There are some places across the U.S. that have names that seem made-up but they’re real. Here are eleven American towns with names that make no sense & the alleged stories behind them. Which of these places would you choose to live in?
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Flippin, Arkansas
Originally, this settlement had a bunch of less catchy names like “Barrens” and “Goatville.” But it became “Flippin” in the 1920s because of a family with that last name. The name stuck & the town has become the kind of place people drive through, just to take a picture with the town sign.
Accident, Maryland
There’s a story from the 1700s about two survey crews who marked the same chunk of land by accident & the landowner ended up calling it the “Accident Tract.” The name just stayed around. Eventually, it turned into the official town name when they incorporated it in the early 1900s, which is hardly the most flattering origin. But it’s still memorable.
Peculiar, Missouri
Back in the 1860s, a postmaster’s choices for a name kept getting vetoed, so he eventually became tired of the back-and-forth. What did he do? According to legend, he wrote that he didn’t care anymore & just wanted to give them something “peculiar.” That’s what Washington approved.
Tightwad, Missouri
Nobody really agrees on the origins of Tightwad, Missouri. One version says that a mail carrier felt ripped off when he paid extra for a watermelon, while another story blames a stingy rooster deal. Either way, people began calling the area Tightwad & it now has an actual bank that prints “Tightwad” on the checks.
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Until the 1950s, this town was called Hot Springs. Then, radio host Ralph Edwards threw out a dare for places to rename their town after his show & people voted in favor of this. The name stuck, and suddenly, there was a town called Truth or Consequences. Edwards actually came back every year for a fiesta in town.
Uncertain, Texas
Steamboat captains pulled up to a spot on Caddo Lake they couldn’t chart properly & they decided to call it “Uncertain Landing.” The “landing” part of the title eventually disappeared, but “Uncertain” stayed. The city officially took the name in the 1960s. Honestly, it’s quite fitting for a place where the water level is always something uncertain.
Cut and Shoot, Texas
In 1912, a church fight apparently started in this area, and it caused a little boy to panic. Allegedly, he yelled that he’d “cut around the corner and shoot through the bushes.” His line later became the town’s name. By the 1950s, it had its own post office, meaning that Cut and Shoot was locked in for good. It’s been that way ever since.
Eek, Alaska
The name “Eek” isn’t actually a joke, as it came from the Yup’ik language & roughly translates to “our eyes.” It came from the way the water swells up to the “eyes” of the riverbank. In the 1930s, the village moved to higher ground & later became an incorporated town. Sure, tourists get a kick out of the name, but it comes from Native tradition.
Okay, Oklahoma
The town of Okay, Oklahoma, has a name that has nothing to do with the word “okay” we all use. It’s because a truck factory once made something called the O.K. 3-Ton Truck & Trailer & the community adopted the name in 1919. Interestingly, the town actually went through a few different names first, like Coretta, Rex & North Muskogee.
Colon, Michigan
One of the founders of this town couldn’t decide what to call the place, so he opened a dictionary & landed on “colon,” although he was aiming for the punctuation mark instead of the body part. Nowadays, it’s known more for being the “Magic Capital of the World” because of the number of magicians living here. Who would’ve thought that the name would be the least strange part of Colon?
Smackover, Arkansas
French explorers used to call this area “Chemin Couvert,” which translates to “covered trail.” But English speakers later misheard this, and it became “Smackover.” An oil boom made the town explode in size & Smackover became official. It still has Smackover Creek running through Union County to this day.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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