Any true Hoosier can tell you that Indiana has some pretty interesting and even exotic town names. And don’t even get us started on our pronunciation of them! While you may have heard of some of Indiana’s weirdest town names, we bet you don’t know the meaning behind all 9 of these Indiana towns.
- Gnaw Bone
Jimmy Emerson/DVM There’s much debate about the origin of this unusual town name. Story #1 suggests a Civil War soldier was left on the side of the road in this unnamed town, so intoxicated that he was gnawing on a leftover bone from his lunch. Story #2 indicates the owner of the town’s sawmill was spotted gnawin’ on a bone, leading to the town’s name. Story #3 is much more straightforward and claims the town was named after Narbonne, France, where many of the towns earliest settlers were from.
- Floyds Knobs
Wade Morgan/Flickr This gorgeous town was actually partly named after its scenic land. “Knobs” refers to the charming hills that are scattered throughout this small town and “Floyds” comes from Colonel David Floyd.
- Toad Hop
Jim Grey/Flickr This unincorporated community is now officially a part of West Terre Haute. But residents will always know it as “Toad Hop,” the swampy field town named after the large number of frogs you could find here.
- Eureka
Chris Flook/Wikimedia This Spencer County town’s origin story goes exactly the way you might be expecting: upon finding this land, a pioneer exclaimed, “Eureka!” and the rest is history. Fun fact: this is one of two towns named Eureka in Indiana.
- Gas City
Adam Moss/Flickr Originally known as Harrisburg, this small town in Grant County officially changed its name to Gas City in 1892 during the gas boom when the Gas City Land Company was founded here.
- Popcorn
Chris Flook/Wikimedia Popcorn was named after Popcorn Creek. How did either get its legendary name? Rumor has it an out-of-town visitor compared the size of farmers’ corn kernels to popcorn. It’s now also the home of Popcorn, Indiana kettlecorn - a top rated popcorn brand throughout the country.
- Pumpkin Center
Rich Bowen/Flickr This Orange Country unincorporated town is rumored to have gotten its name due to its popular pumpkin growing district. It’s also one of two Pumpkin Center towns in Indiana.
- Oolitic
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr Known as the home of the Joe Palooka statue, this town was so famous for its limestone, it was actually named “Limestone.” It took on the name “Oolitic” after the Greek word “oolite” which means eggs and stone.
- Santa Claus
tengrrl/Flickr This jolly town was originally known as Santa Fe, until it became known that there already was a Santa Fe, Indiana. After a few town meetings, the name “Santa Claus” was agreed upon, and once letters to Santa began delivering here, this historic town’s place in Christmas history began.
Did you know the origin stories behind these 9 crazy town names in Indiana? How many have you visited?
Jimmy Emerson/DVM
There’s much debate about the origin of this unusual town name. Story #1 suggests a Civil War soldier was left on the side of the road in this unnamed town, so intoxicated that he was gnawing on a leftover bone from his lunch. Story #2 indicates the owner of the town’s sawmill was spotted gnawin’ on a bone, leading to the town’s name. Story #3 is much more straightforward and claims the town was named after Narbonne, France, where many of the towns earliest settlers were from.
Wade Morgan/Flickr
This gorgeous town was actually partly named after its scenic land. “Knobs” refers to the charming hills that are scattered throughout this small town and “Floyds” comes from Colonel David Floyd.
Jim Grey/Flickr
This unincorporated community is now officially a part of West Terre Haute. But residents will always know it as “Toad Hop,” the swampy field town named after the large number of frogs you could find here.
Chris Flook/Wikimedia
This Spencer County town’s origin story goes exactly the way you might be expecting: upon finding this land, a pioneer exclaimed, “Eureka!” and the rest is history. Fun fact: this is one of two towns named Eureka in Indiana.
Adam Moss/Flickr
Originally known as Harrisburg, this small town in Grant County officially changed its name to Gas City in 1892 during the gas boom when the Gas City Land Company was founded here.
Popcorn was named after Popcorn Creek. How did either get its legendary name? Rumor has it an out-of-town visitor compared the size of farmers’ corn kernels to popcorn. It’s now also the home of Popcorn, Indiana kettlecorn - a top rated popcorn brand throughout the country.
Rich Bowen/Flickr
This Orange Country unincorporated town is rumored to have gotten its name due to its popular pumpkin growing district. It’s also one of two Pumpkin Center towns in Indiana.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Known as the home of the Joe Palooka statue, this town was so famous for its limestone, it was actually named “Limestone.” It took on the name “Oolitic” after the Greek word “oolite” which means eggs and stone.
tengrrl/Flickr
This jolly town was originally known as Santa Fe, until it became known that there already was a Santa Fe, Indiana. After a few town meetings, the name “Santa Claus” was agreed upon, and once letters to Santa began delivering here, this historic town’s place in Christmas history began.
For more weird Indiana, check out these 10 things that are actually illegal in the Hoosier state.
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