Small Town America Trivia Quiz

Answer: Minnesota

Welcome has a population of 721 and was originally called Lily Creek was was renamed Welcome in honor of Alfred Welcome, an early homesteader in the area.

Bemidji, population 13,419, is the home of three colleges including Bemidji State University. It claims to be the curling capital of the world.

LeSueur is named for the French explorer Pierre Le Sueur. It lies just southwest of the Twin Cities. The Jolly Green Giant is regarded as its symbol even though that company sold out years ago. Le Sueur peas is an example of its most famous product.

Answer: Wisconsin

Menomonee lies in western Wisconsin. It is home of the University of Wisconsin, Stout. Its mission is to provide polytechnical education with a degree that goes beyond the typical vocational school.

Menomonee Falls is a suburb of Milwaukee. It has the largest population in Wisconsin to be classed as a village. Menominee means 'the people', an Indian term.

This a story told to me by a teacher at the University of Wisconsin, Stout. A professor was invited to conduct a seminar at Stout. The airline routed him to Milwaukee as that was closest to Menomonee Falls. Realizing its error, the airline routed him to Menomonee, Michigan. Giving up in frustration, the professor flew home and never got to the seminar.

Winter is a village of 344 people but swells in population during the summer because of the recreational activities located near by.

The Badgers are a Wisconsin university football team.

Answer: Pennsylvania

Intercourse is the name of an unincorporated community of about a 1000 people. It has a strong Amish influence. The film "Witness" (1985) was filmed there. Although the village is the brunt of jokes, the name was probably derived as a term for religious socialization or fellowship.

Jumonville only exists as a campground visited by thousands of vacationers each year. Its main attraction is its Christian theme. On a mountain top in Jumonville is a sixty foot steel cross that is visible for fifty miles. The cross in not only a symbol of Christian spirit but is placed in a battlefield of the Civil War.

Indiana, PA is a Borough of 14895 persons. It is the site of the Indiana campus of the University of Pennsylvania, the system's largest. Since the mining industry declined, a survey found 44% of Indiana's population living at the poverty level.

Answer: California

Weed was named for Abner Weed, an early settler. It is located near Mount Shasta and is a center for recreational fishing.

Eureka is the home of 26,097 persons and lies on the northern shore of California. It is the center for the giant Redwood trees. It has one of the largest arrays of preserved Victorian homes in the United States.

Nice is situated on Clear Lake. The original name was Clear Lake Villas but because several other towns in the area had Clear Lake in their names, in 1930 it was changed to Nice. after a city in France. About 2509 call Nice home.

Answer: Colorado

Alamosa is the shopping hub of south-central Colorado. Its population is 8682 of which about half are of Latino or Hispanic descent. The Great Sand Dunes National Park is a tourist attraction. The City of Alamosa is a Home Rule Municipality. The City Council has 6 members, 4 members elected from wards and two at large. City Council votes against or for laws. City Council has authority to make ordinances, change ordinances, and repeal ordinances. The city elects a mayor-at-large on a non-partisan ballot. Alamosa is the Spanish name for cottonwood.

Rifle is located in western Colorado and is a cattle producing area. A trapper lost his rifle near an unnamed creek so the creek was called Rifle Creek. When the town was built nearby, it too was called Rifle. The town has 6782 residents.

Trinidad in southern Colorado lays claim to the title of "Sex Change Capitol of the World". When sex change operations were prohibited in many parts of the United States and the world, a courageous local surgeon, Stanley Biber, gained an international reputation as a skilled sugeon for sex change. Some of the 9077 residents of Trinidad are embarrassed by this identification but income for the operations make up a substantial part of the local hospital budget.

Answer: Iowa

What Cheer is located in southeastern Iowa. There is no clear explanation of how the town got its name but 'what cheer' was an English greeting phase. Other names were rejected by the United States Post Office. At one time the population was over 3000 but had dropped to 687 in recent years.

Ottumwa is also in southeastern Iowa with a population of 24,998. It has been a coal mining and railroad center. Tom Arnold, actor and former husband of Roseanne, Edna Ferber, novelist, and Russell Means, Native American activist, all have roots in Ottumwa.

Okoboji is a village of 820 residence located on Lake Okoboji in northwestern Iowa, near the Minnesota border. It is famed as a resort area. Visitors frequently purchase Okoboji University sweat shirts but there is no such college.

Answer: Indiana

French Lick got its name from the salt deposits in the area which were important in raising live stock. For a century it was a famous spa and casino area with such visitors as Al Capone, Franklin Roosevelt, Irving Berlin, and Joe Louis. Many consider Larry Bird, who grew up in French Lick, as one the most talented basketball players of all time.

Carbon is a former coal mining and clay products manufacturing center. Most industries have left the town of 334.

Brazil was named for the South American country. A memorial fountain was given by Brazil to the Indiana town which is located in a local park. Jimmie Hoffa, the union leader, and Orville Redenbacher, the popcorn king, were born in Brazil.

Answer: Nebraska

Cozad, named for an early settler John Cozad, is a town of 4163. It is one of a number of towns in Nebraska that parallel the North Platte River, Interstate 80, US Highway 30,and the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Republican City is the home of the Theatre of the American West and has produced such dramas as the "Spoon River Anthology", even though it population is about 200.

Broken Bow was named by an early settler who found a broken bow near an Indian burial ground. Nebraska's largest cattle feedlot with a capacity of 85,000 head is located 2 miles south of Broken Bow. It is home to 3491 residents.

Answer: Illinois

Paw Paw was named for the pawpaw tree groves in the area. 852 people live in Paw Paw which has many historic homes.

3147 people live in Nashville. Tremors are sometimes felt in this southern Illinois town which are related to the New Madrid fault.

Paris is in east central Illinois with a population of 9077. The nearest city is 18 miles away Terre Haute, Indiana.

Answer: South Dakota

Keystone lies at the foot of Mount Rushmore and is one of several tourist towns located in the Black Hills.

Rosebud is the center of the Rosebud (Sicangu) Sioux Reservation with a reported population of 1557.

Box Elder is near Ellsworth Air Base and the home of the South Dakota Air Museum.