this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
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[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.world 136 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

[–] criitz@reddthat.com 78 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

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

[–] lugal@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

[–] Che_Donkey@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 year ago (9 children)
[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 18 points 1 year 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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[–] Pickle_Jr@lemmy.dbzer0.com 55 points 1 year 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.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

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

[–] Steve@startrek.website 10 points 1 year ago

Greetings from Naples Florida

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[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 42 points 1 year ago (3 children)

There are 15 cities in the world named Paris.

14 of them are in America.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] CurlyMoustache@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (2 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 👍

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[–] TheControlled@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year 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.

[–] son_named_bort@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

[–] Spyker 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

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[–] leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 year 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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[–] diverging@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 year 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.

[–] sexual_tomato@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago

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

[–] eating3645@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

There's something beautiful about ancient cities being named "new city"

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[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

[–] Shapillon@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year 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.

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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

[–] Rubanski@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My hamster lives in Newspaper!

[–] sighofannoyance@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I guess every crap he takes is newsworthy!

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 1 year 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.

[–] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

[–] NoSpiritAnimal@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Better York

Less Crappy Orleans

Marginally Improved Haven

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[–] xX_fnord_Xx@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

[–] 1hitsong@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] UncleSnakes@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

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

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[–] redbeardgecko@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Istanbul, not Constantinople!

[–] ErectSunshine@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 1 year 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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[–] ornery_chemist@mander.xyz 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

But obviously pronounced wrong.

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

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[–] DreBeast@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

*Europeans naming cities in America

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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.

[–] zeppo@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Europeans named the towns. People From Europe.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

texas didnt even bother adding the "new"

Also Canada did this a bunch too

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

No New Shitterton, though. :(

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 10 points 1 year ago

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

[–] steakmeout@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

New Zealand, named by America.

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[–] Rin@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year 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)

[–] nxdefiant@startrek.website 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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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[–] thantik@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

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

[–] moon@lemmy.cafe 8 points 1 year ago

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

[–] asyncrosaurus@programming.dev 7 points 1 year ago

Canada did it right, and just named the city without adding new.

London Ontario, Paris Ontario, Berlin Ontario (before it was renamed over a minor European dispute).

Unfortunately Nova Scotia was already called that before it joined.

[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

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