Monday, April 26, 2010

Would you want to live in Boogertown?

I love funny street names and town names. Some stretches of highway are filled with great ones that will make you laugh for a mile or two. One of my faves is a street in Lake Jackson called "That Way." I understand there's a "This Way" too.

But street names don't affect as many people as town or city names. How many people keep a straight face upon learning that a new friend is from "Boogertown, North Carolina?" How about "Ding Dong, Texas?" Or, "Toad Suck, Arkansas?"

So, in honor of funny place names, here's today's set of randoms:

1. Los Angeles holds the title for longest official U.S. city name -- El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Rina de los Angeles de Porcluncula.

2. "Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg" is the longest place name in the United States. Yes, that's 45 letters. It's a lake in Webster, Massachusetts. The name means "Englishmen at Manchaug at the Fishing Place at the Boundary," but the name is sometimes facetiously translated as "you fish your side of the water, I fish my side of the water, nobody fishes the middle".

3. Rhode Island's official name is "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations."

Well, that's all for today!

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