The town's name is apparently an American Indian term that means "owl's hoot," though it has many other competing definitions. We'd probably change the towns name.
(image via jaytom8)
This is Germany so technically it's pronounced "vank," meaning "slope." For English speakers, however, these signs are a little funnier. The place is actually a mountain that is popular with hikers along Germany's southern border with Austria. If hiking isn't for you, take the Wankbahn a cable car. You can also buy a pass (with the towns name, naturally) that gives you access to this cable car all year round.
(image via liamappleyard92)
This Kentucky town's name has a much more tame meaning than you may imagine. A knob is another name for a prominent hill, and a lick is a small transient stream. It makes you wonder why the town ever changed its name from Knob Creek—or Antioch, for that matter.
About 20 minutes from Georgia's southern border is the lovely town also called...well, you read the sign. The area derived its names from being the highest point along the railroad between Savannah and the Chattahoochee River. Stop by for the Swine Time Festival, held the first Saturday following Thanksgiving, to celebrate all things pig related.
(image via vreemdsteplaatsnamen)
We might think of past historical figures as stuffy, but they can have a sense of humor, too. Captain James Cook, the famous cartographer of Newfoundland, was also known to have a little fun when it came to naming places. The town took its name from the adjacent island which juts out into Trinity Bay like...well, you get the idea.
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This little village in Umbria took its name from a favorite local inn that was started by someone born outside of the area. Because of this, the inn became known as "the (town name)'s inn," and the rest is history. It's worth stopping by on a day tour while you explore the beautiful Umbria region and its other historic towns of Assisi (home of St. Francis) and Perugia.
(image via doni_milkyandbrioche)
Coming from Latin and meaning "ring," this little area in France, has only about 20 homes. If you want to be really meta, stop by the cafe in nearby Fouronnes, and order andouille sausage, made from pig small intestine. After you've taken your obligatory picture with the road sign, travel to Auxerre, only 30 minutes away, to sample some of the finest Burgandy wine.
(image via vreemdsteplaatsnamen)
The German immigrants were probably giving the area a compliment when they named it after Vienna, Austria. Unfortunately, "w" and "v" are different sounds in English. Interestingly enough, the city is known for the Arkansas Rice Festival every October. Clearly, they missed their hot dog calling.
(image via stevejohns)
This word is the Indonesian word for "cement," which makes one of the country's largest companies a lot less peculiar because it's a cement company and a not...well...you know. While not necessarily a town, the area is owned by the company and operates as a coal mine for the production of concrete.
(image via harwinsangra)
This Austrian town was founded in the 500s by a Bavarian nobleman whose last name was Focko. Over centuries, the spelling has evolved (or maybe devolved, in this instance) to its current form, meaning "place of Fockos." The town's road signs have been stolen so often that the city now cements the signs into the ground.
(image via sokolishche)
While it’s not technically a city, this mountain is a summit in Essex County, New York that’s frequented by tourists and hikers. There are beautiful trails and cabins that you can enjoy if you ever decide to visit this awkwardly named mountain.
This town name comes from the Gaulish words condate or condomium, which means “waters meet.” The mayor of the town opened a museum of contraceptives, which was closed in 2005. There are plenty of local events and smalls stores to browse if you’re ever in the area.
It would be straight-up embarrassing to tell anyone your address if you lived here. This place was named after a man we'll call "Richard" Shooter, a pioneer settler who established a homestead there. With a ton of outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, and even a preserved ghost town, this town makes up for the name with entertainment.
This town is another unincorporated community and is located in Camden County, New Jersey. With an extremely small population and almost nothing to do, it’s no wonder this town is about ready to fall off the map. If tourism doesn’t pick up, we might have to say goodbye to this town for good.
This town used to be called Mayamus and Upper Landing but changed in the late '70s. The town has an elementary school, and that’s about it. It's so small it doesn’t even have its own zip code. The town was originally started to be a community for families of World War II veterans.
While the name is off-putting, the origin is actually very innocent. “Nasty” comes from an Anglo-Saxon phrase meaning “at the eastern hedged enclosure.” According to residents, Nasty is a quiet, lovely little town to live in and raise a family.
This town is so small it doesn’t have a post office or even show up on most Oregon maps. One of the most popular stops in town is the Saloon & Cafe. You might not be surprised to know that a restaurant with that name has pretty bad reviews. Hopefully, the rest of the town is better.
Would you be able to tell people what town you lived in with a straight face? With less than 300 residents, it’s no surprise that this place got so run down. Some people in Boody didn’t even have running water until 2007, and the old elementary school went up for sale as a five-bedroom house.
Toad Suck is an unincorporated community, meaning it’s governed by the larger Faulkner county area instead of by its own local municipal corporation. It’s a tiny town situated on the Arkansas River and holds the popular Toad Suck Daze annual fair. The name comes from prohibition days when people would go to a tavern hidden on the river and “suck on a bottle so much they swell up like a toad.”
This town was named after the indigenous Kickapoo tribe, and the name means “wanderer.” This is another town that’s so small it doesn’t even have a post office. The name might sound funny, but it’s full of a rich history that should be remembered.
The name might be scary, but this seems like a pretty nice place to live! There’s plenty of outdoor activities, cute diners, and fun mom-and-pop shops. George Reeves, the man behind Hell’s sawmill, distillery, gristmill, and tavern, is the one responsible for bringing this town to life.
Don’t worry; the town isn’t crawling with worms, it was named after Worms, Germany. This place was established as a Lutheran community and is now too small to even have its own post office. It was originally had a large European immigrant population in the 1850s, including people from Poland, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland.
Just imagine what the police cars look like for this town. Named after P. P. Creek, the name comes from when an early settler carved the initial P. P. on a tree. While it has its own post office, you’d have a hard time finding things to do in this tiny township.
This town was originally named after a grocery store run by James SIaughter in the early 20th century. Other than the name, this town seems like a pleasant place to live. With plenty of churches, utility workmen, and people working on cars, waiting in line anywhere would be pretty empty today.
This isn’t technically a town, it’s another unincorporated community that’s governed by the Chester County. The population is less than 100, and the town has no stop lights, street signs, or post office. There’s even an old two-room schoolhouse that got turned into the Sweet Lips Grocery store.
No, the town was not named for its large population of crazy people. This small Texas city was named after John Looney, who owned a store there in the 1870s. It used to be a cozy place for settlers to come and earn an honest living, but now the population is so small there isn’t even a post office or a school. Now, only a church remains because the building Looney’s store was in caught on fire in recent years.
This is another example of a town with a name that would look hilarious on police cars. The name comes from the word “Boogie Man,” referring to the dozen murders the small township experienced in 1917. This is one rural area you might want to avoid; it has an intense history of murder and violence that makes it a popular destination for ghost hunters.
It might sound bad, but the name Humptulips isn’t supposed to seem offensive. The name comes from a Salish word meaning “hard to pole,” referring to the difficult and dangerous terrain on the upriver path.
While this is now technically a ghost town, it deserves to be on this list because of where the name came from. The town used to be a logging camp that was so remote; people would say that only an idiot would work there. That saying must have caught on because the camp was torn down and nothing was left behind.
This is not a town but is an extremely popular tourist destination in the Karlamilyi National Park that could have been a town. The reason behind this area’s name is because, most of the time, the lake is completely dry and leaves behind a large patch of land. People used to set up camp in the area only to get flooded out, making it a disappointment because it couldn’t become an established settlement.
