Posted in Pittsburgh
October 28, 2016
10 Towns Near Pittsburgh With The Strangest Names You’ll Ever See
You live…where? Imagine living in a town with a strange name – Mars, for example – and the looks you’re likely to get when you say your hometown’s name. Here are 10 towns near Pittsburgh with strange names.
You might get some strange looks if you tell people you're from Mars. In the 1880s, Mars was called Overbrook, the name of another town in Pennsylvania. People tend to agree that Mars was either named for William Marshall, a local judge, or because of Marshall's wife's interest in astronomy.
Contrary to popular believe, Eighty-Four in Somerset County wasn't named after 84 Lumber. How it did get its name, however, remains unclear. Some say it is named after the year it was founded - 1884- while others point to the fact that the town sits at the 84 mile mark of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
Glen Campell wasn't named for the popular musician. Rather, the Glen in the town's name means valley in Scottish. Campbell was the surname of the Glenwood Coal Company's inaugural leader.
SNPJ in Lawrence County is simply easier to say than the borough's full name - Slovenska Norodna Podporna Jednota. The tiny borough boasts a population of only 19.
Homer City earned its name from Homer, the famous Greek poet.
An unincorporated community in Fayette County, Normalville certainly stands out as a name. Some say a normal school once operated in the community (a normal school provides teacher training) and upon its closure, the town of Elm was renamed Normalville.
The origin of Paint's name is, surprisingly, very simple. The tiny town of under 1,000 is said to be named after nearby Paint Creek.
Home to everyone's favorite groundhog, Punxutawney was once home to a Native American tribe. However, the meaning of Punxutawney is "poison vine."
North Versailles, a suburb of Pittsburgh, took its name in honor of the Palace of Versailles in France. There's one glaring difference between the two, however, as Pittsburghers pronounce the "ll" in Versailles.
Sometimes the origin of a town's name is pretty simple. Pittsburgh was named after William Pitt and the small town of Wilmerding was named after Joanna WIlmerding Negley. Joanna's brother and husband were prominent community members who owned local coal mines.
These are just 10 towns near Pittsburgh with strange names. What other towns would you add to the list? If you like strange or a little offbeat, check out the 10 weirdest places in Pittsburgh.