The United States is famous for cities like New York and Manhattan, but some towns and cities in the country have names ranging from quirky to humorous to bizarre and downright hilarious. Here is a list of seventeen American towns with hilarious names that will make you laugh out loud.
Gnaw Bone
Gnaw Bone is not something anyone would expect a town to be named, but it is the name of a town in Indiana. The name is said to have originated during the Great Depression, when a drought hit the area in the 1930s, and people had to gnaw on bones due to the lack of food.
Truth or Consequences
While the name sounds similar to that of the popular adult game “Truth or Dare,” Truth or Consequences is the name of a city in New Mexico. It originated from a famous T.V. show called “Truth or Consequences,” which aired from 1950 to 1984. Ralph Edwards, the host of the show, threatened to move the show to another location if the city
did not rename itself after the show. Out of pressure, Hot Springs was renamed as Truth or Consequences in 1950.
Rabbit Hash
One would think Kentucky’s towns would be named after chicken due to its famous Kentucky Fried Chicken, but Rabbit Hash is the name of a town in Kentucky. The name is said to have originated from an 1857 flood in the region that drove the local rabbit population to high ground near the humans, where they became a food staple. The people made a special stew called “hash” during the floods, hence the name Rabbit Hash.
Kill Devil Hills
Kill Devil Hills is a town in North Carolina that was the site of the first powered air flights by the Wright brothers in 1903. There are multiple stories behind the origins of the ominous name of the town. One famous story is about a local man who tried to extort money from the devil and trapped him in a pit on the kill. Another story is that cargo from ships transporting rum from the north would wash up to these hills and be found by the local population. The local population allegedly claimed that the rum was so strong that you could “kill the devil.”
Bean Station
Bean Station is a town in Tennessee named after its first settler, William Bean, who established the first permanent settlement in the area in 1776. Bean Station is one of the earliest permanent settlements in Tennessee, and it was a major crossroads between New Orleans and Washington, D.C.
Bulls Gap
Bulls Gap is a town in Tennessee. It is said to have a gap in the mountains where cattle were driven through, and this gap was called the “Bulls Gap.” There is another story behind the hilarious name: John Bull, a gunsmith, operated a stage line through the east-west passageway in 1792, and the passageway became known as “Bull’s Gap.”
Toad Suck
Toad suck is a small town in Perry County, Arkansas, that was voted the “Most Embarrassing or Unfortunate Town Name” in a 2012 survey. The embarrassing and hilarious name is believed to have originated from a local legend: steamboat pilots who would stop at a ferry crossing on the Arkansas River, drink at the local tavern, and “suck on the bottle ‘till they swell up like toads.”
Greasy Corner
Greasy Corner is a town in St. Francis County, Arkansas. Originally named “Mack’s Corner,” it acquired its hilarious name when an auto mechanic in a restaurant gave a farmer a plate with a grease stain.
Bat Cave
Bat Cave, a town in North Carolina, is the largest bat colony in the world. It is home to more than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats. The town became more popular when the first Batman movie was released, and people began flocking to this place.
Satan’s Kingdom
Satan’s Kingdom is a suburb in Northfield, Massachusetts. Before anyone thinks it’s related to Satan, the occult, or anything ritualistic, the name originated from a sermon by the town’s first minister, Mr. Marsh, who prayed for the destruction of Satan’s Kingdom.
Mosquitoville
Mosquitoville is a small town in Vermont. Its name is rumored to have originated from the many mosquitoes that inhabit the area due to its location near the woods and Harvey Lake.
Frankenstein
No, we are not talking about Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, Frankenstein, which is the name of a town in Missouri. The name surprisingly has nothing to do with the book; the town is named in honor of a man named Godfried Franken, who donated land to the town in 1890 for the construction of a church and a school.
Scratch Ankle
Scratch Ankle is a small town in Alabama; there are different theories about the origin of the town’s name. One theory is that passing-by train workers always saw the locals scratching their ankles from mosquito bites and hence named the town Scratch Ankle. Another famous and widely accepted theory is that the town was named after a local physician, William WormsShort, who allegedly called his snobby neighbors “scratch ankles,” meaning they were so annoying that they made him want to scratch his ankles.
Worms
Worms is a small town in Merrick County, Nebraska. It is rumored to have been named after a town in Germany called Worms, but pronounced “Vorms,” it is named after the Latin “Vormatia,” which means “settlement in a watery area.” The American town Worms only shares its name with its German counterpart, not the features.
Bald Head
Bald Head is a beautiful island in North Carolina. It got its name from a rock formation resembling a bald head, which experts say occurred due to the dunes of the beach wearing down.
Chicken Bristle
Chicken Bristle is a small town in Douglas County, Illinois. It was named “Weirdest named town” by Thrillist. There are many rumors behind the name of this town; one of the most famous and obvious ones is that the town used to have lots of chicken fights and hence got the name.
Lizard Lick
Lizard Lick is a small town in Wake County, North Carolina. The town is best known for its appearance on the T.V. show “All Worked Up,” featuring Lizard Lick Towing & Recovery. The town’s hilarious name originated when a passerby saw many lizards licking themselves on a rail fence.