Same Name: Cities and Towns in both the US and UK Quiz

Answer: Boston

Boston is a small town in Lincolnshire most famous for St Botolph's Church, also known as "The Stump" for its large towers that are visible for several miles in the flat countryside.

The city of Boston in Massachusetts was named by early settlers for its counterpart in England. Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile road through the city which includes important Revolutionary War sites and ships, such as Old Ironsides, Bunker Hill, the Boston Massacre site, and Faneuil Hall.

Answer: York

York is a small city near Philadelphia; and, of course, its rival city is named Lancaster. (Their baseball teams are named the White Roses and Red Roses respectively). During the Revolutionary War the capital of the US was moved several times and York served that role at one time.

York PA was the city furthest north to fall to the Confederacy during the Civil War. It is also home to Pfaltzgraff potteries, the beloved York Peppermint Pattie, and lies near large Amish settlements. (It's also the birthplace of my wife).

York was long one of the most powerful cities in England. The city is dominated by the impressive Yorkminster Gothic church and the city centre is nearly enclosed by the original city walls. Recent excavations of Viking ruins (Jorvik Centre), the original medieval street of the Shambles, Clifford's Tower, and York Castle are noteworthy attractions.

Answer: Oxford

Oxford Mississippi was founded in 1837 and was named after the city in England with the express (and successful) hope of being chosen as the location of the state university. The University of Mississippi became one of the focal points of the US Civil Rights Movement when James Meredith was admitted to the previously all-white school in 1962.

Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and has retained its prominence since the first colleges were formed in the 13th century. The city of Oxford is known as the "City of Dreaming Spires" from a poem by Matthew Arnold.

Answer: Lincoln

Lincoln is the capital of the state of Nebraska and currently its second largest city after Omaha. It was originally named Lancaster, but renamed in 1867 to honor the recently-slain president. It is also the home of the flagship state university, the University of Nebraska.

Lincoln is an English city in the East Midlands with settlements dating back to the Iron Age. The well-preserved Lincoln Castle was constructed soon after the Norman Conquest and nearby Lincoln Cathedral was once one of the largest in the world. One of the four extant copies of the Magna Carta is kept at Lincoln Castle, with one another copy at Salisbury Cathedral and the remaining two copies in the British Library.

Answer: Aberdeen

Aberdeen is a smaller city on the Pacific coast of Washington. It prides itself as the Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula. It was named by early settlers for the city in Scotland. Ironically both cities were prominent in fishing and lumber, and both cities lie at the mouth of two rivers.

One of the nicknames of Aberdeen Scotland is the Granite City for its stone buildings, which have a tint of silver due to the presence of mica in the rock. The city has enjoyed a resurgence as the center of the North Sea oil exploration.

Answer: Birmingham

Birmingham was a major industrial centre during the Industrial Revolution. The blast furnace and steam engine were developed in the city, and more patents were granted to industries here than any other English city. It is also where Lloyd's Bank originated.

Birmingham Alabama was founded in 1871 and named after its British counterpart with hopes of achieving the same success. It soon became the primary manufacturing city in the southern US; and, as one of the primary steel producers in the country, was called the "Pittsburgh of the South". Like many southern cities, it suffered tragedies during the Civil Rights era, having the 16th Street Baptist Church bombed with the loss of the lives of four young girls.

Answer: Durham

Durham North Carolina prospered as one of the primary producers of tobacco products. Duke University, in Durham, was originally founded by Methodists and Quakers and was renamed from Trinity University when tobacco magnate James Buchanan Duke gave a large legacy in the name of his father. The Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area of North Carolina is now referred to as the Research Triangle and is one of the main high technology centers in the country.

Durham England was founded in 995. The Durham Cathedral is one of the finest Romanesque churches in the world, the burial site of St Cuthbert and Bede the Venerable. The view up from the River Wear or from the London-Edinburgh train to the cathedral is one of the most picturesque ones I've seen.

Answer: Gloucester

Both Gloucesters are important seaports. The American city was noted for shipbuilding and its fishing industry. Gorton's of Gloucester is a noted seafood company with the symbol of a fisherman dressed for a Nor'easter. The city was a backdrop for the film "A Perfect Storm".

Gloucester England is situated by the Severn River and has a noted cathedral in the city. Like nearby Bristol City is a major seaport and a thriving aerospace industry. The Gloucester cheese is made in the region from the local Gloucester cattle,

Answer: Manchester

Manchester is currently the largest city in the state of New Hampshire. It was named by Samuel Bloget after the city of England when he envisioned it as a similar industrial giant. Early settlers built a canal and established an early cotton spinning mill run by water power.

Manchester United is one of the giant football (soccer) powers in the world, known to its fans as the Red Devils. The city of Manchester has a long history in textile manufacturing, starting with linens and woolens and later moving to cotton products. The Manchester Ship Canal was a giant undertaking to provide a path to the city for ocean-going vessels. Today it is a major centre for British television production.

Answer: Bangor

Bangor Maine was founded in 1871 and in the 1800s was a major producer of lumber and shipbuilding. It is unclear whether it was named for the city of Bangor in Wales or the city in Northern Ireland.

Bangor is a major city in Gwynedd in northern Wales near the Menai Strait and the Island of Anglesey. During the height of the Blitz the BBC temporarily moved its broadcasting from London to Bangor.

Answer: Richmond

Richmond is a small town in North Yorkshire on the River Swale and is known as the "Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales". Norman style Richmond Castle is an impressive ruin.

King Henry VII, who was also the Earl of Richmond, constructed Richmond Palace near London. The area is now the city of Richmond, and contains beautiful Richmond Park, originally a royal deer park.

Richmond Virginia is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia (the rest of us call it a state) and was the capital of the Confederacy during most of the US Civil War. Ready access to hydroelectric power was a significant factor in its growth as an industrial center, Now its primary industries are law, finance, and increasingly biotechnology/pharmaceutical development.

Answer: Dover

Dover is the second largest city in Delaware. It was selected as capital of the state due to its central location in the state and safety from British raiders with its inland location.

Dover England is the closest port to France and has long been of strategic importance to England It has served as a key port to transport goods and people to the Continent, although the Channel Tunnel has diminished its importance. "Dover Beach" is a very well known poem by Matthew Arnold. "The White Cliffs of Dover" was a hugely popular film and song during World War II.

Answer: Bristol

Bristol Connecticut is a suburb of New Haven (home of Yale University) and is the home base of sports broadcasting giant ESPN.

Bristol England is a major seaport in the southwest, situated on the Avon River and near the Severn estuary. It was the point of origin for many early explorations of North America, including those of John Cabot. It also had the unfortunate distinction of being a major port of the slave trade with returned tobacco and sugar products. Today it is a major centre for the British aerospace industry, supporting BAE and Airbus among others.

Answer: Plymouth

The Pilgrims sailed from Plymouth, England and landed at Plymouth Rock in the State of Massachusetts. The city of Plymouth was established nearby, approximately 40 miles south of Boston. Its main industry now is tourism.

The city of Plymouth, on the coast of Devon, has settlements dating back to the Bronze Age and is one of the major ports in Britain. If legend is to be believed, Francis Drake was playing a game of bowls when he was informed that the Spanish Armada had been sighted. Supposedly he delayed his departure to complete the game (and presumably win).

Answer: Portsmouth

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard is one of the major naval stations on the east, lying in a large protected harbor of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Portsmouth lies on the opposite side of the river from the city of Norfolk. The shipyard was named for Norfolk County, which includes both cities, and not for the city of Norfolk. At the start of the American Civil War Union forces burned the harbor because Virginia had joined the Confederacy. Later when the North regained control of the area Southern forces also burned it down.

Portsmouth England is the major port for the Royal Navy. It contains the world's first drydock and was a major port of embarkation for the D-Day invasion. It is also the birthplace of Charles Dickens and noted engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.