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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Strange or stupid street signs or place names
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Loquacious beachcomber
Shipmate
# 8783
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Posted
There is a main thoroughfare in Calgary, Alberta named Bow Bottom Trail, and that's the honest truth! It runs off Deerfoot Trail.
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TODAY'S SPECIAL - AND SO ARE YOU (Sign on beachfront fish & chips shop)
Posts: 5954 | From: Southeast of Wawa, between the beach and the hiking trail.. | Registered: Nov 2004
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Graven Image
Shipmate
# 8755
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Posted
For stupid I most vote for a city in Virginia that has streets by the names of Sixth Street, Sixth Place, and Sixth Ave all running parallel to each other. Heaven help them in an emergency.
Posts: 2641 | From: Third planet from the sun. USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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Squirrel
Shipmate
# 3040
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Posted
In the Washington, DC area there's a place called Foggy Bottom. As I recall there's also a subway stop with that name.
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"The moral is to the physical as three is to one."
- Napoleon
"Five to one."
- George S. Patton
Posts: 1014 | From: Gotham City - Brain of the Great Satan | Registered: Jul 2002
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Timothy the Obscure
Mostly Friendly
# 292
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
For stupid I most vote for a city in Virginia that has streets by the names of Sixth Street, Sixth Place, and Sixth Ave all running parallel to each other. Heaven help them in an emergency.
We have that same pathology in Portland, though not the Street/Avenue bit--all the numbered ones are Avenues, unless they're Places or Courts.
However, what is it with needing to name streets after famous people with their full names? 39th Ave. was recently changed to Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. I'm totally fine with naming it after him, but we have Grant St., not Ulysses S. Grant Street, and Sherman St., not William Tecumseh Sherman Street. Why not just call it Chavez Ave.?
[ 09. July 2012, 04:33: Message edited by: Timothy the Obscure ]
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When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.
- C. P. Snow
Posts: 6114 | From: PDX | Registered: May 2001
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The5thMary
Shipmate
# 12953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Squirrel:
In the Washington, DC area there's a place called Foggy Bottom. As I recall there's also a subway stop with that name.
Yes. I'm from that neck of the woods and I always wondered about the name. When my gay male friends and I used to ride the subway and pass that station, they always called it 'Faggy Bottom'. Gay men... what silly dears they are.
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God gave me my face but She let me pick my nose.
Posts: 3451 | From: Tacoma, WA USA | Registered: Aug 2007
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W Hyatt
Shipmate
# 14250
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Posted
For stupid street signs, I would nominate a warning sign near where I live. It says "REDUCED SPEED AHEAD" not 60 feet (20 meters) before the road ends with a stop sign at a "T" intersection, both of which are clearly visible from before the warning sign. If, for some reason, a driver wished to continue through the intersection without reducing speed, they would immediately encounter a large boulder several feet high at the far side of the intersection, also clearly visible from before the nominated sign. I have never been able to figure out why anyone ever decided that such a sign provided the right kind of warning at this particular spot.
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A new church and a new earth, with Spiritual Insights for Everyday Life.
Posts: 1565 | From: U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 2008
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
A thing I find irritating - and which posties/ deliverymen must curse on a daily basis - is a housing development not so far from here where the same name is used throughout. Having started with the usual ______ St and ______ Ave, through Gdns, Pl, Court, Rise, Loan, Hill, Grove and Wood to the frankly desperate Howe, Shaw and Crook.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Sighthound
Shipmate
# 15185
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Posted
While walking in Shropshire I came upon a signpost to 'The Bog.' It's a village/hamlet, apparently.
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Supporter of Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue.http://tiagreyhounds.org/
Posts: 168 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2009
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
@Sandemaniac - Is that the Twatt in Orkney or the Twatt in Shetland?
In Manchester, Canal St, at the centre of the city's Gay Village is often defaced. Apt.
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Last ever sig ...
blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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Angloid
Shipmate
# 159
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Posted
There's a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales called Booze.
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Brian: You're all individuals!
Crowd: We're all individuals!
Lone voice: I'm not!
Posts: 12927 | From: The Pool of Life | Registered: May 2001
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
There's a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales called Booze.
And one in Dorset called Beer.
Which caused some amusement when we ran a youth team cricket tour to that area several years ago. The invoice item "Youth Team Cricket Tour: Beer" was quite strongly queried by the people who were funding it!
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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comet
Snowball in Hell
# 10353
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Posted
a street near mine is called Whigmi. I asked around. it stands for What Have I Gotten Myself Into? named by the property developer.
I love honesty.
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Evil Dragon Lady, Breaker of Men's Constitutions
"It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.” -Calvin
Posts: 17024 | From: halfway between Seduction and Peril | Registered: Sep 2005
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Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Balaam:
@Sandemaniac - Is that the Twatt in Orkney or the Twatt in Shetland?
It's the Orkney one. We couldn't find the road sign that just points to Twatt (rather than Finstown as well), but that may have something to do with the hen party we saw in Kirkwall clutching one...
AG
Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
Local-ish to me we have "Claggy Bottom".
There's also the fabled pub/town/county combo, but it relies on mis-pronouncing the county contraction slightly (Hertfordshire > Herts should be pronounced "Hearts" but is sometimes pronounced "Hurts"):
The Cock
Welwyn
Herts
(Welwyn is correctly pronounced well-in, not well-win).
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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Angloid
Shipmate
# 159
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Posted
There is also the Ugley Women's Institute somewhere in Suffolk I believe, and the Idle Working Men's Club in Bradford.
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Brian: You're all individuals!
Crowd: We're all individuals!
Lone voice: I'm not!
Posts: 12927 | From: The Pool of Life | Registered: May 2001
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
Does it often rain cats and dogs here?
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Last ever sig ...
blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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Erik
Shipmate
# 11406
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Posted
There is a small alley in York which at some point must have changed its name but the sign reads-
NewName Street
formerly Mad Aliss Lane
I would love to know the story behind that.
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One day I will think of something worth saying here.
Posts: 96 | From: Leeds, UK | Registered: May 2006
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
Foggy Bottom got its name from the fact that it is frequently foggy and it's bottom land--i.e. low-lying land near the river.
Moo
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Kerygmania host
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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WearyPilgrim
Shipmate
# 14593
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Posted
There's a section of the town of New Portland, Maine
known as Katy's Crotch. There is (as one can imagine) an allegedly true story involving this, but SOF is not an appropriate forum in which to share it.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posts: 383 | From: Sedgwick, Maine USA | Registered: Feb 2009
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
In Northfleet, Kent, there is a housing estate named for Battle of Britain pilots and one of the roads is named Bader Walk, which was quite an achievement as the man himself, Squadron Leader Douglas Bader, had lost both legs in a flying accident.
Many years ago my dad was involved in a cricket tour to the West Country. They played Beer on the Saturday then Looe on Sunday.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Jane R
Shipmate
# 331
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Posted
How about:
Bad Bargain Lane (on the outskirts of York)
Argument Yard (in Whitby)
Posts: 3958 | From: Jorvik | Registered: May 2001
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kingsfold
Shipmate
# 1726
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Posted
York is also home to Whip Ma Whop Ma Gate.
And there's Land of Green Ginger in Hull.
And the Perthshire village of Dull which is to be linked to the US town of Boring
[ 09. July 2012, 13:11: Message edited by: kingsfold ]
Posts: 4473 | From: land of the wee midgie | Registered: Nov 2001
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Drifting Star
Drifting against the wind
# 12799
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Posted
Port Isaac in Cornwall has Squeeze Belly Alley.
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The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Heraclitus
Posts: 3126 | From: A thin place. | Registered: Jul 2007
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Photo Geek
Shipmate
# 9757
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Posted
Meigs County in Ohio has Bear Wallow Hollow Rd.
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"Liberal Christian" is not an oxymoron.
Posts: 242 | From: Southern Ohio, US | Registered: Jul 2005
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Meerkat
Suricata suricatta
# 16117
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Posted
In good old London town, there is a little 'alleyway' called Austin Friars Passage... it always made me smile!
There is this place, too... Catsick Hill. near Barrow Upon Soar, Leicestershire
and
Catbrain Hill, Bristol BS10
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Simples!
Posts: 160 | From: Herts, UK | Registered: Jan 2011
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Nanny Ogg
Ship's cushion
# 1176
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Posted
I live on "Dog Kennel Lane" - although my postal address for my house differs ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
There are some wonderful place names nearby;
Wasps Nest
Tongue End
Spital in the Street
No Mans Friend
Mavis Enderby
Little Steeping
And my favourite: Bicker ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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Buy me a beer and I'm you friend forever
Posts: 4137 | From: Away with the fairies | Registered: Aug 2001
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St. Stephen the Stoned
Shipmate
# 9841
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Posted
There And Back Again Lane in Bristol, and Carsick Hill in Sheffield.
Not to mention Effingham Street.
[ 09. July 2012, 15:08: Message edited by: St. Stephen the Stoned ]
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Do you want to see Jesus or don't yer? Well shurrup then!
Posts: 518 | From: Sheffield | Registered: Jul 2005
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HCH
Shipmate
# 14313
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Posted
I remember a bus line in the Chicago area which made a stop at the corner of Tripp Street and Pratt Street.
Posts: 1540 | From: Illinois, USA | Registered: Nov 2008
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monkeylizard
Ship's scurvy
# 952
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Posted
Then there's Intercourse, Pennsylvania, located in the heart of Amish country.
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The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. ~ Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903)
Posts: 2201 | From: Music City, USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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Cedd
Shipmate
# 8436
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Posted
My personal favourite is a village sign in Sussex:
"Black Boys. Please drive carefully"
Seems a bit discriminatory... ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
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Cedd
Churchmanship: This week I am mostly an evangelical, catholic, orthodox with both liberal and illiberal tendancies. Terms and conditions apply.
Posts: 377 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2004
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Janine
The Endless Simmer
# 3337
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Posted
We have streets called Kangaroo Court, Quickie Drive, Eureka Drive, Ringo Cocke Road; Bull Run Road runs along a piece of the "Old Spanish Trail" -- I suppose there had to be cattle driven along there at one time, it's a ridge through the swamps.
Bars and clubs come up with odd names sometimes -- there's a Dog House and a Somewhere Else. A cousin's bar was Little Al's Corral, years ago.
Nearby neighborhoods include Elsewhere and Waterproof (named for the old plantation there, never flooded I guess).
Towns around Louisiana include Tickfaw, Swindleville, Rum Center, Jigger, Loco, Hooker Hole, Coochie, Belcher, Glasscock, Cut Off, Cocodrille, Chacahoula, Boeuf, Pointe au Chenes (or au Chiens), Bunkie (pronounced "Bonkie")...
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I'm a Fundagelical Evangimentalist. What are you?
Take Me Home * My Heart * An hour with Rich Mullins *
Posts: 13788 | From: Below the Bible Belt | Registered: Sep 2002
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TomOfTarsus
Shipmate
# 3053
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by monkeylizard:
Then there's Intercourse, Pennsylvania, located in the heart of Amish country.
You're missing out. Also in that area:
Blue Ball
Virginville
Bird-in-Hand
Been there, lovely places - all in the heart of Pennsylvania's Amish Country!
Now in my area, "Our Lane" is a private road...
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By grace are ye saved through faith... not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath ... ordained that we should walk in them.
Posts: 1570 | From: Pittsburgh, PA USA | Registered: Jul 2002
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Offeiriad
Ship's Arboriculturalist
# 14031
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Posted
My family come from Shropshire, a county replete with silly names. How about the neighbouring villages of Homer and Wigwig to start with?
Posts: 1426 | From: La France profonde | Registered: Aug 2008
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BessLane
Shipmate
# 15176
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Posted
I've always loved the name of a local community: Skullbone.
As for stupid street signs, the ones that always get me are the numerous signs around here warning of Slow Moving Farm Equipment. It leads me to assume that somewhere, there is a farming community with Fast Farm Equipment, kind of like NASCAR for combine harvesters...(which I would totally pay good money to watch BTW)
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It's all on me and I won't tell it.
formerly BessHiggs
Posts: 1388 | From: Yorkville, TN | Registered: Sep 2009
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
There is a lake on the Churchill River in northern Saskatchewan called "Bad Fart Lake" in Cree. The next lake downstream is "Dead Lake". Apparently they were not named intentionally this way. But we liked it alot when we paddled through in 2006.
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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TomOfTarsus
Shipmate
# 3053
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Posted
Now near Fairmont, West Virginia, a developer wanted to raise up a plan of "McMansions," upscale homes with pretentious plan names such as "Rider's Glen", or "Hunting Ridge" (not any more, with all those houses around!) or "Southpointe" (yes, with the added "e", raise your pinkies everyone!). Trouble was, his land was along Pinch Gut Hollow Road. He and some of the residents tried to get it changed to no avail. Story is, the horses used to pinch their bellies at a narrow pass along the road.
South Heights is a town in my area with no corresponding North, East, or West Heights, or even another town to associate it with! And the surrounding township is higher ground still!
Eighty Four, PA is a town in Western Pennslvania. NO one is quite sure how it got that name, but the link gives a few possibilities.
Cute Story: There are, in this hilly country, yellow diamond traffic signs with arrows indicating curves in the road ahead. When my oldest daughter was about 4 or 5, she saw one that wiggled left and right before pointing straight up, and asked me what it was. I told her it showed you how to drive. She then asked me why they wanted you to wiggle and go up in the air!
Blessings,
Tom
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By grace are ye saved through faith... not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath ... ordained that we should walk in them.
Posts: 1570 | From: Pittsburgh, PA USA | Registered: Jul 2002
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
When I lived in Kissimmee many, many moons ago, my address was 7777 7 Dwarfs Lane. It now goes to Princess Way.
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Meerkat
Suricata suricatta
# 16117
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Posted
What about 'Pratts Bottom' and 'Badgers Mount'?
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Simples!
Posts: 160 | From: Herts, UK | Registered: Jan 2011
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
There was a town named Turnip Hole near where I grew up.
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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St. Gwladys
Shipmate
# 14504
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Posted
We came across a Rue de Condom in Normandy.
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"I say - are you a matelot?"
"Careful what you say sir, we're on board ship here"
From "New York Girls", Steeleye Span, Commoners Crown (Voiced by Peter Sellers)
Posts: 3333 | From: Rhymney Valley, South Wales | Registered: Jan 2009
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Pigwidgeon
Ship's Owl
# 10192
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Posted
Why, Arizona was supposedly named that because three major highways form a Y.
(If you visit it you'll wonder 'why' they bothered!)
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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
~Tortuf
Posts: 9835 | From: Hogwarts | Registered: Aug 2005
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Bene Gesserit
Shipmate
# 14718
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Posted
... and, back in the UK (Herts, in England), there is a village called Nasty.
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Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Posts: 405 | From: Flatlands of the East | Registered: Apr 2009
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ecumaniac
Ship's whipping girl
# 376
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
There is also the Ugley Women's Institute somewhere in Suffolk I believe, and the Idle Working Men's Club in Bradford.
When I lived near my work, my closest WI would have been the Ugley Women's Institute! I refrained from joining. (It's in Essex)
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it's a secret club for people with a knitting addiction, hiding under the cloak of BDSM - Catrine
Posts: 2901 | From: Cambridge | Registered: Jun 2001
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
This sign is about half way between me and Moo.
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
And this little community is in western Kentucky on the shores of the Ohio, just before it empties into the Mississippi.
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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Offeiriad
Ship's Arboriculturalist
# 14031
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Posted
My ancestors came from the Clun Valley in South Shropshire. Our favourite place name in the valley was New Invention, to which somebody had usually added '[Patent applied for]'.
A good friend of mine was churchwarden of Great Bolas, which is next to Little Bolas.
Posts: 1426 | From: La France profonde | Registered: Aug 2008
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
I grew up one street over from Gay Way.
And I have traveled on Zzyzx Road in the California Mojave Desert.
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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