From Mayo to Sunset to Couch? Names of these Florida towns don't sound real ... but they are

Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·8 min read

Where you live is often a source of pride.

Most of us love our hometowns and only locals are allowed to poke lighthearted fun of the place we call home. Sometimes, that fun turns to joking around about the city's name.

The names of some Florida cities and towns are shrouded in history. Others are more recent. Some just sound fake or even downright strange. Others make you scratch your head, while some will tie your tongue in knots.

➤ Quiz: Test your knowledge of where these cities got their names

Let's wander around Florida and take a look at the names of some towns you may recognize but others may leave you wondering if those are the names of real cities.

Heads up: We will also answer a question that's been the subject of numerous books.

Where did these names come from? From 'pretty prairie' to 'dead man's creek,' find out origin of Florida city names

Florida city names with an international flair

  • Bagdad

  • Bohemia

  • Bristol

  • Egypt Lake-Leto

  • Freeport: Visit this Freeport without having to fly or pay for a cruise to the Bahamas.

  • Geneva: Sorry, no mountains to enjoy in this Florida town in Seminole County near Florida's East Coast.

  • Havana

  • Heathrow: The world's busiest airport skipped over this Florida counterpart to LHR in London.

  • Inverness

  • Lisbon

  • Mount Carmel: Not the high place mentioned in the Bible where Elijah confronted the false prophets of Baal, but some parts of Florida wouldn't mind a few prayers for rain.

  • Naples

  • Odessa

  • Panama City

  • Valparaiso

  • Venice

  • Windsor: No royals at this Indian River County spot, but the former Prince Charles did visit and inaugurate the Windsor Polo and Beach Club in 1989.

Welcome to Taintsville? 16 strange Florida town names you may have never heard of

Florida city names not to be confused with other US towns ... or states

  • Beverly Hills: Definitely not the star-studded city in California, but rather one of the first retirement-oriented planned communities in Central Florida.

  • Bowling Green

  • Cleveland

  • Five Points

  • Florida City, Florida Ridge, Floridatown: This would make remembering where you live a little easier. Wonder how the Post Office feels about it, though.

  • Fountainbleau

  • Golden Gate: No giant orange bridge here and 10 million visitors a year would overwhelm the Florida town with a 2020 census of just over 25,000.

  • Greensboro

  • Hawthorne

  • Harlem

  • Hollywood: Another reference to California.

  • Hudson

  • Lake Placid: Not the place of the 1980 winter Olympics. There aren't enough snow machines to make this happen.

  • Laurel: Definitely not to be confused with the town in Mississippi of HGTV fame!

  • Memphis

  • Midway: Quite far from the major battle in the Pacific during WWII.

  • Monticello: Thomas Jefferson would approve of this town's name.

  • Neptune Beach: This place is out of this world. Just kidding, you only need to head east of Jacksonville.

  • New York: OK, we see lots of New York license plates during "the season," but this could lead to a few interesting discussions along the lines of "who's on first."

  • Pebble Creek

  • San Antonio

  • Sorrento

  • South Pasadena

  • Trenton

  • Wausau

Florida towns with a holiday theme

  • Christmas: Self explanatory and not to be confused with Santa's home in the North Pole, although the lack of snow may have been your first clue.

  • Elfers: A bit of a stretch, we know, but we see the reference to Santa's helpers.

  • Holiday

  • Frostproof

  • Poinciana

Florida city names that may make you hungry or thirsty

  • Cocoa: You don't HAVE to sip this sweet, hot beverage as you watch a nearby launch, but why not?

  • Coconut Creek

  • Lone Cabbage: Sauerkraut anyone?

  • Mayo

  • Fruit Cove, Fruitland Park, Fruitville

  • Picnic

  • Spuds

  • Two Egg

  • Land O Lakes: This could have fit under several categories but it just reminded us of butter.

  • Lemon Grove

  • Mango

  • Minneola: Have you tasted the Minneola tangerine?

  • Naranja: Spanish for orange. Speaking of which ...

  • Orange City, Orange Park, Port Orange

  • Pea Ridge

  • Tangerine

  • Citrus Hills, Citrus Park, Citrus Springs: No surprises

  • Whiskey Creek: Oh to slip back in time to find the origin of this town, although rumors have it that during Prohibition the creek was home to several stills.

Florida towns named after rather odd items

  • Cabana Colony: This sounds like a great place to relax.

  • Day: And in case you're wondering, no, we didn't find a Night, although there is a Night Recreational Vehicle Park in Louisiana.

  • Century

  • Couch: Maybe folks were longing for someplace comfortable to sit? Must be a popular desire since there is a Couch in several other states.

  • Balm

  • Bell: Ears ringing yet?

  • Feather Sound

  • Golf

  • Hill 'n Dale: Not to be confused with the loveable chipmunks Chip 'n Dale.

  • June Park: No other months, just June in Florida. But there is a February, Tennessee; March in Missouri and Virginia; and May in Missouri.

  • Limestone, Limestone Creek

  • Marathon: Located in the middle of the Florida Keys, you probably don't want to do any long-distance running here.

  • Medulla: No connection to the Medulla Oblongata.

  • Ocean Breeze

  • Pace

  • Paisley

  • Pioneer

  • Plantation

  • Rio: Spanish for river

  • Sunrise: Located west of Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise is not east of Sunset.

  • Sunset: Sunset is located southwest of Miami. And here we thought the sunrise was in the east and sunset in the west. Confused?

Florida towns and places named after animals or insects

Names of Florida cities pulled from Native American languages

  • Apalachicola: The word probably comes from the Hitchiti Indian words "apalahchi" (on the other side) and "okli" (people). Together word may mean "those people residing on the other side or shore."

  • Aripeka: Named after Sam Jones, a famous Miccosukee chief, who was called Aripeka or Aripeika. The name is possibly corrupted from Muskogee "abihka" (pile at the base or heap at the root), which was a contest for supremacy among warriors who piled up scalps, covering the base of the war-pole.

  • Hialeah: Of Muskogee origin "haiyakpo" (prairie) and "hili" (pretty), Hialeah means pretty prairie

  • Miccosukee: From Hitchiti "miki" (chief) and "suki" (hogs), Miccosukee means "chiefs of the hog clan."

  • Steinhatchee: The name is derived from the Muskogee "ak" (down), "isti" (man) and "hatchee" (creek). It means "dead man's creek."

  • Wauchula: The name may be derived from the Muskogee "wakka" (cow) and "hute" (house or tank).

  • Weeki Wachee Springs: From the Muskogee words "wekiwa" (spring) and "chee" (little), the town's name means "little spring."

  • Okahumpka

  • Chumuckla

  • Wacahoota

  • Eucheeanna

  • Chattahoochee: The name is from Muskogee "chato" (rock) and "huchi" (marked).

  • Chokoloskee

  • Immokalee

  • Sopchoppy: The name has been corrupted from "Lockchoppe," the former name of the waterway in Wakulla County. Muskogee "lokchapi," which signifies the red oak, is composed from "lokcha" (acorn) and "api" (stem).

  • Lacoochee

  • Micanopy: Head chief of the Seminoles in the Seminole War; Micanopy means "head chief."

  • Thonotosassa

  • Wewahitchka: This complex name may have come from an unknown Indian language and probably means "water eyes."

  • Yalaha

  • Tamiami

  • Waukeenah

  • Yeehaw: A corruption of Muskogee "yaha" which means wolf is the origin of Yeehaw.

  • Opa Locka: The source is the Muskogee words "opilwa" (swamp) and "lako" (big), though the usual combination is "opillakpo."

Odds and ends when it comes to names of Florida cities

  • Celebration: This master-planned community near Orlando was originally developed by Walt Disney Company.

  • Doctor's Inlet

  • Doctor Phillips

  • Fidelis

  • Fluffy Landing: Not sure exactly what is so fluffy that it deserved recognition in a name.

  • Lazy Lake

  • Leisure City: Sorry, Lazy Lake isn't in Leisure City.

  • Masaryktown: Named after the first president of Czechoslovakia. Now you know.

  • Medley: Now this is a place to sing about.

  • Needmore: Not sure if this is a question.

  • Niceville

  • Astatula

  • Bokeelia

  • Kissimmee: This town has been mispronounced for decades for those looking for a quick laugh.

  • University

Personal names immortalized in the names of these Florida cities

When discovering or settling a new place, it's not unusual for someone to use a personal name. Here's just a few in Florida:

  • Festus

  • Harold

  • Howey-in-the-Hills

  • Lulu

  • Anna Maria

  • Brandon

  • Cortez

  • Gonzalez

  • Hernando

  • Jay

  • Jennings

  • Kathleen

  • Lee

  • Mary Esther

  • Ponce De Leon

  • Stuart

  • Vernon

  • Waldo: The answer to the age-old question of "Where is Waldo?" is that Waldo is located northeast of Gainesville and south of Starke. Maybe that's where the idea of his striped shirt came from?

Florida cities named after trees or plants

  • Cedar Grove, Cedar Key

  • Cypress, Cypress Gardens, Cypress Lake

  • Fern Park, Ferndale

  • Floral City

  • Forest City

  • Goldenrod

  • Holly Hill

  • Laurel, Laurel Hill

  • Myrtle Grove

  • Orchid

  • Mulberry

  • Oak Hill, Oakland

  • Palm Bay, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach, Palm City, Palm Coast, Palm Harbor

  • Palmetto

  • Pineland, Pine Air, Pine Castle, Pine Island, Pine Level, Pine Manor, Pine Ridge, Pinecrest, Pinewood

  • Plant City

  • Roseland

  • Sawgrass

  • Vineyards

  • Willow Oak: Sounds like a compromise.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Strange Florida city names you just have to know: Waldo, Sunrise, Bell