Place Names?

[Wiegert]

Remembering back, I used to go to Motocross meets at a place called Wigwig when I was much younger. It consists of 3 or 4 houses and a couple of farms, plus it's a short walk from Homer.

 

[Liquid]

So, anyway, who is Connah and why does he she have a quay?

Way back when, Mary Connah owned the docks and shipyard in the town, so it became known as Connah's Quay.

Pretty boring story, really.

 

[Nessy]

There's a place called Diss, in Norfolk.

 

[Barra333]

Some guy has you all covered on the rude place names.

As far as usual places I have been to...

Beer (England). Not so much unusual, as awesome
Upper and Lower Slaughter (Cotswolds, England)
Bwlch, Wales (little help on pronunciation, Liquid?)
Head smashed in Buffalo Jump (Alberta, Canada - only got to within 100km of this one)
Show Low (Arizona) Complete with Yosemite Sam/Bugs Bunny story behind the name
There is also a locality on the AA maps of Scotland called Rest and Be Thankful. It is a caravan that sells tea.

I also found Dollar (Clackmannanannananshire, Scotland) to be a strange choice of town name.

In Australia, we have a few that generally get a mention. Im sure there are more, but this is what I can think of now.
- Wagga Wagga
- Wooloomooloo
- Rooty Hill
- Bogan Gate (Bogan is the Aussie slang for redneck/chav)

 

[Diego440]

I was surprised when I went to England and found out Lestershire (or something like that) was actually pronounced 'Lesher'... Drove me nuts when I went to the UKGTPVII

 

[Jimlaad43]

Kent, UK

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

I was surprised when I went to England and found out Lestershire (or something like that) was actually pronounced 'Lesher'... Drove me nuts when I went to the UKGTPVII

Almost as hilarious as hearing Americans try to pronounce Worchestershire, Gloucestershire or most other British county names correctly.

 

[Barra333]

When I was there, I just learnt to leave out the bit between the first sound - 'Glo-' or 'Wo-' - and the '-stersheer'. Win (mostly)

 

[Dean]

I just came across Chicken, AK in the US .

 

[Doog]

A couple years ago we passed Buttzville, New Jersey on the way to New York City.

 

[otakukid96]

Middlesex, North Carolina always seems to find it's way on to local weather maps. There is also a place in Connecticut called Mianus.

 

[Lizard]

Middlesex, North Carolina always seems to find it's way on to weather maps.

Over here Middlesex is a county. Nobody really laughs about it in Britain.

 

[GranTurismo916]

Hell, Michigan.

Some New York ones:
Alabama, Genesee
Athens, Greene (Change a letter and it'll be Greece!)
Big Flats, Chemung
Boston, Erie
Cairo, Greene (What's up with Greene County?)
Centerville, Allegany
Conewango, Cattaraugus
Hope, Hamilton
Hoosick, Rensselaer
Maine, Broome
Mexico, Oswego
Oswego, Oswego
Shawangunk, Ulster
Waywayanda, Orange (I live 2 mi. away from here)

 

[PeterJB]

My mum attended Humpybong State School in Brisbane (though I don't know if it's also a place)

 

[Blitz24]

Hell, Michigan.

Some New York ones:
Alabama, Genesee
Athens, Greene (Change a letter and it'll be Greece!)
Big Flats, Chemung
Boston, Erie
Cairo, Greene (What's up with Greene County?)
Centerville, Allegany
Conewango, Cattaraugus
Hope, Hamilton
Hoosick, Rensselaer
Maine, Broome
Mexico, Oswego
Oswego, Oswego
Shawangunk, Ulster
Waywayanda, Orange (I live 2 mi. away from here)

Forgot Florida, Goshen and Neversink.

 

[Lizard]

Obama in Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama,_Fukui

 

[GranTurismo916]

Forgot Florida, Goshen and Neversink.

Florida and Goshen are normal for me because I live in Orange Country.

 

[Pupik]

Toad Suck, Arkansas:

Sweet Home, Arkansas:

Yolo County, California:

And a few more that I can't seem to rustle up photos of right now...

Smut Eye, Alabama
Hoh Rain Forest, Washington (not a city/town, but a state park)
Yeehaw Junction, Florida (formerly Jackass Junction, so the story goes)
Wewahitchka, Florida
Caloosahatchee, Florida
Apalachicola, Florida

 

[Anathema]

Forty Fort, Pennsylvania.

 

[XS]

There's some good ones out west where I grew up. Gotta love old western names.
Last Chance
Last Hope
Tincup
Casper, Boone, Antonio, Craig, Elizabeth, Fraser, Holly, Hugo, Kim, Parker, Hayden, Grover, (all cities with people names)
Whiskey Gulch
The Oh My God Road (it's on the side of a mountain)
Sugar City
Sawpit

 

[Barra333]

Forty Fort, Pennsylvania.

I know there is a place called Eighty Four in PA as well.

 

[W3H5]

There's a place in Devon called Dog Turd Alley. I think it's a popular dog walking spot.

 

[daan]

Sweet Home, Arkansas:

Alabama, surely?

 

[Dean]

Hell's in Norway too...

There's also "Helved", (Hell in Danish) and "Sengeløse" (directly translated to "Bedless"), in Denmark.

- Is anybody making a list of all of these ?

 

[XS]

Ask and you shall receive .

Australia
Bogan Gate (Bogan is the Aussie slang for redneck/chav)
Rooty Hill
Wagga Wagga
Wooloomooloo


Canada
Buffalo Jump
Bummer's Roost
Crotch Lake
London
Mt. Trashmore
Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturi pukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitan atahu, which translates to: "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one"
Trafalgar
Westminster

Denmark
Helved
Middlefart
Sengeløse (Bedless in Danish)
Tarm (Intestine in Danish)

Japan
Obama

UK
Ash
Ash Vale
Aldershot
Beanacre
Beer
Beercrocombe
Chewton Mendip
Clapton-in-Gordano
Cockintake
Cockplay
Connah's Quay
Cowslip Green
Diss
Drift
Ewloe (Pron. Yoo-low)
Eye
Fannyfield
Farrington Gurney
Forest
Frome
Fudgepack
Gastard
Goatacre
Ham Sandwich
Hawarden
Holyhead (Pron. Holly-head)Holywell (Pron. Holly-well.)
Homer
Honey Knob Hill
Hope (Somewhat of a misnomer...)
Lacock
Lickey End
Looe
Lower Dicker
Mancot
Middle Wallop
Minge
Mold
Old Sodbury
Old Sodom
Pennsylvania
Polperro
Purlpit
Rottingdean
Ruyton-XI-Towns (Rai-ton Eleven Towns)
Scratchy Bottom
Senna
Shaggs
Slaughterford
Sodom
Thingley
Uckfield
Upper and Lower Slaughter
Upper Dicker
Waterlooville
Weston super mare
Westonzoyland
Westward Ho!
Wigwig
Willy
Withiel Florey


UK (Wales)
Abergele (Mouth of the River Gele)
Bangor (Bang-her. Ha!)
Bwlch
Caernarfon (Fortress on the river)
Llandudno (Church of St. Tudno)
Llanfynydd (Place of the mountain church)
Penyffordd (Top of the road)
Penymynydd (Top of the mountain)
Penmaenmawr (Mountain, which is big)
Penmaenbach (Mountain, which is small)
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysiliogogogoch

US
Alabama, NY
Apalachicola
Athens, Greene, NY
Big Flats
Boring
Boston, NY
Buttzville
Cairo, NY and OH
Caloosahatchee
Chicken
Eighty Four
Flippin
Florida, NY
Forty Fort
Hell
Intercourse
Last Chance
Last Hope
Maine, NY
Mexico, NY
Mianus
Middlesex
Sawpit
Shawangunk
Show Low
Smut Eye
Sugar City
Sweet Home
Tincup
Toad Suck
Virginville
Waywayanda
Wewahitchka
Whiskey Gulch
Why
Yeehaw Junction, Florida (formerly Jackass Junction, so the story goes)
Yolo County, CA

 

[Lizard]

Oh and just down the road from Aldershot there was North Camp. No tents as far as I could see though.

There is Blackbush and Lea to add to the list as well.

 

[Liquid]

If I may, what do people find amusing or unusual about the name Aldershot?

Sounds typically English to me.

 

[Mark II Blit]

As unlikely as it should be, was it in Tarm ?

(Speed in Danish is "fart", by the way.It's said in the same way as on English.)

Perhaps they spent too much time in Ølgod (beer-good).
I hear that can cause excessive 'fart'. Not good if you live in Balleby (buttocks-town)

Also here in Denmark, not far from my city is a village called Snave (snogging/French kiss in Danish).
Then there's the village Landet (literally 'the countryside') which I've always found is quite an apt name.

 

[Lizard]

If I may, what do people find amusing or unusual about the name Aldershot?

Sounds typically English to me.

Sounds a little like order shot. Which linked with the huge army base there makes it rather funny.

 

[F1 fan]

Kilncadzow - Kill-caig-eh

I knew this one would pop up at some point. I grew up relatively near it. My history teacher insisted on pronouncing it phonetically and tried to tell his class full of pupils that we were pronouncing it wrong. He wasn't even from the area.

I always liked Auchtermuchty. Especially when someone who isn't Scottish tries to pronounce it. Maybe it's too late to nominate it for the GTP accent challenge, but I'd like to hear some attempts at it.

Edit:

Medicine Hat in Alberta. Seriously? Who came up with that name?