List of misleading place names

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article gathers together place names that are likely to mislead because they duplicate or resemble the names of other places that are much better known. In some cases the more famous place predates the more obscure (such as New York in Lincolnshire, England), whilst in other cases a more recent placename has come to overshadow the original (such as Woodstock, in Oxfordshire, England). Although the relationship is often deliberate, as in the naming of places in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand after European towns and cities, it is sometimes a linguistic coincidence (as with Korea, Poland, Mali, Guinea, & Malta, Austria).

Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

[edit] A

Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong
Aberdeen, South Dakota; Aberdeen, West Virginia and Aberdeen, Washington, USA
Aberdeen, Saskatchewan
Akron, several places in the USA and Canada
Alamo, several places in the USA
Alaska, Michigan, USA
Albany in many places
Alberta, Minnesota, USA
Alexandria, Louisiana, USA; Alexandria, Minnesota, USA; Alexandria, Ontario, Canada; and Alexandria, Virginia, USA
America in the Netherlands & England
Amerika, Saxony, Germany
Amerikka, Finland, two different places in the Savonian province
Amherst, several places in the USA and Canada
Amsterdam, New York, USA
Angola, Indiana and Angola, Louisiana, USA
Antioch, West Virginia, USA
Arab, USA
Arabia, abandoned and empty townsite in the Coachella Valley, California and a district in Helsinki, Finland
Arthurs Seat, Victoria, Australia
Armenia, Colombia
Aspen, Nova Scotia, Canada
Athens in many places
Atlanta, Michigan, USA
Atlantic City, Wyoming, USA
Attica, New York, USA
Austin, Texas is not in Austin County, Texas
Aylesbury, Saskatchewan, Canada, Aylesbury, New Zealand and Aylesbury, Tallaght, Ireland
Aylmer, Ontario and Aylmer, Quebec, even named after the same man.

[edit] B

Bagdad in Arizona, California (location of the book and movie, Bagdad Café), Florida, Kentucky, & Tasmania, Australia
Balaton, Minnesota, USA
Bali, Crete, Greece
Baltimore, County Cork, Rep. of Ireland
Bamberg, South Carolina, USA
Batavia in many places
Belgium, West Virginia, USA
Belgrade, Minnesota, USA and Belgrade, Montana, USA
Benin City in Nigeria, not Benin
Ben Nevis, New Zealand
Bergen in many places
Berlin, at least 25 places in the USA
Berlín, El Salvador
Bethlehem in many places
Beverly Hills, Michigan, USA
Beverly Hills, New South Wales, Australia
Biscay, Minnesota, USA
Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Black Forest, Colorado, USA
Bogota, New Jersey, USA
Bombay, New Zealand
Bordeaux Harbour, Guernsey, Channel Islands
Borneo, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Boston in many places
Brabant, West Virginia, USA
Brasilien, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Brazil, Indiana, USA
Brisbane, California, USA
Broadway, Carmarthenshire, Oxfordshire, Pembrokeshire, Somerset, Suffolk, & Worcestershire, United Kingdom, & Virginia, North Carolina in the USA.
Brooklyn in many places
Buenos Aires, Rivas, Nicaragua
Buenos Ayres, Trinidad and Tobago
Burbank, South Dakota, USA

[edit] C

Cadiz, Ohio, USA
Cairo, several places in the USA
Calais, Maine, USA
Calcutta, West Virginia, USA
California, Birmingham, California, Buckinghamshire, & California, Norfolk, England; California, Falkirk, Scotland; California, Kentucky, California, Pennsylvania, & California, Maryland, USA, California, Trinidad and Tobago
Cambridge in many places
Canada, Hampshire, England
Canadian, Texas, USA
Canadian River, southwestern USA
Canton in many places
Carthage in many places
Ceylon, Minnesota, USA
Champagne, Switzerland, Champaign, Illinois, USA, and Champagne, Yukon, Canada
Chatham, many places in the UK, Canada and the USA
Cincinnati, Iowa, USA
Cleveland, Tennessee and Cleveland, Texas, USA
Colorado City, Texas, USA
Colorado County, Texas USA
Colorado River at least three rivers in the USA (one major, one regional, one local)
Columbia, many states in the USA
Como, Wisconsin, USA
Corinth, several places in the USA
Corsica, South Dakota, USA
Cracow, Australia
Crete, Illinois, USA
Crimea Pass, Wales, UK
Cuba, New York, USA

[edit] D

Dallas, Maine and Dallas, South Dakota, USA
Dallas, Melbourne, Australia
Damascus, several places in the USA
Danube, Minnesota, USA
Darfur, Minnesota, USA
Darien, Wisconsin, USA
Darmstadt, Indiana, USA
Dawson Creek, British Columbia, not Dawson's Creek or Dawson City, Yukon
Dayton, Nova Scotia, Canada and Dayton, Texas, USA
Decatur, several places in the USA
Delaware, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Delaware, Ohio, and several other places in the USA
Delhi, Minnesota and Delhi, New York, USA
Delhi, Ontario, Canada
Denemarken, Groningen, Netherlands (translation: "Denmark")
Denmark, Western Australia, Australia; and Denmark, Nova Scotia, Canada
Denver, Nova Scotia, Canada; and Denver, West Virginia, USA
Detorit, AL, Detroit, IL, Detroit, KS, Detroit, ME, Detroit, OR, Detroit, TN, Detroit TX, USA
River Devon, Nottinghamshire, England
Dixie National Forest, Utah, USA
Dordrecht, South Africa
Dover, Minnesota; Dover, New Hampshire; and Dover, New Jersey, USA
Dublin, California, Dublin, Ohio, and Dublin, Pennsylvania, USA
Durham in many places
Dunkirk, Kent, England

[edit] E

Egypt, Ontario, Canada (North of Toronto near Sutton, Ontario)
Egypt, Buckinghamshire, England
Egypt, Kentucky, Egypt, Texas, and Egypt, West Virginia, USA
Egypti, Kiuruvesi, Finland
Egypte, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Egyptinkorpi, Lieksa, Finland (means Egyptian woodland in Finnish)
Elba, Minnesota, USA
El Dorado in many places
El Paso, several places in the USA
Engeland, Netherlands
England, Bavaria, Germany
Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; Essen, Lower Saxony, Germany; Essen, Antwerp, Belgium; and Essen, Groningen, Netherlands

[edit] F

Fairbanks, Maine, USA
Fairfax, several places in the USA
Faro, Yukon, Canada, not named after the original Faro, Portugal
Fayette, several places in the USA
Finland, Minnesota, USA
Flensburg, Minnesota, USA
Florence, several places in the USA
Florida, New York and Florida, Massachusetts, USA
Florida Parishes, Louisiana, USA
Frankrijk, Gelderland, Netherlands (translation: "France")
Friesland, Wisconsin, USA
Fulda, Minnesota, USA

[edit] G

Geneva, Kentucky & Geneva, New York, USA
Genoa, Wisconsin, USA
Georgetown, in many places in the USA and around the world
Gettysburg, South Dakota, USA
Ghent, several places in the USA
Gibraltar, Buckinghamshire, England
Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire, England
Glendale, several places in the USA, UK, and Canada
Golden Gate, Illinois, USA
Gotham, Nottinghamshire, England – that is not Gotham City'
Gothenburg, Nebraska
Granada, Minnesota, USA
Guadalajara, Mexico & Guadalajara, Spain.

[edit] H

Hague, North Dakota, USA and Hague, Saskatchewan, Canada
Hamburg, Minnesota and Hamburg, New Jersey, USA
Hamilton in many places
Hampshire County, Massachusetts and Hampshire County, West Virginia, USA
Harlem, several places in the USA
Hartford, Maine, USA
Hastings, New Zealand
Havana, several places in the USA
Hebron, several places in Canada and the USA
Helsinki, Finland — a village in Taivassalo municipality on the west coast of Finland; this is not the same as the capital, which is on the south coast, though it has the same name.
Helvetia, West Virginia, USA
Henley, New Zealand
Holland, Massachusetts, Holland, Ohio, Holland, Michigan, and Holland, Minnesota, USA; Holland, Lincolnshire, England
Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland
Hollywood, Florida, USA
Houston, Texas is not in Houston County, Texas
Hull, several places in Canada and the USA

[edit] I

Iberia, Minnesota, USA
Illinois River, several rivers in the USA
Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA
Interlaken, Tasmania, Australia
Iowa, Louisiana, USA
Iowa Colony, Texas, USA
Iowa County, Wisconsin, USA
Ireland, Bedfordshire, England
Ireland, West Virginia, USA
Israel, West Virginia, USA
Ithaca, New York, USA
Italy, Texas, USA

[edit] J

Jacksonville, several places in the USA
Java, Georgia (Caucasus)
Java, South Dakota, USA
Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, USA
Jerusalem in many places
Jordan, Hong Kong and Jordan, Minnesota, USA
Johannesburg, California, USA
Jupiter, Florida, USA & Jupiter, Romania (and the nearby towns of Saturn, Venus, & Neptun)

[edit] K

Kalamazoo, West Virginia, USA
Kalgary, Texas, USA
Kalifornien, Germany
Kandahar, Saskatchewan, Canada
Kansas, Illinois, USA
Kansas, Oklahoma, USA
Kansas City, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Kansas City, Oregon; and Kansas City, Tennessee, USA
Kentucky, New South Wales, Australia
Kiel, Wisconsin, USA
Kilkenny, Minnesota, USA
Kingston, Minnesota, USA
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Knoxville, Iowa, USA
Korea, Kentucky & Korea, Poland
Kristiansand, Norway
Kristianstad, Sweden
Kristiansund, Norway

[edit] L

Lachine, Quebec, Canada, potentially confusing because it sounds exactly like the name for China (la Chine) in the local language, French
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA
Lansing, several places in the USA and Canada
Lappi, a village near Rauma in Western Finland; also a province in Northern Finland
Las Vegas, New Mexico, USA
Lebanon in several places
Lima in several places
Limerick, Maine, USA
Lisbon, New York, USA
Little Canada, Minnesota, USA
Little Miami Bike Trail, Ohio, USA
Little Rock, Minnesota, USA
Loenen, at least three places in Netherlands
London in Ohio & Ontario
Long Island, Bermuda
Long Island, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Long Island, Nunavut, Canada
Long Island, New York, USA
Los Ángeles, Biobío region, Chile
Luxemburg, Minnesota, USA

[edit] M

Madrid, New York, USA
Mali, Guinea
Malta, Austria and Malta, Ohio, USA
Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
Manhattan, Kansas, USA
Manhattan Beach, California, USA
Marathon, New York, USA
Mars, Pennsylvania, USA
Maumee, AR, Maumee, IN, Maumee, OH, USA
- Maumee, IN is doubly misleading, as it occours both in Allen County, in NE Indiana, and in Jackson County, in central Indiana.
Mecca, California, USA
Medina, Minnesota, USA
Melbourne, Florida, USA
Memphis in Michigan, Tennessee, & Texas
Middlesbrough, Cleveland, UK
Mexico, in several places in the USA
Miami, several places aroung the world
Michigan City, Indiana and Michigan City, North Dakota, USA (North Dakota town often known just as Michigan)
Milan, New Hampshire, USA
Minneapolis, Kansas, USA
Montevideo, Minnesota, USA
Montréal in many places
Morocco, Indiana USA
Moscow in many places
Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, USA

[edit] N

Naples, South Dakota, USA
Nassau, Minnesota and Nassau, New York, USA
Nassau County, Florida, USA
Nazareth in many places
Nederland, Colorado, USA; Nederland, Texas, USA; and Nederland, Overijssel, the Netherlands (Nederland is also the Dutch name for the Netherlands)
New Boston, New Hampshire, USA
New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA & New Brunswick (province), Canada
New London in many places
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
New Mexico, a US state, not part of Mexico
New Sweden, Minnesota, USA
Newyork, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
New York in many places
New York Mills, Minnesota, USA
New Zealand, Buckinghamshire, England
Niagara, North Dakota & Niagara, Wisconsin, USA
Normandy, Surrey, England & Normandy, Texas, USA
Norway, several places in the USA

[edit] O

Odessa, Minnesota, Odessa, Delaware, and Odessa, Texas, USA
Ohio, New York, USA
Ohio, Nova Scotia, Canada
Ohio County, Indiana, USA (bordering the Ohio River)
Omaha Bay, New Zealand
Ontario, California, USA (can be doubly confusing as "Ontario, CA" can mean Ontario, California or Ontario, Canada)
Ontario County, New York, USA
Ophir, New Zealand
Orange County, Texas and Orange County, California, USA
Oregon, Wisconsin, USA
Oregon, Missouri, USA
Oregon, Ohio, USA
Oronoco, Minnesota, USA
Oslo, Minnesota, USA
Ottawa, Wisconsin & Ottawa, Illinois, USA
Oxford in many places
- Oxford, Ohio, is doubly confusing, as it is the home of Miami University

[edit] P

Palermo, New York, USA
Palestine, Illinois, USA and Palestine, Texas, USA
Paris in many places
Parnassus, New Zealand
Pasadena, Texas and Pasadena, California
Patagonia, Arizona, USA
Pennsylvania, Gloucestershire, England
Perth in many places
Peru in several places in the USA
Philadelphia, Mississippi, USA
Pickering, North Yorkshire, England and Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Pittsburg in many places.
Poland, Maine, USA
Pompeii, Michigan, USA
Poortugaal, Netherlands
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Portland in several places
Portlooe, Cornwall, England (not a port, nearby East Looe and West Looe are ports)
Potsdam, New York, USA

[edit] Q

Quebec, County Durham, England

[edit] R

Reykjavik, Manitoba, Canada
Richmond in many places
Rio, Wisconsin, USA
Rio Grande, Ohio, USA (pronounced "rye-oh grand")
Rockford, Minnesota, USA
Rome, Georgia and Rome, New York, USA
Rotterdam, New York, USA
Rugby, North Dakota, USA
Russia, Ohio, USA (pronounced "roo-she")

[edit] S

Sacramento, Kentucky, USA
St. Louis in many places
San Diego, Texas, USA
San Francisco, Costa Rica
Saratoga Springs, Utah, USA
Sebastopol, California, USA
Scandinavia, Wisconsin, USA
Scilly Isles, Surrey, England
Scotland, Lincolnshire & Scotland, West Yorkshire, England
Scotland, Arkansas, USA
Simcoe, Ontario, neither on Lake Simcoe nor in Simcoe County
Sion, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Soho, New York New York, USA
Soquel, California, USA. (Pronounced so-KĚLL) It is relatively common for California natives to state that they are from "Nor-Cal" or "So-Cal" (Northern and Southern California respectively). Because Soquel is a Northern California city, Southern California natives who say they are from "So-Cal" can sometimes confuse local people into thinking they are from the city of Soquel, California (when in fact they are not).
South Charleston, Ohio, USA
Sparta Township, New Jersey, USA
Stockholm, New York, USA & Stockholm, Finland
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
St. Vincent, Minnesota, USA
Suez, Finland
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada (in which town centre Guildford is located.)
Swansea, Illinois and Swansea, Nevada, USA
Sweden, New York, USA
Swissvale, Pennsylvania, USA
Switzerland County, Indiana, USA
Syberia, Poland
Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
Syracuse, New York, USA