The Europeans that went to America were the ones doing that though
Yeah they were still Europeans when they named them. This should be the Obama award meme
They were. The American identity came later. Until the war of independence, settlers identified with the European countries of their heritage
…still do
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…”
I don’t live in America but I think most would consider themselves Americans. They are proud of the flag and the constitution and stuff. In the 1600s, you wouldn’t have figured a white person when someone said “American”. The whites were Brits or Germans or French, but not American. The natives were Americans.
Americans consider themselves Americans, but especially in the early days of the melting pot, cultural identity, and specifically that heritage was important. That’s why Americans are always saying they are Irish or Italian or whatever. The actual people from those countries laugh or get defensive about Americans who have never left the US claiming that heritage, but there’s a reason behind it.
In america we refer to our families by their heritage. Italian American. Irish American. Etc.
this statement sums it up nicely. Anecdotally, when I lived in Buenos Aires, every single person was "second generation " Italian…lol
Lol yeah I’ve seen that before.
Italian American. Irish American. Etc.
My point exactly. They aren’t Italians who happen to live in America but Americans with Italian heritage. And I’m not talking about first or second generation but like “white” people in general. The concept of whiteness exists since they started to be Americans.
I’m not really sure what you’re saying. There were no white people before the USA?
They still are. Note how the USA helps Ukraine, primarily white country, but not so much countries that are primarily brown people.
They don’t help Ukraine because white.
They help Ukraine because fuck Russia.
See also Afghanistan (70s and 80s edition, not the remake)
A lot of the time they didn’t even bother appending “New.” We have way too many Berlins, Manchesters, Lebanons, etc.
Our native-inspired place names are the superior place names, anyway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_place_names_of_Native_American_origin_in_the_United_StatesThanks for that! What a good idea for a road trip.
Funny you should say that
https://www.npr.org/2017/04/29/526157972/lebanese-photographer-visits-u-s-cities-named-lebanon
Meanwhile, the Americans that didn’t even put “new” in front of the city name and just called it Paris, Texas or some shit.
That’s a completely original name! Do you think Texans know anything about France?
Isn’t it named after a girl in a sex tape?
Yes actually. Paris Motel or something like that.
I can visit almost every continent without even leaving my state!
Greetings from Naples Florida
London, Ontario is one of the worst ones, and it’s not even in the US.
It must be horrible living there. You search for weather or news and get the more popular counterpart.
There are 15 cities in the world named Paris.
14 of them are in America.
The other is in Canada
There is one in Russia. So i conclude the number above is bullshit
I believe there’s one in France too.
I doubt it…
You’re thinking of Denmark
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 👍
Yeah, who knows what monument they have replicated again in Texas.
Vegas
I’m certain there’s one in Australia. There’s an Australian movie called “the cars that ate Paris” set in a remote Aussie town
I mean, it’s a bunch of immigrants naming things after their home. Or it’s a bunch colonists claiming things… For their home.
I think there is above 50 cities named “Villeneuve” in France (literraly meaning "New City)
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.
And then there’s the Amish, who gave their towns names like Intercourse and Bird in Hand.
Let us not forget Blue Ball, Virginville, Balls Mills, and Climax.
I think they’re trying to send a message.
Well, what else can they do in the evening?
That’s a pub name in the UK.
Bird In Hand, that is. Intercourse is what happens in the pub toilets.
Just googled quickly out of interest. There’s 14 pubs called Bird in Hand within 30 miles from my location, plus 2 restaurants and one bus stop with the same name.
A bus stop? Is it right outside the local?
There’s a pub 0.3 miles from the bus stop. I suppose better than to name the stop “Nisa local” or “shopnumber5”.
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.
New new city - final - fixed - rev 3 - last.xlsx
There’s something beautiful about ancient cities being named “new city”
Also the city of Nabeul in Tunisia and Nablus in Palestine also share the same etymology as Naples.
Laughs in Newcastle, Newmarket, Newport, Newbury, Newton and Newspaper
My hamster lives in Newspaper!
I guess every crap he takes is newsworthy!
Even old New York used to be New Amsterdam…
Why they changed it?
I can’t say, people just liked it better that way.
Originally Dutch colony, then English colony
Istanbul, not Constantinople!
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.
It’s weird they went with new instead of better. Maybe they weren’t very optimistic.
Better York
Less Crappy Orleans
Marginally Improved Haven
Or more accurately Great Britain should just be OK Britain.
Lets be honest here, great Britain should be called below standard Britain.
Fun fact: Britain was called great to differentiate it from ‘little’ or ‘lesser’ Britain, with theories go between Ireland and Brittany
Sometimes in colonial America, people named things in honor a Duke who funded/controlled the place.
For example, after NY was captured from the Dutch, it was a proprietary colony of the Duke of York.
Better York sounds like it’s just antagonistic towards the guy.
My favorite is East Palestine, Ohio, named for being east of Palestine, Ohio. It is very far west of Palestine.
even further east of Palestine
Kinda like North Carolina is in the south, South Dakota is in the north, and West Virginia is in the east
But obviously pronounced wrong.
New Prague, MN, for example (/nu pɹeɪg/)
I literally just used new prague as an example to my fiance over Christmas, about how we are super unoriginal in naming places in this country. Also hello fellow Minnesotan.
New Praha, MN
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.
New Zealand, named by America.
They named New Mexico, too, and it was so cool that aliens came to check out the city of Roswell.
