What’s In a Name? The Craziest Town Names in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nationwide
To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure what goes into a name. Parents have the right to name their children. Do the founding families of a particular location have the right to name a growing town? Is it democratic, open to a vote by all inhabitants? That's a post for another day, but today I want to call your attention to Booger Hole, West Virginia, Dull, Ohio and Mosquitoville, Vermont. Those were some of the towns highlighted at the Estately Blog listing of the strangest town names in the USA.
My goal is to spend some quality time in Pie Town or Chili, or maybe spend a hang out (carefully) in Accident or Boring.
There is a long and deeply troubling list of bizarre town names in Minnesota, including Ball Club, Blue Earth, Castle Danger, Clappers, Climax, Embarrass, Good Thunder, Ham Lake, Houpt, Kiester, Little Canada, Luck, Motley, Mound, Nowthen, Ottertail, Nimrod, Pillager, Sleepy Eye, Staples, Taconite, Twig, Winner.
Wisconsin has it's fare share of head-scratchers too. I mean, who wouldn't want to loiter in eaver Dam, Beetown, Black Earth, Blue Mounds, Butternut, Cheat Lake, Chili, Clam Falls, Egg Harbor, Embarrass, Fond du Lac, Friesland, Hacker Valley, How, Imalone, Luck, Mentor, Mole Lake, New Diggings, Pray, Rolling, Spooner, Thornapple, Spread Eagle or Winter. Why on Earth would you name a town "Winter"?
My personal favorites are Imalone, Wisconsin, which is just kind of sad - and Castle Danger, Minnesota, home to great beer and phenomenal pie. A shout-out to Rustic Inn, which serves up some of the best pie on the planet, giving Betty's Pies in Two Harbors a serious run for the money.
My (late) doctor says I'm not getting enough pie in my diet, so I think he would be pleased to see me devour the "North Shore Berry Crumb". It's life-changing and has fruit in it - so it HAS to be healthy, right?
I'll just sit here quietly, pondering a second slice - giving thanks I don't live in Big Bottom, Washington.
It can always be worse...
10 Weird Minnesota Town Names All Within 75 Minutes of Rochester
Gallery Credit: Carly Ross