The Longest City Name in Every State

Named for a family of settlers with the surname Owens, Owens Cross Roads, Alabama has a rich agricultural tradition. Like much of the South, the town’s economy was based on cotton until a boll weevil infestation hurt crops around the Great Depression. Owens Cross Roads was officially incorporated in 1967.

Russian Mission, Alaska is a small town of just a few hundred people in the southwestern part of the state. The city was named Russian Mission because it became the first fur trading post established by the Russian American Company on the Yukon River in 1837.

Pinetop and Lakeside were two separate towns before merging in 1984. Now Pinetop-Lakeside boasts of its natural beauty as it sits near the White Mountains, the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest and Rainbow Lake.

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas is the result of the 2006 merger of two cities on Arkansas’ eastern border along the Mississippi river. Due to Helena’s proximity to the Mississippi River, it was a major port city in the 1800s.

Rancho Santa Margarita is a city of approximately 49,000 residents located between Los Angeles and San Diego. Though it was not incorporated until Jan. 1, 2000, the area’s rich history dates back to the 18th century. Spanish explorers first met Native Americans where the city now stands in 1769.

Green Mountain Falls is a small mountain town located just off of Pikes Peak and only a few miles away from Colorado Springs. The town bills itself as a perfect place for hikers and an ideal spot for picturesque vacations.

Groton Long Point was incorporated in 1921 so that people who spent their summer in the area would be able to get municipal services there. Located at the southern tip of Connecticut, the proximity to the ocean likely makes the town an attractive spot to relax and sail.

Slaughter Beach is a small town of just over 230, but it has a lot to offer. It is located on the eastern edge of Delaware, looking into the Delaware Bay. It is also partially situated in the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, which has hiking trails, canoeing, and more.

North Redington Beach is a small beach town in Pinellas County, situated about 40 minutes west of Tampa. Most homes in the town are single family, waterfront homes. The town is known for its bars and restaurants, which make it a popular holiday destination.

Chattahoochee Hills became the city with the longest name in Georgia just recently — the city was incorporated in late 2007. Though the city is relatively close to Atlanta, it remains rural and natural.

Hawaii is the only state that has no incorporated places recognized by the Census Bureau — every area is a Census designated place (CDP) for statistical purposes. And the CDP with the longest name is Hawaiian Paradise Park. It is located on the island of Hawaii, the largest in the chain. Hawaiian Paradise Park is surrounded by the ocean, forest reserves, and wildlife refuges.

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho is home to several natural geothermal hot springs with water that stays a constant 100 degrees or hotter. The heated springs draw tourists year-around, helping to support Lava Hot Springs’ tourism industry.

South Chicago Heights is roughly a half-hour commute from the Windy City. The village of South Chicago Heights bills itself as an alternative to living in the city, claiming to offer comparable shopping and dining at lower prices.

Country Club Heights, Indiana has a big name, but that is one of the few things big about it. It is a tiny town in both size and population. Sitting along the White River, it has just 89 residents and takes up just a little over a quarter mile.

University Heights is just a short ways away from Iowa City and the University of Iowa. In fact, the city’s northeast side borders Kinnick Stadium, where the Iowa Hawkeyes play football on Saturdays.

Cottonwood Falls, Kansas is located right in between Topeka and Wichita, lying just south of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The city’s roots can be traced to the area’s first settlement in 1854. Today, Cottonwood Falls is the county seat of Chase County, which was incorporated in 1859.

Old Brownsboro Place is a tiny town in the Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area near the Indiana border. The city with fewer than 400 people spans just 76 acres, or just over one tenth of one square mile.

This town’s name, French Settlement, may sound like it draws from the rich French tradition in Louisiana, but it actually gets its name from a general store. Steamers from New Orleans on the Amite River used to stop at a general store named “French Settlement,” and the name stuck for the entire area.

South Portland and Portland are two distinct cities separated by the Fore River. Incorporated in 1898, South Portland is the fourth-largest city in Maine.

Believe it or not, Chevy Chase Section Three is this Maryland’s village full name. Though it was initially differentiated as a special taxing district over a century ago, Chevy Chase Section Three was fully incorporated in 1982. And, no, it has nothing to do with the actor. It gets its name from the Chevy Chase Land Company, which got its name from “chevauchee,” a Scottish word for a border raid.

Most commonly known as simply West Springfield, the U.S. Census Bureau has the area west of Springfield, Massachusetts officially listed as “West Springfield Town city.” The three-word name makes it a shoe-in for the longest city name in Massachusetts.

Though the Census lists it as “Village of Grosse Pointe Shores city,” the longest city name anywhere in America, the city’s residents actually voted in 2009 to incorporate it as “Village of Grosse Pointe Shores, A Michigan City.” The shores referenced in the name are along Lake St. Clair, which is connected to Lake Erie by the Detroit River.

The cities of Norwood and Young America merged in 1997. Young America’s peculiar name also has a peculiar back story. The town was first called Teuteberg, but the town sign was flattened by a herd of oxen. Fearing that was a bad omen, townspeople changed the name to Florence, but the name was already taken. They finally settled on Young America.

North Carrollton is a small town of fewer than 500 people that is located in the center of Mississippi. It sits just north of the larger city of Carrollton, with the two cities divided by the Yalobusha River.

Bellefontaine Neighbors is a suburban city. It not only has the longest name in the state of Missouri, but, at 22 letters, it also has one of the longest names of any incorporated city, town, or place in the country. Bellefontaine Neighbors is just about 20 minutes away from the Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis.

White Sulphur Springs, Montana gets its name from the hot springs in town that draw many visitors. The town’s rural and secluded location also offers access to good hunting areas.

Beaver Crossing, Nebraska sits west of Lincoln. In 1887, the Pioneer Town-Site Company built a trail used by stagecoaches and wagons to head west. That trail crossed over Beaver Creek, hence the name.

If you follow the Las Vegas Strip, which is actually called Las Vegas Boulevard, north for a few miles past all the glitz and glamour of the casinos, you’ll end up in North Las Vegas. The city is more than just a long name and a stop past the big city. It is home to some 237,000 residents.

Somersworth is the only city to make the list that’s just one word. New Hampshire is one of the smaller states, so Somersworth didn’t have much competition. The town sits along New Hampshire’s border with Maine, just across Salmon Falls River.

It is believed that the word Peapack comes from the Leni Lenape word meaning “marriage of the waters.” Gladstone is named in honor of former British Prime Minister William Gladstone. The two villages combined into one in 1912.

Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, as you might expect, is close to Albuquerque. It’s just a few miles north, sitting along the banks of the Rio Grande. The village was officially incorporated in 1958, but the area around it has a rich history dating back millennia. There were a handful of Spanish villages near the Rio Grande, but it’s believed people had lived there for hundreds of years B.C.

Port Washington North is a small community located on Long Island. The village actually predates the United States. John Cornwall got a land grant to start the village in 1677, though it wasn’t incorporated until 1932.

Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina centers around one large lake, officially called Patricia Lake, but known to locals as “The Big Lake.” There are dozens of manmade and natural lakes all around the city. It’s also home to Boiling Spring, which discharges an estimated 43 million gallons of water daily.

A large chunk of the city of Spiritwood Lake, North Dakota is taken up by Spiritwood Lake itself. The town is home to just 109 people, but it still offers reasons to visit. The lake allows for outdoor activities like fishing and boating, and there is a local resort and casino.

Located between Columbus and Cincinnati, Washington Court House, Ohio was founded in 1810. The town has served as the seat of Fayette County since its inception. It was named in honor of the first U.S. president, George Washington.

West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma sits just across the border from Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The town is home to Natural Falls State Park, which has a spectacular 77-foot waterfall. The park was featured in the film “Where the Red Fern Grows.”

Milton-Freewater sits just a few miles south of Oregon’s border with Washington. Before Milton-Freewater there was just Milton, but a group split off in 1889, allegedly spurred by the fact that Milton didn’t sell alcohol. That town became Freewater, and the two eventually merged in 1950.

Southwest Greensburg is located southwest of Greensburg, which also happens to be in Southwest Pennsylvania. Even though the town takes up less than 0.4 square miles of space, it has over 2,000 residents.

Though East Providence is the longest city name in Rhode Island, it hasn’t always been that way. In fact, there was a time when East Providence wasn’t in Rhode Island at all. The city used to be part of Massachusetts, until in 1862 that land was given to Rhode Island by the U.S Supreme Court as part of a dispute settlement with Massachusetts. East Providence now sits in between the state border with Massachusetts and the Providence River.

Batesburg-Leesville formed when Batesburg and Leesville consolidated in 1993. The area surrounding the town is checkered with lakes and reservoirs. Batesburg-Leesville is just a few miles west of South Carolina’s state capital, Columbia.

Wessington Springs is a small South Dakota town that serves as the county seat of Jerauld County. Legend has it the city gets its name from a fur trapper named Wessington, who was tied to a tree and burned to death by Native Americans where the city’s park now lies. This tale, however, is likely more fiction than fact.

Parker’s Crossroads, Tennessee is a small, T-shaped town running along both I-40 and Highway 22. Named for the Baptist minister John Parker who settled there around 1830, the town sits right in between Nashville and Memphis. Before the roads were built, this was also the site of a Civil War battle. Union soldiers laid a trap for Confederate forces, but most Southerners escaped without being injured or killed.

In 1933, North Texas residents began planning a new community. It was nestled between the large cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington, so the planning committee decided to combine those city names into Dalworthington Gardens. The federal government signed off on the plan in 1934 and allotted $250,000 for the purchase of the city, which is now home to nearly 2,500 people.

Marriott-Slaterville, Utah is sandwiched in between the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake. Marriott and Slaterville were formed as independent communities in the 1850s, but eventually combined. Marriott-Slaterville was incorporated as one town in 1999.

The New York Times once wrote that North Bennington “epitomizes preserved, picturesque Vermont.” The Walloomsac River runs along the southern edge of the village, which describes itself as “intensely local” but still welcoming to visitors. The town used to house lumber mills and paper factories, but most residents now commute to work elsewhere.

As you might have guessed, Charlotte Court House has a courthouse in it — and it’s a historically significant one. Designed by Thomas Jefferson and built in 1823, it is believed that the Charlotte County Courthouse is the only remaining courthouse designed by Jefferson.

Bainbridge Island is not only an island in Washington located across from Seattle in Elliott Bay, but also a town of more than 24,000 people. The town gained national recognition for being a great place. In 2005, it came in second on CNN Money’s Best Places to Live list. And Google said it was the best city for e-commerce in 2013.

“White Sulphur Springs” may sound familiar because it’s the longest city name in Montana as well. West Virginia’s White Sulphur Springs sits just west of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest and the border with Virginia.

Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is located near Wisconsin’s southern border with Illinois. The village, locally known as Fontana, surrounds Fontana Beach, which sits at the edge of Geneva Lake. It has a year-round population of just over 1,500, but on weekends and during peak tourism season the city’s population swells by as many as 5,000 people.

Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming is an ideal place for people who love the outdoors. The town is just south of Yellowstone National Park, west of Prater Mountain and east of Salt River. It’s also just a few miles away from the border with Idaho.