You know how sometimes you say a word so many times that it stops making sense? It hit me that our lives are full of words that aren’t really words anymore. They’re more often than not names, places, or memories. My childhood best friend’s name is Luna, which means “moon” in Italian.
This doesn’t really surprise me, even though the only other Luna I know is from Harry Potter. I don’t laugh out loud every time I go to my friend’s house in Viottolo Peloso (which means “furry alley”) or look shocked when my mom says she’s going to Sesso (which means “sex” in Italian) to get goods. When you have the weirdest city names on speed dial, you use them all the time.
This is another reason why I don’t blame Americans for living in towns and places with silly names while being distracted. I’m just going to name a few of my favorite U.S. city names that are really strange.
10 Weirdest City Names in the U.S.
Popejoy, Iowa
The first thing that comes to mind is a synthetic drug made by the Catholic church. However, this town was named after John Popejoy, a past resident and landowner.
Hooker, Oklahoma
The town was named for ranch foreman John “Hooker” Threlkeld, and when people from that town are asked to think of another possible word connection, they say, “It’s a place, not a job.” Okay then.
China, Texas
This Texas town got its name from the chinaberry trees that grow nearby. It has a few fewer people living there than the other China.
Blue Grass, Iowa
There is blue grass. Purple fog? If you’ve read this far, you should already know that even the strangest city names come from pretty normal and good places. Indigenous people used to camp in Blue Grass, Iowa, and noticed that the grass had a blue-ish tint.
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Colon, Michigan
An official story says that this town was named after a city in Panama. However, the fact that Michigan has places called “Brown City,” “Flushing,” and “Colon” suggests a very scary trend.
Oblong, Illinois
The village was first called “Hen. Peck” because of the general store that was there, which was run by a man named Henry Peck. When the town became a city in 1883, the people who lived there decided that the old name didn’t fit longer, so they named it after its shape. That makes sense now.
Speed, North Carolina
The name Speed could be a reminder of how quickly time goes by, or it could be a tribute to Jan de Bont’s 1994 action masterpiece with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. However, Speed was named after the town doctor Eugene Travis Speed Sr., who was not a hero in an action movie.
Uncertain, Texas
This is one of the strangest city names, and it perfectly explains where I stand on all important issues. The name comes from the fact that it wasn’t clear which state the city was in at first, since it was on the border between Texas and Louisiana.
Atomic City, Idaho
The town was changed (from “Midway”) in 1950 because it was close to the Idaho National Laboratory. It’s too bad that crossing the city borders won’t give you extra eyes or superpowers.
Ninety Six, South Carolina
The name of this town is a big mystery, but some people think it used to mean how far away it was from the nearest Cherokee city. The only thing I know about the number 96 is that it’s the year I was born on the fake ID I use at One Direction shows.