[PW] Politically Incorrect Town Names?

[Michael Hart]

On Sat, 31 Mar 2007, Will White wrote:

> On 3/31/07, John Ptak <jfptak at thesciencebookstore.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hello.  I was wondering if there anyone knew of some one-stop shopping for
>> information like this?  This came to mind while I was looking through "The
>> Lure of Roads in New Mexico" (1921) which was decorated with a swastika (not
>> horribly uncommon) and which described a town named "Swastika".  The town
>> changed its name "at the outbreak of the war", and then drifted I guess, its
>> way to ghost-towndom.  Apart from having a run through some old gazetteers,
>> does anyone know if this data has been collected?  Thanks, John Ptak
>
>
> These websites have lists of politically incorrect and humorous place names:
> http://philbrodieband.com/jokes-jokes_town_names.htm
> http://www.funnynames.com/?op=listnames&cat=2
>
> The book "From Squaw Tit to Whorehouse Meadow: How Maps Name, Claim, and
> Inflame" by Mark Monmonier (University of Chicago Press, 2006) goes into
> more detail on the subject of controversial place names.
>
> -- 
> Will White
> Atherton Branch, San Mateo County Library
> 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane, Atherton CA 94027
> william.p.white at gmail.com

Well, if you are going to mention the above, I must add the reactions
from my French friends to seeing "Grand Teton" in large letters on an
assortment of roadmaps they used when crossing America. . . .

I never really realized how funny this was until I flew over them.


mh


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