These 30 Alabama Towns Have Some Of The Most Bizarre Names Ever
Jennifer Young
Author
There are many bizarre places in Alabama and some of these places have some very bizarre names, each with an interesting story of how the name came about. Some are named after a person or a historical event while others come from a unique trait about the area. Let’s take a look at 30 of these weird town names in Alabama.
1. Beehive, Alabama - Beehive was originally named for a bee yard located along Wire Road near the Macon County line.
2. Rainbow City, Alabama – Located in the southern portion of Etowah County, Rainbow City remains one of the fastest-growing areas in the state and is named after Highway 411, also known as Rainbow Drive.
3. Active, Alabama – This unincorporated community in Bibb County was named Active to reflect the active spirit the residents had.
4. Smelley, Alabama – I’m still not exactly sure how this small Alabama town in Talladega County got its name, but I can only imagine.
5. Burnt Corn, Alabama - Burnt Corn is a small unincorporated community between Monroe and Conecuh Counties The name may have come from the burning of cornfields in the 1800s, but that is not absolutely certain.
6. Coal Fire, Alabama - With all of the grilling that goes on in Alabama, it was bound to happen sometime. Although, this town was really named for a creek settlers crossed in the winter and felt warm after emerging from its waters.
7. Five Forks, Alabama – Because five forks are always better than four, although it’s really named after the junction of five county roads.
8. Cuba, Alabama – Our Cuba may not be as exotic as the Caribbean island, but at least you can leave your passport at home.
9. Normal, Alabama - Normal is the site of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, in Huntsville. It was once known as "State Normal and Industrial School of Huntsville."
10. Screamer, Alabama - Located in Henry County, I'm almost afraid to find out how this town got its name.
11. Lick Skillet, Alabama - What used to be the town of Lick Skillet, we now know as Oxford.
12. Brilliant, Alabama – All the smart ones live here!
13. Needmore, Alabama – Because who doesn’t “need more” Alabama?
14. Slicklizzard, Alabama – This unincorporated County town got its name from miners that would crawl through muddy areas that were “slick as a lizard.”
15. Gobblers Crossing, Alabama - These must be some pretty special gobblers to have a community named after them.
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16. Possum Trot, Alabama - Of all the funny things about Alabama, this town name tops the list. Yep, we have possums and lots of them!
17. Frog Eye, Alabama - Located in Tallapoosa County, Frog Eye got its name during the prohibition days. One of the stories of how it got its name goes like this: There was a saloon in the community that sold legal and illegal liquor. They kept a ceramic frog in the window and when the state boys would show up, they would close one eye on the frog to let their customers know not to ask for illegal liquor and leave both of the eyes open if it was okay to ask for it. The community soon became known as Frog Eye.
18. Intercourse, Alabama – An unincorporated community in Sumter County, Intercourse is named for the traffic intersection of the town’s crossroads. What did you think I was going to say? Okay, now you can get your mind out of the gutter.
19. Climax, Alabama – Yes, we even have a Climax. I’m not even kidding!
20. Seman, Alabama – And a Seman, too! However, the local story of this town is that no one could agree on the name, so someone suggested “seman” which is “names” spelled backward.
21. Gamble, Alabama - It's STILL ILLEGAL to gamble in Alabama, so it's quite ironic to have a town called Gamble.
22. Eclectic, Alabama - This town was founded by a Dr. Felder who practiced eclectic medicine.
23. Chigger Hill, Alabama – Chigger Hill, an unincorporated community in DeKalb County, got its name because the original settlers had to combat a serious infestation of mites. Yikes!
24. Boar Tush, Alabama – Also called Boartusk, Boar Tush is an unincorporated community in Winston County. I’m unsure of how this town name came about, but I’m willing to bet boars were somehow involved.
25. Shorter, Alabama - Hey, we can't all be tall! (All jokes aside, it was named after former Governor John Gill Shorter.)
26. Leggtown, Alabama – Well, unless of course, we live in Leggtown.
27. Scratch Ankle, Alabama – The way this Monroe County community got its name is train workers would often see the locals scratching their ankles from mosquito bites.
28. Smut Eye, Alabama - Supposedly, this community received its name when the local men would return home all covered in soot after socializing at the blacksmith shop all day.
29. Zip City, Alabama - Located in Lauderdale County, Zip City received its name because drivers would "zip" through town heading towards the Tennessee state line to buy alcohol.
30. Scarce Grease, Alabama - Considering almost everything in Alabama is deep-fried, it's odd to have a town with this name. We're definitely not low on the grease here!
Well, there you have it! A list of 30 weird town names in Alabama that many would consider bizarre. Please keep in mind that many of these places aren’t incorporated, but they were once a town and many still remain on the state map. This is not an all-inclusive list, so if you can think of any other weird town names in Alabama, please leave them in the comments below.
Want to visit another strange place in Alabama? Check out our very own gravity hill that is equally fascinating and creepy.
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Towns With Weird Names In Alabama
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At just 0.11 square miles and a population of fewer than 10 people, McMullen is the smallest town in Alabama and is located in Pickens County. Now that's tiny!
What unique words and phrases do people in Alabama say?
Every state seems to have its own set of phrases and words and Alabama is no different. For example, instead of saying, “I’m tired,” in Alabama, you might say “I’m worn slap out.” If a storm is coming, you might say, “It’s blowin’ up a storm.” Learn more phrases from one of our past articles, 11 Phrases That Will Make You Swear Alabamians Have Their Own Language.
What are some of the most bizarre places in Alabama?
There sure are some strange places in the Heart of Dixie. Take, for example, the Dead Children’s Playground located inside a cemetery in Huntsville. It is said that the spirits of children buried in the cemetery play here. Speaking of cemeteries, there is also a Playhouse Grave in Lannett. This playhouse mausoleum marks the grave of Nadine Earles who had wanted one for Christmas but died about a week before. Another point of bizarre interest is Bamahenge, a replica of Stonehenge right here in Alabama! See more bizarre places in our previous article on strange things in Alabama.