Alabama

 

At the Y-intersection between Nevada state routes 86 and 85, a small town sprang up. The residents chose the name “Y,” but state law required a minimum of three letters. So, the town is “Why.” Residents of a community in North Carolina couldn’t agree on a name. One frustrated man said, “Why not name the place ‘Whynot’ and go home?” And they did. There’s a town in Oregon called “Boring,” but not because it’s tedious. It’s named for an early settler: William Harrison Boring. No one’s sure how Nameless, Tennessee got its name, but some people think it’s because when residents applied for a post office, the name on the form was accidentally left blank. In 1950, Hot Springs, New Mexico changed its name to “Truth or Consequences” to win a radio show contest. Rough and Ready, California was given President Zachary Taylor’s nickname. At one time, California had three communities called “Rough and Ready.”