's college in the late 19th or early 20th century.

And I forgot about Newport, KY, another Cincinnati-centric name/location despite more popular/well-known Newports in Rhode Island, Virginia and California.

kent state and bgsu were ohio’s normal colleges too at their founding — before they grew up into state u’s.