The Naming of States
Norm has a new poll, this one on favourite names of US states. I gave him a dig in the ribs yesterday for stacking the deck by comparing Colorado and Tennessee with Surrey and Essex – and he promptly conceded that stacking was exactly what he had done to the deck. But still, he’s right of course – US state names are a joy. I mentally run through some of my favourites myself at odd moments. (Mind you – Bourgogne, Umbria, Cataluña – the US isn’t the only place with some good names. Saskatchewan. Connemarra. Okay I’ll stop.)
So I’ve picked my five. I’m not spoiling anything by giving them now, because Norm compiles stats, so we don’t know whose favourites are which, and I’m sure you long to know which are mine. So I’ll tell you. These are names, remember, nothing to do with the quality of the states themselves.
Missouri. Delaware. Florida. Mississippi. Montana.
It’s hard to stick to five. How about Massachusetts, which took me almost as long to learn how to spell as Mississippi? And Pennsylvania, where I reside — “Penn’s woods.” He would be astonished to see them now.
It is hard to stick to five. Colorado is good. Ohio is good. (Ohio? Yes of course. Beautiful word.) Alabama. Louisiana. Kentucky.
Anyone here old enough to remember a Hollywood version of ” A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” starring Bing Crosby?
At one point he gets himself out of trouble by “causing” a solar eclipse. The incantation he uses includes such gems as “Walla-walla, Washington,” and (this rather archly) “Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.”
Ohio, Louisiana, Arizona, Iowa are all lovely words, vowelly and singable, and Mississippi is just a wonderful word! Arizona has a “z”, which is always good. It was a toss up between Louisiana and Hawaii, but Hawaii sings much like Iowa, so I let Louisiana in.
There is a song, some bluesy folky song, which is just a string of names of places in New Jersey. Manalapan, Totowa, Rahway, dozens of great words. Anyone recall that song?
Don’t recall the song, but I’ve been to Rahway once. And I grew up a few miles from Hopewell, and a mile from a crossroads with a couple of shops and a few houses dignified with the name of Blawenburg.
I think the best thing about the names of the US states is that only one is an actual surname.
Australian state names are very ordinary, except for one: Tasmania. The proud Taswegians (Tasmaniac?) have proud Maps of Tasmania, too
Its our localities that have great place names:
Tumblagooda
Burracoppin
Burekup
Gingin
I like US State names as well and I know that UK counties are a bit dull. However I still thnk that the UK has the edge on great names for towns. Who can beat Chilton Cantelo, Wyke Champflower, Auchterarderie or (my favourite) Queen Camel?
Some of the states of México have great names, such as Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and Quintana Roo.
The names I really don’t like are all the religious names that California is riddled with, e.g. “Saint Peter,” where I grew up, and “Holy Cross,” where I live now.
Oh yeah. And the capital of CA is Sacramento!
cackle
Yeah, boy, California is certainly riddled with pesky saints. Frank, Quentin, Rose, Bernie, Barb, Rafe, Diego, José – there’s just no end to the bastards. And what about living in ‘The Angels’?! Blargh.
A short drive from here is a small town called San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). Jeez!
The name that takes the cake for religiosity is for a whole country — San Salvador (Holy Savior). Where was their savior when they were butchering each other back in the ’80s?
I can’t think of another country with a religious name. Anyone?
Sao Tome? San Marino? Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines and Saint Lucia are all sovereign states. Virgin Islands. And I’m guessing Trinidad is named after the Trinity.
Thanks, Don.
I’m surprised I forgot about Trinidad.
And then there are those holiday islands, Christmas and Easter.
Missour–ee or Missour-uh?
Besides being acronymic – Punjab, Afghan(frontier)=NWFP, Kashmir – the Pak of Pakistan also means holy in Urdu. So Pakistan=Holyland. Can Israel be classed as a religious name?
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Oh, Missoureee, in my book. I hate Missoura. Ech. I also hate Nevaddda. Someone from Nevada once corrected me and said it’s pronounced Nevaddda. Not by me it isn’t!
I take it that’s an overemphatic a-shortening, Ophelia, as in lady/laddy – not some diabolical dental distortion.
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Yep, Adam. That was just my way of marking a short a, rather than saying – oh – ‘rhymes with ‘bad a’ or something. Nevadda not Nevahda.
If I may put in a word or two for the UK? Westmoreland, Northumberland, Somerset, Staffordshire – lovely, rolling words and not a religious reference between them!
I told Norm as much! I named slightly different counties – Cornwall and Yorkshire for two, I think – but the thought was the same.