Towns Named Lafayette

There are many towns in the United States named for the Marquis de Lafayette. In fact, there are at least 10 important towns and a mountain in New Hampshire named after him. He was a French aristocrat who became deeply involved in the American Revolution. He even commanded troops in the Revolutionary War with England and was present at the siege of Yorktown that ended this conflict. He became a Major General in this war. The reason why so many places are named for him, at least 21 towns in the USA for example, are the result of his follow-up visit to the US in 1824 and 25. He visited many places, had many dinners with French wine in his honor, and as a result had many towns named for himself here. I became especially aware of this when I visited Savannah, GA several years ago. Savannah, it seems, was one of his major stops.

Perhaps the largest town named after him is the city in Louisiana called Lafayette. Its 120,000+ people certainly welcomed him. I could not find a single town with his name, including the city of more than 63,000 people in Indiana, that was not named for him. There is even a Lafayette in the Bay Area of California that is home to more than 24,000 people. Other large and semi-large Lafayettes are in Alabama, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Like many other places that have been created over the years, the Lafayette in the State of Pennsylvania is called Lafayette Hill, but it was named for this Marquis and is currently home to 6,700 people. There are even counties named for him in 5 states including Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Mississippi. He certainly got around.

Of course, there are many smaller Lafayettes still in existence like the towns in Ohio, West Virginia, and Rhode Island. The only town named for him that seems to have gone completely out of business is in Iowa. The Rhode Island town named for him is called La Fayette. The very tiny Lafayette in Virginia is near the city of Roanoke. I was even surprised to find a Lafayette near me in Oregon south of Portland. Lafayette, OR is near McMinnville and thriving.

Mount Lafayette is an important peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Marquis would be proud of it if he were still alive to see what has happened to his involvement with the United States. To be a war hero has its rewards, it seems.

Hank

Towns Named Boston

There are said to be 16 Bostons in America. This stands to reason. As people abandoned the first cities in America to live near the expanding frontier, there was a tendency to name their new town after the city they had left. That’s why there are 24 Philadelphias and 14 New Yorks in the USA. Internationally, there are a lot of New Londons around, like the one in Connecticut. Over time some of these new towns became incorporated into larger towns or became stand alone communities. This now accounts for the Boston section of the brilliantly named town of Brilliant, AL. This is why the town of 1,300 people who live in southern Georgia still live in a town named Boston that is a stand-alone community.

The only town named Boston that I could not find on a map is Boston, AZ. Oh, there once was a Boston-Arizona zinc mine in Yavapai County in that state. And I’m sure that a town named Boston was nearby, but the mine closed in 1952 and the town was probably abandoned.

There is still an independent community called Boston in the New England state of Connecticut, but it’s now near a town called Redding and is actually part of it. There are still very small towns named Boston in Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri. However, the Missouri Boston in Barton County is called New Boston and is quite small.

There are larger towns named Boston in Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Virginia. Almost 20,000 Americans live in these 4, but the Boston in Michigan is near the town of Hell, is not too far from Ann Arbor and is preceded by the word “New”, the Ohio Boston is officially called Boston Heights, and the Virginia Boston is preceded by the word “South”. Of course, the largest Boston in America is the city in Massachusetts that is roughly home to 672,0000 people. It still exist too. The Boston near Franklin, TN is in the Nashville area.

The Boston in Pennsylvania is so small that it is routinely called Little Boston to distinguish it from the city in Massachusetts. The Boston in the state of Texas is also preceded by the word New and is home to 4,600 Texans.

Hank

Boonville, Missouri

Ruth is super excited about events surrounding this year’s Super Bowl. She just spent the morning doing research for this blog. Her excitement has to do with horses, especially 4 new Clydesdales.

The 4 new horses, Barron, Sergeant, Stinger, and Razor, live in Boonville, MO. Boonville was named after Daniel Boone who was an explorer, a frontiersman and a folk hero. Warm Springs Ranch is 150 miles from St. Louis. This Ranch was established in 2008 as a breeding farm and training facility for the Budweiser Clydesdales. It contains a foaling barn, veterinary lab, and pastureland for the Clydesdales. According to Kelly Hayes of Fox, about 70 of this breed of horse live there including the 4 new foals. Warm Springs Ranch normally gives visits to tourists but between January and mid-March it is closed.

Ruth did research on Boonville and discovered that its population has grown to 8,500. Daniel Boone spent the last 20 years of his life in Missouri. He lived in Defiance in the St. Louis area near St. Charles. His home was built by his youngest son named Nathan, and it has become a noted historic site in this state. His house is now a museum opened to the public. I have never been there, but something tells me that I will visit it soon. Daniel Boone’s sons operated the nearby salt deposits near Boonville. They boiled the salt out of the briny springs.

To honor this year’s Super Bowl, Warm Springs Ranch is hosting a “Football and Foals”watch party for a fee. The Super Bowl is on February 12th and will introduce the new foals to the public. This particular Super Bowl will be broadcast on 4 TVs in the barn, and some turf from here will be taken to State Farm Stadium for the game. In it Patrick Mahomes playing for the Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles team. Don’t be surprised if the 4 new Clydesdales make an appearance in a commercial. They were about 3 feet tall and weighed 150 pounds at birth. After one year they will become eligible to join one of the 3 traveling Clydesdale teams. Ruth and I hope to see them at Warm Springs Ranch before that. We, of course, have seen Clydesdales in St. Louis where Budweiser is an institution of long standing. We have taken guests to the brewery, especially visitors from Australia.

Ruth wanted me to pass on this bit of information. Each colt now in residence at Warm Springs Ranch is getting ready to greet visitors after mid-March. They were named with the first letter of their mother’s name.

These foals bring positive attention to the state of Missouri.

Hank

Town Names Beginning With Z

There aren’t many states with towns whose name begins with a Z. In fact, you have to go alphabetically all the way to Florida to find one. Florida has 3 towns beginning with Z: Zellwood, Zephyrhills, and Zolfo Springs. I have no idea why Florida is the first state listed with 3 Z towns. Perhaps it has to do with Florida’s aging population and the last letter of the alphabet. There is, after all, a town called Old Town in this state. In any event, many states that follow Florida have zero towns starting with Z. Below are 10 community names that begin with Z. Zion used to be a popular town name, but not so much now. There are fewer towns named Zion around although Zionsville remains somewhat popular. I can’t imagine why Zion as a town name has become far less common. Perhaps it has to do with its meaning. Zion is either a hill in Jerusalem or the kingdom of heaven by definition. There are still 18 Zions in America, but all of them are east of the Mississippi River for some reason.

Below are 10 names of existing Z towns and their location. Zellwood, FL is deep in the Orlando area in this southern state known for its hurricanes. The other 2 Z towns are in the Tampa and Sarasota areas. The population of Zellwood is said to be 2,817.

There is a town called Zebulon in Georgia. It is south of Atlanta and its name means “a traditional boy’s name of note and a dwelling of honor”. Zebulon used to be more popular for the name of a town than it is today. 1,174 Georgians live in Zebulon, which remains a stand alone community.

There is a Zeigler, IL. This sounds like a family name. There is also a large Zion still in Illinois in what seems to be Central Chicago, which figures given the meaning of Zion. About 1,800 people reside in Zeigler.

There is a Zionsville in Indiana in the Indianapolis area.

A Zachary remains in the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana. This sounds like a family name to me.

There is a popular town in Michigan called Zeeland. It is in the Holland area and is known as a tourist destination of considerable import.

Minnesota has a town named Zumbrota. It is north of Rochester where the famed Mayo Clinic is, and Zumbrota has a population of 3,252 people. Minnesota also has a town named Zimmerman.

Nevada has a town called Zepher Grove in the area of Lake Tahoe.

One of the larger communities that begins with a Z is in Ohio. Zanesville is the name of this city and it was named for a man called Ebenezer. Zane Grey, the western writer, was born in Zanesville, and Amelia Earhart, a noted aviator, called it the most recognizable city in the USA because its bridge served as her regular navigational aid. Zanesville, a town that had an exotic animal tragedy, is home to about 25,300 Ohioans.

And finally, the state of Washington, my state, has a town that begins with a Z. It is Zillah and it’s near Toppenish where Ruth and I just recently visited the fantastic Yakama Nation Cultural Center and learned that this native group now owns half of Mount Adams, an important Cascade peak more than 12,000 feet tall.

Hank

Towns Named Peru

Oddly, the South American country that has the most towns named for it in the United States is the country of Peru. There are at least 15 Perus in America. Why would many people want to name their town after Peru? It can’t be that many US citizens have emigrated to the USA from South America. Why are there at least 5 towns with this name with a substantial population? The largest Peru is the one in Indiana There are more than 11,000 people living there. There are at least 2 Perus in the state of Maine, East and West Peru.

For the record there are 5 Perus with more than 1,000 people living in them in the USA. They are in Illinois, Indiana, New York, Maine, and Vermont. The Peru in New England has grown to almost 7,000 people attesting to our desire to live in smaller towns again. The others Perus are in Nebraska, Massachusetts, Iowa, Pennsylvania near State College, West Virginia, and North Carolina on the coast. The Iowa Peru has an east in front of it which would imply that the 3 other directions are represented too.

There are said to be at least 17 more Perus in the world. The strangest places you will find a town named Peru is in Iran, China, or Sweden. There are said to be 3 towns named Peru in Brazil. Why is this possible?

Peru is a growing destination for travelers. It is famous for Machu Picchu, its Inca Empire roots, and an expanding interest in its food. I have always aspired to visit its city of Cuzco.

Hank