Numerous townships and cities across the South got saddled ages ago with some of the weirdest town names you'll find in any road atlas. In some cases, a little historic context explains away such names as Scratch Ankle. Other towns require residents to possess a tolerance for Weiner jokes. Either way, prepare to chuckle at these unfortunately named places scattered throughout the South.
Of course, the Southeast doesn't have the market cornered on oddball town names. Just ask the residents of Disco, Wisconsin; Horseheads, New York; Deadhorse, Alaska; Hygiene, Colorado; Accident, Maryland; Teakettle Junction, California; Dummer, New Hampshire; Satan's Kingdom (in Massachusetts or Vermont); Devil's Elbow, Missouri; Anaconda, Montana; Limerick, Maine; Slaughter Beach, Delaware; Slaughterville, Oklahoma; Chugwater, Wyoming; Funk, Nebraska; Defiance, Ohio; Big Bottom, South Dakota; Woonsocket, Rhode Island; Carefree, Arizona; Elmo, Utah; Boring, Oregon (not to be confused for the Scottish town of Dull); What Cheer, Iowa; Booger Hole, West Virginia; Goofy Ridge, Illinois; Pie Town, New Mexico; Embarrass, Minnesota; Jackpot, Nevada; Toad Hop, Indiana; Gas, Kansas; Dick, Michigan; Dickshooter, Idaho; and Ding Dong, Texas.
Boogertown, North Carolina
Some old folks say "booger" instead of monster. Younger folks pick boogers out of their noses. A small town named for either interpretation is terrifyingly hilarious. It's in the same U.S. state as Bald Head Island and the unincorporated community Whynot.
Butts County and Butts, Georgia
Georgia loves Butts. We're talking Butts so nice, they used the name twice. The county, named for Creek War soldier Samuel Butts, sits at the, uh, bottom of the Atlanta metro area. A separate Butts township can be found near the coast. For a sister city, visit Buttzville, New Jersey.
Christmas, Florida
Where do the fine folks of Santa Claus, Ga. move after retiring? An annual work destination in the Orlando area. The town's post office gets busy in December, as visitors flock there to send cards and gifts postmarked as "Christmas."
Intercourse, Alabama
Do the people of Intercourse, Ala. and Intercourse, Pa. share juvenile jokes about their hometown? Maybe they commiserate instead, as the Deep South and Midwest towns both got saddled with an unfortunate old name for traffic intersections.
Money, Mississippi
Money's legacy is no joke. The town provides the Southern gothic backdrop for Bobbie Gentry's legendary "Ode to Billie Joe."
Scratch Ankle, Alabama
Railroad workers noticed the people of this Southwest Alabama town scratching ferociously near their feet. This observation, and a lingering mosquito problem, provided the area with one of the most unusual and fitting township names in the United States.
Sweet Lips, Tennessee
This weird town name was reportedly picked because traveling soldiers and hobos loved the local water supply.
Sugar Tit, South Carolina
This tiny Spartanburg County town's name sounds like an unfunny street harassment line. Reportedly, the men in the area spent so much time at the local general store that their wives claimed they flocked to it "like babies to a sugar tit."
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Waterproof, Louisiana
The people of Waterproof don't live in a notably dry vacuum. Instead, they probably just roll their eyes at their mailing address whenever it rains. Throw in a massive town water tower, and it's perhaps the Southern city with the most ironic name.
Weiner, Arkansas
The jokes tell themselves. Especially for folks living near, wait for it... Weiner Cutoff Road! If this place doesn't host a hot dog festival, they're missing out on a golden opportunity.
This story originally ran in 2018.
