this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
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[–] [email protected] 150 points 10 months ago (2 children)

The Europeans that went to America were the ones doing that though

[–] [email protected] 87 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

Yeah they were still Europeans when they named them. This should be the Obama award meme

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They were. The American identity came later. Until the war of independence, settlers identified with the European countries of their heritage

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (9 children)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago

It's weird. Someone once told me her husband was German after I mentioned I lived there for a while. So I asked where they're from, maybe I knew. "From Mississippi..."

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

A lot of the time they didn't even bother appending "New." We have way too many Berlins, Manchesters, Lebanons, etc.

Our native-inspired place names are the superior place names, anyway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_place_names_of_Native_American_origin_in_the_United_States

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[–] [email protected] 59 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Meanwhile, the Americans that didn't even put "new" in front of the city name and just called it Paris, Texas or some shit.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (2 children)

That's a completely original name! Do you think Texans know anything about France?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago

Greetings from Naples Florida

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago

I can visit almost every continent without even leaving my state!

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 10 months ago (3 children)

There are 15 cities in the world named Paris.

14 of them are in America.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (4 children)
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[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (1 children)

So it is to avoid confusion when they write "PARIS, FRANCE" in films when they show the Eiffel tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre-Dame and the Louvre in establishing shots. Good to know 👍

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, who knows what monument they have replicated again in Texas.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago

I mean, it's a bunch of immigrants naming things after their home. Or it's a bunch colonists claiming things... For their home.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think there is above 50 cities named "Villeneuve" in France (literraly meaning "New City)

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Or Villefranche which means it was exempted from taxes.

Or how there are so many "St Something" that they had to add "de somewhere" to disambiguate lmao.

I've lived in 3 different places all named St Etienne.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago (2 children)

And then there's the Amish, who gave their towns names like Intercourse and Bird in Hand.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Let us not forget Blue Ball, Virginville, Balls Mills, and Climax.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (3 children)

That's a pub name in the UK.

Bird In Hand, that is. Intercourse is what happens in the pub toilets.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 9 months ago (3 children)

People have always had a lack of creativity.

When the Greeks were settling around the Mediterranean they founded many 'New Cities', (Neapolis). One remained a 'new city' for long enough for the name to evolve to Naples.

The Phoenicians did the same, in their language 'New City' was Qart Hadasht, we now call it Carthage. One of the Carthages in what is now Spain was conquered by Rome and to differentiate it from the Capital of the Carthaginians they called it Carthago Nova, essentially New New City.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago

New new city - final - fixed - rev 3 - last.xlsx

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Laughs in Newcastle, Newmarket, Newport, Newbury, Newton and Newspaper

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

My hamster lives in Newspaper!

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It's weird they went with new instead of better. Maybe they weren't very optimistic.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Better York

Less Crappy Orleans

Marginally Improved Haven

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Even old New York used to be New Amsterdam...

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago

I can't say, people just liked it better that way.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago

Uhhh, buddy? Most of those were Europeans born in "city name" who moved and founded "new city name" because they were born in "city name." This is a you thing.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago (2 children)

My favorite is East Palestine, Ohio, named for being east of Palestine, Ohio. It is very far west of Palestine.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)

But obviously pronounced wrong.

New Prague, MN, for example (/nu pɹeɪg/)

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Tbf a lot of the ‘new[city]’ was given their names by the British empire expanding their land. Just look at Australian state names.. The Americans doing this in more recent times are simply following suit.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago

Europeans named the towns. People From Europe.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

New Zealand, named by America.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

texas didnt even bother adding the "new"

Also Canada did this a bunch too

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago

*Europeans naming cities in America

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

No New Shitterton, though. :(

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Stop writing New before everything and just add a 2 at the end

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Come to NY.. we have Florida, and Poland within 50 miles of each other.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago

No one even mentioned Georgia, the country that constantly gets advertising targeted for Georgia, the state.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Explain new Mexico then. /s

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago
Poland, Indiana
Poland, Maine
Poland, Chautauqua County, New York
Poland, Herkimer County, New York
Poland, Ohio
Poland Township, Mahoning County, Ohio
Poland, Wisconsin

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland_(disambiguation)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

After they were actually American, they resorted to "What it was called by the people who lived here first, but pronounced wrong"

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Essentially America came to be because they were looking to form a New Europe...so it tracks.

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