20 American towns with names you won’t believe are real

There are many theories as to why Slaughterville, Oklahoma, is called something so intense and scary, but the town website says it was named after a man called Jim Slaughter. It’s believable, but wasn’t there anyone else in town deserving of its appellation? 

Bangs, Texas, is a little town nestled in the west-central portion of the state. It was named after a man named Samuel Bangs, but it certainly has a much more suggestive name in present day. 

Why, Arizona? Why did you give one of your towns such an unusual name? Apparently, it’s because there’s a Y-shaped intersection in the middle of the town, and the townspeople opted against just using the letter. Very boring origin story. 

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, used to be called Hot Spring, a fairly common town name across the country. But in 1950, radio host Ralph Edwards suggested that Americans give their towns new names in honor of his television show Truth or Consequences. A small group of New Mexicans took the suggestion very seriously, hence the town’s name. 

We would love to know how many people have stopped to take a photo with the sign for Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Imagine telling someone you live in Intercourse. Now, that is a conversation starter. 

Placentia, California, evokes a very vivid image of something most people don’t want to think about on a daily basis, but the town name is actually derived from the Latin word for “pleasant.”

Lots of weird things happen in California, and it’s clearly been that way for a while. Rough and Ready was named in the 1850s for the Rough and Ready Company, which was named for the United States president Zachary “Rough and Ready” Taylor. 

Dinosaur, Colorado, was first named Artesia, but in 1966, the city rebranded in an effort to affiliate itself with the nearby Dinosaur National Monument. Now, the city has somewhat of a Jurassic theme, with street names like Tyrannosaurus Trail and Antrodemus Alley. 

There are all sorts of greasy corners across the South, but the true Greasy Corner exists in Arkansas. It used to be called Mack’s Corner, but was changed after a restaurant patron was given a plate with a mechanic grease stain. 

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, has a freaky name, but it’s actually a pleasant little beach town on the Atlantic coast. It is on the Outer Banks, though, so perhaps more mischief happens there than we realize. 

Satan’s Kingdom is a zone of unincorporated territory in Massachusetts, and there are different theories on how it got its name. What is known about it is that it’s largely comprised of a wildlife management area that is popular among hikers. 

Climax is a unique town name all on its own, but it’s made even better because it’s in Kalamazoo County. It’s also very tiny, and it’s technically a village. All sorts of funny reasons to respect Climax, Michigan. 

In case you were wondering, yes, Santa Claus, Indiana, does lean into the Christmas of it all. You might think no one would want to live there, but it has grown a lot since the 1990s. 

Unfortunately, most town names are either after people or for very practical reasons. Such is the case for the hilariously-named Three Way, Tennessee. It’s named this because there’s a three-way split of Route 45. 

Strangely, this town is the one on this list that is most confounding. But rather than contemplate local legends, we’ll just appreciate the fact that not too far from Monkey’s Eyebrow is a town called Possum Trot. 

There are a lot — and we mean a lot — of unique town names in Iowa, but Sac City is by far the wildest. And it appears that the town is in on the joke. Their town motto is: “Where spirit flows and opportunity grows.” They knew what they were doing with that one. 

There are multiple theories as to how Slaughter Beach, Delaware, got its name, and thankfully, none of them have to do with a mass murder of humans on the beach — just mass deaths of crabs. 

Again, most town names have boring origin stories. Hooker, Oklahoma, was not named for the reason you’re probably thinking of. It was named after a man called John “Hooker” Threlkeld. It’s somewhat understandable why they chose Hooker. Threlkeld is kind of difficult to pronounce. 

Lots of hectic things are going on in Oklahoma, apparently. When you’re finished visiting Hooker, you can travel over to Dead Women Crossing, an unincorporated territory that is named for an unsolved murder. 

What is going on in Michigan? Not far from Ann Arbor is a town (technically it’s unincorporated territory) called Hell. The citizens handle it well, though. They advertise it with the slogan “Go to Hell.”