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Build a Massachusetts town name

By adamg on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 10:31am

Rejected Massachusetts Town Names is a site that lets you generate Massachusetts places names just by clicking a button. Who's up for a trip to North Fitchbridge?

Also see: The classic list.

Via Drew.


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Comments

By necturus on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 10:38am.

Massashusetts is so gender-queer that it even has a Middlesex County.

More seriously, the two names that amuse me most are Southborough and Sudbury. They both come from Old English words that mean "southern fort (burg)", but "Sudbury" is the old dative case form, while "Southborough" is nominative.

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By Scratchie on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 9:24am.

I was always amused that Massachusetts had a Middleton, a Centerville and a Middleborough, and they're nowhere near each other (and the last of the three is nowhere near Southborough, Northborough, et al.).

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By JonT on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 12:16pm.

Southborough and Sudbury are both place names in England, so it's their fault.

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By anon on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 10:56am.

Don't forget "Latham, MA", from the Seinfeld finale.

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By jmeltzer on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 11:06am.

could have used this.

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By Percy L on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 11:13am.

Stoneham is the only eastern Massachusetts municipality that I am aware of having two longstanding accepted pronunciations: While STONE-(h)em seems more common nowadays, at least a generation ago STONE-HAM (equal emphasis, H pronounced) was very common among longtime townies and is still heard today.

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By adamg on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 12:02pm.

It seems to have at least three acceptable pronunciations:

Norf-fk
Norfork
Nor-folk

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By Ben_Quahog on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 7:48pm.

I've only heard Nebraskans say Norfork

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By Neal on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 12:27am.

Billerica:

Bill-rica
Bul'rica
Bill-a-rica
Bill-erica (I think I've only heard that one said in jest)

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By perruptor on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 2:21am.

I may not have the best ear for such things, but when I hear locals say it, I don't hear any 'L' at all, like Birricah.

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By Hunter on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 11:22am.

Belchingham

Bridgebridge

New Glouceborough (pronounced New Gloss-a-bro)

Needhead

Rockonkportport by the Sea

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By C. Montgomery Burns on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 11:43am.

You mean there's a New Braintree?

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By perruptor on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 6:37pm.

Here

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By Scratchie on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 9:25am.

Does that mean we can get rid of the old one?

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By perruptor on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 2:28pm.

There's also a New Boston. In New Hamster.

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By John Costello on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 6:45pm.

New Braintree is next to it.

A guy who I went to HS and college with was a Statie. I asked him what's it like getting to New Braintree from the Pike for training? He rolled his eyes because its about 20 miles of back roads with everyone going the under the speed limit in front of you afraid that the Staties would pull them over.

New Braintree had a private school which shut down in the mid-80's. The state wanted to make the school a prison and all the locals got all peasants with pitchforks about it. The prison scheme died and then MCI-Shirtucky was built. The school became a State Police training facility.

The move to build the prison was a major sticking point in trying to derail Mike Dukakis.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-10-mn-9209-story.html

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By necturus on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 5:25pm.

...we learned that brains do not, in fact, grow on trees.

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By SwirlyGrrl on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 11:59am.

I liked that one.

Scroughton is still a fave.

UPDATE: okay, gotta give some props to the retro-futuristic "Arlington by the Sea".

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By perruptor on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 6:43pm.

I believe you're thinking of Scroughtham.

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By DerekLessing on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 12:45pm.

Here.

My favorite is Unstable (/unst’-a-bull/)

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By monkeynaut on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 1:47pm.

I drive through Dunstable with some regularity and always smile when my brain automatically reverts to calling it Unstable because of that article.

My favorite of the list is Hamham. I hope someone can incorporate a new town with that name.

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By BostonDog on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 2:39pm.

What a hilarious fake name. It's the sort of thing you could almost hear someone saying in Massachusetts. It's that absurd.

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By dvg on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 3:09pm.

While few people know about it, Flatustbury, which is South or Belchertown in central Mass, is one of our state's windiest location.

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By BostonDog on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 4:18pm.

.

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By jmeltzer on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 4:38pm.

I thought of taking a picture of the Athol - Belchertown highway direction sign on Route 2A.

Their high schools are in the same football league. I can only imagine how fragrant the fans are.

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By Dave on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 9:52am.

If you click long enough, does it come up with Woodwood?

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