STRANGE TIMES ARE HERE

Discover 10 Of The Weirdest Stories From Across America!

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America can be such a wonderfully weird place, filled from coast to coast with eccentric roadside attractions, captivating towns, and, most importantly, extraordinary people. We compiled a list of 10 of the most delightfully quirky places, laws, and individuals so we can celebrate the weird and interesting side of this fascinating country of ours.

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Many towns and cities in the U.S. pay homage to their first mayor in some way, usually by naming a street after them, or through a plaque or statue. So maybe, in a few years' time, if you find yourself driving through the town of Fair Haven, Vermont, you might come across a majestic bronze statue of a Nubian goat embellishing the town’s square.

Lincoln the goat was elected as the first mayor of Fair Haven in 2019, after winning against other nominated pets. The election was an idea by the Town Manager as a way to raise money for a school playground, and it has been held since as both a fundraiser and a way to teach children about civic responsibility. In 2020, Lincoln lost his reelection bid to a therapy dog named Murfee.

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If there is a place in the United States that should choose Fox Mulder’s classic tagline "I want to believe" as its official motto, it is the town of Willow Creek, California. Self-declared "the Bigfoot Capital of the World", Willow Creek is home to a Bigfoot museum, several attractions, and it holds the annual "Bigfoot Daze" festival in September. There’s a good reason behind this obsession: the town is the closest location to the place where the Patterson-Gimlin footage (the most famous Bigfoot sighting) was filmed.

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This one might save you some trouble in the future. If you ever happen to spend Halloween in the state of Alabama, don’t dress up as a clergy member of any kind, or you might end up breaking the law. According to the state code, anyone who "fraudulently pretends by garb or outward array to be a minister of any religion, or nun, priest, rabbi, or another member of the clergy" will be considered guilty of a misdemeanor and might be punished with jail time or a fine not exceeding $500.

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Just like New Haven, the Alaskan town of Talkeetna had an unusual mayor. Stubbs the Cat acted as the honorary mayor of this unincorporated community for twenty years. He was elected in 1997 when he was just a kitten and served until his death in 2017. He was succeeded by another cat named Aurora, who has acted as Talkeetna's mayor ever since.

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We apologize for the cheesy pun, but it was simply too "brie-lliant" to pass. From burgers to lasagna, cheese has truly found its way into several of our favorite dishes. However, if after a big, cheesy lunch you feel the urge to take a well-deserved nap, make sure the place you choose to lay your head in doesn’t happen to be a cheese shop in Illinois.

According to the Illinois Sanitary Food Preparation Act, it is against the law to sleep "in any workroom of a bake shop, kitchen, dining room, confectionery, creamery, cheese factory, or any place where food is prepared for sale." Does this law actually get enforced? Well, it’s probably something of a "gruyere" area. In any case, it definitely calls for further "analyswiss".

Again, we are so sorry.

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In 1950, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the popular NBC show Truth or Consequences, host Ralph Edwards announced that he would air a special program from the first American town that renamed itself after the show. By March of the same year, the town of Hot Springs, New Mexico changed its name to "Truth or Consequences", and the 10th-year special program was aired from there the next day. Edwards continued to visit the town on the first weekend of May for the next 50 years, during an event that eventually became known as the "Fiesta."

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Besides the above-mentioned Willow Creek’s obsession with Bigfoot, this entry might have one of the most mysterious origins in this list. The city of Newport News is the fifth-most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. While this name might seem more suitable for a local newspaper, what’s interesting about Newport News is that the source of the name itself is not known with certainty. The best-known explanation is related to Captain Christopher Newport, a 17th-century sailor who transported colonists back to Jamestown after encountering a fleet of supply ships during a great famine. According to historians, the town was then named after Newport’s "good news."

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This one might seem a bit old-fashioned, but this tradition has been carried by Kentucky politicians since the 19th century. The oath of office taken by Kentucky judges, officeholders, and county officials has remained virtually unchanged since the 1800s, and it includes the words "I, being a citizen of this State, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this State nor out of it." The oath of office also makes politicians swear that they have never aided people in a duel, nor acted as second in a challenge with deadly weapons.

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According to the municipal code of the city of Boulder, Colorado, it is a crime to leave "upholstered furniture not manufactured for outdoor use" outside in a yard or a porch. This law applies to furniture like couches or reclining chairs, but there are some exceptions. These restrictions are only enforced to furniture left overnight, or that’s clearly visible from the street. However, it might be safer to cut your losses and move that nap inside the house.

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The city of Austin, Texas prides itself on its nickname, "The Live-Music Capital of the World." While this title is definitively well-deserved (Austin has the most live music venues per capita in the United States), another motto (albeit an unofficial one) immediately comes to mind whenever someone mentions this fantastic city: "Keep Austin Weird."

This now well-known phrase was first said by an Austin native while calling to make a donation to the local radio station KOOP. When the host asked him why he was donating, he said: "Because it keeps Austin weird." The rest is history: the phrase has since been engraved into countless bumper stickers, frisbees, and t-shirts.

NAME ANCESTRY

14 Surprising Origin Stories Behind State Names In The USA

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Ever wondered where most US states’ names come from? From Native American roots to foreign or made-up words, the stories behind many of them are riddled with surprising historical references. Although the origin of some US states’ names is fairly obvious, many derive from unexpected people or places. The origin of names like Colorado, Montana, or Nevada are easy to infer —especially if you know a bit of Spanish— but many others have Native American origins with intriguing meanings. Some are even derived from fiction. If you ever wanted to know where names like Oregon, Connecticut, or Wisconsin come from, you are in the right place. Enjoy the surprising etymologies behind some of the names that make our country.

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Interestingly, for a state whose main economic activity is agriculture, the word Alabama comes from the Choctaw language and can be translated as "plant-cutters" or "vegetation pickers", recalling the farming practices of the Native Americans that lived in this area.

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Alaska is a corruption of an Aleut word that means "mainland", but can be translated literally as "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". This is one of those names that manage to bring poetry into a word as simple and down-to-earth as land.

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This one comes from… a Spanish adventure novel! Bet you didn’t expect that. In Las Sergas de Esplandin by Garcia Ordez de Montalvo, a book from the 1500s, there is a fictional place called the "Island of California". Even when the modern state of California is clearly not an island, some die-hard fanatic of the novel decided to bring the name to life here in the U.S.

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Derived from the Algonquian word quinnehtukqut, which can be translated as "besides the long tidal river", in reference to the river Connecticut. If you are wondering what the "tidal" part means exactly, this is because the Connecticut River's flow and level are effectively influenced by tides along much of its course. Certainly some amazing insight into the rigorous knowledge of local hydrology that Native Americans managed to accrue over the centuries.

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Although the origin of this name is disputed, there are two main theories. One suggests that the islands may have been named after Hawaii Loa, their traditional discoverer. However, others have speculated that it is actually derived from the ancient Polynesian word hawaiki, meaning "place of the gods".

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Another crazy one. Although the name was first claimed to be derived from a Shoshone word that meant "Gem of the Mountains", it is highly likely that the word was fabricated by George M. Willing, and meant as a practical joke.

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Quite literally, "land of Indians", using a Latin suffix. The word Indians originally referred to the ancient dwellers of the shores of the Indus River, in South and Central Asia.

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"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!" said Dorothy, from The Wizard of Oz, right after a rampant tornado literally lifted her house in the air and took it to God knows where. Well, this US state’s fame for violent winds predates even the first settlers, since Kansas is a Native American word used by the Dakota, strongly related to the idea of "wind".

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This state owes its name to an Iroquoian word that means "land of tomorrow". Quite a blockbuster-worthy movie title, if you ask me.

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The origin story behind the name of "The Pine Tree State" is still disputed. However, there are some interesting theories. One states that it derives from "mainland", as a form of distinction from the many coastal islands in the vicinity. Other theories propose that it was named in honor of Henrietta Maria, queen of England, or after the province of Mayne in France.

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To the Native Americans that lived in this region, Missouri meant "town of the large canoes", as the Missouri tribes were renowned for their skill in making dugout canoes.

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A largely disputed one. Many suggest that the name has Spanish origins, being similar to other words like orejón (meaning "big ear") or orégano, in reference to a type of plant (similar to the Mediterranean oregano) that grows in the southern part of the state.

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This is the only state that has a part of its founder’s name in it. It is widely believed that Pennsylvania means "Penn’s Woodland", and was named as such in honor of Sir William Penn, father of its founder William Penn.

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This is probably a French corruption of a native Miami word that meant "it lies red" or "river running through a red place", in reference to the bed of the river Wisconsin.

If our quick dive into the peculiar world of US state names wasn’t enough to quench your curiosity, stay around! We will keep uploading more content related to language and the weird stories and etymologies behind many English and foreign words.