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Suck a what? The 10 worst town names in the country

WTOP Staff | WTOP_Web_Team@wtop.com

August 9, 2012, 2:57 AM

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA 10. Monkey's Eyebrow, Ky. - In a 2007 interview with NPR, author Mark Usler said, "The legend says if you stand on the top of the hill and look down on the town, the town looks like it's in the shape of a monkey's eyebrow. The only problem with that explanation - does anybody know what a monkey's eyebrow looks like?" (Photo courtesy KDLA)
9. Squabbletown, Calif. - An Internet search for Squabbletown offered slim pickings, but did say it was located in Sonora, Calif. According to Google Maps, those wanting to visit Squabbletown would need to go .1 miles beyond this house -- but Street View wouldn't take us any closer. (Google Maps)
8. Loveladies, N.J. - This unincorporated area is part of Long Beach Township, N.J. How did it get its crazy name? According to the Loveladies Property Owners Association, a United States lifesaving station was started there in 1871. An island near the station was owned by a man named Thomas Lovelady who hunted waterfowl in the area, so it was named after him. (Photo courtesy nj.gov)
Photo courtesy nj.gov
7. Roachtown, Ill. - We're not sure if anyone lives in Roachtown because there aren't any photos of it, but a map search revealed that the town indeed has a Roachtown Road and a Roachtown Lake. (Screenshot - 24timezones.com)
Screenshot - 24timezones.com
6. Belchertown, Mass. - This town has had two other names, Cold Spring and Belcher's Town, and was founded in the late 1700s by a man named Jonathan Belcher. In the photo, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick helps tag a bald eagle as part of a restoration project in Belchertown. (Courtesy mass.gov)
Courtesy mass.gov
5. Assawoman, Va. - This unincorporated community is located in Accomack County, right between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. (Google Maps)
4. Hooker, Okla. - This town is located in the Oklahoma Panhandle and reportedly was named after an area ranch foreman named John "Hooker" Threlkeld. Hooker was affected by the Great Depression and dust storms that hit the town, and as a result lost more than one-third of its population in 1940. (Photo courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society)
3. Boring, Ore. - This town has a sense of humor about itself. The motto contradicts its name, "The most exciting place to live." (Courtesy Boring CPO)
2. Climax, Ga. - This town is a tiny place with just 240 people, in an area of less than a mile. It was incoporated on Jan. 1, 1905. (Photo courtesy Georgia Info)
1. Toad Suck, Ark. - This unincorporated community wins the top spot for most unfortunate name. How did it get it? According to those responsible for the Toad Suck Daze festival, "Long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn't, the captains and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river. While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern there, to the dismay of the folks living nearby, who said: "They suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads." Hence, the name Toad Suck. The tavern is long gone, but the legend and fun live on at Toad Suck Daze." (Photo courtesy honors.uca.edu/wiki - Phil Frana)
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Lacey Mason, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Weird names are, well … weird. And a global poll has ranked some of the strangest, but these names don’t belong to people: They’re towns.

Findmypast.com took votes from seven English-speaking countries — the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa — to see which town on the website’s list nabbed the most unfortunate moniker.

Check out the gallery to the right to see the weirdest of the weird.

Follow Lacey Mason and WTOP on Twiter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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