I have a request for some place names pertaining to the divine, the eccentric, and the curiously juxtaposed. Here are samplings from New York, New England, and Michigan:

Divine

-- mythical: Vulcan, Grace, Walhalla, Clio, Atlas and Romulus, Michigan; Ceres, Bellona, Minerva and Medusa, New York; Aurora and Paris, Maine.

-- biblical: Beulah, Ruth, Jerome and Samaria, Michigan; Eden, Ephratah, Shushan, Zoar, and Gilboa, New York; Mars Hill, Mount Pisgah and Canaan, Maine; Bethlehem, New Hampshire; Jericho and Sodom, Vermont; Salem, Massachusetts.

-- saintly: St Jacques, Sault Ste Marie, St Helen, St Charles, and St Anthony, Michigan; St Bonaventure, St Remy, Saintsville, and St Huberts, New York; St Francis and St George, Maine; St Johnsbury and St Albans, Vermont.

Eccentric

Christmas, Aloha, Free Soil, Bad Axe, Bunny Run and Hell, Michigan; Horeseheads, Number Four, and Paradox, New York; Grindstone and Fish Street, Maine; Smugglers Notch and Downers, Vermont; Cow Yard, Massachusetts; Devil's Backbone, Connecticut.

curiously juxtaposed

Freedom and Liberty, Maine; Washington and Lincoln, Vermont; Guild and Union, New Hampshire; Cambridge and Oxford, Massachusetts; Upperville and Downsville, New York; Barker and Arcade, New York.

NY also boast of Hicksville and Farmingdale (Long Island) and Anthoy's Nose a headland near Bear Mountain NY--
It is not named for Bears-- but because of it bear top-- there is something-- (i don't know what) that cause "tree less tops" on east coast mountains (these are way below "timber lines") and there are several "bear", "bald" and other names-- they exist in NY and NE-- I am not sure if they are found in Penn- or other points south.

In Maryland, we have:

Divine/Biblical
Damascus, Hebron, Mt. Hebron, Solomons

Divine/Saintly
Providence, St. Charles, St. Mary's City, St. Michaels

Classical
Adelphi

Aboriginal
Accokeek, Conowingo, Lonaconing, Mattawoman, Pokomoke City, Potomac, Powhatan Mill, Takoma Park, Tammany Manor, Wicomico

Eccentric
Accident, Cabin John, Chevy Chase, Deale, Drum Pt., Finksburg, Friendly, Friendsville, Funkstown, Granite, Halfway, Havre de Grace, Indian Head, North East, Parole, Rising Sun, Savage, Secretary, Seat Pleasant, Shady Side, South Gate, Suitland, Whiskey Bottom

One of my favorite Eccentrics from NY is Fishs Eddy (no apostrophe).

I have a bit of an obession with a particular town name: Enfield. It's a soft, gentle sound, and there are two very interesting Enfields in New England. Enfield, Massachusetts was one of the four towns eliminated to make the Quabbin Reservoir (Dana, Prescott and Greenwich were the others). I can only imagine what it must have looked like right before the river was dammed and the town flooded. Buildings, walls, fences were all simply left standing as the water rushed in. Even today you can see stone walls descending into the water. Enfield, New Hampshire was the site of a Shaker community - the Shakers were a strange religious sect, know for their fine furniture and architecture and their complete celibacy (no wonder there are only 8 Shakers left!) Are there any other unique Enfields out there? Just curious.

Flatlander

I understand there's a Monkey's Elbow, Kentucky. Jackie, is this town oddly juxtaposed? (Yeah, yeah, I know ICLIU)

>Monkey's Elbow, Kentucky... is this town oddly juxtaposed?

sounds more like it could be oddly akimbo.

Here's a few from PA:

Divine/Biblical
Paradise, Bethlehem, Ephrata, Temple, Zionsville, Christiana, New Jerusalem

Interesting
Obelisk, Tobyhanna, Birdsboro, Bally, Gap, Pleasantville, Kleinfeltersville

Then, of course, there's the infamous Intercourse already mentioned in the Around Towns thread. If you go to gift shops in Lancaster county, you can find caps, shirts, etc. with the logo "I love Intercourse" printed on them in large letters. At the bottom, in tiny type, is printed (PA).

There is also a tiny town called Virginville about five miles from where I live.

It's understandable why they live in Maine, and not in Intercourse, PA.

(Incidentally, a very good movie, Journey to the Sun, involves and enfield image.)

There is a German town called Katzenelgenbogen, or "cat's elbow." Many Jews coming from there shortened their name to "Katz." This has caused some slight difficulty in Israel since "Katz" is also the transliteration of Hebrew "Cohen" -- priest. The problem is that Jewish law permits the Cohenim to pronounce the blessing of the priests ("May the Lord bless you and keep you...") in a more or less ritualistically correct way. Katzenelogenbogen Katzes can be (inadvertent) pretenders to the priesthood, pronounce blessings in vain.

Enfield is one of the towns in Tompkins County. It doesn't have any villages or hamlets in it although it does have an area known as Enfield Center. It doesn't have its own school district, being properly in the Ithaca school district. It doesn't have its own dedicated representative on the County Board of Representatives, sharing one with Newfield to the south and another with Ulysses (Classical!) to the north. If it is unique it is unique only in its complete lack of uniqueness.

I understand there's a Monkey's Elbow, Kentucky.

There's also a Red Dick, Kentucky.

I live in Loveland, Ohio. That's somewhat eccentric. There's also Loveland, Colorado. (Loveland, OH was first.)

I always found Truth and Consequences, New Mexico(I think) interesting.

Then there's the town in Oregon (or one of those other square-shaped western states) that changed its name to Half.com.

"Fertile woman dies in Climax"
In northwestern Minnesota there really are two towns called Fertile and Climax, about 10 miles apart. the headline was (purportedly) on a story about a woman from Fertile who died in a car accident in Climax.

Actually, it's Monkey's Eyebrow. Don't go there for a raise.

There's also a Red Dick, Kentucky.

NZ Maori have a habit of being much less coy. Here we have the Urewera (burnt penis) National Park, and a town caled Urenui - big penis.

Actually, it's Monkey's Eyebrow. Don't go there for a raise, said Jackie, archly.

Now, what's the history of the town name?

Truth and Consequences

I think it's Truth or Consequences (which is a sort of parlor game, no?), and there's also a town called Sho Lo in New Mexico, which is a corruption of Show Low, which is a card game, which prompts me to see how many appositive phrases I can use here, which is probably pretty annoying.

...which is probably pretty annoying.

Not to me, I love it! But how many other left-handed Aquarians are out there, anyway?

In Port Chester, NY, there is a hotel called Little Dick's

Here we have the Urewera (burnt penis) National Park

... which is, no doubt, where the Maori ate Spotted Dick - who was almost certainly consumed with gusto up until the point they cooked him.

Actually, I was told a number of years ago by a Maori friend that there is a mountain in the park which is called Uretutu which translates as "erect penis". I've never been able to find it on any map, for some reason.

Must've been a bad day for some poor sod when they started handing out those names. If you've seen the country the park's in, you'd understand, I think.

I've never been able to find it on any map, for some reason.

Have you tried a relief map?

Truth or Consequences was a radio quiz show that made some sort of offer to the first town that would change its name to Truth or Consequences. I forget the original name of the town. YCLIU.

Yesterday I saw an absolute classic just north of Munich:

The town of Pulling
(a good place for lonely hearts)

btw, there's is also a Poing in the area

There's always Phuket in Thailand (but I don't think it's pronounced that way).

Faldage mentions Phuket in Thailand

A fairly new, fairly hip Uptown restaurant here in Minneapolis has a clever set of billboards that advertise their eclectic menu... one that sticks in my mind asks the reader something along the lines of "What do you want for dinner tonight? Aw, Phuket."

Let us not forget the Grand Teton national park-- Le grande teton(s) i am told is slang for "big tits" -- and we make them into a national park! (Woe to us who, when it came to be stacked-- who some how got all the extra padding below the waiste-- and lack much above the waist-- Pears, anyone?)

Vietnam vets i know - who took leave there - pronounced it FooKET

took leave of ... ?

My addition to the list:

Dildo, Newfoundland.

Dildo will do. (uch, aw Phuket)

Phuket is pronounced differently by different Thais. I had a Thai student from near there who pronounced it P-hooket. Actually, the Ph dipthong in Thai sounds very much like the Wh dipthong in Maori. I bet the vets pronounced it Fook-it, Wow. It's the sex capital of Thailand, and that's saying something! A colleague of mine and his wife, in their fifties, went there for a fortnight two months ago. He was propositioned so many times in the first few days that he stopped counting ...

Cap,

Not a prude, but the sex-slave trade's beyond saddening.