Naming oddities
10 oddly named US towns and cities and their surprising stories
Published on August 11, 2026
America is home to over 19,000 incorporated cities and towns. While many have familiar names, others sound so unusual that they often force credibility. However, behind these atypical names, there are stories rooted in America's past, from the Gold Rush and the westward expansion to local legends that have endured for generations. Let's walk through some of the most peculiar city names out there and discover their surprising origins.
Tombstone, Arizona
Founded in 1879 by prospector Ed Schieffelin, Tombstone owes its notoriously bleak name to a sarcastic remark. While searching for silver in southeastern Arizona, Schieffelin was warned by soldiers that the only thing he would find in Apache territory was his own tombstone.
Instead, Schieffelin struck one of the richest silver deposits in the American West. He named his mining claim Tombstone, and the booming town that sprang up around it quickly became one of the frontier's most prosperous communities, best remembered today by Old West figures like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Originally known as Hot Springs, this community was founded in the late nineteenth century around a series of natural mineral springs that attracted visitors. By the middle of the twentieth century, it had become a well-known spa destination in the Southwest.
Everything changed in 1950, when radio personality Ralph Edwards announced that he would broadcast the anniversary episode of his wildly popular show Truth or Consequences from any town willing to adopt the show's name. In one of the most successful publicity campaigns in American history, the residents of Hot Springs voted in favor of the change, and the town still bears its unusual name more than 70 years later.
Zzyzx, California
In 1944, minister and radio evangelist Curtis Howe Springer established a health resort in the Mojave Desert and deliberately named it Zzyzx. Springer claimed that he chose that specific name with the intention of making it the last word of the English dictionary.
Although the resort eventually closed and the federal government reclaimed the land, the name survived: today, Zzyzx is home to a desert studies center operated by California State University, and remains one of the most unusual names in America.
Accident, Maryland
Founded during the colonial era, Accident traces its origins to a remarkable surveying mistake during the 1750s. Two surveyors, working independently, selected exactly the same 315-acre parcel while mapping western Maryland.
The overlapping claim became known as "The Accident", and when settlers established a community there, the name stuck. More than two centuries later, the town continues to embrace the name and its fortuitous history.
Chicken, Alaska
The community of Chicken was established during Alaska's gold rush around 1902. Prospectors frequently hunted the local ptarmigan for food and originally wanted to name the settlement after the bird.
The problem was that few of the miners could agree on how to spell ptarmigan. Rather than risk embarrassment, and because the two species share some similarities, they chose the much simpler name Chicken.
Peculiar, Missouri
Founded in 1868, as the railroad expanded across western Missouri, the community encountered an unexpected problem when applying for a post office: Every proposed town name had already been claimed elsewhere in the state.
The story goes that the local postmaster, in frustration, wrote to Washington stating that he didn't care what the town was called as long as it was something "peculiar." More than 150 years later, Peculiar still bears the name with pride.
Why, Arizona
"Why" is a community located in the Sonoran Desert, whose unusual name is the product of an unexpected legal technicality. The settlement developed during the early twentieth century at the point where the State Routes 85 and 86 intersected in the shape of the letter "Y."
The community originally wanted to call itself "Y" in honor of that intersection, but because Arizona law required community names to contain at least three letters, they spelled it out. As a result, even after the intersection has since been redesigned, the town of Why still keeps one of the most curious and memorable names in America.
Boring, Oregon
While the name "Boring" may sound unflattering, its story is a pretty common one. The town is named after William Harrison Boring, a Union Army veteran who moved into the area in the 1870s and became one of its earliest settlers.
Over time, the accidental double meaning of Boring turned it into a tourist curiosity. The community, rather than shy away from the jokes, embraced them, even forming a lighthearted partnership with the village of Dull, Scotland, to celebrate their similarly harsh names.
Hell, Michigan
Hell began as a small milling community in southern Michigan during the 1830s, when pioneer George Reeves established it along nearby waterways. The exact origin of its name is shrouded in legend and local folklore.
One of the most popular stories claims that, when Reeves was asked what the settlement should be called, he jokingly replied: "Call it Hell for all I care." On the other hand, some historians believe that the name evolved from early German settlers using the word hell, meaning "bright".
While the true origin of the name may never be known, the town of Hell fully embraced its reputation, welcoming thousands of visitors each year with thematic attractions and souvenirs.
Jackpot, Nevada
Unlike many Western towns that grew naturally around mines or railroads, Jackpot was created almost overnight in 1954 as a direct result of Idaho banning casino gambling. Entrepreneurs realized they could attract Idaho residents simply by building casinos just across the Nevada border.
The new community was aptly named Jackpot, and it quickly became a thriving destination. Few towns have a name that so perfectly matches the reason they came into existence.
