Travel through Europe in Ohio
If you want to visit Venice, Rome, Warsaw, Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam, or Vienna, there's no reason to leave the United States. In fact, one could visit all these places without going outside the borders of Ohio.
This is because Ohio has many cities and towns named after cities in Europe. Far more than any other U.S. state. You can find all the city names listed above in Ohio, plus many more. Think of a European city, and there's probably a town in Ohio with the same name.
Some people go on tours of European cities in Ohio, in lieu of actually going to Europe.
H2G2.com explains why Ohio has all these copycat names:
However, Ohioans have put their own unique stamp on many of these copycat names by pronouncing them differently. For instance, Milan, Ohio is pronounced "MY-lun". Some more Ohio pronunciations:
More info: 20 Ohio Towns You're Probably Pronouncing Wrong
This is because Ohio has many cities and towns named after cities in Europe. Far more than any other U.S. state. You can find all the city names listed above in Ohio, plus many more. Think of a European city, and there's probably a town in Ohio with the same name.
Some people go on tours of European cities in Ohio, in lieu of actually going to Europe.
H2G2.com explains why Ohio has all these copycat names:
One reason why some cities were named after geographic areas is because of the canals built in Ohio during the early part of the 19th century. An enormous workforce was required to build the canals, so immigrants were brought in from Europe. Apparently, towns wanted to attract these immigrants to live in their communities to stimulate economic growth. In order to do this many places were often named after the location they had travelled from.
However, Ohioans have put their own unique stamp on many of these copycat names by pronouncing them differently. For instance, Milan, Ohio is pronounced "MY-lun". Some more Ohio pronunciations:
- Lima (LY-ma)
- Versailles (ver-SAILS)
- Moscow (MAHS koh)
- Russia (ROO she)
- Vienna (veye EH nuh)
- Berlin (BUR lynn)
More info: 20 Ohio Towns You're Probably Pronouncing Wrong
Comments
Here in CT there's a Berlin, pronounced the Ohio way. There's also the Thames River, pronounced as it's spelled with no hard T.
Posted by Bill the Splut on 03/11/22 at 01:22 PM
I live in Medina, Ohio, pronounced med-I-na, outside of the state everyone says med-E-na. It’s like it’s Ohio’s fault the rest of the world pronounces things wrong.
Posted by Jimpy on 03/12/22 at 08:09 AM
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Category: Geography and Maps | Odd Names