We’ve all had a giggle upon seeing road signs with the names of cities, towns and villages that range from the comical to the lewd and nonsensical. Here’s a selection of some of the best in the U.S. for you to keep an eye out for next time you are on the road.
Bear Dance, Montana
Set between Flathead Lake and forested hills, the name of this northwestern Montana village is both cute and slightly unnerving at the same time. There’s not a great deal to see, and it’s unlikely that you’ll encounter any dancing bears, especially not at nearby No-see-em Creek. Big Arm and Big Fork are other classic names to find on the lakeshore.
Buttzville, New Jersey
Could it be that the residents of this Warren County town are extremely proud of their posteriors? Perhaps they have a penchant for negating everything that they say? Sadly it’s neither because the town takes its name from its founder Michael Robert Buttz.
Eggnog, Utah
Yes, there exists a place named after everyone’s favorite (or not so favorite) Yuletide beverage. There’s a fair chance that the name originated from the early livestock workers that settled here and were given eggnog to imbibe. One would be forgiven for thinking that the town would be twinned with Santa Claus, Indiana.
Hot Coffee, Mississippi
Sometimes communities are so proud of their heritage that they feel the need to honor it in a name. Back in 1870, a local entrepreneur set up a store at a wagon road intersection, hung a coffee pot over the door, and erected a sign that read something along the lines of "The Best Hot Coffee Around." The acclaimed taste was a combination of New Orleans coffee beans, local spring water, and molasses drippings.
Monkeys Eyebrow, Kentucky
Truth be told, nobody really knows how this Kentucky community came to be named after a primate’s facial feature. Some say the western edge of Kentucky looks like a monkey’s face on a map and that the town sits where the eyebrows would be. Others claim that after getting his wagon stuck, a logger told a local that it was about up to a monkey’s eyebrows.
Why, Arizona
Why would a town be called Why, you might ask. Because the intersection of the two highways that pass through it creates a Y-intersection, of course! But the story thickens. At the time of the town’s creation, Arizona state law dictated that place names must have a minimum of three letters. Consequently, Y became Why.