A global poll has ranked some of
the strangest names, but they don\'t belong to
people: They\'re towns.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA10. 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)
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.
