I can think of any number of more interesting names in Hawaiʻi.
Here are a few critter places, just off the top of my head:
ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls - Rolling Shrimp Falls
Paliakamoa - Cliff of the Chicken
Haleʻiwa - House of the Frigate Bird
I’m sure there are better examples, but I have to get to work.
Theres a DuBois in Wyoming too, pronounced “Doo Boys”.
The inhabitants of the town had the name forced on them, so they retaliated by refusing to pronounce the name as it was supposed to be
The original residents of Dubois, Wyoming wanted to name the town Tibo, after the Shoshone-language word for “stranger” or “white man,” which was the Natives’ affectionate name for their Episcopal priest, Father John Roberts. However, the postal service found the name unacceptable, so it endowed the town with the name Dubois after Fred Dubois, an Idaho senator at the time.[6] In protest, the citizens of Dubois rejected the French pronunciation, instead opting for Du , with u as in “Sue”; bois , with oi as in “voice”. The accent is on the first syllable
And Missouri
Indiana has Kokomo, which I can attest is nothing like the Beach Boy’s song.
Once, on an emergency all-night hazardous cross-country trip – all flights being canceled in Chicago due to extreme weather – I got as far as somewhere in Pennsylvania around 4:00am before realizing that I needed to at least get 2 hours sleep somewhere, so I found a motel but they said they were full up. I looked on my phone and back at the desk clerk and asked about a nearby location – Dubois – and boy-oh-boy did I get a very cutting response informing me of the correct way to pronounce it!
ETA: @NukeML, I just followed the link in @Answer’s post and it turns out they were talking about Wyoming, not Pennsylvania, which is what I was talking about above.
over there by Beaver Ruin road. I laughed so hard the first time I heard that one.
May I add Pity Me, a suburb of Durham, County Durham, and No Place, a small village, also located in County Durham.
This place always sounds like a canine condition caused by an overly enthusiastic hygiene regimen.
Woonsocket, RI? Yep, them Native Americans sure have funny words. Hurdee hur.
No, no… that’s closer to Lilburn, but it’s not nearly as funny, so I’ll allow it.
My story having happened decades ago and us driving all over the place, enjoying one of those months-long-vacations Americans hear about, I’m not quite sure which Dubois I was talking about.
Looking at the map I assume it was the one in Pennsylvania, as it is close to Punxsutawney which we DID pass through, while the one in Wyoming doesn’t really fit. We were twice in the general area, but I know that we went once through Cody and once through Boulder. And Google Streetview doesn’t help either, all these stroat towns look the same to me.
Apparently Houston (in Scotland) was originally “Hugh’s town”; so Hew-stun looks to be the “original” pronunciation. Of course, as with everything in language, the rules are more just guidelines.
They didn’t do much research if they went with Smartt for TN. How is “Smartt” considered weird or funny when we have Bugscuffle right there?
I would have gone with Two Egg instead of Spuds for the weirdest town name in Florida
I’m from Connecticut, so I assumed I knew which CT town would be in the list. But…Moosup? Come on. Mianus should be in the list. Not Moosup. It’s all about Mianus.
I’ve been there! Which isn’t easy because AFAIK it’s literally just a sign. I was driving around randomly in Western MA and I just kinda stumbled upon it. Although it’s properly spelled Satans Kingdom (no possessive apostrophe).
Also not far from Beaver Lick and Sugar Tit.
And the Creation Museum.
Not some weird corruption, but literally named after a shitter.
Humansville, MO also shows up in American Gods. And it’s apparently a real place too.
As is Frankenstein MO.
Austin Peay State University fans apparently chanted “Let’s Go Peay!” and caused huge lines for the bathroom.
Can’t confirm the bathroom thing though.
That would make a great title for a detective TV show.
