Here in Ohio, our towns have some pretty unique names.
Have you ever heard of a town called Blue Ball? Or maybe, Reminderville? What about Utopia? It’s true that the Buckeye State is no stranger to strangely named towns. Most people don’t know the meaning behind these 9 Ohio towns—and some aren’t nearly as unusual as they seem. See how many of these meanings you knew about:
- Utopia
Aesopposea/Wikimedia Commons If you’ve ever heard of a place called Utopia in Ohio you should know that it does in fact exist—and it has a strange and unusual history. While Utopia, Ohio isn’t technically a ghost town, it’s pretty close. Along the banks of the Ohio River in Clermont County, you’ll find what some consider to be a ghost town, although the town is still home to some residents. Once upon a time, the small unincorporated community was one of the “phalanxes” (or social communes) established in America in the mid-19th century. Today, it’s home to a gas station, a few houses and an underground chapel that may have been used as part of the Underground Railroad.
- Greenville
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr Greenville is home to the historic Fort Greene Ville and Bear’s Mill. It is also home to the Garst Museum, which features the largest known collections of memorabilia of Annie Oakley and Lowell Thomas. (Both Oakley and Thomas were born close to what is now Greenville.)
- Put-In-Bay
amedmunds/Flickr South Bass Island is home to this village, named after its bay where people sailing on Lake Erie, would “put in” during bad weather to wait out the storms.
- Blue Ball
S&Mj Adventures/Flickr Between Butler and Warren Counties you can find the town of Blue Ball. Local legend says the town council changed the name of the town in the 1800s to reflect a landmark—a blue metal sphere that was suspended above the intersection of two highways in the middle of town—because passerby had trouble reading the town’s original sign.
- Defiance
Wigwam Jones/Flickr Located in Defiance County, this city (south of Toledo) contains the site of Fort Defiance of the Northwest Territory Indian War.
- Yellow Springs
wormwood/Flickr Yellow Springs is home to Antioch College, a colorful downtown, the nearby John Bryan State Park and, (you guessed it), the official “Yellow Spring” the town is named after, (which actually looks more orange than yellow.)
- Center of the World
Zzzuucx/Wikimedia Commons Did you know the center of the world is actually right here in Ohio? Well, kind of. Actually, Ohio is just home to a small community named Center of the World, which most people don’t know about. Near Braceville Township, you’ll find this unique (and tiny) community. It consists of homes and a few small retail establishments near the crossroads where State Routes 82 and 5 diverge.
- Reminderville
Raymond Wambsgans/Flickr This town, part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area, was actually named after a family (the Reminders.)
- Chagrin Falls
Wendy Soucie/Flickr This Cuyahoga County village is the epitome of charm. The town’s name is derived from the waterfalls of the Chagrin River. Chagrin Falls (pictured above) flows in the heart of the town, which was established in 1845.
How many of these did you know about? What other towns in Ohio have unusual names with interesting meanings?
Aesopposea/Wikimedia Commons
If you’ve ever heard of a place called Utopia in Ohio you should know that it does in fact exist—and it has a strange and unusual history. While Utopia, Ohio isn’t technically a ghost town, it’s pretty close. Along the banks of the Ohio River in Clermont County, you’ll find what some consider to be a ghost town, although the town is still home to some residents. Once upon a time, the small unincorporated community was one of the “phalanxes” (or social communes) established in America in the mid-19th century. Today, it’s home to a gas station, a few houses and an underground chapel that may have been used as part of the Underground Railroad.
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
Greenville is home to the historic Fort Greene Ville and Bear’s Mill. It is also home to the Garst Museum, which features the largest known collections of memorabilia of Annie Oakley and Lowell Thomas. (Both Oakley and Thomas were born close to what is now Greenville.)
amedmunds/Flickr
South Bass Island is home to this village, named after its bay where people sailing on Lake Erie, would “put in” during bad weather to wait out the storms.
S&Mj Adventures/Flickr
Between Butler and Warren Counties you can find the town of Blue Ball. Local legend says the town council changed the name of the town in the 1800s to reflect a landmark—a blue metal sphere that was suspended above the intersection of two highways in the middle of town—because passerby had trouble reading the town’s original sign.
Wigwam Jones/Flickr
Located in Defiance County, this city (south of Toledo) contains the site of Fort Defiance of the Northwest Territory Indian War.
wormwood/Flickr
Yellow Springs is home to Antioch College, a colorful downtown, the nearby John Bryan State Park and, (you guessed it), the official “Yellow Spring” the town is named after, (which actually looks more orange than yellow.)
Zzzuucx/Wikimedia Commons
Did you know the center of the world is actually right here in Ohio? Well, kind of. Actually, Ohio is just home to a small community named Center of the World, which most people don’t know about. Near Braceville Township, you’ll find this unique (and tiny) community. It consists of homes and a few small retail establishments near the crossroads where State Routes 82 and 5 diverge.
Raymond Wambsgans/Flickr
This town, part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area, was actually named after a family (the Reminders.)
Wendy Soucie/Flickr
This Cuyahoga County village is the epitome of charm. The town’s name is derived from the waterfalls of the Chagrin River. Chagrin Falls (pictured above) flows in the heart of the town, which was established in 1845.
For more Ohio towns to explore, check out our previous article: 12 Underrated Ohio Towns That Deserve A Second Look.
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