FUNNIEST AND STRANGEST PLACE NAMES ON EARTH
Added on: 12th May 2016
WESTWARD HO!
The only U.K. town with an exclamation point, Westward Ho! Is
named after Charles Kingsley’s 1855 novel of the same name,
based in the nearby town of Bideford. City planners named the
town Westward Ho! to drive up tourism to the area.
TE PUKE
With a name like Te Puke, it’s hard to believe this New Zealand
town is one of the country’s most famous kiwi producers.
Pronounced teh poo-khe, this town is home to Kiwi 360, an
immersive kiwi orchard attraction with its widely
recognisable giant kiwifruit.
SWASTIKA
Swastika in Ontario, Canada, is a pretty strange place. Swastika
isn’t a Nazi stronghold, though, as it was founded almost
30 years before Adolf Hitler started using the swastika:
an ancient Sanskrit good-luck symbol.
SATAN'S KINGDOM
Isn’t it odd there are many strange places named “Hell” on Earth
but no heaven? Score another point for the underworld – there
are two towns in the U.S. named Satan’s Kingdom, one in Vermont
and one in Massachusetts, and a recreation area for demons and
denizens who love river tubing in Connecticut.
SAINT-LOUIS-DU-HA! HA!
Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha! in Québec, Canada, is the only city name in
the world with two exclamation points. The city name likely came
from the outdated French word haha: a ditch dug below a fence
which allowed a farmer to see his animals but prevented the
animals from crossing the fence.
PUNKEYDOODLES CORNER
Local stories give two possible reasons for the naming of
Punkeydoodles Corners in Ontario, Canada. The most common
cites a local innkeeper who loved to sing “Yankee Doodle”
(which guests claimed sounded more like “Punkey Doodle”).
The other says a lazy pumpkin farmer’s wife gave him
the nickname for wasting time.
PENISTONE
Penistone in Yorkshire, likely takes its name from old forms
of Welsh and English, originally meant as a village on the hilltop.
That hasn’t stopped hordes of people from giggling at this
strange place name.
ONCE BREWED
A north English town goes by two different names: Once Brewed
if you enter from the east and Twice Brewed if you enter from
the west. Named after the town’s inn, Once/Twice Brewed may
have been named because the inn served stronger ale
than the farmer’s weak, “once brewed” beer.
NOTHING
Formerly (minimally) inhabited, Nothing, Arizona, was abandoned
in 2005. Its town sign reads: “The staunch citizens of Nothing
are full of Hope, Faith, and Believe in the work ethic.
Thru-the-years-these dedicated people had faith in Nothing,
hoped for Nothing, worked at Nothing, for Nothing.”
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