Sweet Home Stink Onions
July 2, 2013 11:34 AM Subscribe
A Map of the United States with the state and city names replaced by their literal meaning. (SLSlate)
This post was deleted for the following reason: Neat project, but looks like we did basically see this previously. -- cortex
I like the Canadian one, which features such places as "Three Rivers" (Trois Rivieres) and "Royal Mount" ("Montreal") and "Moose Jaw" (Moose Jaw).
posted by jeather at 11:41 AM on July 2, 2013
posted by jeather at 11:41 AM on July 2, 2013
Maryland = Land of the Rebellious One?
How does that work?
posted by goethean at 11:42 AM on July 2, 2013
How does that work?
posted by goethean at 11:42 AM on July 2, 2013
The states are good but it's hard to tell what cities are being labeled. Does "Manchester" really mean "Harmony" the way it looks on the NH map? Oh wait...that must be Concord. I get it.
Also, Vermont. Ver(dant). Mo(u)nt(ain). Never noticed that before.
posted by DU at 11:42 AM on July 2, 2013
Also, Vermont. Ver(dant). Mo(u)nt(ain). Never noticed that before.
posted by DU at 11:42 AM on July 2, 2013
Oh, I missed the province names. Thank you for explaining "New Found Land" (Newfoundland), cartographers!
posted by jeather at 11:43 AM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by jeather at 11:43 AM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Land of the Normal People. I love it.
Also, what Orange County city means Green River? Is that Irvine, perhaps?
posted by malapropist at 11:44 AM on July 2, 2013
Also, what Orange County city means Green River? Is that Irvine, perhaps?
posted by malapropist at 11:44 AM on July 2, 2013
goethean, it looks like they take people's names and use the literal name meaning, which explains Prince Richguard/Edward Island, Noblebright/Alberta and Victory/Victoria.
posted by jeather at 11:45 AM on July 2, 2013
posted by jeather at 11:45 AM on July 2, 2013
New York is named after the Duke of York, not the town. So it really means "New Land of the Duke of York", which is near enough its name anyway. Likewise, Pennsylvania should be "Penn's Woodland". Same again goes for the Carolinas and Georgia. The names used in these placenames don't really have any meaning beyond being names.
posted by Jehan at 11:45 AM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Jehan at 11:45 AM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Land of the Pale Faces.
As an Iowan, I approve this.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:46 AM on July 2, 2013
As an Iowan, I approve this.
posted by Lutoslawski at 11:46 AM on July 2, 2013
What city in DFW is "the farm of the elf people's council"?
posted by titus n. owl at 11:46 AM on July 2, 2013
posted by titus n. owl at 11:46 AM on July 2, 2013
There are a whole lot of liberties taken here.
Louisiana should more correctly be called "Land Of The French King", or maybe even "Land Of The Sun King", not "Land Of The Famous Warrior". The name Louis comes from the Frankish "famous warrior", but the place is actually named after a person, King Louis XIV.
posted by Sara C. at 11:47 AM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Louisiana should more correctly be called "Land Of The French King", or maybe even "Land Of The Sun King", not "Land Of The Famous Warrior". The name Louis comes from the Frankish "famous warrior", but the place is actually named after a person, King Louis XIV.
posted by Sara C. at 11:47 AM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
What city in DFW is "the farm of the elf people's council"?Most likely Arlington, assuming the name comes from an Old English word something like "Aelfres-lingas-ton".
posted by Jehan at 11:49 AM on July 2, 2013
Oakland is Oakland. Not even Oak Land.
I rather like what they came up with for Texarkana, "Town of Friends and South Wind People".
posted by madcaptenor at 11:50 AM on July 2, 2013
I rather like what they came up with for Texarkana, "Town of Friends and South Wind People".
posted by madcaptenor at 11:50 AM on July 2, 2013
i think they did it this way cause it's funnier
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 11:50 AM on July 2, 2013
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 11:50 AM on July 2, 2013
Tennessee is named after an Overhill Cherokee settlement called Tanasi. Modern Cherokee speakers say it's just a place name with no particular meaning. Tanasi was located next to the Little Tennessee River (now it's located under the Little Tennessee River) so I guess "Land of the River" is descriptive, if not etymologically correct.
posted by workerant at 11:50 AM on July 2, 2013
posted by workerant at 11:50 AM on July 2, 2013
Maryland = Land of the Rebellious One?
I... can't figure it out. It was named for Henrietta Maria of France who was queen during hte English Civil War but how does that make her rebellious? She was the queen! It was the Roundheads who were the rebels...
posted by Justinian at 11:53 AM on July 2, 2013
I... can't figure it out. It was named for Henrietta Maria of France who was queen during hte English Civil War but how does that make her rebellious? She was the queen! It was the Roundheads who were the rebels...
posted by Justinian at 11:53 AM on July 2, 2013
Ahhh, did not bother to preview. Yeah, I guess you could get to a literal meaning for Mary which translated to "Rebellious One". Kind of.
posted by Justinian at 11:54 AM on July 2, 2013
posted by Justinian at 11:54 AM on July 2, 2013
Indiana: Land of the Flowland People?
Who the heck are the Flowland People???
posted by Thorzdad at 11:59 AM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Who the heck are the Flowland People???
posted by Thorzdad at 11:59 AM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
It might be more appropriate to some other purpose to have it say "Land of Louis" and "New Land of the Duke of York", but the point here is clearly to have no proper nouns whatsoever on the map. I actually find it interesting to think about what people's names translate to since, like place names, they bear meanings that we don't often think about.
posted by Copronymus at 12:00 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by Copronymus at 12:00 PM on July 2, 2013
Also, Vermont. Ver(dant). Mo(u)nt(ain). Never noticed that before.
Really? The license plates even say "The Green Mountain State".
I always thought that Pennsylvania derived from Penn's woods - Land of the Main Hill Wood seems like an odd choice.
posted by maryr at 12:01 PM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Really? The license plates even say "The Green Mountain State".
I always thought that Pennsylvania derived from Penn's woods - Land of the Main Hill Wood seems like an odd choice.
posted by maryr at 12:01 PM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Copronymus - true, but they kept St. Anthony for San Antonio, which seems like a copout.
posted by maryr at 12:04 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by maryr at 12:04 PM on July 2, 2013
Did they really use Alice Cooper's totally excellent monologue in Wayne's World as a source? I love that movie more than anything in the world, but despite the fact that Milwaukee has indeed had its share of visitors, its etymological roots are not actually derived from Algonquin for "the good land."
posted by divined by radio at 12:04 PM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by divined by radio at 12:04 PM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
Land of the Beautiful River, indeed.
posted by Old'n'Busted at 12:07 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by Old'n'Busted at 12:07 PM on July 2, 2013
I am somewhat amused to read that even here, Connecticut doesn't get a cool upgrade. Sure, you learn what the state's name is, but the city of Hartford is apparently only just...."Hartford."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:08 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:08 PM on July 2, 2013
How do they make California "Land of the Successor"????
Is that somehow based on the idea that the name comes from Caliph/Caliphate? I thought it was well established that California comes from the novel "Las Sergas de Esplandián" by Rodriguez de Montalvo. California is a land peopled by strong beautiful Amazons where gold abounds.
I think there is evidence that a bunch of Spanish explorers had the book with them.
The name Calafia, the queen of California Amazons, had been used in Baja California for a long time to name all kinds of places and products.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 12:10 PM on July 2, 2013
Is that somehow based on the idea that the name comes from Caliph/Caliphate? I thought it was well established that California comes from the novel "Las Sergas de Esplandián" by Rodriguez de Montalvo. California is a land peopled by strong beautiful Amazons where gold abounds.
I think there is evidence that a bunch of Spanish explorers had the book with them.
The name Calafia, the queen of California Amazons, had been used in Baja California for a long time to name all kinds of places and products.
posted by Doroteo Arango II at 12:10 PM on July 2, 2013
St. Paul = St. Small? Huh?
I like how they take the easy layup whenever there's a town they can include that already has a clear meaning in English (Blue Earth, International Falls).
posted by COBRA! at 12:10 PM on July 2, 2013
I like how they take the easy layup whenever there's a town they can include that already has a clear meaning in English (Blue Earth, International Falls).
posted by COBRA! at 12:10 PM on July 2, 2013
Did they really use Alice Cooper's totally excellent monologue in Wayne's World as a source?
If we can't trust Alice Cooper's totally excellent monologue from Wayne's World what can we trust? What-can-we-trust?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:12 PM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
If we can't trust Alice Cooper's totally excellent monologue from Wayne's World what can we trust? What-can-we-trust?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:12 PM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
Considering that Philadelphia was coined specifically to mean "City of Brotherly Love", putting it down as simply "Sibling Love" diminishes more than it explains. Elsewhere they "translate" the suffix "-ia" as "land" so they're not being terribly consistent there.
posted by George_Spiggott at 12:12 PM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by George_Spiggott at 12:12 PM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Buffalo = Buffalo. Into it!
I completely misread Missouri as "Land of the People With Doughnut Canoes" which, let's be honest, I'd visit a lot more often if that were the case.
posted by troika at 12:13 PM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
I completely misread Missouri as "Land of the People With Doughnut Canoes" which, let's be honest, I'd visit a lot more often if that were the case.
posted by troika at 12:13 PM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
"Toronto" does not actually mean "Meeting Place". It's derived from a Mohawk word meaning "Narrows Where the Trees Stand in The Water."
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:14 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:14 PM on July 2, 2013
Not "what they literally mean". "Mostly pure bullshit" is more accurate.
North Carolina = North King Charles I's Land, not North Freeman's Land. For starters.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:15 PM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
North Carolina = North King Charles I's Land, not North Freeman's Land. For starters.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:15 PM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
Indiana is just straight up incorrect. Let's break it down:
Indian - a
Land of Indians
India - n
Person from India (curse you Columbus)
India
"...is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hinduš. The latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River"
So, by 'flow-land' they presumably mean 'river'
posted by leotrotsky at 12:16 PM on July 2, 2013
Indian - a
Land of Indians
India - n
Person from India (curse you Columbus)
India
"...is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hinduš. The latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River"
So, by 'flow-land' they presumably mean 'river'
posted by leotrotsky at 12:16 PM on July 2, 2013
North Carolina = North King Charles I's Land, not North Freeman's Land. For starters.
Charles is a Frenchified Karl which means free man.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:18 PM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
Charles is a Frenchified Karl which means free man.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:18 PM on July 2, 2013 [2 favorites]
It amuses me that Sherbrooke is "Shire Brook." I assure you that there are no hobbits here.
posted by Kitteh at 12:26 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by Kitteh at 12:26 PM on July 2, 2013
Virginia: Virgin's Land. Oh, how the Republicans wish it were so.
posted by Leezie at 12:30 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by Leezie at 12:30 PM on July 2, 2013
Wait, are there some inside jokes here. I’m not certain if that spot in eastern mid-Michigan (Place of Those at the Outlet) is referring to Saginaw.
Or this area of Birch Run.
Oakland is Oakland. Not even Oak Land.
I'll bet most residents of my longtime hometown area, Oakland Co., MI, don't even think about the fact it was simply an Oak-Hickory forest.
posted by NorthernLite at 12:33 PM on July 2, 2013
Or this area of Birch Run.
Oakland is Oakland. Not even Oak Land.
I'll bet most residents of my longtime hometown area, Oakland Co., MI, don't even think about the fact it was simply an Oak-Hickory forest.
posted by NorthernLite at 12:33 PM on July 2, 2013
St. Paul = St. Small? Huh?
The Roman family name Paulus derives from the Latin adjective meaning "small" or "humble" and which is cognate to the modern English word "few".
posted by filthy light thief at 12:34 PM on July 2, 2013
The Roman family name Paulus derives from the Latin adjective meaning "small" or "humble" and which is cognate to the modern English word "few".
posted by filthy light thief at 12:34 PM on July 2, 2013
And I really wish they had made a dynamic map for the web, which you could enlarge and click on a place name to reveal the "common" name for the place, and maybe pop up a note on how the literal name came to be.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:35 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by filthy light thief at 12:35 PM on July 2, 2013
"Sibling Love" is actually more accurate (if clunkier) for Philadelphia, since the αδελφ- part is genderless. (Brother is ἀδελφός, sister is ἀδελφή-- ancient pronunciations adelpʰos, adelpʰē.)
posted by zompist at 12:39 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by zompist at 12:39 PM on July 2, 2013
You know what? You guys say whatever you want, but Texas has clearly always had a sense of irony and humor.
Also, I want Bethesda to make a free roaming weird Western/steampunk fantasy game set in this version of Texas-and-outlying-areas now; Corpse of the Anointed! Son of the Envyless! Land of Intruders! Uh, Cattle!! The Lovely One! Man Falls (haha)! These names are spectacular. I love New Navel of the Moon and that "Delights" is in "Dry Place," too.
posted by byanyothername at 12:39 PM on July 2, 2013
Also, I want Bethesda to make a free roaming weird Western/steampunk fantasy game set in this version of Texas-and-outlying-areas now; Corpse of the Anointed! Son of the Envyless! Land of Intruders! Uh, Cattle!! The Lovely One! Man Falls (haha)! These names are spectacular. I love New Navel of the Moon and that "Delights" is in "Dry Place," too.
posted by byanyothername at 12:39 PM on July 2, 2013
St. Paul = St. Small? Huh?
The Roman family name Paulus derives from the Latin adjective meaning "small" or "humble" and which is cognate to the modern English word "few".
posted by filthy light thief
But then why not track "Saint" back a few steps up the etymylogical tree?
I don't know, a lot of their arbitrary choices for this are just trap doors to a vast underground cavern holding an enormous plate of beans.
posted by COBRA! at 12:40 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Roman family name Paulus derives from the Latin adjective meaning "small" or "humble" and which is cognate to the modern English word "few".
posted by filthy light thief
But then why not track "Saint" back a few steps up the etymylogical tree?
I don't know, a lot of their arbitrary choices for this are just trap doors to a vast underground cavern holding an enormous plate of beans.
posted by COBRA! at 12:40 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
I kind of thought Idaho was pretty heavy on the mountains, personally.
posted by darksasami at 12:41 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by darksasami at 12:41 PM on July 2, 2013
And I really wish they had made a dynamic map for the web, which you could enlarge and click on a place name to reveal the "common" name for the place, and maybe pop up a note on how the literal name came to be.
You might like the book Names On The Land: A Historical Account Of Place-Naming In The United States.
posted by Sara C. at 12:41 PM on July 2, 2013
You might like the book Names On The Land: A Historical Account Of Place-Naming In The United States.
posted by Sara C. at 12:41 PM on July 2, 2013
Or the delightfully titled "From Squaw Tit to Whorehouse Meadow: How Maps Name, Claim, and Inflame"
posted by troika at 12:44 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by troika at 12:44 PM on July 2, 2013
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posted by hiddenknives at 11:39 AM on July 2, 2013